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.

[Baltoscott]

August 23

Use Instapot 4 times	4/4
15K steps/day	21/31
1 pushup/day	22/31
13 weight-lifting days	13/13
post 3 scavenger hunt pics	3/3
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month	11/12
Weight loss of 2-4 lbs	1.1

[SunsetRunner]

Day Twenty-five of August.

1. Steps>=5000 - 24/31 - missed a day in week 2. 

2. 2 km walks - 10/8

3. 3 scavenger pictures: 2/3.

Nothing to add except how much I enjoy everyone's posts and pics - and it was a lovely day today. I opened up the house to air, and have started spring cleaning ahead of spring 🙂

[GershonSurge]

[benvegi]

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.

8/23 Town day, yuck

8/24 steps 18,358, 31 floors, 8.49 miles  Started off slow, only 5,000 steps by lunch, then got busy in the yard and preping logs for turning.

Here is a picture from another rider, a better shot of our group. Don't know why I am looking so serious.

[CatLover74]

August 25

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

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  -  18/15.

10 wall pushups a day on at least 15 days of the month  -  19/15.

Post 3 scavenger hunt pictures  -  3/3.

[NellyG]

25 August

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                   21/20         

Swim 2x per week                                         2/2         7/9                 

Dance 6 hours a week                                  4/6         22/26    

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

Post 3 Scavenger Hunt Pictures                 3/3

[Ennay]

Hi - Been MIA for a few weeks, August kind of fell apart in a bunch of ways.  Some are reasons, some are excuses, some are both.

I did take my scavenger hunt pictures a couple weeks ago plus a couple extra that I was going to challenge as new topics (oldest building in your town, weird landmark.  I'll see if I can get those up before the end of the month.

[Baltoscott]

---

@Ennay wrote:

Hi - Been MIA for a few weeks, August kind of fell apart in a bunch of ways.  Some are reasons, some are excuses, some are both.

I did take my scavenger hunt pictures a couple weeks ago plus a couple extra that I was going to challenge as new topics (oldest building in your town, weird landmark.  I'll see if I can get those up before the end of the month.

---

I like the “oldest building in your town” as one of the September scavenger hunt pictures.  I collect pictures of sewer/manhole covers and artsy storm drains when I travel.  A few cities have become very creative with those.  So I think that will be one of the pics too, next month too, just to see what we turn up.  

A while back, @GershonSurge suggested we do “pics of your city” in the fall/spring (depending on where you live), so I thought we would do that in October.

[Baltoscott]

---

@benvegi wrote:

...

Here is a picture from another rider, a better shot of our group. Don't know why I am looking so serious.

---

Another great pic @benvegi.  Looks like you are going downhill.  Is that more stressful, or require more concentration?  I’ve been on a horse maybe twice in my life.  I’m sure I would like it if I did it more often.  I like animals but I’ve never known anyone with horses and just never really had casual access to them, and the one time I went “horse riding” the horse I was on was so preprogammed to the route it was on the experience wasn’t much different than being on a carousel. 

Headed over to the “Vegan SoulFest” this afternoon.  @GershonSurge and @benvegi would probably be there if they were in Baltimore today.  I’m not a vegan, but I like good food, so I’m going to bike over and let everyone assume I’m a purest 🙂

[WendyB]

@benvegi great picture.

There are lots of horses where I walk. I always stop and Pat them if they are hanging over the fence. 😁

[Ennay]

OK, my scavenger hunt photos.
Marquee

Marquee

Map - to help us find the wine

Map

Warning Sign.  OK it isnt technically a warning, but I love this sign.

- Warning Sign

[WendyB]

Great signs @Ennay love that last one. 😂

[Jotex]

August 25 & 26

Nothing achieved on my goals yesterday and not likely today (out most of the day). Pulled a muscle in my back somehow Friday with my weights. So my body rejects the idea of working out or going on the treadmill. Mild stretching is the name of the game for me today.

Welcome back @Ennay! Also like your pics, especially the last! 😅

@benvegi - you do look a bit worried, or perhaps only pensive. Sounds and looks like an awesome trail ride!

@Baltoscott - how was the vegan fest? 

Enjoying everyone’s posts and pics! Still mulling over a suggested name for September. The word ‘serendipity’ keeps coming to mind, but not sure how that would fit in. 

[GershonSurge]

Finished another hundred miles. The pace went from 15 days/100 miles in June to 9 days/100 miles.

@Baltoscott,

I might have gone to the vegan soul fest. Did you take some pictures? 

@Jotex,

Hope your back is feeling better soon.

@Ennay

Welcome back. We all have months that fall apart. 

[SunsetRunner]

Day Twenty-six of August.

1. Steps>=5000 - 25/31 - missed a day in week 2. 

2. 2 km walks - 10/8

3. 3 scavenger pictures: 2/3. (There's no picture theatre in our town.)

[CatLover74]

August 26

No further progress on my goals today.  With less than a week to go in the month, I need to start thinking about what my goals will be for Steptember.

[lavabelle]

Aug 25 Update 

15 000 Steps a day 23/31

1000 calorie deficit per day - 20 days minimum 20/31

Scavenger hunt pictures 2/3

I actually missed my step goal twice this week!!! OH MY! first day only got 4700k steps and second one I got 14 840k steps...even though I am off work, I also have a business to run, and I was trying to get everything caught up so I can take 10 days off...Everything is caught up, I missed two step goals, but I felt priorities needed to shift a bit this week. I needed to be able to go and enjoy my "away" vacation in peace. 🙂 

I also make an interesting discovery, when I exercise less...I want to eat more...The cravings this week were hard!! Stress maybe? from trying to get everything ready to go away...and not exercising enough to get rid of the stress...I had wicked cravings. My dinner last night was two Krispy Kreme donuts...OH MY!! I don't even like donuts, and normally don't eat them...but I was ragging for a donut...weird!

I should not have any issues getting steps in over reminder of the month...nice relaxed forest and lots of walking should do the trick!

I am really enjoying all of the pictures you guys are posting, thanks for sharing!

[benvegi]

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.

8/25 Went to the Woodturners meeting yesterday. I was the "featured" turner of the month. Got to display some of my works to our club and the public. Meetings are held at the Springfield Art Museum. 

In spite of this town day I did manage steps of 15,386, only 10 floors, and 7.59 miles.

Warning sign on the interstate. Most of these signs say "Watch for Falling Rocks". Now we have "Fallen Rocks"? Does this have some religious connotations or just saving words?

[Baltoscott]

@lavabelle -- most of the Krispy Kreme incursion has receded in this area, but we were driving home from a dinner out with friends and past one with the light on (meaning hot donuts for those of you who have never seen one of the places).  We didn't pull over only because we had just finished too much indian food.  Even so, I could feel the pull.

@Jotex @GershonSurge -- the Vegan Soul feast was well attended.  I made it in on my bike, but wife Jane who had been out and about buying plants for the back yard, could not find a parking place anywhere within a mile of the place, so we wound up eating somewhere else.  Vegan Mac and Cheese seems to have been one of the more popular dishes, but there was lots of interesting stuff there.  Took a few pics of the vendor who was awarded the title of Baltimore BEST MAC N' CHEESE (not sure what year -- apparently Baltimore has a vegan mac 'n cheese smackdown in February.

About 30 people in line!

[Baltoscott]

I like the religious explanation on Fallen Rocks vs. Falling Rocks @benvegi.

Thinking about it, Fallen Rocks are probably the longer-term danger issue than rocks that are presently falling, though.  In either case, Pay Attention!