OctoberFest Step Challenge and Scavenger Hunt

[Baltoscott]

YIKES! It is the beginning of festival/holiday season. Already! Around here October will be beer festivals with the wurst and schnitzel, probably a trip to the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and a pumpkin carving party at the end of the month. With all that coming up, it makes sense to plan out fitness and eating goals for the month and check in with Fitbit friends to get support for hitting those goals. So lets get started!

General monthly instructions are below, including the monthly picture scavenger hunt.   


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

This month’s scavenger hunt is a little more free-flowing than the past couple of months. Tell a story with words and pictures about where you live - your neighborhood, your town/city. Maybe just about a particular building, or maybe the founding of the area, or maybe a famous person who lived in or visited or died where you live. It doesn’t have to be a lot of pictures and doesn’t have to be historical. Most comic strips are just 3 or 4 panels. But it does have to be pictures you take while walking this month. For example, here is a little moralistic story about locking your bike in the Baltimore/DC area from pics I took last month:

1. What is ...2. A well-locked bike frame3. What can be ...4. A well-locked bike frame

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.

[Baltoscott]

Those don’t look like wild turkeys @WendyB.  Wonder if somebody’s ‘turkey coop’ has a hole in the fence?  Pretty juicy meal for some those foxes ...

[WendyB]

@Baltoscott could be. No foxes. This was a rich neighborhood. I like to walk it some times to see the big  rich houses 😀

[CatLover74]

Haven’t been up to much lately, but this is what I did today. I finally got up and dragged myself out, after less than 6 hours sleep, for a morning mid spring beach walk.

Looking forward to what November will bring.

[WendyB]

OctoberFest Day 28

Steps: Goal right now is 13000 26/31  did not make
Boxing 31 days: 28/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 28/31
Weights DVD 18 days: 15/31

Stomach Youtube 31 days:28/31
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 31 days: 28/31
250 Steps per hour : 26/31  also did not make

Lose 2 Pounds 1.5/2

Post Scavenger hunt photos 4/4

Did not make steps and 250 per hour and step goal

[shawnkp]

Happy Monday all! I had a good weekend - happy to report that I finally hit my goal of 5,000 steps on a Saturday. Yay me!

Halloween Weekend

Friday- 10/26/18: 9,060 steps

Saturday- 10/27/18: 9,005 steps 

Sunday - No Tracking 

On Friday, I walked through the Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park. Sam Houston Park is landscaped into a Victorian wonderland, with footpaths laid out to pass by an old mill and cross a rustic bridge over a pleasant stream. The park was established in 1899 and encompasses 20 acres of green space right in the middle of downtown Houston. Click this link to learn more: Sam Houston Park 

EntranceGreen SpaceTurtle Sun BathingDuck Family enjoying a strollOriginal Stairs: lots of historyI love old treesOh the stories this tree could tellArt installationOne side of the "Open House"InsideThe walls are covered with historical photosMore Green SpaceOne of the historical homes

[Baltoscott]

 @shawnkp.  Your “open” house looks really cool.  It reminded me of this old gag 🙂

Congratulations on completing LISS @CatLover74.  

[WendyB]

OctoberFest Day 29

Steps: Goal right now is 13000 27/31 
Boxing 31 days: 29/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 29/31
Weights DVD 18 days: 16/31

Stomach Youtube 31 days:29/31
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 31 days: 298/31
250 Steps per hour : 28/31 

Lose 2 Pounds 1.5/2

Post Scavenger hunt photos 4/4

Great pictures @shawnkp

[Jotex]

OctoberFest Step Goals - Oct 29

10,000 steps - 21/20 days

Training w/weights - 14/15 days

40 jumping jacks - 19/20 days

Lose 2-4 lbs (@1-2 kgs) - +2./ 2-4 lbs

Scavenger Hunt Panel — 4/4 pics

Looks like I will meet all goals except weight loss, unless a miracle comes my way in the next two days. I did get out of my ‘comfort zone’ today for my steps, but my scavenger hunt photo panel is not as exciting as y’all’s (mainly because I forgot and then it was raining, and we have cold winds blowing). As mentioned earlier, I normally get my steps on my treadmill. But I was invited to a special concert tonight in Zurich organized by the Anglican Church and the American Women’s Club of Zurich.

The playbill.

The singer and pianist, both from Zurich City Opera. (Hat was a prop for song from Wicked.)

Eleanor (the performer), Jillaine (my friend, the organizer), me and Hope (guests).

The train platform in Bern for my ‘ride’ back to our town about 15 miles away. They’re working on the train tracks, so at one point we deboarded and took a bus the rest of the way. 45 minutes instead of 18.

[Baltoscott]

OctoberFest Day 29

15K steps/day		28/31
30 jumping jacks/day		29/31
1 pushup/day		29/31
13 weight-lifting days		13/13
post scavenger storyboard		3/1
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month		10/12
Weight loss of 2-4 lbs (Oct 1 = 160.4 on TW)		Oct. 28: -0.4

Grr.  Just missed my sleep goal last night by 10 minutes.  

[WendyB]

@JotexLooks like you had a lot of fun!

@BaltoscottSorry it Happens to me.

[Jotex]

Thanks @WendyB. I did!

[NellyG]

30 October

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                         25/20     

Days over 15,000 steps (1 per week)               7/4    

Swim 2x per week                                                1/1         9/8                          

Dance 6 hours a week                                         5/6      28.5/24                        

One Interval walk or bike ride per week            -/1         5/4

Post Scavenger Hunt Picture Story                   1/1

Took this photo on my walk on Sunday

[WendyB]

OctoberFest Day 30

Steps: Goal right now is 13000 28/31 
Boxing 31 days: 30/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 30/31
Weights DVD 18 days: 17/31

Stomach Youtube 31 days:30/31
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 31 days: 30/31
250 Steps per hour : 29/31 

Lose 2 Pounds 1.5/2

Post Scavenger hunt photos 4/4

[Baltoscott]

They were almost close enough to make a heart @NellyG

[Baltoscott]

@WendyB @NellyG @Jotex @shawnkp @CatLover74 @GershonSurge @lavabelle @SeleneD @SunsetRunner @benvegi @LisefromCanada @HoosierDaddy73 @SunsetRunner @naima01

Nifty November is up.  Go post your goals.

[Baltoscott]

OctoberFest Day 30

15K steps/day		29/31
30 jumping jacks/day		30/31
1 pushup/day		30/31
13 weight-lifting days		13/13
post scavenger storyboard		3/1
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month		10/12
Weight loss of 2-4 lbs (Oct 1 = 160.4 on TW)		Oct. 28: -0.4

[Jotex]

OctoberFest Step Goals - Oct 30
10,000 steps - 21/20 days
Training w/weights - 15/15 days
40 jumping jacks - 20/20 days
Lose 2-4 lbs (@1-2 kgs) - +2./ 2-4 lbs 😰
Scavenger Hunt Panel — 4/4 pics

Well, I hate to fall back on this, but "4 out of 5 ain't bad." Will see what tomorrow brings, and then move forward to November. 

[NellyG]

31 October Results for the month

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                         26/20     

Days over 15,000 steps (1 per week)               8/4    

Swim 2x per week                                                9/8                          

Dance 6 hours a week                                         28.5/24                        

One Interval walk or bike ride per week            6/4

Post Scavenger Hunt Picture Story                   1/1

Couple of pictures of the coast from todays bike ride

King George SoundTowards Oyster Harbour

[Baltoscott]

OctoberFest Day 31 - end of month results

15K steps/day		30/31
30 jumping jacks/day		31/31
1 pushup/day		31/31
13 weight-lifting days		13/13
post scavenger storyboard		3/1
Sleep 6+ hours 12 days or more during the month		10/12
Weight loss of 2-4 lbs (Oct 1 = 160.4 on TW)		Oct. 31: -0.3

Although I haven't quite finished today's steps, it is 10 am, I'm half way there, and I've got to ride the bike to get home, so I think I'll hit it.  As for end of month results, I hit my goals for jumping jacks, pushups, weight lifting and picture storyboards.  Next month I'll need to focus more on getting enough sleep and accelerating the rate of weight loss.

Sleeping:  Although I didn't hit my goal of 12 days of 6+ hours of sleep, I think my quality was better over the past couple of weeks -- my sleep average for the past three weeks has been over 5 hours 50 minutes each week, as compared to 5 hours 30 to 40 minute each of the three prior weeks.  

Weight loss:  At 160.1 lbs, I was down 0.3 lbs on TrendWeight as of October 31, which reflects a slight increase over my low for the month at 159.6 lbs some 10 days ago.  I have not counted calories for the past five weeks -- since 160.7 lbs — and that seems to have made it harder to meet my typical goal of 1/2 - 1lb/week of weight loss (when I'm trying to lose).  Since I'm in my maintenance range I don't feel a lot of pressure to increase the rate of loss, but having a goal helps with motivation whenever I feel hungry, so I will continue to aim for a 2-4lb in Nifty November.  

[LisefromCanada]

Results for the month of October 2018:

Results for week 1 & 2 & 3 & 4:

• + 5,000 steps every day.  wk1: 7/7   wk2: 5/7   wk3: 7/7   wk4: 7/7 = 29/31
• + 7,500 steps 2 days/week.   wk1: 5/2   wk2: 3/2   wk3: 7/2  wk4: 6/2 = 25/9
• + 10,000 steps 1 x week.  wk1: 2/1   wk2: 3/1   wk3: 7/1  wk4: 3/1 = 16/5
• Practice T'ai Chi Chih at least 5 days per week. 
  • week1: 6/5 days (exceeded goal)
  • week2: 4/5 days (Missed goal)
  • week3: 0/5 days (Missed goal) - lost interest in this activity
  • week4: 0/5 days (Missed goal) - lost interest in this activity
  • 10/23 - lost interest in this activity
• Aquafit class or swim 45 minutes at least 2 times per week. 
  • week1:  2/2 days (Nailed it)
  • week2:  3/2 days (Exceeded Goal)
  • week3:  4/2 days (Exceeded Goal)
  • week4:  5/2 days (Exceeded Goal)
  • 18/9 (Exceeded Goal)
• Lose 5 pounds in 31 days (MTD: -5.1 lbs).  
  • week1:   -1.5 lbs
  • week2:   -1.4 lbs
  • week3:   +0.9 lbs 
  • week4:   -3.1 lbs  Yes!!!
  • -5.1 lbs - Yeah!!!

So happy with my October results!!!