Day 400 came and went a week ago and I did not write about it as I was getting ready to fly to Florida for a couple of weeks.  But the walking string continues well into its second year of 2,500 miles and 5.2 million steps, with an average of 12,800 steps and 6.1 miles per day.

While the walking string preceded it, there is another string of days we have all been living through.  We issued WFH notices to all our folks at Mercer Capital 317 days ago.  That is hard to believe.  For the most part, our professionals are still working from home and there is no near-term end in sight. This makes things like walking and paying attention to our health even more important than otherwise. That’s why utilizing products such as an n95 mask should be given great importance.

Sitting in Port Orange, Florida is a good time to reflect on the past year-plus of walking. For those who don’t know Florida geography, Port Orange is 2.5 miles south of Daytona Beach and about 50 miles northeast of Orlando.  The Daytona Beach area is host to one of the finest pickleball facilities in the nation.  It opened in June (with masks and social distancing, of course).  See Pictona here.

In no particular order, a few thoughts come to mind regarding walking 407 days in a row:

1. It makes me feel good to know I’m doing something positive for my health.
2. I do enjoy the benefits of being in better shape now than at the beginning of the walking string on December 15, 2019.
3. I appreciate that I’ve encouraged a number of friends and acquaintances to begin their own daily walking routines.
4. The weight loss of 13-14 pounds has been encouraging and, I hope, good for overall health.
5. The focus on health has helped me me choose a more balanced diet and to watch caloric intake. Not eating out for months also helped, I’m sure.  I instituted my “one plate per meal rule” early during the pandemic.
6. Thinking about walking is just something that I do.  When I wake up each morning, I check the weather and think about my schedule and what I will have to do each day.  Sometimes that is a three mile walk before breakfast.  That is a very good way to start a day! A few times it has been a four mile walk at the end of the day.  Every day though, I try to focus on being sure that I get up and about and move throughout the day.
7. Gratitude is what I feel for avoiding a string-ending injury or illness.
8. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play a good bit of pickleball, weather and location permitting.  And I plan to play more, as much as I can, in the future.
9. We are 317 days into the WFH era.  I can say that walking has certainly helped me maintain a healthy mental attitude during this unprecedented time we are in.
10. I’m also grateful to be able to share this story on my blog and on LinkedIn.  I hope it encourages others to begin to focus on the simple act of walking regularly.
11. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to walk my miles/steps tomorrow.  I have not placed any pressure on myself to keep this thing going (well, maybe a little bit!), but I certainly want to keep it up as my health and circumstances permit.

This afternoon, I stopped by Pictona and was talking with a pickleball friend, Paul.  I mentioned my 407 days of walking and he said that today was his 770th consecutive day.  Now that is inspiration!

Let me know if there are some thoughts here that you find helpful.  Feel free to comment on the blog down below.  If you are reading this on LinkedIn, then feel free to comment there.

Lagniappe

This has nothing to do with walking, but it is time to obtain your personal copy of Business Valuation: An Integrated Theory Third Edition.  Travis Harms and I will be doing a three part webinar series with Business Valuation Resources beginning in February. When you get your book, we hope you will write a thoughtful review on Amazon.com!

Be safe and be well until next time.

Chris