300,000 Steps
I wrote the following hoping to provide some support and even some encouragement for my coworkers during a time of change. After editing some office-specific references, I now want to share with you hoping to also bring you some insight to who I am and even more importantly, perhaps there are some nuggets that will resonate with you.
300,000 Steps
It’s an understatement to say that 2020 is a year of change. Most of us have seen the memes about no one achieving their 2015 five-year goal or not having anything that has occurred in the past few months on their vision boards. Personally, this quarantine and year has given me a new perspective and a road to many opportunities.
I am taking the rest of the year as a challenge for positive change. Not commuting for three hours a day on the days I telework or saving over an hour a day when I do work from the office has allowed me a little break from the rat race we call life. In turn, this has allowed me to focus on my health and enjoy my surroundings more. Keeping faith that all will work out can be a daily struggle. After a while it can become harder to keep your chin-up, but I have found that even in dark times there are glimmers of light should we be open to them. Easier said than done, right? I am fortunate to be surrounded by amazing friends and family whom have contributed to my own glimmers.
But why 300k steps? I’m getting to that. 😊 It wasn’t too long ago that I went from completing 5ks, 10ks, and even a half marathon to almost no physical activity. To put things in perspective, my average step count dropped to approximately 300 steps a day (the length of a football field is 120 steps) and I had no desire in completing any kind of “k” at that point. To my dismay, I found myself having a difficult time walking the length of one city block. Something had to change.
Fast forward maybe four years and I found myself in the midst of a work assignment where walking was a must. Though slowly, the wheels started to turn and set some things in motion. A year or so later, the office walking/running challenge began which provided me with a new incentive. My competitive side started to show itself again.
Many more changes and challenges were to follow. I was diagnosed with two viruses and a few other things; but exercise along with lifestyle changes is a must if I want my body to heal without permanent damage. You know things aren’t peachy when even your doctor loses composure. But I was willing and ready!
After coming across a Facebook ad twice of a kickboxing studio I had seen a few times while driving around town, I decided to reach out and give it a go. I loved it! Even my doctor was excited.
As I write this, I am realizing that those trial classes were almost a year ago. After taking some medical leave, I returned to the studio and signed up for their six-week challenge. I am now a full member and I have improved so much from day one! But then came the pandemic, and with it COVID-related closures in our state which included my studio. I was concerned about relapsing and it was difficult for me to focus during their virtual classes. I decided to incorporate more walking, but I still needed an incentive. Again, thanks to Facebook, I found one in Virtual Missions – they came with medals too! I signed up for a trio package and chose to walk my missions. There are around a dozen landmarks to choose from and you can use any form of physical activity to inch your way to the goal – someone even completed one of the missions by hula-hooping.
At this point, I was back to walking 2.5-3 miles with some ease. It took me a while and I have yet to complete four miles in under an hour (at my peak I was at close to five miles per hour) However, I noticed a couple weeks ago that I am consistently at around 70 minutes for four miles – so I am blaming Maryland humidity for those extra 10 minutes 😊.
I began by walking the distance of the English Channel, followed by Hadrian’s Wall, and most recently the Inca Trail. As of June, I have walked a combined 137.2 miles for these three missions. On theFourth of July, I walked seven miles in one stretch! It felt amazing. Later in the month, I treated myself to a Garmin watch that came with its own weekly and monthly challenges. A couple of weeks later, a friend introduced me to an app that included the 300,000 steps challenge for the month of August. I didn’t even think about it, I just accepted. Why stop now when the whole purpose of this year is to move forward?
It was not until day four that I fully realized what I had signed up for – I realized I was about two days behind my target pace with only 20,000 steps. But I was determined to keep at it! I still had the Inca Trail to complete, and guess what? As of last week, I was ahead three days!
If you know you need a change in your life or help with stress management, consider taking a walk. If you can only walk one side of a city block, then start there. To move forward, a step must be taken!
As it happens, the office affinity group is once again hosting their Fitness Challenge which starts September 1, 2020.
I plan to join the challenge, but if walking/running/swimming isn’t possible for you I would encourage you to find something in your life right now that could serve as “your challenge”. Reach out if you wish to chat and I’ll be happy to listen or even discuss a game plan. Chin-up, you are not alone! If you don’t have the belief in yourself to start a new challenge, then feel free to borrow my belief in you!
PS: I asked my nephews to give their suggestion for my next challenge – Route 66 it is at 2,280 miles. I have given myself 16 months as of now and really hope that winter is kind.
**BTW, I became a very shallow breather which impedes oxygen flow, but with a bit of patience and intent and after the many, many miles I have seen improvement in my breathing which makes the health challenges that much more worthwhile and rewarding.
Thank you to those “Glimmers of Light!”
To New Chapters and Journeys, ~A