On the 21st of June 2014 I set a challenge to walk, run, hike, jump, hop, or any other type of movement to get me to 1 Million Steps in 100 days.
That means moving 10,000 steps for 100 days.
25% of adults walk for no more than one hour each week, with a further 43% reporting that they walked for less than two hours a week. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active.
~Healthy Ambitions 2014
This goal was achieved on day 98 of the 100 days.
Here is the breakdown:
This challenge was a real eye-opener for me. There were days when I went over 10,000. Those days were clearly my running days 95% of the time.
Then there were days when I did very little. Those were usually my recovery days, or it was just too bitterly cold outside to go out and go for a walk.
It was those cold and miserable days that made me question if I would actually get to my goal.
When spring finally sprung I noticed that I got outside more, and instead of driving up the street I would walk up the street to run my errands.
There is no doubt that if I did this challenge over the spring/summer period my stats would be completely different.
While it took me until day 98 to reach the 1 Million Step mark, my monthly averages changed from an average of 10202 steps in July to 12064 steps in September. With the seasons changing from winter to spring, so did my steps.
I actually might keep noting down my steps for the next 100 days to see how the weather influences my movements.
The other change for me was that I got a job that involves a lot of standing and moving around. Now I don’t mind this because I’m a fit person, but I could see how a job sitting down all day, can really negatively influence your lack of movement.
If you do decide to do this challenge here are some tips:
- Do invest in a pedometer like a Fitbit
- Do track down your progression and how you felt.
- Do aim to go for a 15min walk (minimum) every day
- Have fun
Have you done a movement challenge like this?
How did you go?
If you haven’t, would you consider doing one?
YAY so awesome you hit that goal!!!
I haven’t ever thought about challenging myself on this scale. But for a while I really strived to make sure I got my 10K steps in a day. Right now I am pushing for 15K a day, and in a few weeks I am going to have a goal to try to hit 20K steps each day (on days I run, not my rest days:) I love the fitbit for the ease of this. It’s kind of fun to track steps and see how the days go.
Way to go on hitting your goal, even a couple of days earlier!!
Thanks Kristy.
One thing is for sure, with the warmer weather, I’m getting more steps in. So I will have to keep track of my steps for the next 100 days to compare.