“Northern lights in our skies
Plants that grow and open your mind
Things that swim with a neon glow
How we all got here, nobody knows
These are real things
These are real things
Oh, what a world, don’t wanna leave
All kinds of magic all around us, it’s hard to believe”
Quick Stats
Total steps: 363,053
Average daily steps: 12,102
Highest daily steps: 22,851 (April 19)
Lowest daily steps: 7,302 (April 20)
Total miles walked/ran/hiked: 91.22
Total miles hiked: 10.75
Sleep stats: 6 days over 7hrs, 5 days between 6-7hrs, the rest closer to 4hrs
Average daily sleep: 5 hours 9 minutes
Trash Cleanup w/ my friend Jen from Illinois Park Project/Jennythetrailhead.com
The Good
Increased total mileage for walks/hikes/jogs from March
Daily step average is much higher
I exercised EVERY day this month
I closed the Apple Watch rings EVERY day this month
Hiking mileage is low, but overall mileage is up so I’m okay with this.
I managed to exceed April 2018 totals too
The Not-So-Good
I didn’t track food for most of the month
I likely gained weight
I did not sleep well or choose to sleep well at all
I haven’t hiked as much as I wanted to
I did not commit to jogging or running as much as I wanted to in April
Eating out is out of control - budget and body are not happy with my choices
In my happy place on a trail, by a waterfall, in the sunshine.
Mental Health
Improved mental health overall - more happy days than not
Still quite insecure about everything
I want to take more time to relieve stress
I want to sleep more, which will help everything
The hikes I did this month, though not many, really helped me love life even more and restored my faith that there are wonderful people and places out there
I did not write as much as I could have, but it wasn’t because I avoided it or didn’t need it - I just got caught up in living life.
Thoughts, Notes, Conclusions
Pizza just needs to be off limits because I have ZERO self control (this hasn’t changed since February)
When I’m feeling drained, I still went for a walk at the very least and it really helped.
I need to give up the convenience of eating out and make it convenient to eat at home.
I’m going to exercise even more in May.
I plan to eat frugally and more healthy in May.
Daily mindfulness is great for really centering my stress. The time I set aside for my book really helps me realize it could be worse and it could be better but it doesn’t matter. I need to be here, let shit go, focus on current shit, and be present in life.
April Wins & Goals for May
Read/Listen to at least 8 books
(Got 2 listened to, so still going to aim for this again in May)Working on eating better food, drinking less booze, and more water.
Take a weekend off of social media
(didn’t quite get this done, so I’ll aim for this in May)Going to start running more often
I increased my days over 10,000 steps from 61% to 83% of the month and thus want to reach that 100% mark in May.
More adventurous hikes - I have a few spots in mind out in west Texas
(Still working on this, need to hike more in May)I want to incorporate longer daily walks and lunch walks.
I need to take a mindful break daily with my “Daily Awakening”
Read and write daily - more than April
Daily walks at least 7 days a week - even if it’s just a mile
Hit 100+ miles for hiking, walking, and jogging
Jog outside at least twice (obviously the more the better, but the treadmill is fine too)
Sign up for the LBA and train for it
Eat at home over 50% of the time
Start before work walks, jogs, or workouts.