A Whole New Month

Since our last meeting, I had an annual physical which included all the annual screenings women my age are advised to . . . endure.

All is well on all those fronts. The mammogram turned into an expensive bit of drama but turned out, ultimately, all good.

In the midst of these screenings, re-screenings, and additional sets of tests, the group insurance changed. The new insurance has 'wellness' incentives called Motion. Within Motion is a taking steps incentive called F.I.T.

The object of FIT is to get up and move. The incentive, earning a buck for each goal hit each day. The dollars are accumulated and may be used toward deductibles and co-insurance balances.

When you sign up for the program you are sent a tracker that tracks and uploads your steps to your profile.

As the graphic notes; The F in the FIT is for frequency. The daily goal is to take (at minimum) 6 brief walks--the walks must be at least 500 steps within 7-minutes. The walks only count if taken at least an hour apart.  This goal is harder than you might imagine.

The I in the FIT is for Intensity. The daily goal is to step off 3,000 steps within 30-minutes. Your 500 steps may be counted within your 30-minute interval if you step off at least an hour after a previous 500 step block. I now know what 3,000 steps look like. I now know what 3,000 steps within 30-minutes feels like.
This goal is even harder than you might imagine.  For me, anyway.

The T in the FIT is for Tenacity. The daily goal to meet the T is 10,000 steps. One would think this goal would be a snap after the F and the I; I mean only another 4,000 steps are needed to hit the mark.
But one would be incorrect. As it happens, since focusing on the F and the I of the FIT I hit the T fewer times than when I was just using a trusty pedometer to count steps and just focusing on 10,000 a day.

However, all that said, since going in MOTION about six weeks ago I have logged over 100,000 steps and have earned about $60.00. Okay, so if you're doing the math, $1.00 for each letter goal or $3,00 a day multiplied by 7 days a week, multiplied by 6 weeks means I'm am well below the potential earnings. But note, to earn one must 1. wear the tracker and 2. get snow boots that are better for taking hundreds of steps in succession.

There are other programs attached to FIT / MOTION getting and staying healthier; eating more vegetables, drinking more water than sugary beverages, getting more and better quality sleep, to name a few. Some of the stated goals are easier for me than others. But to reach the overall top of the mountain, so to speak, I'll have to pull all these things and then some together.

2018 hasn't been a stellar year on many fronts. I'm looking to step my way through this new month, the last of this year right on into the next whole new year.

And away we go.