21,068

I ended May withing a whooper of a day. 21,068 steps yesterday. I have not walked over 20,000 steps in a day since Feb. 6, which happened to be Ash Wednesday and a huge snow with no volunteers to help transport residents to and from Chapel.

Yesterday, I planned to have a large number. I woke up early and got out of bed by 6:30 and off for a walk. I walked around the fairgrounds, which is my usual course on a weekend. This weekend was different, the Indy Cars were in town to run their annual race at the Milwaukee Mile. I had a great time being nosy and no one questioned me at all. I had over 8,000 steps by 7:45 when I returned home.

Later in the morning, we decided to go to the zoo. We had coupons for the Zoomobile and the Carousel that expired on 5/31/08, so we had no choice but to go. I hate wasting good coupons. We also had coupons that expired on 5/31/09, so we didn't have to pay for either the Zoomobile or the Carousel. The kids had a blast, Alex prefers to push the stroller rather than ride in it. That's a 2-yr. old for ya!

After the zoo, I checked and I had over 13,000 steps. I was thinking that I was done for the day, but then I went to Sam's Club for some fruit. Little did I know I would spend close to 5 HOURS there as I asked about new tires and they said they could get them on in less than two hours. Well, Elizabeth and I had a great time trying all the samples, buying an ICEE, and resting for a long time on the bed and lounge chairs they have set up for displays. 5,000 more steps by the time I got home.

I was tuckered and ready for a break when we got home. My wife was a bit worried, since we left and 2:00 and didn't return till after 7:00. Of course I didn't have my cell phone with me. Well, she had enough of Alex and decided I should take him for a walk to put him to sleep. Luckily, I only had to walk 2,000 steps to put him to sleep.

What a day! Lots of steps and I felt great.

"The Journey Begins with One Step"

I was tagged...D from D's Health and Weight Loss Journey
Word Meme

1. Write your own Six-Word Memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

I don't mind playing along, but rarely take the time to tag anybody else. So if you haven't done it yet, you're welcome to join in.

"The Journey Begins with One Step"

Walking has been a huge part of my weight loss journey. Looking back at this winter, I have missed my daily walks. This week, my 3 yr. old asked to go for a walk. I obliged and am so glad that I did. I now remember why I enjoy walking so much. Even when I push the double-stroller with two kids coming with me to search for bunnies or count puppies, it is a relaxing time that I don't have during other parts of the day. I often think about how I could burn so many more calories by riding the elliptical, but when I ride the elliptical, I am always watching the display to see how close to "DONE" I am. When I walk, there is no "DONE." I can walk as far as I want, where ever I want. I am so grateful for the Springtime and happy to be walking once again.

Yo-Yo Dieting

I was never one to be excited about exercise, but ever since I've started wearing a pedometer last summer, I have tried to get 10,000 steps daily. I stumbled upon the "Walk Tracker" on another blog and have also signed up for that. On most weekdays, it is easy as I walk all over at work. Weekends have been tougher, but as long as the weather is nice I can do it. What has gotten me this week is, I am off of work and we are getting blasted with the coldest weather of the winter thus far. My plan has been to take the kids shopping daily and get a few steps in that way. The best laid plans are sometimes just that, plans. My kids have short legs and short attention spans and we can shop for only so long before getting tired, needing a drink, going to the bathroom, etc. So at the beginning of the week, when I was doing laundry, I decided to incorporate walking into folding the laundry. I dump the laundry on my bed, grab one piece and walk with it. Call me crazy, but I've gotten a lot of exercise steps folding 6 loads this week. Besides the fold and walk method, I've also stayed up late to watch Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. I didn't realize how much I actually missed watching late night television. It has been the one time that I make time to watch TV. The rest of the evening, I don't care about missing my favorite shows.

Last night, was the craziest. I had about 5,000 steps at 10:30 and decided that I would get to 10,000 before I went to bed. So I grabbed a yo-yo turned on Jay Leno and started pacing the living room and dining room. I got about 20 steps per "lap" and by the time Conan O'Brien was done with his monologue, I had over 10,000 steps. The yo-yo really kept me from getting bored and I may have to resort to the same tactic tonight, since I'm home for this one last day.

Today's Report
I'm happy to report that there is no need for the yo-yo tonight. I took an hour walk outside braving the cold...over 10,000 for the day already.

No Excuses

It's been hard to go for a walk lately in Wisconsin. It's been cold, snowy, icy, dark, etc. So instead of getting down and out, I bought a new pair of country walking shoes to help me keep walking during the winter months. Since the snow came in early December, I have walked to church and back, but that's about it. I have continued to walk at work during lunch, but those walks have moved inside for the most part as well. Yesterday was the first time in a while that I got to go for a walk outside. The snow has mostly melted off the sidewalks and I was able to get around the block at work a few times during lunch.

I also bought a new Columbia Hat. I wanted one that went well over my ears, so I can keep the winter wind from howling too much. My daughters went shopping with me last night and they were really troopers as we made four stops and got home about 9:30pm. Considering they usually go to bed by 8:00, it was a late evening for them.

Now I have no excuse not to get out and walk, except for the fact that I fell down the steps inside our home on Christmas Eve and clonked the back of my head. I've been taking Ibuprofen regularly and I think I'm back to normal, but don't tell my wife. I'm milking this for as long as I can!