Hands up if you’re a fitness-tracker-toting gal. Then we bet you can relate to at least one of these last-ditch attempts to get in those 10 000 steps…
“I Run Midnight Laps Around My House”
“So, confession time: I count steps on an app not a gadget (totes old school), so I often don’t realise until it’s really late that I’m off my count for the day. Ahem, did someone say #fail? If I realise I’m going to miss my goal, I run midnight laps around my house, which I accept in the cold light of day is totally dumbass and not really doing anything, but by dead of night, I think it is genius. If my girls are still awake, they join in the baby elephant sprints from one side of the house to the other. And to be fair, sometimes take over altogether. Otherwise, it’s just me, in my jim jams, clutching my phone as I haul my butt around in a tight circuit of front door to back door, around the garden. Repeat. Would love to know what the neighbours think if they hear me slip-slapping across the outside deck at 11.57pm.” —
What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Working Out
“I Took Reeeaaally Long To Pack”
“I was packing my bag for a work trip. I dragged it out, trudging from the cupboard to the suitcase and back again, carrying one item at a time. It was the most inefficient way of doing things and it earned me about 800 steps – and my daily goal.” —
And then she did this…
“It was somewhere between 11:30pm and midnight that I glanced at my FitBit and realised I was irritatingly close to reaching my step goal — and firmly parked on the couch, G&T in hand. My house is too small to do any kind of constructive pacing so I walked laps around the pool instead.”
And this…
“I’d given up on getting enough of a workout in to reach my Vitality Rewards, when I suddenly realised I could make them on steps alone. While my husband prepped supper, I sprinted around the neighbourhood gathering steps in the fading light. Fifteen minutes later, I returned, sweaty and exhilarated, mission accomplished.”
This Woman’s Fitness Tracker Literally Helped Save Her Life
“I Danced, Lunged And High-Kicked In An Aeroplane”
“I recently danced, lunged and high-kicked my way to an extra 2 500 steps in the galley of an aeroplane, en route to New York, at 4am. I couldn’t sleep and needed to stretch my legs, but the extra steps were a bonus.” —
And then she did this…
“I noticed, while at a Diana Ross concert in New York, that dancing in the aisles was adding to my steps — so I ramped it up, singing along to ‘Stop, in the Name of Love’ and went well over my 10 000 daily goal!”
“Easy Cheat: I Swing My Arms Wildly”
“I have been known to do jumping jacks in my two-metre-long bedroom, alternating it with high knees, or just simply swinging my arms really wildly. My dogs often think I’ve lost my mind. This is definitely a possibility.” —
5 Reasons Why You Should Track Your Workout
“I Run In One Spot In The Bathroom Before A Shower”
“Since I’ve taken up swimming, I can’t count steps as my Fitbit isn’t waterproof. I also do heated yoga, which doesn’t help to get the amount of steps I need. So, I’ve had to go the extra mile. I occasionally add a short treadmill session before I swim. The worst is when it’s time for bed and there’s another 600 steps to go, so I pace up and down in the room and run in once spot in the bathroom before a shower.” —
“I’d Jump Up And Down In The Toilet Cubicle At Work”
“When I got my Fitbit in my Christmas stocking last year, I couldn’t have been more excited or inspired to get fit and meet all my goals each day. I was so keen that every hour, when I hadn’t meet my 250 step goal, I would do star jumps until I felt that satisfying buzz on my wrist. (This only lasted about a two weeks before I had to return to work, where, although an overt dedication to your fitness is pretty much an unwritten rule, I didn’t have the guts to burst into star jumps once an hour. Instead, I started taking the long route to the bathroom once an hour and once there would pace and jump up and down in the tiny toilet cubicle.)” —
And then she did this…
“The craziest thing I’ve down to reach my step goal happened one day when I hadn’t reached my 10 000 steps or my 30 active minutes, so I paced around my flat for 40 minutes until I had reached both. My living room isn’t small, but with two big couches and a console table, there’s only a small L-shaped space for me to walk. Eventually, I was moving so quickly (because: boredom) and in such a tight circle that I got dizzy and had to sit down. Of course, my husband thought I was absolutely crazy — but, hey, you gotta reach your goals!”
