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.

[Baltoscott]

May 24

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 24/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 24/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 12/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 17/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2   

Great weather today.  Nice to get a morning walk in without worrying about getting drenched.

[NellyG]

25 May

Steps 10,000 per day                                       22/20

High step day over 20,000                              1 👍

Swim twice per week                                       2/2     8/8

Fitbit Coach or bike ride - one per week      2/1      8/4    

Dance 6 hours per week                                 3/6      16/24

[GershonSurge]

Weight problem seems to be under control. I'm going to gradually increase my daily calorie burn goal to 2700. It's what I've been averaging anyway.

[Baltoscott]

May 25

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 25/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 25/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 13/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 18/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2   

Took and extra day for the long weekend and got out for a hike in the woods with Jayhawk today.  It was a little over 90 degrees so he took a break whenever we got anywhere near a stream.

Jayhawk - cooling down

[Jotex]

May 25
10,000 steps a day average - 17/31
15,000 steps a day x 5 - 5/5

Attended a women’s conference yesterday, which meant a lot of  sitting: listening to reports and presentations, eating lunch, driving there and back. My arthritis has flared up again this week, so chose not to work out or go on my treadmill in pain. 

However, I am discovering that what my anatomy professor friend told me is true — at least for me. Training every other day is better so the muscles have time to repair.

Also, in the evenings when I eat light and not too late, I see a loss on the scale the next morning! 😁

So ... today I will get at least 10,000 steps and get a lot of housework done (somebody’s gotta do it, right?), and eat a light supper. More later. Happy weekend Peeps!

[Ennay]

12K Thursday, 13K yesterday,

Yesterday I did a lot of yard work so the calorie burn was up despite the moderate steps.  Today I have a few errands and then we had 6 yards of mulch delivered (although I have to be honest, my 3 yards of cedar chips looks more like 2) that we need to put down, so I should have some good activity today.  NEAT is everything.  Tomorrow dh is going for a motorcycle journey so it will be just me and the kids and the dog in the cone of shame. 

@Jotex- absolutely  - alternating days is the way to go! 

[Jotex]

May 26
10,000 steps a day average - 18/31
15,000 steps a day x 5 - 5/5

@Ennay — Thanks for your confirmation! After today, I might need a day off anyway! I washed so many windows today (lots of bending and stretching exercise).How did you get on with spreading ths mulch?

I was so busy, I forgot to put on my fitbit this morning! 😳  I only thought of it @16.30 when I started cleaning bathrooms, and then did a load of laundry. Finally got on my bellicon and then on the treadmill. Will likely top out at 11,000+ today. I would have been way over 15,000 if only I’d remembered to put on my Charge 2 this morning. C’est la vie! 😊

[GershonSurge]

I think my weight is under control, so that concern has receded into the background.

About a  month ago, I decided to forget about steps and focus on calories expended while doing productive chores around the house. I guess if they are planned exercises, they aren't NEAT.  I do lift for an hour in the morning to get loosened up. I've been striving to be more efficient so I burn fewer calories per minute for each chore and also perform them faster by increasing efficiency.

My current goal is averaging 2,700 total calories a day. I'll increase that over time. 

Here is my list for today. Notice weightlifting is a poor calorie burner. I'm comparing calories burned/minute in excess of BMR.

[Ennay]

@Jotex  it went pretty well although I had much more help than expected.  My 14 year old daughter enthusiastically volunteered to run the wheelbarrow, which put my son and husband on shovel duty and me just on spreading.  The laying of the weedbarrier the day before was much more work!  About 10K steps yesterday.  I was going to run soaker hoses because it is better for the tomatoes, but if I keep the sprinkler in the early morning I could put flower pots around the fire pit area without running more hose which is very tempting.  Carrots do better with the sprinkler, although mine don't seem to be coming up.  I might need to reseed.

[Baltoscott]

May 26

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 26/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 26/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 14/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 19/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2   

The May sleep goal is looking pretty pitiful.  My average sleep has been going down from high of 5 hrs 35 min for the first week of the month, to around 4 hrs 45 min/night over the past 2.5 weeks.  Sigh. 

@Jotex -- Jane and I are planning to see Solo this afternoon.  Hopefully I don't nod off.  

[Jotex]

@GershonSurge - I'm surprised at the low calorie burn with your weight exercise. Are you sure about that?!?

@Ennay - y'all did do A LOT of work! The garden looks fabulous!!! 😍

@Baltoscott - Hope (expect) you'll enjoy Solo. But NO spoilers, please. I can't see it until Wednesday when I go with my daughter. :alarm_clock::film_projector: :soon_arrow:

[Baltoscott]

I really did like Solo @Jotex. Have a good time on Wednesday.

[GershonSurge]

5/27/18

Yesterday, I went way over my target for total calories burned because I needed to get things done. I like that half my calories expended went towards productive work.

@Jotex,

For some reason, I never burn many calories lifting weights. It's not an efficient activity for losing weight although it's important for other reasons.

@Ennay,

The garden is looking NEAT. Keep up the good work.

[NellyG]

28 May

Steps 10,000 per day                                       24/20

High step day over 20,000                              1 👍

Swim twice per week                                       2/2     8/8

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

Dance 6 hours per week                                 5/6      18/24

[Ennay]

maybe 6K steps yesterday?

So my poor pup who got neutered Friday was doing fine Saturday, but yesterday he just started laying there stock still and shaking.  He was refusing food and drink, even the pill pockets that he loves.  Even wrapped in his two favorite foods, I couldn't get him to take his vetprofen.  I finally forced one down but he just kept getting worse and was shaking so hard it was difficult to tell if it was shivering or seizures and the inside of his mouth turned white and cold.  Rushed him the 20 miles to the emergency vet and they did blood work and said it was just pain so he got something stronger that I can squirt in his mouth and after a nap he was back to being happy.

The moral of the story is don't have surgery on a Friday when the local normally priced vet will be closed for the holiday weekend. 

After all that I just took a book and sat on my deck and read. 

[Ennay]

@Jotex  weightlifting is harder to measure.  As @GershonSurge notes it doesnt typically burn a lot during the activity although in part that depends on what style of weightlifting, but heavy lifting tends to have a fairly long afterburn, so your calorie expenditure for living the rest of your day is higher than normal. 

[Jotex]

May 28
10,000 steps a day average - 19/31
15,000 steps a day x 5 - 5/5

My plan to get my steps in today was in jeopardy when a friend asked yesterday if she could come today and teach me how to make Spaghetti Carbonara, and stay until evening. I had to get active earlier than I usually do to get most steps in and then cleaned up BEFORE she got here. All's well that ends well. Then, there's the matter of a higher  carb count than I'm allowed on my keto plan. Life is full of choices and compromises, ain't it?!

@Baltoscott -- thanks for letting me know you enjoyed Solo. Can't wait!

@GershonSurge and @Ennay -- thanks for explaining about the weight training being a poor calorie burner (until the afterburn sets in?). I guess I got it mixed up ... but weights help build muscle, right? I'm glad your doggie is well again @Ennay! 😄

[Baltoscott]

May 28

-15K steps/day for all 31 days. 28/31
-1 pushup/day for all 31 days 28/31
-13 16 weight-lifting days: 15/13 16 
- 50 floors or more for 20 days: 19/20
-Sleep 6+ hours 12 days: 3/12
-sign up for and do one organized event: 2/2 

[benvegi]

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

So my May goals are to Average:

14 k steps per day 

30 floors per day

7 miles per day

May 20 thru 2/26

Steps    18,056                  best day 22,287  all days over 14k

floors      30                        best day 52      3 days below 30

miles       8.3                      best day  10.16          all days over 7

[Jotex]

May 29
10,000 steps a day average - 20/31
15,000 steps a day x 5 - 5/5

@benvegi - have a wonderful vacation! Safe travels!!!