Monday Mileage & Musing on Moderation

How's that for alliteration!!!

As of midnight last night I had 21.6 miles.  My pedometer resets at midnight, I didn't stay up trying to get in a few extra steps or anything like that.  I have 978.4 miles to go before December 31.

I am purposefully not mentioning if I am on target or not, although I do have a handy, dandy spreadsheet to tell me.  It is part of the moderation I am trying to develop.  Last week, as I was frantically trying to get in the requisite number of steps with just a few more for good measure, remeasuring my gait hoping it was just a little longer, and recalculating the number of steps each day, I had a bit of an "aha moment."  I was simply substituting the number on the pedometer with the number on the scale to measure my worth.  Neither one is an accurate measure. 

I almost quit at that point, not because I couldn't do it, but because I didn't want to perpetuate the perfectionism.  Quitting wasn't the answer and I knew that.  I also knew that I had to get a handle on this "all or nothing" attitude fast to make this challenge work for me.  I began to consider the reasons I took on this challenge in the first place.
1.  To get me moving, since exercise has been the most difficult thing to sustain
2.  To keep me at my goal weight when I get there, since I feel confident it will happen in 2012
3.  To feel strong and healthy no matter what my weight
4.  For bragging rights - I admit it!!

I realized that all of those things, except perhaps for #4, would still happen if I walked something less than 1000 miles.  In fact, I have exercised every day in 2012, so I was successful.  It was like a burden lifted off my shoulders.  This is not going to be an easily attainable goal, that is why it is called a 'challenge.' It is a test.  It is a trial and it isn't easy.  But I can give it every thing I have and do my very best.  That is what it is all about for me.  This is a huge change in mind set for me.

I also realized that if I walk 850, or any thing less than 1000 miles; I still accomplished something that a lot of people didn't this year.  I can still point to 2012 as the year I turned my fitness around no matter how many miles I walk, if I keep on doing it.  I'll have my bragging rights no matter how many miles I log because I didn't give up and I made a huge stride forward in changing my thinking.

Welcome to Tish who is joining us on this challenge!