I would walk 500 miles

Total steps yesterday:  17,695
Exercise plans for today:  either strength training or a lunchtime walk

Yesterday I had the energy to actually get in my three mile run.  I've had a bit of weird ab soreness all morning, so I'm waiting to see how that feels come lunchtime workout.  If it's still there, I'll probably just walk a few miles during lunch.  If I'm feeling good I'll strength train, but I don't want to do anything that's going to stress my body out.

Remember a few weeks back where I was talking about wanting to figure out how many miles Lil W and I had walked together?  I was playing around on the Fitbit website today and realized there is a tool to do just that.  Wanna see something cool?

So I made this extra large so it's actually viewable.  As of today, Lil W and I have walked or ran 501.52 miles together, or over a million steps!  How totally cool is that?  My new goal is going to be to go at least another 500 miles before the baby is born, which could be a challenge given that I'm almost halfway done with this pregnancy, but I think it's doable.  And that might be the  motivation I need to add some miles on the weekend, which is good.

How I Met Your Mother is the best.

I think this graph is also interesting because it shows the weeks before I found out I was pregnant / before morning sickness cut in.  And then you see about 8 weeks there in the middle where my average step count is way low.  That was first trimester morning sickness taking its toll.  You see the step count spike again around end of July - I was about 13 weeks along then and coming out of the worst of morning sickness.  The tentative goal will be to keep my steps at about the August level for the rest of the pregnancy.

And finally, a note on Fitbits.   There are various tools that have been helpful in my weight loss and fitness goals.  My Fitness Pal has been the best for weight loss and I seriously can't recommend it enough.  But the Fitbit has been awesome for increasing my overall steps during the day.  I have the Zip, which is the most basic model.  I will probably upgrade to the One or the Flex eventually, but in the meantime, the Zip has been awesome for tracking my progress and encouraging me to get more steps in the day.  The tentative goal for beginners is to work up to 10,000 steps, or about 5 miles, a day (incidentally, where the name of this blog comes from).  It sounds like a lot, but really, with a few ten minute walks during breaks at work, and a 20-30 minute walk with the dog, you're already two miles in to it.  Going to the grocery store adds a thousand steps.  Walking out to check the mail adds 100 steps.  These little things add up over time.  If you're looking to increase your fitness levels, getting a Fitbit or another basic pedometer and aiming for 10,000 steps a day is a great way to get started.  

And you get to create fun graphs!  And view your daily stats and see when you're active. I love visual aids and positive affirmation, even when they're from a website.