Walking Challenge 2012: The penultimate month of the year and challenge…

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~Friday~ 
 

October's Challenge Entry | All Challenge Entries | December's Challenge Entry

And so we come to the end of the penultimate month of the year, and I am happy to report that it’s been another month of meeting my commitment toward walking every day of 2012 for at least 30 minutes.

Walking

I see that my walks at the beginning of the month, on average, were longer than those toward the end of the month. I would try to blame it all on that L-tryptophan, but this snopes.com Turkey Causes Sleepiness debunks that theory.

Here are the walking numbers for every day in November (click to enlarge):

[Click to enlarge] Chart showing November daily walks

Background photo: Close to Veteran’s Day, I was walking on campus and came across this scene in front of the Witherspoon Student Center. Thanks to all NC State University faculty, staff, and students who have served our country in any capacity over the years.

Eating

Let the holiday bulge begin. This is not good, but I have no doubt it would have been much worse if I wasn’t counting (the many) calories that I was eating, and doing strength-building and toning workouts in addition to my daily walks.

I’m going to do my best not to blow up much more over the December holidays, but I do plan to “get right back on it” in January. Along with the gazillion others who will “hit the gym” when the new year commences.

Full disclaimer: Several of these days, in terms of the “Cals Eaten” numbers, were estimated, as I got behind in my tracking at one point in the month. Overall, though, it’s a fairly good snapshot of my noshing.

Dailyburn November calendar showing calories eaten and calories burned

The calories burned include those from both my daily walks, and for other exercise I do at the gym, 5-7 days a week, including: 3 stretching exercises, 300 ab crunches (with weights added to the bench), and then either an upper body or a lower body workout.

Weighing

I’ve gained weight. Ask me how.

Here are the official November weigh-in numbers (click to enlarge):

Chart showing weigh-ins of 197, 198, 199, and 201 for November

Reflecting

Here are some reflections about this month's experience:

  • I’m not going to lie; I am very much looking forward to this year ending—not so much to quit all the tracking I do, because I pretty much do that anyway, but to not having to make it all presentable here each month, which is time-consuming.
  • Doing something every day, for an entire year, is quite a commitment.
  • With that said, having a goal like that—at least for me—is the best way to make something “non-negotiable,” which is really what it takes—again for me—to make exercising, for instance, a matter of when I’m going to do it today as opposed to a matter of if I’m going to do it today.

Concluding

&diety help me get through December without too much damage to my progress this year.

October's Challenge Entry | All Challenge Entries | December's Challenge Entry

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