My Facebook status yesterday:

” I walked 4.445 @CharityMiles for @wwpinc (Wounded Warrior Project) sponsored by @TimexSports! — at Essex Street Pedestrian Mall.”

It was nice to post this status yesterday as I have not been very diligent about my @charitymiles lately and I have been feeling guilty.

I began using the Charity Miles app back in early March 2013. At the time, I used the app to support Autism Speaks. I do not support them any longer and I am not going to get into all of that, but that is where I started. (see Day 100 #AutismStreaks!)

I am not a runner, never was, never will be, but I always loved to walk. I can and will walk for miles when time permits or when I am not in the midst of a slump where I can not get motivated to do anything exercise-related, even with the added incentive of raise funds for charity.

 

I walked a decent number of miles between March and June 2013 and in late June or early July, I decided I would join a few other folks on a 100 day streak. This meant walking every day for a 100 days, with 1 mile being the minimum walk. I was never one to bother with a mile. In my mind, a mile – 15 minutes was not worth the effort fitness-wise and if I could not do at least 3 miles, it was not worth the time. Unfortunately, this is still my mindset and I know it is wrong – any type of exercise beats doing nothing at all, but that one mile minimum did help get me through the streak. Most of the time I was able to walk 3, 4 sometimes more miles on any given day, but on rainy days or stormy days, that mile minimum came in handy. Of course all of the miles I walked between March and June did not count as they were not always consecutive days.

So I had my motivation and between June/July and September, when I hit my 100th day, I was able to book

“294.15 miles, Average 2.9 miles per day! Maybe not an impressive feat for some, but for me; who can talk myself out of any form of exercise faster than DC can eat a cheeseburger, it IS!”

I continued the walking streak for another 38 days, and then just decided to  walk, without the pressure of having to make the time every single day.

I met all of the Challenges:

September 70

October 80

November 90

December hit and I was beginning to slack off. It was cold and I am a baby when it is cold.

I ended 2013 with 669.00 miles clocked and promising myself to beat that total in 2014.

I didn’t………

I gained some weight….. which just makes me even less motivated.

I do realize that weight gain should be motivation in itself, but it works in the reverse for me. I am one of those people who won’t go to the gym until I lose weight.

Lorelai: It’s my gym card.

Luke: You joined a gym? …

Luke: Did you go?

Lorelai: God, no. I was way too fat.

(Gilmore Girls: Season 4 – episode 11 – “In the Clamor and the Clangor”)

My facebook, twitter, instagram and Charity Miles friend, Grove added me to his charity miles team and I have been a sorry excuse of a team member. I check the stats often hoping I am not the team member at the very bottom, so far I am not THE bottom, but I am close.

I accepted a challenge made by fellow Blogger, Paul that I have yet to live up to.  Now it is November and I have done next to nothing.

So after 3 or 4 days of  posting an “I walked” status, I am feeling a little more motivated. I understand that a mile/15 minutes is better than doing nothing at all. I know I have to change my mindset about fitness in general. I am working on it.

Most of my miles since the 100 days ended have been to benefit MichaelJFox.org or Special Olympics. DC has the app on his phone as well. He knows how to turn it on, pick Special Olympics and get it started. I will have to get him back “in motion” too.

I am writing this post with the hope that publicly shaming myself may just be my motivation.

So, Paul, your challenge is accepted (again) and Grove, I am hoping to climb out of the bottom of the leader board.

 

 

  From September  24, 2013 – Day 100 #AutismStreaks!

 

 

 

Check out Charity Miles at: http://www.charitymiles.org/