I was listening to a podcast yesterday by ChooseFI called Outside 365 while doing yard work. It’s springtime and I was pulling invasive plants like there was no tomorrow. The podcast hosts were talking about being outside at least an hour each day, and the physical and mental health benefits that come from it. One was mentioning how he walks a mile each day, and how he has a ‘streak’ of X number of days.
In late 2020, I made a goal to walk 10k steps every day. This came at a time I was going through immense mental trauma (not related to work) and also right after major surgery. I wanted each day to “count” for something, and the step goal was a way out of both mental and physical stressors. I managed to hit my goal 355-days in 2021. If it was raining all day, I walked inside my home. If I was on a road trip and had driven 8-hours, I walked around the motel. I walked by myself, with my dog, with friends, and with students.
Although 10k steps is an arbitrary number (it’s 4.12 miles for me), I liked completing the task every day. I have met this goal almost every day since January 1st, 2021. Some days it was up and down my street, some days it was exploring a new country, and some days it was on campus. Notably, one day it was by completing the “most dangerous hike in North America,” the Angel’s Landing trail with my best friend.
While taking breaks from yard work yesterday (as my friend put it, weekday daytime yard work is one of the perks of not having a 9-5 job), I was sitting on my back porch watching birds play (tis the mating season!). I saw a bunch of colorful skinks out and about, and even a chipmunk. I live in an urban area surrounded by neighbors, but my backyard is a little haven for me and for the creatures that call it home. Being outside feeds my mind and body and I hope to be able to walk 10k steps every day for the rest of my life.
Photo: At the top of the Angel’s Landing trail at Zion National Park in Utah.
