Last week I had the idea of walking 800,000 steps without really working out the numbers. After I made the decision to walk that far, I started to calculate how much that really was. I had thought that my morning walk with our dogs with cover most of it but it fell further short than expected. Our morning dog walk would only cover half of the required 6,000 daily steps. And that assumed never taking a day off all summer. So after 6 days of walking I am steps off pace to meet my goal!
So yesterday afternoon I left the dogs at home and got on the Parkway Trail and took a walk on my own so that I could be very mindful of how I was walking. Mindfulness in walking? Are you crazy? No, not crazy, just careful. As my Parkinson’s has progressed over the last 8 years I have to watch my energy levels and step with care to firstly prevent injury. A twisted ankle due to a mis-step or dyskinesia in my left foot may cause me to fall to the pavement, an experience I try not to repeat. My nordic poles are so essential to support me in these unstable moments as well as help keep me moving at a good pace.
The extra walk felt good and made my numbers work by bringing my total to 6,818 steps for the day. A much better number but only one day of this still leaves me over 7,000 steps off my pace. I will need 10 more daily long walks (min. 6,600 steps) like this to eliminate the gap and get back on pace. That will take me to May 17th and also reach my first 100,000 milestone. Help me be a “Motivated Mover” and donate what you can as I reach goal of raising $2,000.00 for Parkinson Canada. Click here to donate on line. https://donate.parkinson.ca/site/TR/SuperWalk2020/CNO_superwalk?px=1211857&pg=personal&fr_id=2448
