MAYbe try a bit More in May 2024— Step Challenge and Photo Scavenger Hunt

[Baltoscott]

MAYbe it’s time to add a little more to your daily activities? MAYbe new route for your daily walk?  Or MAYbe start a daily walk :-). MAYbe weekend hikes, or bike rides, or MAYbe a spring 5K? The 2022 version of this month was Maybe Try Something New. At the time I was getting into bird photography which I still love doing, but as I’ve gotten better, I noticed that I’ve slowed down when I’m birding. Standing still for minutes while listening for possible subjects. Slowing down as I move to the edge of the water to avoid scaring off the birds I’m stalking. I’ll still do that, but this year some of my May hikes will be a bit longer and a bit faster, and MAYbe with no camera other than my iPhone.

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 this month is to find at least three different kinds of May flowers (blooms), and three different animals on your daily walks. The more colors and critters the better. Some other May picture ideas (in the US, anyway) are Memorial Day events and Mothers day celebrations; it is graduation day for for any number of schools around the world.

Purple Clematis

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.

[NellyG]

23 May

10,000 steps a day for 15 days                      15/15

10 days over 12,000                                         14/10             

6 days over 15,000 steps                                 8/6           

35 exercise sessions (swim, bike, walk, gym, dance)   32/35

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                      5/3

[NellyG]

24 May

10,000 steps a day for 15 days                      15/15

10 days over 12,000                                         14/10             

6 days over 15,000 steps                                 9/6           

35 exercise sessions (swim, bike, walk, gym, dance)   33/35

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                      5/3

[NellyG]

27 May

10,000 steps a day for 15 days                      17/15

10 days over 12,000                                         15/10             

6 days over 15,000 steps                                 9/6           

35 exercise sessions (swim, bike, walk, gym, dance)   36/35

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                      5/3

[NellyG]

28 May

10,000 steps a day for 15 days                      18/15

10 days over 12,000                                         16/10             

6 days over 15,000 steps                                 9/6           

35 exercise sessions (swim, bike, walk, gym, dance)   39/35

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                      5/3

[Baltoscott]

MAYbe More Day 9

17K steps/day for 25 days		6/25
20 pushups for 20 days		6/20
9 weight-lifting days		3/9
post 3 scavenger pics		2/3
Sleep 6:10 hours + 20 days or more during the month		2/20
15 pull-ups for 20 days		5/20
Unicycle: 15 mins/day for 20 days		6/20
15 dry days		6/15
Beat April 2023 bike mileage (351.5 miles) YIKES!		66.5
100 zone minutes 20 days.		6/20

[Baltoscott]

I guess it's been a busy month. When I just signed on I saw I had a post from May 9 that I didn't successfully upload, so I did that.😀

And now I'll share the photo I got yesterday of a couple Yellow-crowned Night-Heron not far from the train station in downtown Baltimore. They mostly stay down in the nest, but they briefly popped up for a look around and I got lucky.

[Jotex]

May Goals with Days 16 - 28

• 5,000 Steps  13/x8 days
  8,000 Steps  5x8 days
• 10,000 Steps  6/x8 days
• 12,000 Steps  3/x3 days
• Line Dance Class  2/x2
• Pilates Class  2/x2
• MTT 8/x8 

[Baltoscott]

MAYbe More Day 28

17K steps/day for 25 days		16/25
20 pushups for 20 days		7/20
9 weight-lifting days		3/9
post 3 scavenger pics		3/3
Sleep 6:10 hours + 20 days or more during the month		8/20
15 pull-ups for 20 days		6/20
Unicycle: 15 mins/day for 20 days		14/20
15 dry days		10/15
Beat April 2023 bike mileage (351.5 miles) YIKES!		225
100 zone minutes 20 days.		14/20

Wow. It is hard to believe the May is nearly over. Not very good on my goals this month. Partly because while on travel/vacation I wasn't recording some things (I have an app for tracking daily habits like pushups and pullups, but I've got to fill it out!), and partly because I wasn't doing them. Will work on that next month. 

A couple of shots of some crimson clover I saw when I was visiting a bird sanctuary near Newport RI last week.

I'll get the June invite up soon.

[Baltoscott]

Hey @Jotex @NellyG @jantonini @Vidd @SteppingBooks 

Before Noon June is up. Go post your goals.

[Jotex]

May Goals with Days 29

• 5,000 Steps  14/x8 days
• 8,000 Steps  5x8 days
• 10,000 Steps  6/x8 days
• 12,000 Steps  3/x3 days
• Line Dance Class  2/x2
• Pilates Class  2/x2
• MTT 8/x8 

I’m not going to meet all my step goals — was a busy, but lower-step-count kind of month. Hoping for more energy in June. 

[NellyG]

30 May

10,000 steps a day for 15 days                      20/15

10 days over 12,000                                         17/10             

6 days over 15,000 steps                                 9/6           

35 exercise sessions (swim, bike, walk, gym, dance)   42/35

3 Scavenger Hunt pics                                      5/3

[Jotex]

May Goals with Days 30 - 31

• 5,000 Steps  14/x8 days
• 8,000 Steps  7x8 days
• 10,000 Steps  6/x8 days
• 12,000 Steps  3/x3 days
• Line Dance Class  2/x2
• Pilates Class  2/x2
• MTT 9/x8 

[Vidd]

MAYbe Try A Bit More in May - DAY 31

I'm having to revise my goals further.  

We're lucky to have a good team of friends who are managing Walter's walking for us.  Sadly, even playing the piano isn't pain free at the moment.  On the plus side, I had some acupuncture today, and I'lll go back for another session in a week's time, as although not much happened with it today, I'm still hopeful that a second session will do more.

In bed by midnight every day.	31/31
..and by 11pm at least 26 days.	30/26
Get to the bottom of my mysterious shoulder pain! I went for the MRI scan - my brother-in-law drove me there, while I tried to get as close as I could to lying down in the car.  Made it there and back because I had to.  the staff there were brilliant, and the scan result should be with the neurologist by June 3rd.	1/1 provisionally!
3 Scavenger Hunt photos. Could take these without going very far.	3/3