“Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it.” Rumi
My walking project has ended but because it is all about the journey and not the destination, I have only just begun. My weekly walks have been enjoyable and I have learned a lot about fitness and myself. What I have learned most is that I am not as consistent or persistent as I thought I was. I walked an average of 5 miles per week when my proposal was to walk 8-10. Some weeks I only walked two days while others I managed 5 days. I really felt the benefits: more energy, feeling better about myself and even having my jeans fit better. So the question is, why would I not be more consistent?
Self-Sabotage
This experience has shown me everything that I need to do to be fit and healthy. I have learned that I can be going along just fine, eating healthy, exercising regularly and then, for no apparent reason, I am derailed. I’m not sure why I sabotage myself but it has been frustrated and yet, enlightening. It’s nice to know that this is the cause of my inconsistency. Once I recognize the problem, I think it will be easier to address it.
Accomplishments
The most amazing thing is that over the past two and a half months, I have walked a total of 42 miles. I can’t believe it but my walking app, Map My Walk, proves it. I would definitely recommend this app and one of the benefits is that you can also track your diet through the same app. It shows the maximum suggested calories and then deducts them as your track your food. I have actually lost 5 pounds over the past three months due to combined changes in my activity and changes to my diet. What I notice most is that these changes were not drastic. It meant just adding on 20-30 minutes of activity and cutting out my junk food feasts at night.
Staying the Course
I plan to continue with my walking plan. I hope to continue to decrease my time and increase my distance. I would really like to walk for a full 10 miles each week and get down to about a 15-minute mile. I also hope to continue to drop the weight as I continue on the journey. As for blogging, I’m not so sure I will keep up with this fitness blog. I feel like I may be likely to use blogging in my professional life as a teacher but the personal aspect of blogging is a little uncomfortable to me because it really puts me out there.
My final hope is that my students have gotten something out of this 20% project. I know that quite of few of them have been inconsistent in their participation and have not completed their blog posts on time. On the other hand, some have really flourished with their creativity and their blogging skills. Overall, I think this has been a valuable experiment and I hope that my students will continue blogging in their personal and professional lives as well.
This is a Screencast of my entire site:
Ms. Ordonez's 20% Project 