Steps In The Right Direction

I obsessively check my cell phone.

Not just for the latest text, email or ping on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

But for my steps.

My iPhone double-duties as a means of connecting with others and keeping me honest about how much I move my body.

As a writer and (soon-to-be graduating!) graduate student, I spend a ridiculous amount of time sitting on my tush.

This can’t be good.

My cozy corner at home where I do most of my work is like a little cocoon of love.

I can happily sit there for hours swimming in a sea of words, surfing the internet or shopping online.

Which means hours can slip by faster than I can type in “JCrew.”

Studies suggest that if you spend a great deal of time sitting it’s good to get up and walk around every fifteen minutes.

The problem is most of my breaks tend to be me walking to and from the kitchen. This usually happens when I’m tired or suffer from creative amnesia. And even then I make sure to carry my phone so each step is counted.

And I never come back empty handed. Sigh.

So my goal is to try to reach 10,000 steps a day. (Mostly I do it because I like to see the confetti exploding on my phone.) More if I’m traveling and eating and drinking my way through the city.

I try to hit at least 5,000 steps or I  feel like a total sloth.

I have been known to do laps around my house just to boost my numbers before I go to bed. Yep, I’m even competitive with myself.

It is not uncommon for me to compare numbers with my kids or my husband to see who’s winning the walking wars. Usually it’s me.

But I have an unfair advantage – or what my physical therapist likes to call: tight hips. That means I take smaller steps, which usually puts me at least 1,000 steps ahead even if we walk the same distance. Winning!

Sometimes if I hit a really high number – my highest is 33,000 steps – I’ll take a screen shot and send it to family members, as I rest my tootsies in a warm bubble bath or spoil them with a pedicure.

I’m not sure if all that walking is keeping me in shape, but it does wonders for my mental health. Problems don’t seem as overwhelming after a good long walk.

Many of my best ideas pop in my head while my feet are moving. (J.K. Rowling said, there’s “nothing like a stroll to give you ideas.”)

The only thing I don’t obsessively check is my scale. I reserve that event for my annual check-ups. And even then I try to bribe the nurse to let me skip the weigh in. I get enough shame from my iPhone, I don’t need it from the scale too.

 

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