10,000 Steps Day 28 | Lessons Learned

I’m telling you right now that I’m tired. It has a lot to do with my dedication to my steps, the increased activity from my kiddos this month, the weather, my recent work at preschool, a minor addition to Downton (NO SPOILERS, please), and a lack of quality sleep. I don’t see a reprieve any time soon. But I do know that I feel stronger and better for all my steps this month. And I feel more and more capable of fitting the steps in each day.

Here’s what I learned while taking all those steps.

• Oh my goodness, 10,000 steps is something to work for. My friend Hatton of FreshMom says, it’s a goal you need to be conscious of in order to reach. And she’s right. Without my pedometer, I’d be unaware of how sedentary I truly am was. I would never have thought I was so so far below where I should be.
• Yes, it’s a lot of steps. But that many steps can only make me healthier, and that, my dears, is the whole point at its most basic.
• One step becomes two. Two steps become four. Four become many. It almost happens magically. Or maybe it’s like rabbits multiplying. I don’t really know, and it doesn’t matter why, but it just happens. Movement becomes movement. And so I find myself looking for where steps might fit it. Last night, I walked a shopping center parking lot with a friend after dinner. It didn’t feel strange, it felt good to be moving. (Waving at you, Gina!)
• Steps can be found anywhere. Here are 85 ways to get more steps, but I could name 85 more. There are ways to fit your steps in, if you’re willing to look for them.
• And as good as it is to go go go. Knowing when to stop is equally important. It’s all about finding the balance, the back and forth, fast and slow. I’m not very good at finding the balance, but now that I’m aware of how important both sides are, the more likely I am to reach a happy middle ground.

Here’s my plan moving forward. I’m going to keep wearing my pedometer and keep tracking my steps. It will be the only way to make myself accountable for my activity. I want to keep moving, I like how it feels. I like how my body and mind react.

So tell me, what have you learned this month? What have you accomplished?