Topiary January 2019 -- Step Challenge and Resolutions

[Baltoscott]

Welcome to 2019!!

It is a new year, and time to get another monthly challenge underway.  It is also an opportunity to try out some resolutions ,,, a diet or exercise change, less drinking or smoking, going to bed earlier, learn a new skill … But in this case, commit for just a month and see how it goes.  You can do anything for a month, and if it still makes sense on January 31, try it again for another month in February. Or adapt it 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. That is where the monthly resolution component comes in. Try adding one new good habit and reducing one bad habit for the month.  For the good habit, maybe you'll cook at home more (I'm taking an on-line cooking class for the month).  As to your bad habit, remember it is only for a month.  And it doesn't even have to be all or nothing.  Instead of NO PIZZA for a month, maybe you'll cut your consumption in half.  (Only two Fridays instead of every Friday, for example).  I will be doing a mostly dry January and then go back to my normal dry every other day lifestyle.

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 idea of a monthly picture scavenger hunt started last summer as a way to get people outside to show off where they live. We’ve done oldest buildings, funny street or business signs, sewer covers, holiday decorations, theatre marquees,  animals ….

The theme this month?  It is in the title — Topiary. 

Peace, man ...

That’s gonna be hard for some folks, but go find three pics if you can.

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.

[LisefromCanada]

January 1, 2019...

Over 10,000 steps 25 days this month - 1/25

"New" - Over 15,000 steps 5 days this month - 0/5

Minimum 5,000 steps daily - 1/31

15 minutes Calisthenics 20 days this month - 0/20

Calorie intake at least 500 calories less than calories burned for 25 days - 1/25

Swim/aquafit class for 45 minutes 10 times this month - 1/10

10 floors daily - 1/31

Lose 4 pounds this month - 0/4 lbs

3 scavenger hunt posts - 0/3 pics posted (not sure where I will see topiary in Canada in January - this will be a challenge)

[WendyB]

Nice @Baltoscott been there before myself

[NellyG]

2 January

10,000 steps a day for 20 days                                       2/20                                          

4 days over 15,000 steps per month                              2/4                           

1 day over 20,000 steps                                                    2/1                          

Swim 2x per week (when I'm home)  - 6                        -/6                                          

Dance prac 6 hours a week (when Im home) - 18       2/18  

6 bike rides or interval walks per month                         1/6

At least 3 scavenger huntnpics                                        -/3

@LisefromCanada  Hmm yes, topiary in mid winter in Canada could be a challenge!  Mind you it is mid summer here, but I dont think that is going to help me find any decent topiary! I dont think it is something Australians go in for much. Not around here anyway!

[kim_major]

I'm in. I need the motivation as I get back in gear. I honestly think my goals for January are just to make sure I am on the baseline again, and re-establishing my habits. So, I am keeping it simple.

• 10,000 steps per day
• Minimum 64 ounces of water daily
• Minimum of 5 workouts a week (cardio)
• Minimum of 5 workouts a week (strength)
• Daily relaxation/meditation for at least 5 minutes
• Alcohol only on weekends (the daily glass of bourbon is nice, but counterproductive)
• Read two books

Good luck, everyone!

[Jotex]

Beautiful pic of the Ring of Fire State Park @Baltoscott. We've been to Arizona, Utah and west Colorado, but not (yet) Nevada.

Topiary January - Day 2

12,000 steps - 2/20 days

1-min (or longer) Modified Plank - 1/15 days
Training w/weights - 1/15 days
40 jumping jacks - 2/15 days
Line Dance - 0/6 days

IF5/2 (stay under +/- 600 cal 2x/wk) - 0/8 days

Eat a piece of fruit - 2/25 days

Topiary Scavenger Hunt - 0/3 pics

[Ennay]

For yesterday - 13,021 steps

Through yesterday:
10000K  1/23

Post here  1/23

Food recording 1/31

Weigh 1/27

Long work day today. Woke up early and made a batch of chickpea banana bread, then went back to sleep for a couple hours.  Sadly I took off my fitbit  last night and forgot to put it back on until just now so all the baking and kitchen cleaning went unrecorded!  ACK!  I need all the help I can get on a Wednesday.

I have decided to set a fitbit mile goal of 2019 for the year, but until i figure out how to track that well, I probably won't be reporting on it.

[HoosierDaddy73]

Through 1/1/19

• 10,000 steps - 1/31
• 9 Active Hours - 1/31
• 50 Running Miles - 3.5/50
• Scavenger Hunt Photos- 0/3
• Weight loss - 0/4

[Mel9]

Goals for January:

6,000 steps a day on 23 days.

10,000 steps a day on 5 days.

Water intake of 64 ounces a day every day.

Get at least 7 hours of sleep on 20 nights.

Post 3 scavenger hunt photos.

Check in and log status on 20 days.

Last month I tracked how often I had 250 steps per hour, which I liked because it was fairly easy to get up and do 250 steps.  But I gave my fitbit Charge 2 to my son and I have the Alta HR now.  So, it doesn't tell my my hourly step count on the screen.  This makes it harder to keep track of where I am with the hourly steps.  So, this month I'm going to focus on steps per day...getting up to 6,000 steps on most days with a goal of 10,000 steps on 5 days.

The bad habit that I'm trying to break this month is staying up late...I've gotten in the habit of staying up until close to midnight most every night and that's just not healthy.  

The topiary photo challenge will be a challenge.  I'm going to really have to pay attention to find a topiary.  We'll see.

[WendyB]

Topiary January Day 2

Steps: Goal 13000 31 days:  2/31
Boxing 31 days: 2/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 2/31
Weights DVD 17 days: 1/31
Stomach Youtube 31 days : 2/31
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 31 days:2 /31
250 Steps per hour 31 days :2 /31
Post Scavenger hunt photos: 0/3

[ShariDandelion]

Greetings and Salutations!

This is my first time joining in with you all.  I used to belong to and run a scavenger hunt/challenge on a different weight loss site and always loved this kind of thing so I was very glad to find this post! 

Good Habit = Keep up with commit journals,

Steps =310,000 for January

WOD = Squats (at home) increase by 5 each day until 100 starting this week (more to come)

Topiary = 3 Pics

[LisefromCanada]

January 2, 2019...

Over 10,000 steps 25 days this month - 2/25

"New" - Over 15,000 steps 5 days this month - 0/5

Minimum 5,000 steps daily - 2/31

15 minutes Calisthenics 20 days this month - 0/20

Calorie intake at least 500 calories less than calories burned for 25 days - 2/25

Swim/aquafit class for 45 minutes 10 times this month - 2/10

10 floors daily - 2/31

Lose 4 pounds this month - 0/4 lbs

3 scavenger hunt posts - 0/3 pics 

[Mel9]

Update for 1/2/19:

6,000 steps a day on 28 days:  1/28

10,000 steps a day on 5 days: 1/5

Water intake of 64 ounces a day every day: 2/31

Get at least 7 hours of sleep on 20 nights:1/20

Post 3 scavenger hunt photos: 0/3

Check in and log status on 20 days: 1:20

The simple fact that I’m online posting at 11:30 doesn’t bode well for the “breaking of the bad habit of staying up until midnight”. The problem tonight was that I sat down this evening to do some art and didn’t get my 6,000 steps done. Then I realized a couple other things that I needed to read, so kept on pacing. Now I’m at 10,000 steps so I can post and go to sleep. 

[Autumn43]

January Day 3

10,000 steps: 3/26

Plank: 3/26

Drink 1 litre of water: 3/26

Photo scavenger hunt: 0/3

[katpawsx2]

Hi All!

I came across this and thought what a great idea and motivation. I'm up for the challenge.

I commit to:

5000 steps (or more) 20 days or more

6 waters a day (20 days or more)

Record calorie intake (20 days or more)

Ready...Set...Go!!! 

[kim_major]

Day 1 Progress:

• 10,000 steps per day (met)
• Minimum 64 ounces of water daily (met)
• Minimum of 5 workouts a week (cardio) (1/4...since I only started yesterday)
• Minimum of 5 workouts a week (strength) (1/4...since I only started yesterday)
• Daily relaxation/meditation for at least 5 minutes (met)
• Alcohol only on weekends (the daily glass of bourbon is nice, but counterproductive) (met)
• Read two books (didn't read last night...too tired)
• Topiary Photo Challenge (no luck here yet)

[Ennay]

For yesterday - 13,050 steps

Through Jan 2
10000K  2/23

Post here  2/23

Food recording 2/31

Weigh 2/27

I got a lot accomplished yesterday at work.  I took on clearing out the tech catch-all space.  Theatre people are a bunch of hoarders to the max because you never know, we actually MIGHT use it again.  And because the tech stuff tends to be out of the public view the general rule seems to be "I don't know where to put this, shove it in the light-booth until we get to it"  

Found some stuff we've been looking for for years - pricey stuff too.  OTOH I also found a full case of dot matrix printer paper.  I'm going to say even in our normal run office technology until it dies mode it's been a minimum15 years since we had a dot matrix printer.  And then to make the decision to keep the paper - not as scratch in the office but in the back of the tech closet?  Lordy. 

Got rid of a shelving unit that was literally being held upright by the fact that the boxes on it were rigid enough to hold their shape. lol - it wasn't so much a shelving unit as a wall of boxes with sheet-metal between the layers.

Anyway all those trips from the closet upstairs in the front to the dumpsters behind the back added up some good steps and sore arms. 

Welcome @katpawsx2 and @ShariDandelion!

[Jotex]

Topiary January - Day 3

12,000 steps - 3/20 days

1-min (or longer) Modified Plank - 2/15 days
Training w/weights - 2/15 days
40 jumping jacks - 3/15 days
Line Dance - 0/6 days

IF5/2 (stay under +/- 600 cal 2x/wk) - 0/8 days

Eat a piece of fruit - 3/25 days

Topiary Scavenger Hunt - 0/3 pics {I've posted a cry for help among my garden enthusiast friends for ideas where I can find some topiary in the Bern region, or at least Switzerland. Stay tuned!}

[WendyB]

Topiary January Day 3

Steps: Goal 13000 31 days: 3/31
Boxing 31 days: 3/31
Bike 2 times 31 days: 3/31
Weights DVD 17 days: 1/31
Stomach Youtube 31 days : 3/31
Wall Push Up/Counter push ups 31 days: 3 /31
250 Steps per hour 31 days : 3 /31
Post Scavenger hunt photos: 0/3

[Mel9]

Status update for 1/3/19:

6,000 steps a day on 28 days:  2/28

10,000 steps a day on 5 days: 1/5

Water intake of 64 ounces a day every day: 3/31

Get 7+ hours of sleep on 20 nights:1/20

Post 3 scavenger hunt photos: 0/3

Check in & log status on 20 days: 2/20

[LisefromCanada]

January 3 results:

Over 10,000 steps 25 days this month - 2/25

"New" - Over 15,000 steps 5 days this month - 0/5

Minimum 5,000 steps daily - 3/31

15 minutes Calisthenics 20 days this month - 1/20

Calorie intake at least 500 calories less than calories burned for 25 days - 3/25

Swim/aquafit class for 45 minutes 10 times this month - 3/10

10 floors daily - 3/31

Lose 4 pounds this month - 0/4 lbs

3 scavenger hunt posts - 0/3 pics