Day 26: 9531

I was Not Feelin' It. I have no idea how I got to 9531.

Day 25: 13,330

I'm 25% of the way to my goal and I'm 4385 steps ahead. Not bad! Not bad at all!

Day 24: 10,375

I've been tired and listless the last few days. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's not having a job to go to every day, maybe it's this little cold Patrick and I are kicking around, but the point is it's been hard getting in my steps in lately. Even though it's hard, I haven't used that as an excuse to not keep up with it, which makes me feel really great. I don't think I've stuck with something like this this long before.

Last night, Patrick told me I was looking good and he thought it was because of my walking. I don't know of anything more motivating than that!

Day 23: 8445

I just didn't want to do anything yesterday. Didn't want to take Ginger for a walk, didn't want to hop on the Wii... I did want to go to Ikea with my friend, Cori, and we walked around there a bit, and I did some errands, but that was really it. We all need a bit of a day off some times.

I'm still 680 steps ahead, so I don't have to feel guilty about a thing. Pretty nice!

Day 22: 13.505

I was shocked by how much I managed to move today but very pleased. A long walk with the dog in the morning and a bunch of errands run in the afternoon makes for a lot of steps and tired feet the next day. I'm all caught up to my goal and am even over by 2235 steps.

Day 21: 10,738

I felt lousy all day but still took the pup out for a walk. In a way, she took me for a drag but sometimes, that's all that can be done. I'm only behind by 1270 steps at this point. Not too shabby.

Day 20: 6617

Easy come, easy go! Oh well, if I keep on track for the next few days, I'll make up those 2008 steps. I'm almost 25% through with this challenge! I'm really happy with my progress so far!

Oh, and GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Day 19: 13,452

Woohoo! I'm out of the hole! I'm now over my goal by 1375 steps! Nice!

Day 18: 10,555

I didn't want to see poor Ginger go without a walk for another day, so when there was a break in the rain at 9:30 a.m., I grabbed her and headed out. I don't like going for walks that early-- I'm usually still shaking off sleep and I'd taken a sleeping pill the night before, so I was double-groggy, but I just couldn't stand the guilt of watching that little dog drive herself crazy for another day. So we went, it was cold-- low forties, so it was really cold, not just California cold-- but no rain yet. We went about three long blocks before it started to sprinkle and another three and it started to rain, big fat drops plopping down on us. About a block from home, I stepped in a huge puddle, soaking my shoe completely. If this is what it takes, this is what it takes, right?

Day 17: 10,065

The rain just would not let up, so I spent about an hour on the Wii, which is starting to get just a little old after a week. My calves are really tight in the morning too. I can't wait until the neighborhood is walkable again! Ginger is pretty anxious for it too. Poor puppy.

Day 16: 11,632

The rain was awful but I was in a MOOD and I wasn't about to let the day pass without reaching my goal. After having lunch with a friend, I drove to the mall and walked it, end to end and side to side. That earned me about 8000 steps. Then I came home and hit the Wii. I really want to be back on track (ie, no deficit) by Day 20. As of now, I'm only 2697 behind. Doable? I think so.

Day 15: 10,209

The rain was wild but I was determined to get my steps. I worked out on the Wii for about an hour and then cleaned house with an eye on the weather. Around 3, there was a break in the rain and a patch of blue sky, so I grabbed the dog and my coat and flew out of the house. 30 minutes later, it was raining again, so we had to head home.

Today is supposed to be even worse. I'm thinking of going old lady style and hitting the mall this afternoon just to walk around.

Day 14: 11,015

The last two days have felt dangerous, like I might just give up and pretend this whole experiment never existed but I really, really didn't want to do that. Having this daily goal really motivates me to get up off my butt and reaching it makes me feel better in my body. Walking with Ginger is especially motivating-- the more we walk together, the better behaved she is, and the more I feel like we're taking proper care of her.

Even though the weather here in LA is nasty right now, I saw a break in the weather which Patrick and I pounced on. We grabbed the dog and took a quick walk during the brief window of afternoon sun and I'm so glad we did. I also hopped on the Wii for a while and goofed around with that. This week is going to be hard for those of us who work out outside for the most part but I think I'm up to the challenge!

Day 13: 4200

I fell off the wagon and I fell hard. I was really bummed out about missing my goal on Saturday and was determined to get caught up on Sunday but the rain arrived early and I had some work pile up. Now I'm behind by 5553 steps. Damn!

Day 12: 3396

Too much football, too many meet-ups, too much sitting on my rear end... there goes my overage!

Day 11: 10,391

Entertaining friends and walking the pup. It's supposed to rain all next week, so I'm a little nervous about how I'll stay on track. Maybe I have some mall walking in my future?

Day 10: 10,575

I'm 10% of the way to my goal and I'm 6276 steps ahead-- that's almost a whole day. Sweet!

Day 9: 8800

It was rainy and gross all day and I didn't take Ginger for a walk. I spent the time emptying tons of boxes we just got out of our storage unit instead. My arms are sore!

Still 5701 steps ahead!

Day 8: 10,319

I was tired for a lot of today and didn't really want to go for a walk. I told myself, okay, put on your shoes and get the dog and go outside. If you don't want to walk more than a block, you don't have to, come right home. It's a kind of silly trick but it gets me out the door and the dog is so happy, I forget I'm tired and end up walking a lot.

Day 7: 11,830

Ginger is the best piece of workout equipment I've ever owned. She's always ready to go for a walk and once we're out the door, she doesn't want to come home for a long time. Watching her trot happily into people's yards, her tongue lolling out and ears at attention, makes me want to go on and on, just to make her happy.

Day 6: 10,492

Ginger and I have found a new neighborhood to walk in with wide sidewalks and giant, old trees. I need to get a fanny pack so I can take all my walking gear with us-- bags and treats for Ginger, my iTouch, my phone, my keys and my camera are less optional and more required these days.

Day 5: 9669

I didn't quite get to 10,000 steps today, which was a little disappointing but I'm still 4260 steps ahead, so I'm not going to stress.

Day 4: 12,095

Long walks with the puppy!

Day 3 - 10,040

I took the dog for a walk and a trip to the mall but didn't quite get to 10,000, so I spent about 20 minutes trotting on one of these:Mini Trampolines are cool. You can't deny it.

Day 2: 10,264

Another good day!

Day 1: 12,192

It's always good to start with an overage!

Here we go again!

This time, we're playing for keeps.