2,000,000 steps and counting

Yesterday someplace between advising a student and adverting a graduation crisis, between my tenth cup of coffee and spilling my lunch on the floor, between a staff meeting and a budget meeting - I stepped my 2,000,000th step since my journey began.  It occurred without ceremony or fanfare, without balloons or fireworks, without sweat or tears.  As I knocked out another 45 push-ups on my quest to 15,000 by years' end, I recognized that I have learned to feed my body, brain and heart in a way that will continue to fuel it for strength, success, and peace.

Lean...

Throughout this journey I have tracked just about any variable I could possible track: steps trekked, seconds walked, inches lost, average mph, average incline, and while I report some (see progress report in the right column), there are a whole slew of them I do not. I am pretty religious about updating my progress report on Monday mornings, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that today I have gained some muscle as measured via my anthropometric formula. While not the most accurate of the body fat percentage measurement tools, it is one that I can accurately at home by myself. As far as I can tell, the lean muscle numbers come from some combination of your forearm girth and your wrist diameter. With the inclusion of 40 push-ups per day since Halloween, my upper body is definitely more fit than when I started this project. Having just crossed the 3500 push-ups completed mark last night, measuring progress in the lean body weight was a nice surprise!

365 days of good health

As mentioned several times before -- I am a geek.  I love all things gadgets, tech, numbers, stats, and learning.  I have already figured that if my daily mileage continues to average around around 5 miles per day, by this time next year I will have walked a bit over 1900 more miles and will be on track to walking the length of Interstate 40 by my 40th birthday.  When (not if) I continue my 40 push-ups per day, by this time next year I will have completed 14,600 push-ups.  While the numbers might be daunting for some, I find comfort in knowing to where and to what I aspire.  I encourage you to do a bit of number crunching for the new year and find yourself at a healthier, happier, and some resolute place when 2010 rolls in.  Happy New Year to all!

Chainsawin', Wood Haulin', & Treadmillin'

What I have happily figured out is that my treadmill desk addiction has become so ingrained in my daily bodily needs, that even though I spent an hour this morning learning to use a chainsaw (thanks K) and another hour or so safely and properly wielding said chainsaw, and then a bit more time tossing about the "rounds" that I made quick work of with my new friend, Mr. Chain, followed by a walk with a friend, shopping with my mother-in-law, a few hours as a spectator of various grades of schoolboy basketball, and a minor computer meltdown at our house -- even after all that, after the dust settled, the kids were asleep, and I had brushed off most of the wood chips, I jumped up on to the treadmill desk to check email, watch some tele, and write this post. I also have discovered that my daily use of the treadmill desk has enabled me to work stronger, longer, and more efficiently. While the chainsaw wasn't especially heavy, it was awkward. While the walk wasn't long, it followed a morning of hard labor. I felt strong, empowered, healthy, in shape, and ready to tackle whatever life might toss at me - be it mother-in-laws, basketball spectating, or computer meltdowns. While I half expected to jump on the tread to burn some residual stress, what I noticed was that my routine has strengthened my resolve in so many areas of my life.

My Goodwill shirt

So here is a confession - I LOVE shopping at Goodwill.  For awhile it freaked out my husband (what would people think), but when he realized that I could regularly purchase 3 pairs of jeans and two shirts for under $12 -- his freakiness diminished. It has been super helpful to have a great Goodwill in our little college town - particularly since my weight has fluctuated nearly 40 lbs in the last four years.  A few months ago I bought a fun, Columbia brand shirt (hence the X on the tag, which equals name brand, which means no additional discount).  Unfortunately, when I got home, I was busting out of it -- literally.  I sadly put it in the end of my closet that is reserved for stuff that needs to go to the consignment store.  But life got busy, I didn't get to the consignment store and lo and behold this morning, I got adventurous and tried the shirt on again.  Project Treadmill Desk strikes again!  Not only have I lost 11.5 pounds, but I have also lost a little more than an inch in my chest -- just enough to go from "busting out" to a nice tailored fit.  While this might seem like a small thing, when you look good and feel good, it is quite amazing how everything seems good - despite dreary weather  and disappearing sabbatical days.  If you are still debating whether a similar program is right for you let me once again assure you that when you look great and feel great chances are very high that you are great!

Arm strength & 70-year old reminders

In the last two weeks I have had the unusual experience of being active in the care of my 70 year old father and my 70 year old mother-in-law.  It is through this experience that I am so incredible grateful for the genetic code that my parents have passed down to me.  About 6 weeks ago, my dad injured his knee while dodging a wave during a spontaneous walk on the beach.  He is a fabulous physical specimen of preventative health and fitness.  He bikes, kayaks, travels all over the world, and walks regularly with my mom (who is herself a youthful 67).  My mother-in-law on the other hand is on the other end of the spectrum.  She has many chronic health conditions and after a series of recent health issues, we are preparing to move her in to an assisted care residence.  I stayed with her last night to help with some mobility issues she was having.  Earlier in the month I watched my dad easily maneuver with a walker and later crutches - his upper extremity able to carry a heavier load while he recovers from knee surgery.  My mother-in-law, on the other hand, struggles to push herself up into her walker.  These wonderful object lessons so closely together have encouraged me to add a push-up routine to my daily activities so that I can maintain a strong upper body to go with my increasingly strong lower body.