I don’t know if you all know this or not but I am very goal oriented. I am not usually a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person. I like to set small goals that will get me to my ultimate goal. I make lists and lists for lists and I am highly organized. Even when I procrastinated like crazy for school, it was still very organized chaos. I think this is the only way I keep everything in order. I always like to know what’s going on, what’s due and when I need to be somewhere.
This concept has bled over into my weight loss struggle. For a long time, I’ve been trying new things out and will try different variations of routines. I was eager to know where it was going. I set small goals in terms of how long it takes me to do something or how many times a week I work out but I wanted a goal with a bigger picture. I had heard of people walking 10,000 steps a day so I thought I would look into that. I decided to buy a pedometer. I have an iPhone and you can get pedometer apps on there but if you get a call or your phone locks, you lose your data...or at least that is what I heard. I decided that if I was going to count steps that I wanted it to be accurate and I wanted EVERY step I took to count so I went all out and got a good pedometer which still was only a little over 20 bucks.
Figuring it out was kind of annoying but it seems to work great. My mother warned me that 10,000 steps was WAY more than I thought. She was right but I still did a great job. The first day, I walked 9,857 steps but I had to run 2 miles on the treadmill, go to Wal-Mart at lunch and take a short walk at night to get to that. I got 8,610 the next day. I wanted my goal to be 10,000 steps a day and 1,000,000 steps in 100 days. I want to push myself but I also want to be realistic. Sure, I could’ve gotten 10,000 steps that first day but there WILL most definitely be days where I don’t get that...I mean, I work 8 hours a day, travel sometimes...and occasionally...I like to sleep and do nothing. So, I increased it to 1 Million Steps In 130 Days. I think this is totally doable and will ensure that I get plenty of activity. That is an average of a little more than 7,500 steps a day. This way, if I get sick or spend the day in the car or whatever...I won’t beat myself up because I set an unrealistic goal...plus...if I finish early then I will feel really accomplished. Many of us have taken millions of steps in our life but we take all those steps for granted. Some people can’t take a physical step at all so while I can, I want to get in as many steps as possible and it will feel really good to know that in 130 days, I have walked a million steps. I will update y’all from time to time so you know I’m on track. I should be at 250,000 at the beginning of May, 500,000 at the beginning of June and at 750,000 at the beginning of July. I started on 3/31 and I will need to have the million steps in by August 7 at 11:59 pm. If I succeed with this goal...then who knows...by then I could accomplish the 10,000 a day or set a different goal...as long as I keep going I will be happy...I want to build resistance, get faster and make sure that I never stop being active again...it’s taken me a year to get here...I would hate to have to start over.
Anyway, that’s my goal, it certainly doesn’t have to be yours but I think it is important to have goals and keep moving.
I realize that there was nothing particularly funny or witty about this blog. Sometimes people get a little pouty when I’m not self deprecating or imagining violence on people that make me angry but from time to time I think it’s OK for me to talk about a goal of mine I’m excited about...especially since the blog is called “My Life Without Ranch.” I will look forward to sharing my success!
I hope everyone has a great Easter. My mom and I were talking about how nice it is to use food as a trigger for good memories and that food doesn’t always have to be evil. I like Easter because it makes me reflective and things are pretty and the food is good and you get to spend time with your family...it’s nice. I truly hope you all enjoy it and eat plenty of jelly beans and eggs and whatever...and if it’s your thing...have fun at church and remember why we celebrate Easter in the first place. I’m talking to myself here...I’m going to church Sunday for the first time in several weeks because of travel and laziness...and now I’m going on Easter...how cliché is that?
“Ready, ready, ready, ready...ready to run
All I'm ready to do is have some fun
What's all this talk about love
I'm ready to run.” Ready To Run-The Dixie Chicks
I do love your blog when you're self deprecating or imagining violence on people, but I also love these blogs too. Basically, I love them all! :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you set goals for yourself. I think this is a great goal and I wish you the best of luck in reaching it!
Also...GREAT song!