Proverbs 28 says:
The wicked run when no one is chasing them.
If you know me well, then you know I actually own a t-shirt that says this (custom made by my Summer 2018 intro to psychology class!). It is basically my mantra for being adamantly anti-exercise.
Perhaps you have also heard me say that I have tried working out and this "water stuff" appeared on my forehead and that I didn't like that... Regardless of what you have heard me say, I have never been a work out type of person. In fact I have detested it.
This was until this past March (right before the pandemic shut down my world). One of my students chose to write her senior capstone on the connection between fitness and mental health. She asked her participants to wear a fitness tracker and everyone involved completed a mental health assessment before and after we all made a conscious effort to get in some steps.
I didn't want to be "that lazy participant," so I actually tried to get in some steps. I read that we should all strive to get 10,000 steps a day. I am not going to lie, that was basically impossible for me. In fact when I began getting to 2,000 was really, really rough.
This bothered me tremendously. I was horribly out of shape. Even after losing weight, I still couldn't do the things that I should. It bothered me enough that at the conclusion of the study, I asked to purchase my fitness tracker and keep going.
It took me three months, but in June, I started hitting 10,000 step days on a semi-regular basis. Not every day, by any stretch. I decided to kick it up a notch and asked my weight loss group to hold me accountable. I wanted at least 10,000 steps every single day, even on my days off when I would rather "netflix and pop-tarts." A few days ago, i had 19,899 steps (really wish I would have walked around my house and hit 20,000, but I did not). I have not had under 11,000 steps in over a week!
Here is what I have learned.... Everything the "experts" say is absolutely true. My mental health has never been better since I made the decision to have at least 10K steps per day. I think clearer, I have more energy (focused energy, which has always been a challenge for me), I am able to shake off things that used to upset me.
I wanted to share this because it has made a tremendous positive impact on my life. I can stay awake past 11 pm, and can wake up at 6 am. I am not exhausted. It has been amazing. So I am doing something, I would have never believed I would be doing. I am advocating for exercise to be a happier person!
Give it a try! You can buy a cheap fitness tracker in Bullseye's playground at Target. You can even use your phone. Try to get the 10,000 steps a day and watch your life change too! I am super excited to keep going. I want a run a 5K! I want to get up to 20K steps a day! Give it a shot and see what it transforms in your life!
One last thing, don't be hard on yourself when it takes time! It does take time, do not give up. Give yourself grace and keep trying!
Take care of you and always stay happy my friends!
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