MAYhem Monthly Step Challenge--MAYbe it's time to step it up and get a little crazy with your goals

[Baltoscott]

So April was a reset month, a restart of the January goals you dropped in February ;-).  For the MAYhem challenge this month, get a little creative; sure, get your steps — always gotta do that — but add some floors, or do a 5K, or post a pic of something 2 or 3 miles away from your couch! You get the idea, it’s MAYhem!!

   
How It Works:

The primary purpose of these monthly challenges has been 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 and that will give the rest of us incentive to update our own progress.

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.

[GershonSurge]

I had a good day yesterday. I've found taking a nap after I have 2500 calories made reduces fatigue.

@Jotex,

I'm agnostic about afterburn from weight training compared to afterburn from other more strenuous activities. I'm also agnostic about the value of the small amount of increased muscle burning enough calories to make a difference. If a person doesn't eat to maintain them, the muscles may quickly disappear. I haven't seen any research to support either conclusion.

@benvegi,

Have fun hiking and riding for a week. Especially enjoy being outside of cell phone range. Don't forget your Fitbit. Looking forward to seeing pictures.

[benvegi]

Thanks! We will it's beautiful up there

[benvegi]

Will do! Will have pics also. Really won't miss the lack of cell coverage
at all. If I get desperate they have limited wifi in the office 😁

[NellyG]

29 May

Steps 10,000 per day                                       25/20

High step day over 20,000                              1 👍

Swim twice per week                                       1/1     9/8

Fitbit Coach or bike ride - one per week      -/1      8/4    

Dance 6 hours per week                                 2/6      20/24

@GershonSurge  Shovelling rocks sounds like lots of fun! 🤣🤣 What are you doing (making, moving)?

[Ennay]

All goals except high day are weekly.  All weeks begin on Monday

	April	May	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Total
steps per week	106393	105000	95373	104290	94709	79310
burn per week	19990	21000	19475	19857	18801	18297
weights per week		3	2	0	0
HIIT per week	0	1	0	0	0
High day	25031	25000
Weight loss	-6.8		-3.6	+0.6	-2.4	-1.6

Whoops, totally forgot yesterday was a Monday!

Lowest week in quite awhile, maybe since I started. (MTA: Went and looked, nope, lowest full week since I got my fitbit)

Better at my other life productivity, but starting to push off the exercise until I no longer have time again.  Not doing well with the whole middle ground.

Crazy busy month coming for June so will be just trying to hold my ground I think. 

Only about 7K yesterday mostly cooking and cleaning. 

@benvegihave a good vacation!

[Baltoscott]

May 29

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 29/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 29/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 15/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 20/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2 

It was pretty nice out today before it got all muggy this afternoon.  Thankfully I got most of my steps in early, so my afternoon 'wake up' walk was short!

[GershonSurge]

Yesterday's totals were almost identical to the day before. 

@NellyG,

I had some landscaping rocks in the corner of my front yard. They kept getting overgrown with weeds, so I decided to move the rocks to my backyard and make some paths for the garden. There were more rocks than I anticipated.

[Nyjetsjon]

I just discovered this message board.  My goal for the month of May was 1,000,000 steps.  I figured for days that I would be unable to seriously walk, I would need to get 40,000 per day.  At any rate, mission accomplished.  I just reached my goal last night.  I was harder than I thought it would be.  I spent many hours walking around my house.  

[Baltoscott]

@Nyjetsjon — Nice! And with 2 days to spare you finally get to sit for a couple of meals 

[NellyG]

30 May

Steps 10,000 per day                                       26/20

High step day over 20,000                              1 👍

Swim twice per week                                       1/1     9/8

Fitbit Coach or bike ride - one per week      1/1      9/4    

Dance 6 hours per week                                 2/6      20/24

[Baltoscott]

May 30

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 30/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 30/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 16/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 21/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2 

Wow, MAYham is almost done!

[GershonSurge]

@Baltoscott,

I'm looking forward to June bugs.

[Baltoscott]

Hey MAYhem steppers, the June version of the challenge is up.  Go over and post your goals and keep these positive life-style changes going. Invite your friends, spouse, kids, whoever, to join in too.  Anyone who might keep you motivated in doing your monthly goals/habits.

Tagging

@NellyG @Nyjetsjon @GershonSurge @Ennay @benvegi @WendyB @Jotex @rylohnes @A_Lurker @vegan_valkyrie @ndubbel 

... just so you know 

@GershonSurge  -- of course I named and posted the Jumping June challenge (adding Jumping Jacks to my daily exercises) before I saw your great "June bugs" challenge name, so start thinking about some July names and challenge ideas now.  

[Ennay]

around 14K yesterday

[Jotex]

May 30
10,000 steps a day average - 21/31
15,000 steps a day x 5 - 6/5

Exceeded my step goal — already 16,000+! 

@Baltoscott — also really enjoyed the Star Wars movie Solo!

Will think about goals for next month, but will definitely include Jumping Jacks!

[A_Lurker]

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@A_Lurker wrote:

1) 10,000 steps each day

2) some other form of exercise (rowing, elliptical, strength training... may include gardening)

3) 7h sleep average each week

4) checking in each day

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1) 30/31

2) 10 (rowing), 10 (elliptical), 10 (resistance)

3) week 1 (6hr31m), week 2 (7hr54m), week 3 (7hr28m), week 4 (8h3m), week 5 (so far) 7h40m

4) 15/31

I'm trying to think of goals for the next month. I may up the steps, but add in a non-fitness goal (doing so much time of decluttering/cleaning). It's not going as well as it should be, but it has to be done. I saw a reasonably local job posted that I'm going to apply to (although I'm missing the specific process knowledge, I'm qualified in every other way). If I end up going back to work I can see me leaving it until next winter.... argh!

It sounds like a stupid thing, but I bought a lawn mower this week and actually mowed the front lawn this evening.  I've had the kid next door doing it but last year he was inconsistent when he came.  More than once I was getting ready to buy a mower and he would finally show up.  Now I just have to get up early in the morning to mow.  I bought a cordless electric and a couple of spare batteries.  I should be able to get the entire thing done in one shot.  I won't be able to get to the back until Saturday (based on the forecast of rain) but even at 9pm, and it's now getting dark, it's 26C - feels like 32C (90F for my American friends).  Saturday looks cooler, even if I have to wait for the grass to dry off a bit.

[A_Lurker]

Playing catch-up on the posts (always tough to do).  However, I will try again in June to be more present!

[A_Lurker]

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@Ennay wrote:

Also one of the reasons I hate when women dive right in to 1200 calories and then forevermore feel that if they eat 1300 they will gain.  It can take years to recover from that kind of set point. 

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@Ennay- when I'm truly active I can eat well over 2,000 cals a day and lose weight.  At times I have a bad tendency to under-eat.  Today is a perfect example - I'm at just over 1000 calories, which is way too low.  It's too late for a meal but I'm off to scrounge the kitchen a bit.  This is then part of the reason I'll be dead beat tomorrow.  Maybe I should add 3 meals a day to next month's challenge.

[A_Lurker]

@Ennay- your garden pics shame me.  I haven't planted anything this year.  Last year before my mother passed away I bought some bushes (mostly fruit) and just couldn't motivate myself to plant them.  I had someone help a couple of weeks - and she offered to plant them, but I didn't take her up on it.  I did manage to keep them alive and most got planted in the early fall.  I gave up on a couple and figured they were dead, but I piled them up in the corner of a garden and I see green sprouts now... of course I still haven't dealt with them.  Next week!

[A_Lurker]

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@benvegi wrote:

This will be my last post for a week, leaving today for a weeks vacaton of hiking and riding in the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest.  I do want to be in the June challange and will catch up with you then. We have no cell coverage where we are going

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@benvegi- pics please when you're back.  An ex co-worker just spent 7 weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia.  It's been nice to follow along with them (as they can usually catch up in hotels).  I envy their connectivity as I did a blog more than a decade ago when I was going around the world via freighter.  I had to hunt for internet when I was in port.