2,500 of Anything is A Lot

On this blog, in the past I have wrote about the motivational virtues of the Apple Watch health rings and all the badges and awards that go along with it. Well, this weekend I hit, what I think, is a pretty big milestone. Hit 2,500 times I closed my move ring on my watch. That’s about 6 years, 8 months worth of daily closures. It takes 500 calories of movement to close that ring. I figure I logged about 2.86 million calories expended in total. Follow my math…

My watch tells me that almost two years worth, 623 times, I hit 400% of my move goal and 1,718 times I double my move goal. So even if my math is off a little, it’s a lot of calories.

So what’s the point? The point is we all need those little things to either shoot for, give us a reason to stay on track, or a little brag point once we hit it. In the Apple watch rings there are several things to help you with all of the above. The features are easy to access and requires absolutely no additional work from you aside from the actual moving around standpoint.

I am proud of this milestone because what it says about my consistency. As we move through our forties and into our fifties working to stay healthy and vibrant, consistency is the key to success. Now that I am in my sixties I feel like I am cashing in on all the work from the previous couple decades. The Apple watch rings didn’t necessarily change my behavior but they did create a paper trail that can can celebrated.

If you have an Apple watch take a look at the “Go For It” section in the rings app. There you will see what’s coming up for you to celebrate. Don’t forget about the monthly challenges also in the app. They are a great little mini motivator that changes every month. Read more about closing your rings here

The Joy of Family and Exercise

One of the things I believed I am called to do is help people enjoy the benefits of exercise in their lives. I also believe many of us in the fitness industry feel the same way. For me there was no better place to start than within my own extended family. Yesterday was a huge day for us out at the Surf City Half Marathon and 5K in Huntington Beach CA. We had six family members participate in the 5K who had never done an organized event before. My wife Elizabeth, my daughter Hannah and I did the half marathon.

This all started back in October when I organized a Walktober Step Challenge for the family and has continued to blossom. We now have 11 people in our Family Strava Club where we can recognize and encourage each other daily. About half of us are on MyZone so we can encourage there as well.

The link between physical health and mental health are well documented. Getting regular exercise you enjoy, being out in nature, and having a strong social network are key components. We can do so much to help each other’s mental and physical health with just a few simple steps, like inviting friends and family to participate in an event you are doing. The 5K group went to breakfast after and started planning their next event and how they want to improve their times. The ball is rolling and that makes me very happy. We have the opportunity to help each other make this the best year ever.

As for me – I ran a 1:46, which is OK but it was top 10% in my age group and top 9% overall out of 8,200 runners. I haven’t raced since pre-covid so it’s nice to be back. #fitness Myzone® Strava #runner #mentalhealth #mentalfitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessinspiration