Theresa P. , CO
First off, I just want to let you know I think programs like these are so great. Personally, I am self-motivated to workout daily and eat healthy and have life insurance for my family but I figure most people are not like that and need a little extra incentive. Before this program I really was not tracking my daily steps so that has been fun to watch and pay more attention to especially since I have a desk job.
I used to be a pretty competitive ultra-endurance athlete (getting 10K of steps in a day was not a problem). I would swim, run, cycle, climb, lift, and do yoga like crazy and loved every minute of it but it was taking a toll on my body. As most find, my focus changed as I because burned out and then pregnant and then just maintaining health and being a good role model for my son became the focus.
I learned through research and my own personal experience that it's really not about the 30-60 minutes of a workout you do during the day, it's really more about all the other ways you fit activity and movement into your day. For example, parking far away from the store entrance, making extra trips to the printer or using a bathroom on a different floor at work. I am lucky enough that we live and work in a small mountain town so my commute it less than a mile, the grocery store, library, coffee shop and even daycare are within that mile radius of home so we walk or ride our bikes whenever possible. Not to mention all the amazing hiking trails that are within miles of our home, we truly are blessed! It's a great way to bond with my son, talk about our day and get some much-needed vitamin D. I don't necessarily need him to like "working out" although I think we will need to do that to some extent in our current reality, but I do want him to enjoy being outside no matter what the weather is like and know he can use his own motor to get to places and get things done.
Thanks Principal for being a part of our "ride" and I hope I can help influence some people to adopt a healthier lifestyle along the way!