Anything Goes August Step Challenge and Scavenger Hunt

[Baltoscott]

Jaunty July is coming to an end and it is time to start a new step challenge.  @Jotex suggested calling this one Anything Goes August as in the great Cole Porter song. 

Anything Goes?  Like July it’s hot in the Northern hemisphere, but this month we also begin to lament the end of summer and rush to cram in vacations and finish summer projects we should have started in June.  With all that it is easy to forget to take care of yourself so now is your chance to write down your step and a few other goals for the month.  Then you can report in every few days to keep yourself honest.  And in the spirit of Anything Goes, maybe add a few taps to your basic step goals.

General monthly instructions are below, but this month I’m adding a picture scavenger hunt:  

Take your phone or other camera on your walks look for, snap, and post three pics or more of the following: 1 - some sort of Danger or Warning sign or image like “falling rocks” or “slippery when wet,” the odder the better; 2 - a posted map of something like a downtown walking map, or a park trail map; and 3 a movie or theatre marquee.  Just post here as you find them and add a line or internet link about what you are posting.   (Thanks @Ennay for the pic)     

inspiration :                                                    

   
How It Works:

The primary purpose of these monthly challenges is to keep track of your daily step goals for the month; though many of us track other things as well, like body weight exercises, sleep, trips to the gym, logging food, etc. This is not a competition to see who can do the most of whatever, instead it is a challenge to measure your consistency. So whether you do 1k, 5k, 10k or even 40k steps a day, this is measuring how many days out of the monthly total you can hit your goal.

Some might have a constant goal of 10k steps every single day and others might have a variable goal throughout the week, (and some might even plan days off!) for example.
Monday -> Friday = 10k steps a day
Sat & Sun = “6k steps a day,” or “not tracking”

Regardless of how you structure your daily goals, the only thing that matters for the monthly challenge is whether or not you reach what you set out to do.

Suggested Posting Format.       
1) Post either your constant or variable step goal.
2) Keep track of the # of daily goals achieved out of the monthly minimum and or monthly total

Although you certainly don’t have to post daily, you’ll likely stay closer to what you set out to do by updating the thread several times/week

Injury Notice
If you injure yourself during the month and need to scale back due to the injury, then all you have to do is adjust your goal for that period. If you normally do 10k steps a day but pull a hamstring and decide to do minimal walking (2k steps a day), then all you have to do is change your goal.

[NellyG]

17 August

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                   14/20         

Swim 2x per week                                         2/2         5/9                 

Dance 6 hours a week                                  7.5/6         15.5/26    

One Interval walk or bike ride per week     1/1         3/4

Post 3 Scavenger Hunt Pictures                 3/3

[Baltoscott]

@SunsetRunner — when you do your GPS activities are you using “run” or something else?  For me the run activity on Versa and Charge 2 give similar distances to my Apple and Garmin watches, but hike and walk are always off — even though they trace the map accurately.

[SunsetRunner]

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@Baltoscott wrote:

@SunsetRunner — when you do your GPS activities are you using “run” or something else?  For me the run activity on Versa and Charge 2 give similar distances to my Apple and Garmin watches, but hike and walk are always off — even though they trace the map accurately.

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That's interesting. That could be it. I'm still walking. (I've tried running short distances but still feel it in my knee I hurt a few weeks ago and I'm a bit nervous I'll damage it.)

I didn't see a lot of point in adjusting my stride length in the app, because on bush walks the length will vary a lot. But maybe I should do that just to see if it makes a difference on a flat walk. The walk around the pondage is fairly flat and the path is asphalted - no cracks or bumps or potholes.

@GershonSurge - I'm not yet at the point you are. I've just started walking and am keen to see how far I can go at a time. I have friends and family who walk. I've always liked trekking through bushland; however, I never understood the attraction of walking just for the sake of it until now 🙂 (There was a brief time of jogging around the block every morning. It felt good at the time as I recall. Then I moved on to other things.)

[lavabelle]

@GershonSurge Thanks for the great tips. My hubby is trying to put on weight, and looks at walking like it's the plague. He lifts weights and refuses to do cardio...If I can interest him in walking with me, I feel this will greatly increase his life expectancy and enjoyment of life. I think he misses me enough to want to join me 🙂 We were watching a thru-hiker doing the PCT on you tube last couple of nights, and he's intrigued...I can feel him coming around, it's pretty exciting since I wan to grow really old with this man...he's my favourite!

[SunsetRunner]

Oh, I see you mentioned "hike" @Baltoscott. I didn't realise that was an activity option. I've just now added it to the Versa and will use it instead of "walk" for my bush walks.

[Baltoscott]

@SunsetRunner — I think gps actually measures distance on the Versa and CH2 for activities started as runs, regardless of whether you are actually running.  For activities started as walk and hike I think it uses stride length for distance and just uses GPS to trace the route.  Fitbit has never confirmed this, but it is the best explaination I have for why distance is somewhat random for walks and hikes.  A true hike — labeled as walk or hike— is usually the worst accuracy distance-wise because it seems to use stride length and as you point out that varies a lot in the bush.

[SunsetRunner]

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@Baltoscott wrote:

@SunsetRunner — I think gps actually measures distance on the Versa and CH2 for activities started as runs, regardless of whether you are actually running.  For activities started as walk and hike I think it uses stride length for distance and just uses GPS to trace the route.  ...

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I'll do some testing over the weekend, using "run", "walk" and "hike" and see what the results are.

[Baltoscott]

Friend of ours offered up her place in Dewey Beach, so we are out for a beach weekend.

 Me Jayhawk and Cali

Jayhawk has found the local dog’s toy

 Doggie exercise ...

Your mission, should you choose to accept it ...

[WendyB]

Sounds like a great weekend @Baltoscott! 

Hi Jayhawk and Cali!

[WendyB]

Oops posted twice🤔

[Jotex]

Anything Goes — August 17

15 x 10,000 steps —7/15 days

10 x 15,000 steps — 3/10 days 

2 x 20,000 steps — 4/2 days

15 x Strength training — 4/15 days 

3 Scavenger Hunt Photos — 3/3

Love bunnies, too! And kangaroos, other pets (pics posted recently), and dogs 🐕. Have a great beach weekend @Baltoscott!

Spent most of the day baking for our church’s open house / Sommerfest tomorrow. Wondering how to post calories of ‘licking the bowl’ on MyFitnessPal? 😂

[WendyB]

I love all animals.

Licking is calorie free 😂

[WendyB]

Another dup. Don't use phone to post

 @

[WendyB]

Aug 17

Steps: Goal right now is 9000 16/31
Boxing 31 days: 17/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 17/31
Weights 14 days: 7/31
Lose 3 Pounds 3/3
250 Steps per hour 16/31
Post Scavenger hunt photos 3/3

[Baltoscott]

August 17

Use Instapot 4 times	3/4
15K steps/day	15/31
1 pushup/day	16/31
13 weight-lifting days	9/13
post 3 scavenger hunt pics	3/3
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month	9/12
Weight loss of 2-4 lbs	0.9

Hit the gym before we drove to the beach and rode the bike to the gym, and to dinner with some friends who in the next town up the beach ... but didn’t quite get the steps done — even with a dog walk after dinner.  Oh well.  Having fun.

[WendyB]

Having fun is more important @Baltoscott

[CatLover74]

August 18

10,000 steps a day for at least 20 days of the month  -  15/20.

1 walk per week along the foreshore of my local beach (should be fun in an Australian winter)  -  3/4.

At least 7 hours sleep on at least 15 days of the month  -  15/15.

10 wall pushups a day on at least 15 days of the month  -  17/15.

Post 3 scavenger hunt pictures  -  3/3.

Sleep goals, and wall pushups goals met.  I was 2 minutes over my sleep goal last night, but it's still over no matter how small the amount.

[GershonSurge]

Yesterday, I had a classic 100-minute run where I completely disappeared into my mind. I have no memory of large segments of the run. That's my nirvana, but I don't mean to draw others into it.

@Baltoscott,

Looks like you had a great time at the beach.

@lavabelle

My backpacking technology is out of the 70's and 80's, so I don't give advice. I wear cotton, blue jeans, use an external frame pack, and carry a 25-pound pack for a three-night trip. My son is small, so he carries a 16-lb pack. This would be considered fairly extreme ultra-light. Things we leave home don't weigh anything.

I read a comprehensive study of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. The conclusion was that those who completed the trail kept going. Those who didn't stopped going. 

@Jotex

Hope we get to see pictures of the open house.

[SunsetRunner]

Day Eighteen of August.

1. Steps=5000 - 17/31 - missed a day in week 2. 

2. 2 km walks - 7/8

3. 3 scavenger pictures: 2/3.

What a cold, wet, miserable day. I only just made 5000 steps today so far, though I have been for a short walk outside tonight. I have even started mixing running with walking after saying I wasn't game to do so 🙂

[benvegi]

Can't believe I haven't posted since the 8th! Must be having more fun than I thought.

Here are my goals for Anything Goes August.

15,000 steps a day

7 miles per day

30 floors per day

I am modifying this by adding 4 days off so as to not feel guilty when we have a "town" day & can't get the steps.

8/9 steps 18,750, 40 floors, 8.6 miles

8/10 steps 19,387, 63 floors, 8.99 miles

8/11 steps 15,417, 11 floors, 7.48 miles

8/12 steps 19,699, 41 floors, 9.12 miles

8/13 steps 19,214, 11 floors, 9.13 miles

8/14 steps oh, this is a day off............. town day

8/15 steps 17,445, 61 floors, 8.27 miles

8/16 steps, 16,171, 40 floors, 7.57 miles

8/17 steps, 16,435, 40 floors, 7.54 miles

I finished a second "Calabash" bowl, named after Calabash squash which has been used as a bowl over the ages. These are turned as wet wood, sanded, then dried and allowed to warp and twist naturally. Then I use walnut oil to finish them. This item is made from Sycamore wood which has spalted. It is 13" dia x 5" tall.