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One Step at a Time

Meeting My Goal of 10,000 Steps a Day for 100 Days Straight!

By Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)Published 2 years ago 6 min read
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Screenshot of my 100 day streak

10,000 steps a day; it’s been my goal for over five years using Garmin. But long before that, I was already making huge numbers of steps in a day - they just weren’t recorded. I would wake up in the middle of the night to pace growing up, as it was the only time I really had to myself. I wrote all about that here. I never grew out of it, though now I am able to freely walk about the house at any hour.

But for all my past walking, there is something that I was only recently able to do; record 100 straight days of meeting my goal of 10,000 steps a day! My prior recorded streak was only 44 days!

That’s not to say that I hadn’t put in my steps the last five years. However, some days I just couldn’t get the last 600 steps in. Pre-period week is notorious for wrecking my energy and, subsequently, my steps. Other days, I smashed the goal 2-3 times; 20-30,000 steps! Helping out my family also tends to influence how many steps I (don't) get in, and I’ve done a lot of that in my life since my younger brother has special needs!

44 days straight was good

…but 100+ days straight is awesome! Just how long can I keep this streak up? Better yet, what else will this current streak inspire? 2022 is just around the corner; what else do I want to try to do to better my health and get me moving even more?

Years back, when my partner and I lived in his sister’s townhome we rented from her, I purchased a small, foldable treadmill. When my boyfriend was in the lower level of the home, I was free to walk about the upper level. When he was sleeping in the bedroom, however, I wanted a place I could walk in the lower level without stepping on the pet toys that were always scattered about. When we moved to our current home, that little treadmill came with us.

By Sven Mieke on Unsplash

I tried keeping the treadmill in my home office. For a little while it worked, but it was just a little too large to store in my office closet when not in use, and it stuck out even when folded. It quickly became an annoyance in the room.

I then tried the lower level, facing our television. My thought was maybe I could use it there while watching shows and movies. Here, too, it stuck out, especially with the multiple pet beds on the level. It has since remained folded behind one of our recliners.

Maybe it’s time to try it again.

It is only about 50 pounds - I can move it wherever with a small amount of effort. I’ve considered trying the main level again - if I still don’t enjoy it in the room with the television and pet beds, maybe I might like it better in the front room. I’ve been meaning to clean that room up and use it more often - maybe a little nighttime reading and tea? There isn’t as much traffic through that room by us or the pets; it might be a nice place to set the treadmill back up and listen to podcasts!

Or I could try the bedroom. I would have to rearrange the indoor clothes rack to make room, or start folding the rack up, but I could see myself fitting the treadmill in there as well; I could always fold it up too when it isn’t being used. Maybe seeing it when I wake up might inspire me to use it more, or after hanging up/folding clothes to dry/put away. I could listen to podcasts and music there too.

Maybe the way to up my game now that I’ve hit 10,000 steps a day for 100+ days straight is to start incorporating that treadmill and its slight incline for a more beneficial exercise.

There’s plenty of other equipment I could start to utilize on a more regular basis as well: a miniature trampoline, a roller for arm/core, a weighted hula hoop, a yoga mat and strap (I bought them to get into something my sister does so we might have something more to bond over)…etc. I’ve already started using the roller again every few days of the last few weeks. The better I do with one thing, the more I want to incorporate something else. And the longer I can keep a habit going, the easier it becomes most days.

By Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash

In 2019, I would go to a gym with my mother sometimes. She was only able to bring an extra person on the weekends with her membership, so we tried to go Friday and Saturday after she got off work and on Sundays, but we often only made one or two of the days, if any at all! But come 2020, we stopped going. 2021 still wasn't safe enough, and I was out of state to help relatives before family drama upended everything in August anyway.

But it is time; I am 30, my dad will be 50 in 2022, and my mother just turned 65. Heart disease and other cardiovascular and blood pressure issues run in the family. I also don’t know how long my parents can continue caring for my brother, and any of us could go at any time. So it is time that I really start working on my strength; I will have to be able to dead-lift my younger brother who is around 120 pounds. He doesn’t really hang on, so it’s up to whoever carries him to make sure he doesn’t fall. 120 pounds doesn’t sound too bad - until he’s wet from a bath. He’s also my height, which complicates things.

If I can’t go to the gym, I may as well use the items I have here that I bought in the past. Pacing for a few hours a day in my office is okay, but now that I’ve officially hit 100 days straight of that, maybe it’s time to switch to the slightly-inclined treadmill at a slightly faster pace. Coupled with the roller, and it’s already looking like more of a routine.

By Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

And we can’t talk about exercise without considering nutrition. For years, I’ve suffered with things that make it difficult to consistently cook, so I’ve partially relied on meal replacements, vitamins, and protein powders to help even out nutrition needs I have had trouble with. As I am considering how to improve my physical wellness, I have also been considering my mental wellness. In 2022, I seek to improve both, with better nourishment, better physical health, and therapy. To get better at cooking more frequently to improve my nutrition, I need to improve where I am mentally first.

It’s going to be a process, and sometimes it might seem a little too much. But my brother can’t take care of himself, so I need to be ready when the time comes for me to take over his care. I’ll keep at it, and I’ll get there.

One step at a time.

As of this writing, my 105 day streak, plus other stats!

fitness
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About the Creator

Megan Baker (Left Vocal in 2023)

A fun spin on her last name, Baker enjoyed creating "Baker's Dozen" lists for various topics! She also wrote candidly about her mental health & a LOT of fiction. Discontinued writing on Vocal in 2023 as Vocal is a fruitless venture.

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