Alvin discovered a pedometer feature on his iPod and has been excitedly counting his steps.
Excuse my baby's face-He fell off his scooter a few days ago. :-(
His finding got me thinking about how many steps doctors recommend for optimum health. I did a little searching and saw that Dr. Oz (my imaginary doctor LOL) recommends 10,000 steps per day. It sounds like a whole lot but I'm not surprised about the recommendation because he is also one of the few (public figure doctors) that advises exercise every day.
I think about my own kids when I read/hear about exercising every day. My boys probably very easily hit the 10,000 per day; especially in the summer. They eat breakfast, play outside (basketball, ride bikes, walking around the block) for about an hour, come back inside for a bit and they head back out for pretty much the rest of the day.
I know we all have busy lives, but it's important to curve out some time daily to achieve our 10,000 steps. The key is getting childlike with an activity that you don't mind doing. I never hear my kids say, "I'm not going back out because I've had enough exercise today." No! They find activities they like and continue to do them daily.
After a long walk on 7/1
I challenge you to seek out an activity that will make a difference in your life today.
Hello, Good Morning
"They sleep, we grind" -Erykah Badu
5:30 AM-Mile 1 of 10
Random Thoughts:
*The Hubs said he's going to get me a can of mace for these early morning walk/jogs. I was thinking more like a hand gun but whatever you want, hun. lol
*Mosquitos are extremely aggressive when you're drenched in sweat
*My neighbors do an awesome job of maintaining their lawns-We need to join them
*I have learned to appreciate our neighborhood. When we moved here 6 years ago, I wasn't too thrilled because I wanted to be closer to DC and I thought the area was too rural. It's still too rural (we have one grocery store on this side of the county) but it's absolutely beautiful and peaceful.
*I can't wait until my Camelbak arrives on Thursday. It's such a hassle carrying my sports bottle because it interferes with my jogging; with the Camelbak I will be able to "wear" my water.
*I do my best thinking/note taking (Thanks Blackberry MemoPad) early in the morning.
*I need to add new music to my iPod-I'm thinking some Prince, MJ, a little Beyonce
First Day Back
I didn't set my alarm the night before. Even though I understood how important it is to get back into routines after vacation, I didn't want to force myself to wake up. I had just spent several hours purging my closet and wanted nothing more than continuing my 8 AM wake time from vacation.
Once again, my mental clock had other plans. At exactly 6:02, it woke me right up. I slowly climbed out of bed, threw some water on my face, grabbed my camera and headed out. My iPod blasted a Black Eyed Peas song but the uptempo did nothing for me. I was tired and wanted nothing more than to get back in my bed. The bed I so missed for the last eight days.
I headed out the driveway and made a right to maintain my usual routine. I started out a lot slower than normal and decided to maintain that pace for the rest of the walk. I started snapping pictures of my first exercise to make me feel better. To help me appreciate the chance of getting back into my routine.
After continuing the same pace for several minutes (deliberate brisk walking form), I reached to skip to the next song on my Ipod. Instead, inadvertently, I paused my Ipod. I took a moment and listened to my surrounding without stopping my pace. I heard bird chirping, squirrels jumping from branch to branch, a few cars out in the distance, and noises that resembled the serenade of crickets. I decided to leave my headphones off for the remainder of my walk. I felt my shoulders loosen and my form was nonexistent. I slowed my pace even more and took in everything around me.
At the end of my walk I felt so empowered. Sure I didn't do any "true" exercise, but the determination of getting up when I didn't want to and having that moment in nature was priceless to me at that moment.
Woohoo!
I went to bed after 1 AM, texting my bestie, learning about minimalism living, and pretending to read my sociology textbook.
Before hubby fell asleep I mumbled that I will NOT go running in the morning because I didn't feel like it. I didn't set my alarm with the full intention of sleeping in (something I rarely do).
At exactly 6:32 AM my mental alarm went off. *sigh* I hopped out the bed and had the best workout! I did several sprints and brisk walking. After the workout, I had a headache but I'm great right now.
We're heading to Disney World on Thursday and I was excited to see exercise center on the property. I will definitely take advantage of that!
Better Health
Today is day#3 is Operation 21 Days to Change. They say if you do something consecutively for 21 days, it will become a habit. I'm hoping to impede this philosophy into every aspect of my life.
I walked/jogged for 30 minutes this morning for the third day in the row. Woohoo! I've been waking up between 6:30-7:30 AM, tightening up my shoelaces, clipping on my iPod, and embracing the my nature surroundings as I jog.
Since I tend to lose motivation quicker than I would like, i've decided to brisk walk on the days I don't feel like working out. Only time will tell if this option will work for me.
Not only am I enjoying the 1st day of summer vacation with my chipmunks, but also the possibly of long term better health.