A long way to Disney

My 30 days of walking experiment ended on Day 15. Sometimes you just hit a day that walking 10,000 steps is not feasible. I had a pile of work that day and a few meetings during my normal walking times. Then, when I got home and still had 7,000 steps to go. I had a choice, build paper dogs with my daughter or spend an hour and change walking laps. There was no way the 7 year old was going to be able to walk for an hour with me.

The 7 year old won.

Things I learned from this experiement.

* Walking will not solve all my problems. There is a release of endorphins when I walk that makes me feel great, but it is not the magic cure-all for everything going on.

* I learned that there is comfort in routine. That doing a little bit multiple times during the day adds up to one big goal. That knowing many different ways to do something will help you when roadblocks come up because you can easily do some creative problem solving. I learned I have more determination than I thought I did.

* I did lose a few pounds and stopped the steadily upward weight trend that I was having before I started the experiment. I just don't feel as hungry when I am walking like that. I also do a little less stress eating because my stress is getting burned off while walking.

* Distance adds up over time. 5 miles a day doesn't seem like much, but as of today, I have gone a total of 89.5 miles since starting this experiment. Only 1186.5 miles to go before I get to Disney. I need to be patient with myself. Little by little I will get there.

Summary:

I am not going to stop walking. It is totally worth it, but some days, I just won't hit 10,000. Doesn't mean I'm not going to try! I think I should start focusing on some other factors of a healthy lifestyle though. Much as I wish it was, walking is not the solution to everything. I also need to think about what's on the end of my fork. (ie. eating a plate of bacon from the work cafeteria for breakfast may not be the best idea.)

So, I'm going to try to start carrying my lunch more. Best part is, I have a blog. So, I have somewhere to plan and take pictures. Who doesn't like pictures of food or ideas for lunch at work?

Today's Motivation:

This was not a failed experiment. This was an experiment.

I tried something. I learned what worked and what didn't.  If nothing else, I learned that sometimes, I need to take a step back and give myself a break. And, I learned where I want to focus next. I love science! Failure is always an option!