One Step At A Time: It Doesn’t Get Easier

Published on: 19 Jun, 2013
Updated on: 20 Jun, 2013

Dani Maimone’s 10,000 steps a day for the activity4charity challenge for her chosen charity the Brigitte Trust.

Dani Maimone 10,000 steps a day – going through the pain barrier

Another week, another 35 miles walked and boy do I know it! It’s an ever -increasing challenge to fit 10,000 steps into my daily routine and I know that some of my fellow walkers including Vanessa Smith from the Brigitte Trust are finding it equally so.

Monday (Jun 10) wasn’t so bad. I was out along the riverbanks with Surrey Wildlife Trust searching for signs of otters and sure enough we did find some otter spraint or poo to be less technical about it. It smells like musty hay, don’t ask me how I know, I just do. Feeling virtuous after a day’s activity out and about in the wilds of Surrey I had managed to notch up 9,000 steps before I got home. I did a total of 13,000 that day. It went down hill from there.

Tuesday, I had to spend virtually the entire day in front of the computer for work. I had only done 1,800 steps by 6pm. I had no option but go out for a very long walk, which took about an hour and a half. My husband didn’t get his supper until 10pm that night. Wednesday was a little easier.

Sore feet!

Thursday, the day I present on Brooklands Radio, I had only done about 900 steps by the time I got back home at 5pm. I was whacked, really didn’t feel like a 9,000 step walk, it was raining, I just wanted to go to bed and hibernate. But I can be very determined when I want to be, so deciding not to be beaten, I grabbed the dog, put on my sparkling white trainers and headed out. We both returned two hours later exhausted and looking like drowned rats.

Did I feel better after that walk? Yes I did. It cleared my mind and gave me a sense of achievement. I am starting to feel fitter. I haven’t lost loads of weight but I am toning up. So far I have achieved my 10,000 steps every day and sometimes a little more.

It is much better to spread the steps out throughout the day rather than try and do them all in one go. I discovered that to my cost with a few blisters to show for it. So if you’ll excuse me I am just going to get up from my computer and run up and downstairs five times to add some steps to my pedometer.

Later on I am going to walk to Sainsbury’s for a lunchtime coffee, 2,600 steps there and back. I can now walk to Sainsbury’s in 10 minutes, it took me at least 20 before I started this mad scheme, so I know I am getting fitter and it’s all for a great cause. It’s worth going through the pain barrier for such an excellent charity.