I spoke with a few people this week about my walking and was given a few tips. One that did peak my interest was the 10,000 step challenge. It starts with a pedometer and you have all day to walk 10,000 steps. It doesn't matter how you do it, just that at the end of the day you have your 10,000 in. I looked on my phone for a pedometer app that would progressively monitor my walking like that while i had it on me but had no luck. The idea interested me enough that I am still thinking about it now and I am looking at getting a pedometer. I never liked pedometers simply because they are not accurate at all. This has been something that bugged me about them for years and years, then I thought about it today and the reason I disliked it was due to the concept of that I would have to make up the missed steps. Then common sense kicked in at pointed out that making up steps that were missing is a good thing as it means you are giving extra effort to a goal that you want to achieve. So after a "DUH" moment at myself and a facepalm for good measure, I decided that I wanted to try it out in tandem with my walking. So the hunt for a pedometer before work will happen, probably find one at Walmart for a few bucks.
Side note: Here is the URL for the 10,000 Steps Program
The real challenge is finding the time while I am at work to get out of my desk and walk around. The goal of a Customer Support Person is to be at your desk and logging calls. So, I have a plan about that. My office is about 40 feet from a rotunda and I know my wireless headset will reach it. So when calls area slow, I figure I can walk around in circles and wait for the next call. All I really need to do for the most part is have a pen and pad of paper handy to jot notes down for the basic info and if it is a computer necessary call I can beeline back to my desk as needed. Working the weekends in an office building that is really empty can have its advantages in that. Plus, since Runkeeper can't work inside because it uses GPS to track itself for my efforts, a pedometer inside will work out pretty well.
The trick for me has always been viewable results. If I put effort into something and I cannot see a measurable result in return, I won't waste time on it and find something else to do, even if that is doing nothing. Which, come to think of it is ass-backwards in a sentiment. Anyway, I think its more along the line of, if i am going to do something outside of my usually comfort addictions, having a receipt of effort as a return is satisfying to me. Like being able to set a number and making that number in steps for a day. Then I can take that number of steps and translate it into distance and use that amount to add to my Long Walk home challenge.
The biggest thing about this whole thing is that I want not only to feel better, but look better. I know I will be a big person regardless of what I do. I just want to look in the mirror for once and see a better shape. I know what I am looking at now is the physical representation of me as I thought I looked like when I was younger and in school. I am done with that image. Now I have one that I want to see and have been envisioning and I am waiting to see that one start to show up as well.
Now, time for a chart. I found a distance conversion chart that will help me keep track of distance. Putting in a page break here so I am not totally destroying the blog with too much data.
| Steps | Miles |
| 500 | 0.25 |
| 1000 | 0.5 |
| 1500 | 0.75 |
| 2000 | 1 |
| 2500 | 1.25 |
| 3000 | 1.5 |
| 3500 | 1.75 |
| 4000 | 2 |
| 4500 | 2.25 |
| 5000 | 2.5 |
| 5500 | 2.75 |
| 6000 | 3 |
| 6500 | 3.25 |
| 7000 | 3.5 |
| 7500 | 3.75 |
| 8000 | 4 |
| 8500 | 4.25 |
| 9000 | 4.5 |
| 9500 | 4.75 |
| 10000 | 5 |