Tag / Work

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FB4: Week 1

We begin year 4 of using a Fitbit the same way we ended year 3, with a disappointing total well below my goal.  The week got off to a disappointing start on Sunday, where I barely surpassed 4700 steps.  Monday provided a nice bounce back, coming in at nearly 8900 steps.  Tuesday fell just short of my new daily goal, missing by 44 steps.  Wednesday was back over 8000 steps again.  Thursday was the best day of the week, finishing over 9100 steps.  Friday used a post-work trip to get my taxes done to come in at nearly 7500 steps.  The week then fell apart on Saturday, as I barley made it past 2100 steps.

Total steps: 47,393

Daily average: 6770.4

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Fitbit III: Week 52

We wrap up year 3 of using the Fitbit with 9th week below goal out of the last 10.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, as I barely managed to pass 2400 steps.  Monday was a nice bounce back, as goings on at work got me close to 8000 steps.  Tuesday was a little worse, but still managed to surpass 7200 steps.  Wednesday was a down day, coming in just over 4100 steps.  Thursday bounced back, finishing with over 7300 steps.  Friday was the big day of the week, falling one step shy of 8300.  Saturday used some pacing while watching movies to come in just under 8200 steps.

Total steps: 45,369

Daily average: 6481.3

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Book 2 (of 52) – 10% Happier

10% Happier: How I Tamed The Voice In My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, And Found Self-Help That Actually Works – Dan Harris

Last fall, Dan Harris gave a talk at work that I tried to attend, but missed out on due to space issues.  Val managed to get in seemed intrigued by what he had to say, so, when his first book found itself on sale the week of her birthday, I bought us both a copy.  Harris, one of the stars of the news division at ABC, had documented his path to meditation and how he learned to integrate the precepts into his life.

My first taste of meditation came last year, courtesy of Val.  She recommended an app to help with my sleeping problems.  I used it on occasion, but certainly didn’t become a devote.  Having now read Harris’ book, I’m intrigued enough to give it another shot.

The book brought me in from the get go, where Harris says he originally wanted to call it “My Inner Voice is an Asshole.”  Val had said something very similar to me a few years ago when I told her about the insecurities that kept creeping up inside me regarding our relationship.  Harris tells of his long journey, from skeptic to interested student to proselytizer.  If 10% happier is achievable, it is a journey worth taking.

 

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Fitbit III: Week 50

For the first time in 8 weeks, I surpassed my weekly goal.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, as I notched my first 10,000 step day of 2018, thanks to a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry with Danny.  The work week got off to a decent enough start on Monday, finishing over 7200 steps.  Tuesday was a down day, as I finished below 5200 steps.  Wednesday was a nice bounce back, coming in over 7500 steps.  Thursday and Friday used coffee trips to surpass 7000 steps.  Saturday was a downer of a day, coming in just over 3000 steps.

Total steps: 47,864

Daily average: 6837.7

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Fitbit III: Week 49

2017 came to a sad end and 2018 got off to a slow start in a week that could only be considered good based on what came before it.  Sunday, the last day of the year, could not even make it up to 2500 steps.  New Year’s Day managed to bump that number up to nearly 3000 steps.  Things got a bit better on Tuesday, as I returned to work for the first time in 3 weeks, ending up with nearly 7500 steps.  Wednesday was a little lower, back under 7000 steps.  Thursday was the high point of the week, coming in with almost 7800 steps.  Friday just eked past 7000 steps.  Saturday fell back down to 4200 steps, ending the week on a down note.

Total steps: 38,583

Daily average: 5511.9

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Fitbit III: Week 45

Another disappointing week, caused in part by my Fitbit finally failing before being replaced by the Charge 2 on Saturday.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday, which turned out to be my best day of the week with just over 7400 steps.  My last week of work for 2017 started on Monday, which again crossed the 7000 step mark.  Tuesday was down a bit, coming in just over my goal of 6500 steps.  Wednesday was another decent day, coming in just over 7100 steps.  Things started going south on Thursday, when I fell just short of 5500 steps.  Friday was my last day at work of the year, but I only managed to get up to 5800 steps.  Saturday was when I finally swapped out the old Fitbit, which caused me to finish the day with only 4700 steps.

Total steps: 44,207

Daily average: 6315.3

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Fitbit III: Week 44

Another disappointing week, though one that looks worse than it actually was due to technological difficulties.  My Thanksgiving vacation came to an unsatisfying conclusion on Sunday, with a whopping 2600 steps.  Things bounced back on Monday, as I went back to work and managed to surpass my daily goal for the first time since the previous Wednesday.  Tuesday somehow managed to fall exactly at 6500 steps.  Wednesday combined a trip in to the city to pick up a cake for Val, a day of work, and then a trip out at night to make the week’s best day at over 7800 steps.  Thursday had another night out after work to come in just over my daily goal.  Friday should have been a good day, with a trip to Woodfield Mall for our annual holiday party, but a botched software update to the Fitbit made me lose most of my activity for the day.  Given that the week was already shot, I saw no reason to put special effort in on Saturday, again failing to surpass 3000 steps.

Total steps: 36,013

Daily average: 5144.7

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Fitbit III: Week 42

A bit of a down week, just barely surpassing my goal for the week.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, as I came close to 10,000 steps while gallivanting around Southern California.  Monday was a big down day, with my flight home coming in at 6 AM local time, followed by a day of rest.  Tuesday bounced back to just over my 6500 step goal as I went back to work.  Wednesday and Thursday came in with nearly identical totals, with Friday falling back down again.  Saturday was another down day, falling well short of my goal.

Total steps: 45,820

Daily average: 6545.7

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Fitbit III: Week 41

What looked to be a disappointing week got turned around thanks to a trip to California.  Sunday got the week off to a slow start despite a trip out to see the new Thor film with Hayley and Val.  Monday was a nice bounce back, coming close to 8500 steps thanks to a trip to North to work out my issues with Hayley.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both back down under goal, despite Hayley’s goodbye party.  Thursday bounced back once again, due to post-work packing.  Friday started with a flight to California, followed by a trip to Hollywood and the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.  Saturday came 410 steps shy of 20,000 thanks to spending the day in Disneyland.

Total steps: 63,339

Daily average: 9048.4

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Fitbit III: Week 40

An overall decent week, with each day finishing over my 6500 step goal.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday thanks to a birthday celebration with the family.  Monday jumped up over 8000 steps thanks to upgrade related trips around the building at work.  Tuesday was back down around 7000 steps, with Wednesday and Thursday both surpassing that plateau.  Friday was the big day of the week, coming in over 8500 steps thanks to an after work trip to Rosemont with Jeff, Hayley, and Val.  Saturday used a trip down to The Second City to come in over 7500 steps.

Total steps: 52,345

Daily average: 7477.9