Number of days we've had school online- 6
My average weight by pounds the last eight days- 176.4
Days I've driven my car in the last eight- 3
Number of rolls of toilet paper at my disposal- 15
Days of school we've missed because of the Corona virus- 7
Number of days since I worked out- 10
Worship service Sundays online- 3
I could go on and on and you probably could as well. The one number I'm having the biggest issue with, though, is 15,000. You see, I typically work out six days a week, alternating between the treadmill (MWF) and lifting on the in-between days, always taking Sunday off. Since my club is temporarily out of commission, I am trying to compensate as best I can to maintain my fitness level. That means, putting in 15,000 steps a day on my Fitbit, a number many health experts believe is both achievable and highly beneficial. I've worn my Fitbit every day since receiving it from Karen and Scott for Christmas, 2018. It's truly been a blessing, being able to learn both how much activity I put in during waking hours as well as my monitoring my resting heart rate. While I never wear the device on the treadmill or lifting, I still try to hit the 10,000 step mark every day and most days, I do. These are not most days we are in right now.
There are several things I've discovered in my new regimen. The most important is that it's much easier to rack up step numbers at school than at home. During basketball practice alone, I'll add about 3,000. I'm constantly going somewhere; to the office, to chapel, to lunch, to the print room, to visit another teacher, etc. besides the constant movement in my classroom. Here, I have to force myself to get up and go and I'm more likely to walk in thirty minute chunks. But there are some other interesting observations for me... or maybe about me! One is that I have a pretty good tan and instead of gaining weight from not working out, I've actually dropped several pounds. There are people in my complex who've mentioned seeing me frequently- the very elderly see everything! And there is one thing I've really liked. When walking in the neighborhood, staying in the street to keep my six foot buffer zone, I've witnessed many families playing together outside. They might be walking or on bicycles or throwing a ball but it's refreshing- I have seen little of that in Houston until these past ten days or so. I would have missed it had I been inside my normal life.
Over many years of teaching, I've noticed that while kids want good grades, many aren't willing to take the necessary steps. The past two weeks, I've been overwhelmed with having to do programs and procedures educationally that were foreign to me. After getting much needed guidance, I was able to break the process down into manageable steps, much like I've had to do in my walking protocol. It has to be intentional, just like my life and yours. Ecclesiastes speaks of the different times we face as we make our journey to eternity. A time to do this, a time to do that. And we know what those times require, don't we? TIME. The things God wants us to do take time; prayer, studying, serving, assembling, comforting, and on and on. They have to be intentional the way my walking is now; not exactly planned but not relegated to the 'if I get around to it' file either. You do know that the earliest mention of Fitbit is in the Bible, don't you? In Job 14:5, the book's namesake stated very plainly:
Surely then you will count my steps
but not keep track of my sin.
And the best thing is, the spiritual blessing in that verse dwarfs the physical component! Our friend Job was just way ahead of his time.
Applicable quote of the day:
“The right mindset is the first step towards the journey.”
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org
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