Cats, good books, AI, and religious walking in the city of Sofia
I slipped on my 10K-steps goal for November, despite having two additional weekend days in the month. I found it quite difficult to maintain the average and eventually didn’t make it. The weather, knee pain, lots of work, zero hiking, a couple of emergencies, and several low-energy days all contributed. At least WordCamp Sofia was good.
For the past two years, I’ve averaged more than 10,000 steps a day.
A colleague recently asked me how I stay motivated to keep up with something like this. The question wasn’t specifically about steps, but since walking is my example, here’s how I approach it. Felt like a good writing prompt.
Getting 10K steps every day isn’t easy. Each morning you start from zero. On good days, it feels like nothing. But on days that are grey, freezing, hot, rainy, when my mood is low or my feet hurt, the empty steps bar on the Health app can look like a vertical wall.
(below, steps over the last 5 days, and the weather outside with a nasty AI-generated gambling ad)
So, the only way I can do things like that, and the steps, is by forming and following a habit. There are days where the cats are friendly, people are smiling, the weather is nice, and I’m looking forward to doing the steps. Other days, the only thing that gets me out the door is the habit.
That habit means I don’t waste mental energy deciding whether I should walk, when to walk, or why to walk. The only challenge left is dealing with the obstacles of the day like weather, fatigue, a lengthy todo, mood, and not the decision itself.
For example, today I’ve done 5,800 steps. It’s already 7 p.m., so I’ll head out one more time to add another 1,500–2,000. It’s not always fun, but I’ve got a waterproof jacket, so I’ll be fine.
The natural trend of everything in life is a decline. Health, relationships, skills, happiness – it all needs effort. You’re either working to improve it or it goes sideways, south, or just vanishes.
I’ve been trying to improve my health by walking 10K steps daily. Last week I achieved 13K, using the colder weather and the willingness of my wife and the little kid to participate. At the end of Sunday, after meeting the goal of 13K for the week, I just tossed the Apple Watch and turned off my brain. Didn’t even read a book. Felt overwhelming and unpleasant.
Why does it feel like it is too much? An average of 13K means about 2h 10 min/day. The day is 24h. This leaves 21h 50min of inactivity. The human body was not made to be physically inactive for 22 hours per day. I have no answer yet. I’ll keep walking meanwhile.
My daily walking goal is 10k steps.
This is me in the bus after my longest hike in a decade of tracking (but not hiking).
At 45, doing this is no longer a matter of willpower for me. It’s a result of all the daily walks over the last 1.5 years. I’m happy and tired. Also, my phone is full of photos worth posting.
I wish I never stopped hiking, resuming is tough.
Veselin.blog 