Every year, our swim club holds a community step challenge. Participants are divided into teams and count our steps for the week. On Mondays, we total up our steps in the hopes of placing first for the week and thus assert the proper bragging rights.
Recently my team, known as the Later Gators, drifted from second to third place, and so I decided to step up my game (so to speak). Until this past week, I was averaging about 25K-30K steps a week while everyone on my team surpassed me with their superhuman 80K, 90K, and 100K step totals. It was getting to the point where I was embarrassed to submit my total for the week. This week, I decided, would be different – and it was! I hit an all-time high on my weekly step count – 90,670 steps! 🙂
How did I do it? I honestly have no idea, but it helped to wake up earlier and make sure I did a nice walk every morning. Once I had an initial three or four thousand steps before noon, finishing the day with over 10K was much easier.
On Sunday, Scott and I walked through our neighborhood and ventured onto the 2.5-mile loop across the road at Twining Park. This park used to be a golf course, but now it is being renovated to include a huge dog park, a paved walking path, and an off-road bike trail. Eventually, the township plans to install pickleball courts and a pavilion. It was fun to walk through and see all of the progress being made.
I woke up Monday and realized my cleaning people were coming that day. I worked up quite a sweat from the number of times I walked up and down the stairs to put things away. My step count skyrocketed. From there, I did a bunch of errands and parked my car far away from the front entrance to facilitate more walking. Over the next two days, I made sure I got up off my butt and walked. My Fit-Bit is set with an hourly reminder to let me know it was time to move. Depending on the weather, I took a stroll around the block or drove to the air-conditioned mall for walking and window shopping. YAY! Multitasking!
Also, I have been drinking a ton of water lately, so no doubt that the extra trips to the bathroom helped too!
Thursday and Friday were big walking days because I was out spending time with friends, and lots of steps were accumulated. For my big finish, I helped Jenna move into her new apartment yesterday. There was no elevator, and her place was on the third floor. This was the perfect way to end my already fantastic week of walking. Not only did I get in a ton of steps, but I added some weight training because I carried a lot of boxes. This kid has A LOT of clothes!
I feel good about this accomplishment. And at least this week, I’ll be able to submit my step count and show my face at the pool again.
XO,
Elisa
Yesterday, I met Susie in Philadelphia for dinner and drinks. Susie and I met at professional conferences back in the day when we were both program directors at our respective synagogues. We represent half of a quartet of women who had similar jobs, and though we’ve moved on from those positions, we kept in touch over the years. Susie is from Denver, Karen lives in Dallas, and Judy is in San Diego. So when Susie told me she was coming to town this month, I marked my calendar and made sure I was available. The chance for any of us to see each other in person is rare these days, and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to give her a huge hug.
And now, let me tell you about my second group of friends, the ones I have a lot of fun with, a lot of deep conversations with, and who I share my life with. Jill is one of these friends. We also come to each other’s rescue at a moment’s notice. Like today, when I lost my wallet for a brief period of time. After a trip to the city to see an exhibit at the Franklin Institute and have lunch, we realized we got on the wrong train home. We couldn’t believe it because we had both taken the train hundreds of times before. But we made the mistake of trusting two SEPTA employees who gave us the wrong information.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I never thought I’d be a dog person, let alone a dog mom. But after years (and years!) of campaigning, first by my husband and then by my children, we adopted our toy poodle, Chloe, seven years ago this week.
Chloe welcomes Scott home after a long day at work. They have a routine. He sings a silly song to her, and she responds with a dance around the coffee table. I think people refer to Chloe’s dance as having the “Zoomies.” It’s the cutest thing ever. When Scott is home, she wants to be as close to him as possible—whether that is snuggled up next to him in the den cheering on the Phillies or hopping into her custom backpack for a walk around the park. Did you know Chloe is a real trendsetter?! People who see them walking by always comment about how cute the dog is in the backpack. We expect to see many doggie backpacks around the neighborhood next summer.
I can’t believe seven years have passed since we brought her home. I admit I was nervous that day because I’d never had a pet before. Of course, minutes after her foster mom left, Chloe chose me to lie down and curl up next to first. It was like she knew I was the outlier and was letting me know everything would be okay. And Chloe was right because I love her as much as my kids. I worry about her when she isn’t acting like herself. And last week, when she went to the vet for dental surgery, I found the house to be too quiet without her. If I could bring her on vacation with us, I would. She is a part of the family.