Challenge beginning October 7- Go the Extra Mile

This weeks challenge is going to be about going the extra mile. You can probably relate to my story. My work out buddy chuckles at me sometimes as I express frustration that I can’t find a good parking space at the gym. It really is silly isn’t it? I am purposefully setting aside an hour to challenge my body through exercise but I am complaining about having to take a few extra steps to get there.

Also my son recently posed a question that similarly struck me. "When people know they are about to get on an airplane and be forced to sit for several hours why do they choose to sit in the boarding area?" He always spends that time walking briskly around the boarding area just to get in a few extra steps.

So for this week-- instead of looking for ways to make it easier on yourself you are going to purposefully seek opportunities to burn a few more calories.

It’s time to park as far away from any entrance to work, the grocery store, shopping mall entrances, and anywhere else you visit throughout your week – every day (without compromising safety, of course).

Here’s some other examples of how to embrace this weeks challenge:

         Park as far away as you can from the entry of:

                  Your workplace

                  Your grocery store

                  Your mall

                  Your children’s school (this might mean getting up earlier!)

                  A restaurant (you’re making healthy choices, right??)

                  any anywhere else you park your car at

         Take the STAIRS instead of the ELEVATOR or ESCALATOR!

         Plan events around walking, like:

                  Meeting someone for a walk in the park

                  Strolling through a mall

                  Ordering lunch for the office and taking a group walk

         Get off the bus an exit before your usual stop

         Use the restroom, break room, coffee machine, etc. that is farthest from you

         After grocery shopping, return the shopping cart back inside the       store rather than leaving it in the parking lot

         Take a 10-minute walk before eating lunch and dinner

         Form a workplace walking group for before, during (break) or   after work

         Schedule a daily family walking session 

         Participate in charity walk

         Visit local parks and enjoy the trails – mark them off a list as you complete them

         Don’t drive through – park and get out when visiting the bank or        drug store (and fast food if you have found a healthy option to order)

         Strive to be inefficient. Take 4 trips in and out of the house to   carry groceries instead of grabbing huge armfuls to save a few steps

For this challenge, I highly recommend using a pedometer. An active person should be logging at lest 10,000 steps a day. Amazon has a highly rated one for $1.69. Personally I am a huge fan of fit bit and have found it to be an awesome tool to alert me to a day that I have allowed to slip into inactivity.

By increasing your cardio exercise daily, you are not only going to burn fat and lose weight, but you’ll better condition your heart, joints, bones, lungs and leg muscles, enjoy better moods, have more energy, slow aging, and you’ll become much more motivated throughout the week.

Don’t forget to hydrate with plenty of water, and stretch those legs out before starting your walking or cardio routines.

To wrap it up, here are some fun facts about simple walking:

         There are approximately 2100 steps in 1 mile

         There are approximately 200 steps in 1 block

         There are approximately 1200 steps in 10 minutes of walking

So your challenge for the week is to step it up and go the extra mile. Make a constant effort each day to add some steps into your routine. For every day you do this you can earn the 5 bonus points. Yes I think you can even park far away from church without breaking the Sabbath so 35 points possible this week.