Increasing Activity

This was my step count from yesterday. Highest day I've had in a long, long time, possibly a year or so. I'm very, very pleased with those numbers. There was a time when I would hit numbers like that all the time. Then I started Crossfit and that stopped happening. I realize now that when I started Crossfit, I thought that was enough. I really stopped moving outside of Crossfit. I really thought that Crossfit would be enough to keep me going. It was not. When I first started Crossfit and was losing all that weight, I also did not have a car and was riding my bicycle everywhere. I realize now that it was the bicycle riding that was helping me lose weight, the Crossfit just enhanced that. I had it backwards. It has finally hit me that moving; walking, biking, running, etc; is what helps you lose weight. It is definitely important to lift weights too, but movement is the key. Every single weight loss program that I have any respect for, tells you to get as much movement in as possible. Go for a walk, a hike, whatever, just walk and move. Well, that only took 56 years to set in.


In my effort to get back into running, I've started taking walking more seriously. I now realize that if I walk a whole lot more, I will lose more weight and if I lose weight I will be able to run, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. So yesterday I had 4 miles on the schedule. Yikes!!! I haven't walked 4 miles straight in probably 4 years. But it was on the schedule, I was going to do it. So I laced up my squishy shoes and headed out. 4 miles would be up to the college and 3 laps around it, then home. I did that. I hit my total steps for the day before 10 am. I then went to Costco to stock up on healthy food to fuel this journey. When I came home I was exhausted. I had forgotten how tired serious workouts make you. So it was lunch, then a quick nap on the couch. After the nap, I got up and got ready to walk the dogs. I was tired. My feet hurt. But I was determined to get those steps in.

In November I got a new Vivofit 2 because my other one had died completely. This one also does heartrate, my old one did not. In December I ordered a heart rate band. I did not actually start using the two together until last week, but whatever. I now use the heart rate band and the timer part of my Vivofit to track every activity I do.

I go in afterwards and label what they were, but now I have a running record of each activity I did, distance, time, calories, heart rate, etc. I love numbers. I love looking and seeing that last week I walked 3 miles and burned 400 calories, this week I walked 4 miles and burned over 700 calories. Why? Did I walk faster? Was my heart rate higher? What happened? I love looking at these things. So stats are great for me.

I used to get way hung up in the numbers. I used to look at them and say, wow, if I burned 700 calories and only ate 500 that would be a net loss of 200 calories. I'm not thinking like that anymore. I tired very hard yesterday to hit my macros and I still fell short. I ate as much as I could and it still was not enough. I think I've gotten my food is fuel mindset back. I do not look at food as anything other than something to fuel my workouts. If I want good workouts, I need to put in good food. Just like in my car.

Okay, I'm stoked about yesterday, but have been sitting on my ass all morning working on this. Time to get up and get moving. I know I'm not going to match yesterdays numbers, but I need to at least reach my goal, which is 10,000.