Are you a perfectionist? I am. If Heather, or the book says that I have to walk 10,000 steps then 5,000 simply won’t do. The problem is that sometimes our desire to be perfect, sets us back or even worse, prevents us from getting started. If you think about it–it’s silly. I can’t walk 10,000 steps a day so I won’t try. . .but that’s how we think isn’t it?
But remember our mantra? If you aim for nothing, you’ll get their every time. To aim for something you have to start somewhere. The question is. . .where to start?
Where You’re At
I had a college professor once (my favorite college professor), who said that there is goal setting and then there is good goal setting. She pointed out that in order for a goal to be good it has to be attainable. Attainable vs. ideal is an important distinction. Ideal means what I should be doing if all was perfect in the world. Attainable means what I can do realistically given where I am at right now. Attainable means that once I attain that goal. . .I can set another one that’s even a little closer to the ideal. Attainable, in goal setting lingo, is synonymous with successful. So let’s set some successful goals.
A One Week Diary
To start my walking program, I kept track of how many steps I took each day for 7 days. That’s it. I didn’t do anything differently than I normally do. I also wrote down everything that I ate. . .but we’ll get to that in a minute. At the end of 7 days, I averaged the numbers to find out how many average steps I take in any given day.
In order to set an attainable goal, you have to work with where you’re at. If you only average 200 steps a day, to embark on 10,000 every day is not going to work. You may be able to do it for a few days, but eventually, you’ll quit. The problem is rather than building a habit of moving more, you’re drastically and radically changing your lifestyle. If you steadily build a habitual practice of walking a little more each week–you’ll increase your fitness level exponentially over the long haul.
A Note on What We Eat
It’s interesting to me that despite the fact that I wasn’t so far off from 10,000 steps per day, my diet was horrible. I have an insatiable sweet tooth. So while I get my 8 glasses of water and five servings of fruits and vegetables I was also eating an average of (I’m embarrassed to admit this) 3 servings of sugary, fatty food a day. My focus is on getting back into shape and having more energy–not necessarily losing weight. However, after keeping my food diary, I realized something needed to change so I have also made small changes there too!
But no more about changes. You cannot change until you know where you’re at. So clip on your pedometer, start moving, and join me on the journey to getting more fit and reclaiming your body! In case anyone is curious, I’ve listed my own personal results from my 7 day ‘diary’ phase. Join me next week, when we talk about our first goal: increasing your average steps by 2,000 per day!
My Daily Step Average: 7,991 steps per day
Related Articles:
Walking: Is it Better to Do it Incrementally or All in One Go?
Holiday Fitness Ideas: Why 10,000 Steps?
It’s Beautiful Outside: Get Out of the House