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Keep the streak going

February 10, 2020 in journal

I try to move as much as I can. Sometimes, I need a little push, so I've developed a system that does that: I measure how active I am on a daily basis, and try to reach a fixed goal every single day. Keeping the streak going for as long as I can is a powerful motivation game for me. This is how it works.

To measure how active I am, I use a Fitbit, but instead of using measurements like steps or distance (which won't say much about how active you were if you worked out at home, for example), I use calories. I don't believe Fitbit's calorie count is accurate -perhaps off by as much as 15-20%-, but what matters is that it's consistent over time. This makes it the perfect candidate to keep track of how much effort I put on.

My target is 3,000 calories a day: tough enough so that it requires some effort -usually 2+ hours of walking and a workout-, but doable day after day.

 

My longest streak reaching 3,000 calories a day.

 

I'd been reaching those 3k calories for 44 days in a row. This weekend, though, I went on a trip to the Picos de Europa in Asturias and spent quite a bit of time in a car.

On Friday, before the 5-hour trip there, I went on a run and worked out at home. I reached the goal with no problems that day. Sunday was different, though: we left Asturias early and stopped by many places on the way back. When we got home at 9pm, I was 500 calories short and about to break my streak.

It was late, I was hungry and very tired from all the driving, but I decided I wanted to keep the streak and went out for a walk: 50 minutes and 3 miles later, I was within reach of the daily goal.

On the left, short 500 calories. On the right, within 100 calories of my goal after a 50 minute walk.

There's no way I'd have gone for a walk at that point if I didn't have a goal to reach. It'd be very easy for me to use the long drive as an excuse to not move, but keeping the streak going motivated me enough to get out and move.

This method has been working wonders for me when it comes to being active, similar to the system I have to motivate and push me to make images every day.

Tags: motivation, fitness, exercise, walk, run, workout, body, mind, health, mental health, fitbit, calories, steps, distance
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