Contrary February — Step Challenge and REVISED Resolutions

[Baltoscott]

So how did January go?  Are you still holding strong on those New Year’s resolutions?  Or have you completely forgotten about that?  🙂

Well, Contrary February is here. And rather than quit those lofty January goals altogether, how about the contrary approach of just dialing things back a bit? Instead of 6 days a week at the gym, commit to putting on your workout shoes for 3 mornings and walking a couple of miles, followed by some body weight exercises (you can still go to the gym, but if you’ve been missing, change the commitment somehow — less often, switch from morning to evening or vice versa — so it is easier to meet). Whatever it was you committed to in January, if you were not successful, try doing half as much of it in February and see how that goes. (Of course, if you hit your goals in January, YAY YOU! Now keep practicing the goals you want as lifetime habits, and increase effort or time a bit).                                                     

   
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

Picture Scavenger Hunt — 3 pictures

The theme of the photo scavenger hunt for Contrary February is to find the ‘odd duck;’ something out of place; someone oddly dressed; something a little ridiculous; or just unexpected.

Where's Jayhawk?

Posting

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.

[WendyB]

Contrary February Day 27

Steps: Goal 13,000 28 days: 27/28
Boxing 28 days: 27/28
Bike 3 times 28 days: 27/28
Weights DVD 16 days: 15/16
Stomach YouTube 28 days : 27/28
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 28 days: 27/28
250 Steps per hour 28 days : 27/28
Post Scavenger hunt photos: 3/3

@SunsetRunner  Love them Daffodils!

@Baltoscott  Looking forward to seeing Jane's Desk. Sounds like she added some great stuff!

[Autumn43]

February 28

minimum 10,000 steps: 28/28

15,000 steps: 3/5

Pushups: 26/28

Drink 1.5 litre of water: 28/28

Photo scavenger hunt: -/3

Whoops! I really slacked off on the photos. Starting with a clean slate tomorrow... 

[GSaldiveri]

February Goals: Day 27

15K Steps/day - 27/28
20k steps/day - 23/21
64+ oz water/day - 27/27
30(+) cardio - 06/14 Don't think I'm going to make this one.

Lose 3 pounds - 3/3

Didn't make my step goal every day BUT my daily average thru 27 days is 29,232/day.

I really need to work on my cardio.

[NellyG]

28 February 

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                                       24/20     

4 days over 15,000 steps                                                 8/4              

1 day over 20,000 steps                                                    1/1

Swim 2x per week (when I'm home)                              7/5                                                

Dance prac 6 hours a week (when Im home)              24/18

5 bike rides or interval walks per month                         5/5            

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                                       3/3  

[benvegi]

February goals: decided to up my step and floor count this month, though I'm over the 18k step count I may cut back a bit. 

Steps 18,000 per day, 25+ floors p/day, 8+ miles p/day

2 sets of 12 reps of dumbbell curls, triceps, shoulder shrugs, and chest flys, 3 times a week. Increasing weights used and adding more stretches/yoga. 

Three or more pics of each scavenger hunt topic. 

Check in at least 2x a week.  Yes, I've been "skipping school" this month and not checking in!  Busy, busy!

Rather than bore everyone with my daily totals here are my monthly stats up to today.

Steps 2/1 - 2/27  averaged 24,268 steps per day.   All days over 20k.

floors 2/1 - 2/27   averaged 37 floors per day

miles 2/1 - 2/27   averaged 11.76 miles per day

steps  27/28

floors  22/28

miles  27/28

weights 14/12

check in 3/8

pictures 1/3  Surprise photo below.   Picture taken on Feb 16! About a month early. However our forecast is for temps near zero by Sunday morning. 

[SunsetRunner]

Contrary February - Day 28 -- EDITED

12,000 steps: 18/18 days
20,000 steps: 5/2 days
1-min (or longer) Modified Plank: 14/15 days
Training w/weights: 14/15 days
40 jumping jacks: 20/20 days
Line Dance: 3/4 days
IF5/2 (stay under +/- 600 cal): 1/6 days
Eat a piece of fruit: 21/20 days
Scavenger Hunt Pics: 3/3 pics

I exceeded my step goals, and completed jumping jacks, eating fruit and scavenger hunt photo goals. Was close on most of the others, except for intermittent fasting (600 cal 2x week). Today I went to have lunch in Luzern with two friends who I have worked with and we all got our Masters at Manchester University. With all the Güggermusikbands practicing for the parade, it was loud!!! 

Cute couple in Bern main train station headed to Luzern for the Grün-Donnerstag Fasnacht festivities. Bern had a much smaller celebration of Fasnacht earlier; nobody does it like Luzern and Basel!

[WendyB]

Contrary February Day 28

Steps: Goal 13,000 28 days: 28/28
Boxing 28 days: 28/28
Bike 3 times 28 days: 28/28
Weights DVD 16 days: 16/16
Stomach YouTube 28 days : 28/28
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 28 days: 28/28
250 Steps per hour 28 days : 28/28
Post Scavenger hunt photos: 3/3

@SunsetRunner  Sounds like a fun day! Love the Pic!

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks @WendyB . I noticed the couple trying to take a selfie so offered to take their photo. Then got permission to take one myself. Here's a link giving information about this Swiss celebration in English. 

Fasnacht (Carnival) in Switzerland

[WendyB]

Thanks for the Link @SunsetRunner  Found it very interesting. We have something sort of like it here. But it gets so crowded and it takes all the fun away sometime. So we have only been a couple times. You have to go early so you can at least have a little fun

[Baltoscott]

Contrary February Day 28

15K steps/day		27/28
1 pushup/day		28/28
12 weight-lifting days		12/12
post scavenger pics		4/3
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month		12/12
1 pull-up/day		28/28
Complete Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat		3/4

Wrapping up February with wins on goals for pushups, weight lifting days, sleep days, pull-up days, and pics.  Just a bit short on steps and finishing Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat (I'm on Heat now; great book!).  

[kschurman]

lol:money_with_wings: so funny

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