So if you read my last blog post about how I lost 75 lbs in 18 months,
this should be a great part-two post for you to read.
Did you know that the average American doesn't work out?
That labels them as 'sedentary'.
A Sedentary person usually gets between 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day.
That's not a lot of movement.
Last year my trainer started me off with a nifty little gadget called the "Body Media Armband" and it not only tracked what I consumed and burned all day and night,
It tracked steps -- amongst other things.
(Another post to come about this awesome tool!)
You can access the bands main info/data page online, as well as a smaller app on your phone to see progress as you're on the go. I love love LOVE this thing and it has been a major part in my learning process.
This 10,000 step challenge was my first month of official working out
before I started in the gym.
Just walking.
That's it.
Wear what is comfy to you.
Strap on some tennis shoes.
Be barefoot if you'd like!
And go! :)
After having my 3rd child I quickly realized that I had fallen into this 'sedentary' category.
My metabolism was slow as hell and I was clearly not moving enough to be burning any extra calories I was storing, hence why after having my babies I wasn't budging on the scale much.
I also liked it because it was kind on my knees with the extra weight and I could set my own pace.
I still aim for this to this day.
I get a sense of accomplishment.
And if I go over then I know I did very well haha. :)
So pairing this 10k steps a day challenge with a cleaner diet, my trainer and I began to notice some major changes and FAST. Around 15-20 lbs gone actually in the first month for me.
(this will probably vary per person depending on your metabolism, diet, and how dedicated you stick to things.)
First off. 10,000 steps is roughly 5 miles.
2,000 steps is in one mile if you break that down.
And if you were only getting in 1,000 to 3,000 a day...
you're only walking a mile, maybe a mile in a half at most.
You do NOT have to be a runner, or a gymnast, or an experienced athlete to be able to do this challenge, and in fact, it can be a very simple way to get in some exercise daily, even with a very busy schedule.
This can get your movement and goals kick started.
So check this out.
Iphone/Smartphone users.. there are FREE apps you can download that have nifty little tools called pedometers on them that will count the steps you take. Just drop that phone in your pocket, hit play on your favorite play list and plug in your ear buds and get going!
(And no you do not need an armband, I just wanted to share what I was using.)
If you somehow don't have a phone that carries apps,
then Walmart carries pedometers for $5-20 dollars
and you can clip it to your pants and keep track that way!
What if I don't have a gym? Or a big neighborhood? Or the weather is poor? Ect...
The beauty in this is if you don't wanna go outside, or can't go to the gym on a treadmill, you don't have to. You can march in place... which I'll admit, once I started seeing weight go, I was doing this like CRAZY. I would watch movies or what we saved on our DVR and just marched in place. Sometimes I'd do it really fast to get in higher numbers. Sometimes I just marched slowly or walked in a circle while carrying my baby. It was a great way to get him to fall asleep too haha.
Carrying baby adds resistance! That helps ya too! :)
*Actually I think my husband has some videos where he filmed me because I got so into this. I might post these later so you can see what I was doing in the early months of my weight loss. :)
You can do it cooking, cleaning, going out to get the mail, around your neighborhood, up and down your yard. The locations are endless! This is what makes this challenge perfect to kick things off.
Start off with this and take measurements and photos to track your progress.
Good luck to all of you out there and let me know if you're planning on taking this challenge!
The holidays are amongst us and this is the perfect time to keep the pace going for our fitness!
Keep looking forward my friends!
Part 3 on how I lost 75 lbs will be coming ASAP.
XOXO
0 comments:
Post a Comment