Dear Kayla,
How are you getting your six miles in? Have you figured out if it’s 2 hours of walking around the house, or what exactly?
Signed,
Ruth
Dear Ruth,
I’ve been in the habit of walking 6 miles a day since late 2015. But I didn’t just buy a FitBit and instantly acquire the discipline it takes to be consistent. It took work and trial and error to get into this routine.
When I got myself a Fitbit for Christmas back in 2014, I was very confident that, as a busy mom of three, I was already getting the American Heart Association’s recommended 10,000 steps a day. Imagine my surprise when, at the end of the first day, I saw that I’d only gotten a couple of thousand steps in. I thought this was a holiday-season fluke, but in the coming days, I saw the truth: I was sedentary. If I wanted to get my steps in, I had to work at it.
Over the next year, I became more active. I joined a gym. My goal was to either get my 10,000 steps in or do some powerlifting each day. After my deadlift injury, I floundered, but eventually landed on 6 miles a day as my target. That year, consistency was my biggest struggle. 2016 is when all that changed. I got focused. I made clear rules for myself. I wrote down my plan.
The real secret to getting my steps in was to commit to a specific goal, and then stubbornly stick to it. And I thing I learned about myself was that I needed data. I needed specifics. In 2015, my goals were a little too hazy. The “either or” thing just doesn’t work well for me. It’s too easy to then make excuses and let myself off the hook.
So, I measured my stride length, according to Fitbit’s instructions. Then I programmed that into my Fitbit profile. That’s when I learned that in order to get 6 miles, I needed to walk 14,000 steps. And here’s the thing. I needed that tracker.
I need something that will do the counting for me. I forget to set timers. I also forget to turn running stopwatches off. I need something that passively monitors me. All I had to do with the Fitbit was to remember to keep it charged, and put it on first thing in the morning. (This also took work, but eventually I got the hang of it.)
My rule was that steps only counted if they showed up on my Fitbit. This helped hold me accountable, so that I didn’t end up in any gray areas of guessing how active I was. I have terribly inaccurate recall of how much time I spend doing a task. I am not good at estimating time in general. Also, when I’m walking around the house, I get sidetracked. A kid needs me. My husband has a question. The time can slip away!
Here was my exact process to get my steps in:
- First thing in the morning, I strapped my Fitbit onto my wrist. I kept it by my bedside so this was easy.
- Got my steps in throughout the day.
- I charged my Fitbit while I was showering. Done daily, this kept my battery adequately charged.
- I did not go to bed until my Fitbit showed 14,000 steps.
There were plenty of nights when I was getting my 14,000th step just before midnight. I walked in my house, around my neighborhood, or on the treadmill at the gym. Every step I took counted.
These days, my process is basically the same, except the tracker I use now doesn’t need to be charged. And I’m a bit less strict as far as when to let myself off the hook for steps.
The main thing is that you figure out the system that works for you. Pick a step goal that is clear. If you’re good at timing yourself, a goal like “I will walk for 2 hours every day” can certainly work. It’s just not what works for me. The key is to be clear with yourself, commit to it, and then go about the work of actually doing it. It’s worth the effort!
Keep stepping!
Kayla Cox
PS: On my website, I have a page that lists all the gear that I’ve found helpful on the weight loss journey, including the step trackers I’ve used.