Fat as Hell…

Well… it’s the first “official” day of FatBridesMaid’s Pedometer Challenge, and I logged another (what is for me, anyway) big day. Most of my steps were had tackling the flowerbeds in my front yard as well as a 3.5 mile hike through a nearby nature trail that runs through a beautifully wooded nature preserve near my house. (The walk was absolutely gorgeous, and I have to say, I think that I saw more butterflies this afternoon alone than I have in my entire life).

I did my very best not to look at the pedometer during the day and to just go about my business, but it was so hard not to sneak a peek every once in awhile. Further, it’s absolutely amazing just how much motivation having that little bit of plastic magic around my waist afforded me. Even if I don’t *win* the challenge, I feel like I will have gained so much from having participated. For someone like me, who hates to exercise, little contests like this one really help to put the spring back in my step when I can feel myself dragging. I absolutely know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I moved my fat ass far more this weekend than I would have had I not decided to become a footstep beancounter.

That said, now that the weekend is over, I’m looking forward to seeing how many steps I naturally take during the average work day. My job involves both working at a desk *and* running around like a lunatic, so I’m interested to find out how that translates into actual movement. I think, having that kind of data will help me make smart choices about my evening exercise. Right now, I’m just sorta doing what I’ve always done because, frankly, I couldn’t come up with a better plan of action. I mean… what the hell do *I* know about exercise? I read a bit and try to tailor my plan of attack based on what I hope are sound practices, but mostly I’m just shooting in the dark. But now… armed with the knowledge of how many steps I’ve taken in a day, *hopefully* I’ll be able to be a bit more intentional about my evening exercise regiment — adding more cardio on days when I don’t walk nearly as much at work, and concentrating on strength training on those days when I keep the pedometer busy during the day — rather than just doing whatever I’d arbitrarily assigned myself at the beginning of he week.

That’s my theory anyway.

In the meantime, I’m going to *try* to log my steps every evening here with a picture just to prove that I’m not fibbing. And hopefully, by the time the three weeks are up, I’ll have made increased physical activity a *habit* that I can continue long after the challenge is over.

*fingers crossed*