Recently at work, we dedicated a week to focusing on health and wellness.  We had a theme for each day of the week and in particular, we dubbed hump day as Walkabout Wednesday.  We encouraged our employees to get active and moving and we threw out a challenge – to make a commitment on how many steps you could do that day and post the results for others to see.

We had a lot of fun with it.  Some pledged that they would do 2,000 steps, others committed to more, others less.  One person said they would do 10,000 steps!  Because I was running the campaign for the week, I knew I had to make a commitment myself and so I said I could do 4,000 steps.  Without trying, I knew that I typically did around 2,000 steps a day which is pretty low.  With determination, I started moving, walking around the office, reminding others of the goal for the day and getting people involved.  By the end of the day, I had reached my goal and it felt great!  I know that 4,000 steps may not seem like a lot – there is one person I work with who walks at least 20,000 steps a day (!) – but for me, it was a good accomplishment.  

It literally only takes one step for you to be on your way to better health.  Everyone has something they like doing – of our Shades team, Hazel is a gym fiend, Michelle loves playing soccer.  I found that for me, walking with a goal of how many steps I can do really helps motivate me.  So I hope to continue.  In fact, I was at an appointment the other day and I did 2,000 steps just walking in the hallway of the office while waiting to be called.  Instead of sitting and being on my phone, I took advantage of that window of time and got moving.  I was very happy afterward. 

Tell us what activity do you like to do that gets you moving?  

If you don’t have one, give it some thought and get started!  

Have a great week, Shades readers, and please share us on your social media channels.