Pedometer Problems
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was pretty excited about getting a pedometer. I had big plans to count my steps and work up to 10,000 steps per day. The first day I wore the pedometer, I lost it while I was out for lunch. I was pretty disappointed about that. But, later that evening, I found my pedometer in my purse! So joy! I did not put it in there. It must have fallen from my waistband into my purse sitting open beside my chair at lunch. Despite wearing it only half a day, I clocked about 4,500 steps, which seemed astounding considering it was in my purse for about 6 hours.
Day two with my pedometer was a Saturday. I lost my pedometer before I ever got to my planned hangout with my friend. My daughter called later that morning to tell me she found my pedometer in the driveway. It must have fallen off my waistband when I took the trash outside to the bin. Disappointed again.
Day three with my pedometer, Sunday, I laced a cord through my pedometer and tied it to my belt loop so that I had a leash on it. It fell off of my waistband and was dangling from its leash before I ever left the house. I reattached it and headed off to church. I had my hymnal on my lap in church and, at some point, the weight of the hymnal must have been enough to press the reset button. Then it fell off my waistband again. By the time church was over, I was so done with that pedometer. I also do not think it was recording my steps correctly. Just handling it to tie it to my built loop somehow earned me 5 steps! This pedometer is so crappy, I’d feel guilty putting it out in the garage sale for a quarter.
Yes, You Can Forget How to Ride a Bike
I also got a bicycle! It’s my first bicycle in nearly 30 years. Trying it out for the first time in front of my house, I thought I was going to break some bones. I didn’t actually capsize, but it was iffy there for a bit. I was definitely the shakiest biker out there. My bike was shipped to the house in a giant box and my husband put it together for me right away; then it proceeded to rain for about 2 weeks straight. This weekend, finally, I was able to take out for a real bike ride. Mr. Quirkella and I took our bikes out to a nice biking trail where I was horrified to learn that ordinary bike riding was not a welcome surprise to my super-sedentary leg muscles. The path was fairly flat so I was shocked at how hard it was to pedal up the barest of incline. I occasionally (ok, rarely) hit the stationary bike at the fitness center, so I figured I’d have no problem, but apparently gentle peddling on a stationary while looking at YouTube videos on your phone does not prepare you for a real bike ride.
Still, I mostly got back into the swing of bike riding and really started enjoyed myself. Unfortunately, that’s been the only real bike ride I’ve had with it. I’d like to take it out for a ride once a week while the weather is nice this fall. Hopefully I can make it happen. I need my husband’s help to take the bike to the trail – it won’t fit in my car and I don’t have a bike rack (yet!) Our subdivision does not have sidewalks or bike trials, but it does have a steady stream of impatient drivers roaring down our street in a mad hurry, so biking near my house is not very appealing to me.
My Office Has a Fitness Center, but I’m Not a Member (Anymore)
For years now I’ve been ducking into the fitness center at the office on my way out of the building to use the restroom because it’s convenient to the elevators for the parking garage. Finally, along with the pedometer and new bike, I started thinking about using my membership for more than just bathroom privileges. The next time I popped into the fitness center, my badge wouldn’t work to access the door. I shrugged it off as a fluke and went to the restrooms in the lobby instead. A couple days later, it happened again, so I called to report the problem.
It turns out they removed access from anyone with an expired guest or introductory membership. That included me. “That’s crazy, I have a membership, I’ve been paying for it all this time!” I flustered all over the poor junior on the phone. In my righteous anger, I looked up my pay stub so that I could show the fitness center payroll deductions to prove that I had been wrongly banned from the fitness center. The big surprise was that I was not wrongly banned. I hadn’t been paying for it. Oops. I had no idea. Now I don’t know what to do – start paying for it, or just start going to the lobby restrooms? If I had a pedometer, going to the lobby would clock me a few extra steps.
I Want Michelle Obama Arms
I want to be healthy, strong, toned, and more flexible, but I haven’t done anything about becoming healthy, strong, toned or flexible in a long time. I know it doesn’t really matter what I do as long as I’m moving and getting that heart rate up for some aerobic benefit. I’m taking the stairs more often and doing stretches when I have a spare minute, but I will need something a little more intense to really get this menopause-bod under control. I plan to ask my husband to help me figure out a regimen on the weight machine we already own (that I have never used), and I’d like to find both a good Bollywood work out DVD and a beginner yoga DVD. I’ll post about what I’m doing periodically – that’s part of why I started this blog, to establish a sense of accountability for myself and to have a place to moan, groan, and brag, if ever I actually accomplish anything. I welcome comments, especially if you have a suggestion for where I can find a decent pedometer!
