10,000 Steps

April 15, 2015 / in General Information / by Mic Johnson

Post Author: Mic Johnson

Wow, what a great night’s sleep. I love it when that happens. I love feeling refreshed in the morning knowing I got some quality REM sleep the night before. Heck, I didn’t even hear our dog Hinrich get up on the bed and smash himself in between me and Missy. It’s always hilarious when he pushes on us with his paws, as if it’s his bed and he just lets us sleep in it. Oh well, I’m not feeling particularly motivated or inspired, but I guess it’s time to get out of bed and head to the gym.

After nearly 8 years of doing this 4-5 times a week, I really thought it would get easier…that I would learn to love it. If I’m honest with myself, I really can’t believe I’m still doing it. 8 years of working out 4-5 times a week. And I haven’t lost a pound. It’s easy to see why most people give up. It’s hard work. It takes commitment. You have to do it when you don’t feel like doing it. I just keep reminding myself that I know it’s good for me. I feel better when I work out. I sleep better. I feel healthier. It gives me time to think…time to clear my head. And when I got my annual physical last year, my doctor told me “You’re the healthiest overweight patient I have”, so there’s that. Yeah, all of those things keep me going.

Ah, there she is…the Sylvester Powell Community Center. This has almost become a second home for me after all of these years. Walking in now, putting my finger in the little fingerprint scanner thingy to check me in. That’s pretty cool technology. I wish it took off 20 pounds every time I did it.

Walking up the stairs now as my hour+ long workout awaits. What am I going to do today? Weights? Cardio? A mixture of both? You know, I think I’m going to do something different. I keep hearing about how you’re supposed to walk at least 10,000 steps every day. 

Man, I wonder if I EVER get 10,000 steps in a day? I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Heck, I bet I go days where I don’t even get 2,000 steps in a day. Ok, that settles it. I’m going to walk 10,000 steps today around the elevated track at Sylvester Powell. This will be fun. Something different. In a weird way, I’m kind of excited about it.

Time to count my steps. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7….ok, walking around half of the track is 100 steps, so walking around the whole thing is 200 steps. That means I have 50 laps ahead of me. That doesn’t sound too bad. In fact, I just finished my 5th lap…look at me, 1000 steps in already…only 9,000 steps to go!

I have a lot of time to think as I walk around this track, seeing the same things and people over and over again. I need to write a blog post today. What am I going to write? Stop it, Mic. Worry about that later. Use this time to free your mind. Now I’m thinking about my buddy and his mom, who are both having health issues. I say a few quick prayers for them as I make another lap.

15 laps in now. 35 to go. Wow, 35 seems like a lot. This is going a little slower than I thought it would. Maybe I should abandon this 10,000 steps deal and go lift some weights to break up the monotony of the walk? No Mic, stick to the plan. You’re going to get those 10,000 steps in today. Keep going. Ok, ok, I will. Still trying to think about what I’m going to write about for my blog post today. I don’t feel like writing about LinkedIn, or web development, or blogging. There you go again. Worry about it later Mic. Why are you thinking about your blog post while you’re at the gym?

35 laps in now. Man, this really seems like it’s taking forever, but I’m getting closer to my goal of 50 laps. It’s funny what happens as I walk around this oval track time and time again. I see the little old lady who seems like she’s about 4 feet tall. She’s here every single day. I love her commitment. I’ll say hi to her as I walk past at a quicker pace.

Oh, and there’s a guy I haven’t seen before, shooting hoops below me. He’s probably in his mid-50’s. Now it looks like he’s doing some basketball drills like he’s trying out for the NBA. Maybe he plays in a rec league? Swish. Nice shot, buddy.

Hey, there’s Mike. He’s here every single day, wearing the same gray shirt and black shorts. He talks to me for a bit about the Royals and what a bummer that Alex Rios broke his finger. I agree and then Mike gets off the track to go “have my morning cup of coffee.”

Approaching my 45th lap now, feeling good and my pace is picking up as I know the end is near. Oh, there’s my friend Arly. I see him here almost every day. He’s got to be about 80 years old and he understandably walks at a much slower pace. I don’t really want to slow down because I’m so close to the 50th lap. Oh well, I’ll get there eventually and I love talking to Arly. I’m guessing it can be pretty lonely at his age to come to the gym and walk in circles. He asks how I’m doing and we exchange some small talk. He tells me his wife has been battling an illness for years. I can tell there’s more to the story, but I don’t want to pry. It was good chatting with him, but I need to pick up my pace and get done with this workout.

As I approach the end, my 50th lap, I joke with myself and see an imaginary finish line with people congratulating me. Good job, Mic. You stuck with it. You tried something different. You fought through the boredom of going in circles. You said hello and shared some idle chatter with some people. You got your heart rate up. You may have a blister forming on your foot. Your legs and feet hurt a little bit. But that’s ok, you did it. You got your 10,000 steps in today. The rest of the day is gravy. Ok, time to write that blog post. What am I going to write about?

Whatever it is, I hope it inspires people.