Walking Update – Week 7, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 7 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 10th of February and concluded on Sunday the 16th of February.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 19,274 15,000
Tuesday 20,510 15,000
Wednesday 18,401 15,000
Thursday 21,700 15,000
Friday 19,674 15,000
Saturday 19,382 15,000
Sunday 23,149 15,000
Total142,090 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Sunday, with 23,149 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Wednesday, with 18,401 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 142,090 steps for the week with an average of 20,298 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 921,824 steps for the year. That places me around 109,701 steps more than the same time last year. The goal for the year is 7 million steps. There is another 46 weeks to go I need 6,078,176 steps or 132,134 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 7 in 2019. I walked 109856 steps, giving me an average of 15,693 steps per day. Overall, I have walked 32,234 steps more this year.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 16,716 steps a difference of 6,433 less than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,108 steps a difference of 3,293 less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 7, 2019.

Other Thoughts

The week started out how last week ended with a few more days of rain. However, I did not let that get to the walking at all and ended the week walking just a little more than last week.

There are some interesting numbers that came together this week. The first one that I noticed is over the past four weeks I have averaged over 20,000 steps per day. In the past five years, there have only been five other weeks where I have achieved an average over 20,000 steps. Most of these occurred back in 2015 and a single week in 2018.

The other number that jumped out at me was how many steps ahead of last year I am already. This week it bypassed the 100,000 step mark and was almost the same as the number of steps I walked this week last year. Last year I walked 109,856 steps for the week and so far this year I am 109,701 steps more than last year.

The last time that I was over 900,000 steps in week 7 of the year was 2016. That year I was just slightly ahead of where I am now for this year. I find it interesting to have the numbers for over five years now to look back at things like this. Just like as I build up even more data it will be even more interesting and I will come across even more interesting comparisons.

Walking Update – Week 6, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 6 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 3rd of February and concluded on Sunday the 9th of February.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 18,502 15,000
Tuesday 20,002 15,000
Wednesday 19,914 15,000
Thursday 21,001 15,000
Friday 19,716 15,000
Saturday 21,053 15,000
Sunday 20,220 15,000
Total140,408 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Saturday, with 21,053 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Monday, with 18,502 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 140,408 steps for the week with an average of 20,058 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 770,734 steps for the year. That places me around 77,467 steps more than the same time last year. The goal for the year is 7 million steps. There is another 47 weeks to go I need 6,220,266 steps or 132,346 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 6 in 2019. I walked 120,877 steps, giving me an average of 17,268 steps per day. Overall, I have walked more 19,531 more steps this year.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 22,919 steps a difference of 1,866 more than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,090 steps a difference of 3,412 less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 6, 2019.

Other Thoughts

The week turned out to be a rather good total even though the end of the week could have been challenging with some rain.

The rain started on Wednesday and over the last four days of the week there was around 240mm where I live. So there was a potential to impact my walking a little. However, maybe it was just because I knew there could be a problem I took early action each day to keep moving and build a good foundation that turned into a good total each day. The week ended with me walking more steps on average over the rainy days then the dry days.

I also managed to just nudge over the 20,000 step average per day for the week. That is a little more than I need to achieve to hit the goal for the year. But I suppose every bit extra at this point helps to lower the burden later in the year.

There is nothing else much to share for the week. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, the weather might cool off and I might get out for more interesting walks. At the moment, it is just some fairly basic regular areas that I am walking in to get the steps I need.

A Parade of Fitness Trackers

Christmas day in 2014 was the start of something that I have kept going for just over five years now. It was on that day when I received the gift of a fitness tracker.

Ever since I have been walking daily and tracking the steps I take. As you might have noticed I share all of that through this website. I thought it about time that I share a little about the fitness tracker’s that I have used in this time.

The Ever Changing Tracker

The benefit of hindsight is something I would have loved to use in this situation. Over the last five years, I have used eight different fitness trackers. From new models for new features to the same model multiple times because of warranty replacements.

The fitness trackers have included: a Garmin Vivofit, a Fitbit One, 2 of the Fitbit Charge HR, Garmin Vivofit 3, 2 of the Garmin Vivofit 4 and a Fitbit Alta HR. Thinking back now though I probably should have stayed with the original Garmin Vivofit as long as possible. Especially since the original Garmin Vivofit still works perfectly today.

At the time I made the first change, I wanted to try something different. It was also around the time that I made the first version of this website. I wanted to have some reviews of other products available. At least being able to have a comparison between Garmin and Fitbit.

I never got around to the reviews I wanted to share. However, looking back there were plenty of stories. Everything from a review of the product out of the box to returning and replacing the fitness trackers. Obviously some of these stories are not the ideal things you want to share, but they likely would have been a good insight to people of potential flaws.

Using so many trackers though has given me one insight. Rarely is the best solution abandoning something that works. If you want to try different things it can be great jumping from one product to another. But if you want to just collect your data and keep moving, it is a much better idea to stick to one product.

The Trackers

Following you will find a little information from each of the six different model fitness trackers that I have used. There are three from Garmin and three from Fitbit. I will include the reason I picked a particular one and what caused me to change it for another model.

Garmin Vivofit 1

25 December 2014 – 18 July 2016

The Garmin Vivofit was the perfect fitness tracker to get started with. While some competitors at the time offered better features, it was hard to go past the one year battery life. Even now five years later I still have this fitness tracker and with a new battery it still works.

If I had not wanted to try something different, I likely would still use the Vivofit to track my steps. But as with many things having and trying something different got the better of me.

There were three problems that I found with the Vivofit. The first was the band, almost a year to the day since I got the fitness tracker the band broke. It was not a problem at the time as I had already asked for more for christmas in different colours.

The second problem I had was the lack of a back light. I used the fitness tracker for steps and as a watch. At night it was very difficult to read without getting it in the right light at the right angle. I survived though and managed to work around this, mostly.

The last and most frustrating problem I had at the time was the device synchronising. I do not believe this was a problem with the tracker, but more the interaction between the device, Garmin app and their central servers. The problem would usually resolve within hours or by the next day, but at the time it was very frustrating.

Fitbit One

8 July 2016 – 11 July 2016

I purchased the Fitbit One with no long-term intention to use it as a tracker. The price was right, and I thought it would be a good tracker to review that was not a wrist based tracker.

I purchased the Fitbit One at a good price, but quickly realised it was not a good candidate for a review. The reason for the good price was that they had discontinued the model. That made it a bad option for a review but a good choice to test out the Fitbit app with real data.

I found that the Fitbit One had a few flaws that would make it impractical for me. How it attached to your clothing instead of your wrist was a problem. It was easy to forget changing it if you changed clothes. There was also the chance of it falling off if it worked its way off where you attach it.

There was also a big problem I found with seeing the progress without dislodging it from where you were wearing it. Or getting to the device if you were wearing multiple layers.

While the Fitbit One did not stay with me long, it led to another Fitbit tracker for me.

Fitbit Charge HR

18 July 2016 – 6 June 2017

After trying the Fitbit One, I looked for another Fitbit option to use as a tracker. To me, the Fitbit app was a more appealing option and with some new tracker’s there was more data available.

The tracker I chose was the Fitbit Charge HR. There were two factors that played into this decision. The first was the price, they discounted it as it was a superseded model like the Fitbit One. Second, it offered a feature to track heart rate, which was interesting to me. Although that feature turned out to be rather useless for me as I never looked too closely at it.

As a fitness tracker, there were no real faults that I could find with the Fitbit Charge HR. The step tracking was good and fairly accurate. There were no issues I recall connecting the tracker to the app. While the Fitbit app proved much more user friendly, then the Garmin Connect App.

I had one big issue with the Fitbit Charge HR, and that was the strap to hold it to the arm. They moulded the strap and tracker into one piece that meant you could not change the strap. The problem was that the silicone strap peeled away after just a few months.

I let it go for a little while, but it was obvious I would need to contact Fitbit support. Fitbit support was great, and it was one of the better after sales experiences I have had. I suspect they were well aware of the issue as I knew two others with the same problem. They arranged for delivery of a replacement and did not require me to send the original back.

The replacement looked like they made it from different material. It only took about five months to realise this was not the case. The same issue reoccurred, and I returned the store I purchased it from for an exchange to a new model.

Garmin Vivofit 3

6 June 2017 – 21 April 2018

The choice for my next fitness tracker was a return to Garmin. Even though I preferred the Fitbit app, I was not prepared to take a chance on their product quality again just yet. My choice was the Garmin Vivofit 3, an updated version of the first fitness tracker that I used.

The biggest positive in returning to the Vivofit model for me was the 1 year battery life. A feature they still maintained while adding a back light, which is one feature I would have liked in the original Vivofit.

It was very much looking like I had found my new long-term tracker. Then one morning I woke up and looked at the screen to see a black mark. I thought something must have got on the screen but it would not come off. When I looked closer, I could see it was a dead area on the screen.

It was time to give Garmin support a try, and the experience was not quite the same as Fitbit. They were very helpful and were very willing to help to a degree. However, they wanted the device returned for inspection before providing a replacement. The expected turn around would be 2-3 weeks. I have no issue with returning the device to Garmin, but how do you track your steps without a device. The solution I went for was returning to the store I purchased it from and exchanged it for a new model.

Garmin Vivofit 4

21 April 2018 – 24 March 2019

When I returned the Garmin Vivofit 3, that model was no longer available. I considered my other options but ended up choosing the Garmin Vivofit 4 as it was the only option the store had available. They did not stock any Fitbit models and only had a small range of Garmin.

While there were small differences between the Vivofit 3 and Vivofit 4, none were substantial. It was a forced upgrade rather than one for any features.

Again I thought I had myself a long-term option for a tracker. Everything went fine for right around 11 months. The device would reset randomly, sometimes losing step data. The screen would go blank and the Garmin logo would appear. Sometimes it would combine with a series of lines on the screen before going blank.

The first few times it was just annoying because it would just be a random time and it would lose some or all of the step data for the day. The Vivofit 4 soon became unusable though when the issue occurred at intervals between 5 and 30 minutes.

It was time to try Garmin support again, which resulted in answers very much like my previous experience with the Vivofit 3. I would need to send it back to them and wait 2-3 weeks for a replacement. They seem to have no care that we purchase the device for a purpose that requires daily use. I opted to send it in, as the store I purchased it from no longer stocked fitness trackers. But I ended up purchasing a new fitness tracker to use while waiting. Which leaves me with a spare Garmin Vivofit 4 sitting in the cupboard.

Fitbit Alta HR

30 March 2019 – Current

My choice to purchase the Fitbit Alta HR was a purchase motivated by price. I did not want to spend a lot on what may be an interim measure. I had covered two days using the step data from my phone. But I rarely carry my phone all the time when I am walking. To the Fitbit Alta HR was the right price to suit my needs.

The Fitbit Alta HR has turned out to be a good option. However, it has some flaws, that are substantial. The first and potentially most worrying is that the accuracy of the step tracking can be rather poor.

There have been cases where I will look at the tracker and see a step count. I will get up and walk at least 100 steps only to see no change in the count. Usually the discrepancy is not that bad, more like I will walk 20 steps and it will record only 10-15 of them. However, this is more often closer to when I first move. While I understand they do not guarantee the accuracy, for it to be this far out should be beyond the acceptable levels. The biggest problem is proving it.

The second aspect is the quality of the manufacturing. If you recall my first experience above with the Fitbit Charge HR, I had issues with the strap on two devices. Although the design of the strap is better with Alta HR, it still has problems. While they are easy to change and replace now, they are difficult to find and purchase.

The original band broke at the point it attaches to the tracker within five months. Again, Fitbit was quick to help and replaced the strap. However, they had no stock left of the silicone straps and replaced it with a leather version. Not the best solution for a product that always on your arm in the humid Queensland climate. Even though I wipe the band regularly, it gets sweaty and I am seeing cracks in the leather, so I am expecting this to not last very long.

My arm strap did not even last five months before the attachment on the strap broke. Fitbit was very good and provided a replacement without hassle. However, the silicone straps were not available, and the only option was a leather version. To them they position it as a free upgrade. But that is only a good idea if you have an alternative. Living in Queensland through summer, the leather band does not like humidity and seems to deteriorate quickly. It is still working at the moment, but I think it might have a limited life.

Besides these two issues, the Fitbit Alta HR has been a good change and is still my current choice for tracking steps.

8 Trackers in 5 Years

Looking back at this parade of fitness trackers, there are two potential explanations. The first is that I have had a terrible run of getting faulty models or units. The second is that the fitness tracker industry does not care to create a quality product. That is something that would require a lot more research of user reported faults.

My first tracker that had problems the Fitbit Charge HR, I believe the fault was common. I knew two other people who had the same fault. However, the problem could be more widespread throughout their product range. When you look at the Fitbit Community page for many trackers, there is a pinned topic about broken bands.

Regarding the two Garmin branded Vivofit models 3 and 4 it is more difficult to find information. Unlike a broken band, the faults are less exact and different people describe them differently. While a look through the Garmin support forums for the Vivofit 4 (no forum for Vivofit 3 any more) highlights some similar issues from both models. But their forum is nowhere near as active.

I hope that one day I might come across a quality fitness tracker that does what we expect and just keeps working. From my current experience my hopes are not high from the manufactures I have experienced.

I wonder if quality is not an important aspect of manufacturing. They see the product as a short-term item for many users who will never use it long enough to find a fault. While the small number who own them long enough for a fault to develop the cost of supplying replacements is justifiable.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this saga. Whether it is a fitness tracker or any other technology, the experience can vary drastically. I would be rather interested to hear about your own experience with fitness trackers. Has it been a good or bad experience? Have you been using the same one for a longer period or have you had a similar experience to me?

Walking Update – Week 5, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 5 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 27th of January and concluded on Sunday the 2nd of February.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 21,893 15,000
Tuesday 18,009 15,000
Wednesday 20,992 15,000
Thursday 21,418 15,000
Friday 20,872 15,000
Saturday 19,756 15,000
Sunday 20,094 15,000
Total143,034 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Monday, with 21,893 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Tuesday, with 18,009 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 143,034 steps for the week with an average of 20,433 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 639,236 steps for the year. That places me around 57,936 steps more than the same time last year. The goal for the year is 7 million steps. There is another 48 weeks to go I need 6,360,674 steps or 132,514 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 5 in 2019. I walked 116,782 steps, giving me an average of 16,683 steps per day. Overall, I have walked 26,252 steps more this year.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 20,126 steps a difference of 1,767 less than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,158 steps a difference of 2,851 less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 5, 2019.

Other Thoughts

The week was like last week, although I was not under any false illusions of trying to beat my best week. I walked at a higher rate than I have over the past year again though and think I will settle into a new baseline. It may not be as high as I have achieved in the last two weeks, but somewhat close.

Week 5 has become my fourth highest week for walking to date now. Finding the time some days has been a little challenging to get up to the step numbers some days. But it can surprise you just what sort of step counts you get without putting in too much effort.

With my goal of walking 7 million steps this year, I am off to a good start. So far this year, I have walked over the average steps needed 3 out of five weeks. Even with the increase from 6.5 million.

Walking the average needed to achieve my goal each week over the last few years has been my biggest downfall. When I look back at 2019, I only walked enough steps in 5 out of 52 weeks. Definitely not how you go about achieving a goal. It’s possible to walk under the average required occasionally but not too often.

Coming back to the records, I have in a way attempted the weekly and monthly records recently. These are things that I will leave until a little later in the year I think. Walking a lot during a Queensland summer is not ideal, as I have found in the last two weeks. A better time is definitely towards the middle of the year. I will look at anything from March through to August for the month record. It also makes sense to align the day record with the week record. But I guess I will see how things pan out as the year progresses.

I hope that you have enjoyed this update and hope you are finding some great places to walk.

January 2020 Walking Update – Month In Review

Below is a table covering the daily step total for the month of January 2020. You will also find a look at the other overall numbers for the month along with some of my thoughts for the month.

January Daily Steps

DaySteps Walked
115,963
217,168
315,885
419,617
517,682
617,712
716,837
820,758
918,012
1022,451
1119,797
1218,664
1320,099
1416,874
1516,968
1615,605
1717,117
1819,130
1920,386
2021,019
2120,795
2220,215
2321,445
2423,110
2521,586
2621,397
2721,893
2818,009
2920,992
3021,418
3120,872
Total599,476

Looking at The Numbers

For the month of January, I achieved my daily step goal 31 days. The month saw me walk 599,476 steps with a daily average of 19,338 steps.

The day with the most steps was the 24th of January with 23,110 steps. The day with the lowest steps was the 16th of January, with just 15,605 steps.

Walking Thoughts for January

January as it would turn out was the month of missed opportunities or at least failed record attempts. I came the closest for the best week and best month since I first set those records for myself. But on both records failed to meet the required numbers.

Missing my record for the most steps in a single week is something I won’t go over again. I discussed that in the weekly update for week 4, 2020, which you can go back and read if you like. The basic summary is that I thought about trying for my record week only to find what I thought I needed was considerably short of the actual.

I got very close to achieving the record for the most steps in a single month since I started recording my steps. I set this record for myself back in October 2015, with 602,989 steps for the month. Previously, the closest I got was March in 2016 with 573,056 steps and otherwise not even close.

January the total steps came in at 599,476, just 3,513 steps short of the record. I dropped the ball on this one. Even just a little planning on the last day of January could have secured a record for me.

I knew that I would be close and On the evening of the 30th I noticed the battery was getting low on my Fitbit. Instead of charging the battery that night, I thought it would be fine until the following day. Towards the end of the 31st I noticed that it was not recording all my steps. Even at one point I know I walked 100 steps, and it did not count a single one. It is a problem I have experienced before seemingly when the battery is low. Yet knowing the position I was in, I let it get to this point.

If you look back at the numbers for each day throughout the month early on, I was on target anyway. Until the 20th I had only 5 days above the daily average, I would need to reach the target. It was only the above average steps for the last 10 days of the month that even got me this close.

Having achieved this in January, knowing what I need to do I think it will be a sure thing that I will break the record this year for the best month. A Queensland summer was probably not the best time to try. The next best opportunities will be March or May. Just because they need a lower daily average to break the record. In February or April, I would need 20,000 or more steps every single day for the month on average.

Finally, just a note on my goal for the year which throughout the month I increased to 7 million steps. I think the total for this month puts me in a good starting position towards this goal. There is still a long way to go to reach the goal, but I got an ever so small lead over the goal from January of 6,000 steps.

Overall, I think January has been a rather good month for my walking. Despite missing two records, that would have been nice to get. But all said and done it has been the best month walking that I have had in a few years.

Walking Update – Week 4, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 4 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 20th of January and concluded on Sunday the 26th of January.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 21,019 15,000
Tuesday 20,795 15,000
Wednesday 20,215 15,000
Thursday 21,445 15,000
Friday 23,110 15,000
Saturday 21,586 15,000
Sunday 21,397 15,000
Total149,567 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Friday, with 23,110 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Wednesday, with 20,215 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 149,567 steps for the week with an average of 21,366 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 496,292 steps for the year. That places me around 31,684 steps ahead of the same time last year. The goal for the year is to walk 7 million steps. There is another 49 weeks to go I need 6,503,708 steps or 132,728 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 4 in 2019. I walked 118,241 steps, giving me an average of 16,891 steps per day. Overall, I have walked 31,864 steps more this year.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 19721 steps a difference of 3,389 less than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,128 steps a difference of 5,087 less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 4, 2019.

Other Thoughts

There is a bit to unpack this week with my walking, such as my high step average and change of the goal for the year.

I will start with a look at my high average step count for the week. I started the week with the thought if I just cross 20,000 steps each day I might make the highest week total. Not taking the time to go back and double check what that total was or what it required to get there. I think it was Thursday I finally had a look and found it was just out of reach. Instead of the 23,882 per day to reach the 167,175 steps, I would need it was closer to 28,000 steps per day. So I just stuck with crossing 20,000 steps each day for the whole week.

With total steps of 149,567 for the week, it is my third best week to date. The only two weeks when I walked more steps were week 44 (167,174 steps) and week 46 (154,704 steps) in 2015. So it was a reasonably good effort for the highest walking total in over four years.

I have only ever recorded five weeks over 140,000 steps before. Four of them were all in 2015, with just one in 2018, when I only just scrapped over in week 28 recording 140,091 steps for the week. So in one respect I have achieved that, but I did not get there for the highest week.

There was one other achievement that came from walking 20,000+ steps each day for a week. That is the most consecutive days walking over 20,000 steps. Previously the most was the same week as my highest weekly total, which was week 44 in 2015 with six days in a row. The run is actually eight days as I also walked 20,000+ steps last Sunday.

Time to talk about my goal, which this week I increased from 6.5 million steps to 7 million steps. It might be hard to imagine why I made this decision. Especially considering that in the past few years I have had trouble reaching the 6.5 million steps. The closest I got was 6.4 million in 2016 and it has only gone down from there.

The primary reason that I made the change and increased my goal was to give myself a greater challenge. While I have struggled to meet this goal before that is mostly due to not focusing on my progress. I would check in on my progress at random times throughout the year but not adjust my approach.

The need for constant review and adjustment became apparent to me in the last year. With some things going on in my life, it was hard enough to focus on achieving the daily result, let alone staying focused on a year long goal. The result was my lowest yearly total since 2015 with just 6.1 million steps. If I had a process in place to stop and review my progress, I might have overcome this. Instead, I set another record for myself with the most days missing my goal of seven days since I started walking 15,000 steps per day.

The year ahead will be interesting I am sure with my slightly more ambitious goal. However, I think it will be a little easier to achieve then you might think.

Walking Update – Week 3, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 3 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 13th of January and concluded on Sunday the 19th of January.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 20,099 15,000
Tuesday 16,874 15,000
Wednesday 16,968 15,000
Thursday 15,605 15,000
Friday 17,117 15,000
Saturday 19,130 15,000
Sunday 20,386 15,000
Total126,179 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Sunday, with 20,386 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Thursday, with 15,605 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 126,179 steps for the week with an average of 18,025 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 346,725 steps for the year. That places me around 358 steps ahead of the same time last year. The goal for the year is 6.5 million steps. There is another 50 weeks to go I need 6,153,275 steps or 123,065 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 3 in 2019. I walked 125,135 steps, giving me an average of 17,876 steps per day. Overall, I have walked 1,044 steps more this year.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 24,083 steps a difference of 3,697 steps more than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,219 steps a difference of 286 steps less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 3, 2019.

Other Thoughts

Although the week ended up with a few less steps than last week, it was still a good week. There were a few challenges to work around including both extremes of weather. But I got to a reasonable outcome for my steps.

The weather was the greater challenge this week as there was a mix of days that were hot and humid. While it was not pleasant walking these days, you just have to do it. But these are the days that do not have quite as higher totals. The end of the week saw quite a lot of rain and this makes it more challenging to walk than heat. I found ways around that though and got some better totals on Saturday and Sunday.

One big change that I have made to my numbers above this year is being much more focused on the goal numbers weekly. In past years I have just looked at my progress at random times throughout the year. That has led to me not achieving my goal for the past four years.

Each week I will include my position against the goal and what I need on a weekly basis going forward. I could look at it daily, but it can be just a little to micro focused on the details. I am happy to review on a weekly basis and see if I can to increase or leave my walking at the level it is. Some days it is just not as easy to reach a higher target than I am already working on with 15,000 steps per day. So the average across a week can be easier to manipulate.

Walking Update – Week 2, 2020

Today I want to share with you and update of my walking for week 2 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 6th of January and concluded on Sunday the 12th of January.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 17,712 15,000
Tuesday 16,837 15,000
Wednesday 20,758 15,000
Thursday 18,012 15,000
Friday 22,451 15,000
Saturday 19,797 15,000
Sunday 18,664 15,000
Total134,231 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Friday, with 22,451 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Tuesday, with 16,837 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 134,231 steps for the week with an average of 19,175 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 220,546 steps for the year. That places me around 686 steps behind the same time last year. The goal for the year is 6.5 million steps. There is another 51 weeks to go I need 6,279,454 steps or 123,126 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 2 in 2019. I walked 121,375 steps, giving me an average of 17,339 steps per day. I have walked more steps this year by 12,856 steps, which is a significant difference.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 22,016 steps a difference of 435 steps less than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,107 steps a difference of 1,730 less than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 2, 2019.

Other Thoughts

The second week of 2020 has been a good week for walking. Although both heat and occasional rain have impacted some of my walking, the numbers are still good. The weekly total of 134,231 is the highest total for around 18 months. The last time I walked more steps in a week was week 28 in 2018.

Walking has been something at the forefront for me over the past few years. I think this year it will be even more of a focus. There are a few things that I will look at, which could cause quite a lot of walking.

Some of these things I will go into more detail at a later time. However, they are likely to include things like some hikes, planned longer multi day walks and potentially even some travel to undertake specific walks. I do also have more ideas on things to share through this blog.

Walking Update – Week 1, 2020

Today I want to share with you an update of my walking for week 1 of 2020. The week started on Monday the 30th of December and concluded on Sunday the 5th of January.

Step Data

DayStepsTarget
Monday 16,630 15,000
Tuesday 17,567 15,000
Wednesday 15,963 15,000
Thursday 17,168 15,000
Friday 15,885 15,000
Saturday 19,617 15,000
Sunday 17,682 15,000
Total120,512 105,000

Stepping Numbers

For over five years now, I have been tracking my steps daily and I enjoy looking over the numbers. This section breaks down some of those numbers from this week and cumulative for the year.

High & Low Days

The high day of the week with the most steps was Saturday, with 19,617 steps.

The low day of the week with the least steps was Friday, with 15,885 steps.

Weekly Totals

Throughout the week, I met my daily step target on 7 out of 7 days. I walked 120,512 steps for the week with an average of 17,216 steps per day for the week.

Year to Date

With the steps I have walked this week, I now have 86,315 steps for the year. The goal for the year is 6.5 million steps. There is another 52 weeks to go I need 6,413,685 steps or 123,340 steps per week.

This Time Last Year

I also find it interesting to look back to last year and see a comparison for the week and year to date progress.

So let’s look at the step details from week 1 in 2019. I walked 120,168 steps, giving me an average of 17,166 steps per day. Overall, I have walked more this year, but only by a slight margin of 344 steps.

The highest day for the week saw me walk, 20,311 steps a difference of 694 more steps than this year. While the lowest day for the week saw me walk, 15,225 steps a difference of 660 fewer steps than this year.

If you would like to see the full update from last year, you can visit post at Walking Update – Week 1, 2019.

Other Thoughts

The year has got off to a good start this week, and there are a few topics to talk about. First, if you have seen my previous weekly updates, you might notice some slight differences. I have rewritten the template I use for the first sections.

I also want to touch on my goal for the year to walk 6.5 million steps. In previous years, this has been an afterthought. However, if you have read above, you will notice that I have added a specific review of this goal. I want to make sure I am watching where I am with this on a weekly basis. If I am tracking it more closely, I will probably have more control over achieving it.

The coming year also has two interesting aspects to it. The first is that 2020 is a leap year, and so there is 366 days of walking. The second is that the official week numbering gives 2020, 53 weeks. I don’t think this happens often, the last time I know of was in 2015. The leap year gives me that extra day’s steps to help reach my goal. However, the week numbering is of little importance.

The walking is not quite where I would like it to be. The numbers are good, but not great. The most impact this week has come from weather that is just plain hot. Walking outside during the day is rather unpleasant because of the sun and heat. So have been improvising with walks on the verandah. But it is still early in the year, so no getting to disappointed just yet.

December 2019 Walking Update – Month In Review

Below is a table covering the daily step total for the month of December. You will also find a look at the other overall numbers for the month along with some of my thoughts for the month.

December Daily Steps

DaySteps Walked
117,277
217,801
318,488
417,385
517,446
615,916
718,569
817,338
919,057
1016,497
1115,966
1217,427
1316,835
1418,417
1515,823
1617,891
1715,794
1816,273
1915,834
2017,875
2119,954
2221,127
2321,538
2420,387
2517,442
2619,374
2716,254
2817,885
2915,796
3016,630
3117,567
Total547,863

Looking at The Numbers

For the month of December, I achieved my daily step goal 31 days. The month saw me walk 547,863 steps with a daily average of 17,673 steps.

The day with the most steps was the 23rd of December with 21,538 steps. The day with the lowest steps was the 17th of December, with just 15,794 steps.

Walking Thoughts for December

There is one thing about hitting a big milestone like I did last month with my 30 million steps. It means that everything else afterwards seems a little less important.

There was one positive aspect to December, and that is, I walked the most steps in a month since July 2018. I am quite pleased that I am gradually building up my walking a little. There were several low points this year for my walking, some of the lowest days, weeks, and months since I started on my 15,000 steps per day goal.

In other interesting numbers, I almost end up with my highest day for the month landing on the 22nd of the month like the last two months. The only reason that it was not the same day is that on the 23rd of December I walked more than the 22nd. If it had happened, it would have been a coincidence as I definitely was not paying attention to that.