Leslie Sansone September 2023 Walk and Workout Challenge

texasgardnr
texasgardnr Posts: 2,617 Member
WELCOME to all walkers!

The September Walk Challenge starts today, so now is the time to be deciding on our new monthly walking / workout personal challenge goals and plans!

This group is open to any and all walkers. The majority of us use Leslie Sansone Walk At Home DVDs or streaming options. Other options can include those great walks or hikes outside on the trails or pathways that are available to us, or a quiet walk in our neighborhood, or on the treadmill while reading, as well as other instructors' walking, strength, or yoga workouts.

All of these many options count toward our miles and minutes. However you get your walk or workout in, come on in and join us! Post your miles or minutes, however you did it... it is all great!

It is always fun to read about the walk or workout that you did. We all could use some new inspiration sometimes, or inquiring minds sometimes just want to know.

Set your goal for how many miles or minutes that you want to walk or workout this month. This is your own personal goal :star:. Post your results daily, weekly, or whenever you like or are able to.

If you find this challenge in the middle of the month it doesn't matter which day of the month that you join in. Just set your goals to reflect what you want to walk for the remaining days in the month. You are always welcome :) !
So if you are new to the group please feel free to start today so that by the end of the month you will be that much closer to your health goals. It is never too late to join in

Tie up those walking shoes and get some water, and let's start walking!

I know that we are all excited to see our long time faithful walking friends o:) join us for yet another amazing month together, and we are awaiting the opportunity to welcome newcomers to this month's Walk Challenge!

And now... let us lace up those walking shoes and get some water... as we begin to walk into September 2023!

Come on in and start walking the Monthly Walk Challenge together!

texasgardnr 🌺🦋🌷

Replies

  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    September Goals

    Miles Tracked: 75
    Apple challenge: Close all my rings 9 times.

    Last month I shattered my miles tracked goal to end with 107 Miles tracked. However, this month will have me sitting in front of many computers for several days. I hope to keep my morning walk up as long as I can, at some point, I'll probably have to switch to evening walks to avoid the chills of the fall air.

    We're going into the Holiday weekend with a little heat wave with the high 80s-90s coming up.

    @texasgardnr: Liquids to Lunch does allow for smoothies. In the book, there are 12 things she talks about. The idea of liquids until Lunch is you're prepping the system for solid food after a nightly fast. So it can be any liquid. Smoothies, cold press juice, protein shakes. Then at Noon, you have your 1st solid food of the day. Also, she suggests chewing your food until it's liquid as well. The book is worth a read if you have some time. It sounds like more of your COVID fog has lifted some more and I'm so happy for you.

    Here's hoping we hear from more of our walking friends this month.
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    Hi You Two!

    It is so good to "see" you two! I'm back, hopefully (please fingers crossed) for the fall, winter and spring at least!

    My DH had been complaining all winter and spring about being tired and having no energy. His MDs have been monitoring a bad valve in his heart and assumed that this was the problem. He had no pain or pressure and did not notice anything other than he had no energy. His valve replacement surgery was put off for 2 months because it was not "bad enough," so they scheduled it for July and wanted him to have a heart cath done to be sure his artery was clear enough for the valve to pass through. So, in June he went into the cath lab to verify that and ended up with a stent in his heart! :noway: He had one artery that was 100% blocked, but had "collateral" feeders that were getting blood to the heart. The other was 90% blocked but they could blast through and get the stent in to restore his blood flow. I was shocked when I saw him afterward as he had his natural darker complexion back! It is amazing how when these things happen so gradually, you do not even notice. He was scheduled for a valve replacement in his heart in July, but this blocked artery was a total surprise. The valve was replaced in July and he has felt so much better. He is now in cardiac rehab and I decided that since he is OK for now, I can focus on me again! It has been a scary summer and on top of it, ALL of my children and grandchildren (10 in total) were here. I am so happy to see fall!! :laugh:

    I am really going to try for 3 miles on my Garmin every day. I have made a commitment to move throughout the day and not sit for more than a few minutes. I have a whole backlog of small projects that should keep me busy as well as transition projects like cleaning the boat, packing up the summer things from the screen porch etc that are coming up in October. If I am behind, I am going to break out the Leslie videos. I am hoping that 3+ miles a day will help me manage the stress and anxiety I will be dealing with for the next 6 months as his heart adjusts to these new "implants." Gilda Radner said "It's Always Somethin'" and she was certainly right!

    @mypinkbikini -I am so sorry for all your health issues. It is so hard to give up those things we like. Because my DH cannot have any wine for at least 6 months, I am not having any either, but I draw the line at my black coffee! I cannot wake up without it! :smile: It is good to "see" you back.

    @texasgardnr -I was so happy to read that your brain fog and other COVID symptoms were finally receding. They are predicting a bad winter up here as Syracuse already has its COVID beds filled. Because of Dennis' heart issues, we have already started masking when we are in public as his MDs say he cannot risk any kind of an infection for the next 6 months.

    @Deeder522 -Your post about the Canadian wild fires reminded me of how bad the smoke was here. For several days, it smelled like everyone in the whole town had just started their wood stoves! Our dehumidifier did a good job of cleaning it out of the air along with the water. If it had gone on much longer though, we would have need an air purifier as well. Nevertheless, I feel bad for Canada. That is a lot of forest to lose.

    Since I use my own DVDs and some from Leslie's website, I had no idea that she had retired. I wondered if that was her plan when she started putting Nick and some others in charge of her walks. I never really cared too much for most of them as walk leaders, but I can see that she might have wanted to move on to something else. I will use my DVDs and Jessica Smith when I need something novel! B)

    I may not be able to post every day as I usually do, but I am here and I will post several times throughout the month. It is good to be back! :wink:

    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin

  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    @zichab So good to hear from you again. My goodness, what a scare with Dennis! I'm happy to read that he's on the mend. Now that the craziness of Summer starts to calm down you deserve a little self-focus.

    Leslie trying to put forth other walk leaders, I think, was part of the transition. I read in a different group that she wanted to step back and focus on her personal life with her family and grandkids. Hard to blame her for that. She left us so many programs over the years. So many programs have moved into the streaming content, but I'll keep to YouTube and DVDs.

    I'll be cheering you on for your daily 3 miles!
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin
    9/1-3.1 miles
    9/2-2.6 miles :s

    UGH I missed it yesterday because I was not paying attention! Today, I am at 2.9 at this very moment! I think I am going to put the step counter on the face of my Garmin instead of the time. There are enough clocks in this house for me to know what time it is :laugh:. I have 2200 steps per mile so I need to get to 6600 minimum each day! Got It! :+1:

    It was so scary @Deeder522 ! We thought we were going in for a routine check and he ended up in the hospital for 2 days. The good side is that he cannot have ANY alcohol for 6 months and has to keep his sodium at 1800mg or less daily. This is helping us both as the calories have decreased drastically! :laugh: I was doing all of his work and mine because he was so tired all the time. Today, he put up one of our antique clocks, stained the crown molding for our fireplace and finished the ceiling in our foyer closet, so he is definitely feeling better-thank goodness! WHEW!

    I do not blame Leslie at all for wanting to step back. Shoot, it is exactly what I did right? :blush: I do not pay for any streaming at all beyond Hulu. I have a ton of WAH DVDs and Leslie still has a lot of her walks on You Tube. When I need to change it up, Jessica Smith is the other one with lots of walk videos on You Tube. It was a good business for these ladies and I applaud them!

    Walk Strong! :bigsmile:

  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin
    9/1-3.1 miles
    9/2-2.6 miles :s
    9/3-3.8 miles
    9/4-3.0 miles
    9/5-2.0 miles
    9/6-1.7 miles
    9/7-1.4 miles
    9/8-1.8 miles
    9/9-2.0 miles

    I can see I am not doing very well with this "challenge!" We have spent a lot of time on the road this week and I think that might be part of it. Everything here is at least 35 minutes away, so all of DH's appointments mean at least 80 minutes of sitting. I am also doing a lot of sentimental paper, toys and memorabilia decluttering, which takes a lot of bandwidth, but does not require much moving around. No excuses, I need to step it up this week!! :wink:

    Walk Strong! :bigsmile:
  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    September Goals

    Miles Tracked: 36 / 75
    Apple challenge: Close all my rings 9 times.✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅

    This past Saturday I had a wedding 90min south but was able to close all my rings. I’ve missed 2 days of walk due to the wedding and then rain yesterday. Which is probably fine as I could use the rest.
    I’m still searching for new shoes. The 2 that I got from Amazon…1 wasn't wide enough and the other was wide enough but the tongue was cutting in to the top of my ankle.
    Id like to find some that is good not just for pavement but also trails.
  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    Fall air has settled in for the mornings in SW Michigan. Although they are saying we'll warm up for the 2nd half of the month. I think I'll be able to keep my outside walking going through the end of the month.
    The township park is almost done installing the Fitness Court so at the very least that will be ready for me in the spring. Has anyone else seen one of these courts? https://www.nationalfitnesscampaign.com/fitness-court
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin
    9/1-3.1 miles
    9/2-2.6 miles :s
    9/3-3.8 miles
    9/4-3.0 miles
    9/5-2.0 miles
    9/6-1.7 miles
    9/7-1.4 miles
    9/8-1.8 miles
    9/9-2.0 miles
    9/10-1.6 miles
    9/11-3.7 miles
    9/12-1.8 miles
    9/13-2.5 miles
    9/14-2.1 miles
    9/15-2.2 miles
    9/16-2.7 miles
    917-1.6 miles

    Fall has definitely arrived in the north country! It was 40F two mornings in a row this week. :smile: The humming birds said, "We are outta here" and left! :laugh: The leaves are turning and the conifers are lightening up. I LOVE fall! I have always looked at September 1 as the New Year rather than January 1. Even when I was out of school and had non-academic jobs, I always made my major life changes and jobs shifts in the fall.

    I looked up those Fitness Courts @Deeder522 and they are all over New York State, except in the north country (of course)! My sister was familiar with them as a couple were built close to where she lives. Next time we visit her, we are going to check them out.

    Shoes especially for walking, are so hard to find. I LOVE Reebok Walk Ultras. I found them at the Birch Run outlet store in 2012 and I have stayed with them ever since. I order them right from Reebok now. Over the years, they have changed them a little here and there, but for the most part, they always fit and feel great. If Reebok ever makes noises about discontinuing them, I will buy enough pairs for the rest of my life! :laugh:

    I hope Mary is OK as she has been very quiet this month.


  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    September Goals

    Miles Tracked: 59 / 75
    Apple challenge: Close all my rings 9 times.✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅

    I took this past Saturday as a rest day for my feet. Sunday night the gloomy skies finally cleared out for a little sun. This morning's walk felt a little chilly in 48 degrees but I managed to walk just a little extra.

    @zichab I'll have to look those Reeboks up. I hope I can find something soon as this older pair are starting to make my feet ache. 😣 How's Dennis doing?

    It's been so quiet in here for so many months.😔 @texasgardnr usually pops in at the start and end of each month to check-in.

    Tomorrow is our 14th Wedding Anniversary. I was hoping it was going to be nice and sunny so we could go on a walk together but the weather doesn't seem to be playing in my favor.
  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    I took yesterday off from walking. Tuesday morning I did my normal morning walk and then Ry and I went for an anniversary walk in a local park trail system. Wednesday I was feeling every step. 😆
    Today I had a very in-depth Chiropractic visit, so I feel a little charged up tonight. 😁
  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin
    9/1-3.1 miles
    9/2-2.6 miles :s
    9/3-3.8 miles
    9/4-3.0 miles
    9/5-2.0 miles
    9/6-1.7 miles
    9/7-1.4 miles
    9/8-1.8 miles
    9/9-2.0 miles
    9/10-1.6 miles
    9/11-3.7 miles
    9/12-1.8 miles
    9/13-2.5 miles
    9/14-2.1 miles
    9/15-2.2 miles
    9/16-2.7 miles
    9/17-1.6 miles
    9/18-3.4 miles
    9/19-1.9 miles
    9/20-3.3 miles
    9/21-2.8 miles
    9/22-2.3 miles
    9/23-2.2 miles
    9/24-2.9 miles

    Dennis is doing very well @Deeder522. Thanks for asking. We are not sure he is out of the woods yet when it comes to needing a pacemaker, but it is not life threatening. He has some dizzy spells every now and then and he has spells where he mouth breaths even though he is not exerting at all. These can be signs that his heart is beating a bit slow. He had a stress test and another echo-cardiogram last week, but his Cardio-rehab Professionals say his heart is performing perfectly during exercise and at rest when he is there, so it could just be he needs his BP meds adjusted. He sees his cardiologist in a couple of weeks, but he feels great and wants his knee replacements, which is what started this whole chain of events in the first place! :relaxed:

    Congratulations on your 14th wedding anniversary!!!! Isn't it amazing how fast the time goes by? An anniversary walks sounds like a lovely way to commemorate your life together. :heart:

    I know that Under Armor tends to wreck everything it touches, but I think we are also suffering from Leslie's retirement as well. It is hard to connect with all these younger, buff people that run her program now and many people who were here were Leslie fans. It would be nice to know where everyone went though so we could all go too! :laugh: It is quiet so it is good to know @texasgardnr's check in schedule. I am trying to check in at least once a week to stay accountable. So far, so good! :smile:

  • Deeder522
    Deeder522 Posts: 1,139 Member
    September Goals

    Miles Tracked: 77 / 75
    Apple challenge: Close all my rings 9 times.✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅

    Even though I took a few rest days, I've met my mileage goal.
    The Fitness Court is finished and ready for use at the local park. I took my Dad over there to see it as well. I look forward to incorporating it after the new year. 😊

    So many fitness instructors have moved over to platforms that you have to pay for. Jessica Smith launched hers this year for $200 I think. I saw so many so many complaints about the platform that Leslie started out with that I wasn't interested in it. Even Jenny Ford launched her own for $80 a year.
    I plan on keeping on my own with YouTube and DVDs that I have or can find to purchase.
  • texasgardnr
    texasgardnr Posts: 2,617 Member
    edited October 2023
    @Deeder522 Good for you in completing the Apple challenge by closing all your rings 9 times, as well as meeting/ exceeding your mileage goal! Well done👏👟.
    Thanks for the information about liquids before lunch. I kind of do that as I eat a very late breakfast usually, not for any special reason... just what most often happens. so I drink my green tea or water until the hungry feeling hits me.
    Wow!!! the Fitness Court that is being installed in your area seems really well thought out indeed. Let us know about how you make use of it over time and how you like it!! Thank you for the link about it!
    I will have to check on if there are any nearby me. Some of our parks or libraries have some trails and fitness areas, but nothing like what I read about. That is so cool that you will have that for your area.
    I hope that you find new walking shoes that work well for you!
    Happy 14th Wedding Anniversary this month!

    @zichab wow!, What an emotional roller-coaster you are on with Dennis's heart issues and also the unexpected surgery to put a stent in. Hopefully for now, maybe it will only be adjusting his BP meds to control any additional symptoms that come up. I hope that soon he will be allowed to get knee replacements done also. Yay! he is showing improvement and doing projects around the house! That is a very good sign for sure!
    That was wonderful for you that you got to see all of your children and grandchildren! What delightful times that must have been!!

    Ok, here is what went on during September for me:

    Every day this month, except for Sundays (my planned rest day), I've been doing purposeful extra walking indoors, either in the house or at the grocery store (I walk all of the aisles, one or more times depending on which store I am in, whether I need something there or not). I also have been coming up with little ways to increase my steps each day like taking one towel out of the dryer at a time and walking it to where the clean towels are kept, or I take one item at a time off the clothes line to put into the clothes basket that I left on the porch instead of taking with me to the line.
    This year I have been using a very simple little step counter that clips in a pocket, to encourage me to walk more steps during the day. I record steps as well as my activity in my exercise calendar book.
    This month I have been getting back to being able to do more housework and decluttering again since I have been feeling physically better finally. And the best news is that the brain fog is mostly gone! I am hardly ever double checking on everything to make sure I'm not forgetting or messing up on something, especially paperwork!

    Whenever autumn temperatures actually come here I look forward to walking as well as yard/ garden work outside again.

    I haven't purposely stopped posting more often here, but especially since January when I got Covid, I have had a hard time remembering to make time to post more often. I have thought about posting once a week then completely forget to until I realize that it is the end of the month 🤔📆. I will try harder to come here more often. I actually miss being here.

    texasgardnr, 🌺🦋🌷


  • zichab
    zichab Posts: 1,494 Member
    September Challenge: 3 miles/day on my Garmin
    9/1-3.1 miles
    9/2-2.6 miles :s
    9/3-3.8 miles
    9/4-3.0 miles
    9/5-2.0 miles
    9/6-1.7 miles
    9/7-1.4 miles
    9/8-1.8 miles
    9/9-2.0 miles
    9/10-1.6 miles
    9/11-3.7 miles
    9/12-1.8 miles
    9/13-2.5 miles
    9/14-2.1 miles
    9/15-2.2 miles
    9/16-2.7 miles
    9/17-1.6 miles
    9/18-3.4 miles
    9/19-1.9 miles
    9/20-3.3 miles
    9/21-2.8 miles
    9/22-2.3 miles
    9/23-2.2 miles
    9/24-2.9 miles
    9/25-2.3 miles
    9/26-2.7 miles
    9/27-2.1 miles
    9/28-2.2 miles
    9/29-2.6 miles
    9/30-3.4 miles

    UGH! I am not going to get back in shape at this pace. I only met my 3 mile goal 7 of of 30 days this month!! That is only 23.3%! Geez not even 1/4!!! :cry: Obviously, I need to change it up and I am going to try something different. Every day, Garmin gives me a step goal and I usually just ignore it as I prefer miles. BUT, this month, I am going to try to beat the step goal every day that Garmin assigns! Since it is a different challenge, it might motivate me more to get moving more than 23% of the month? We'll see!

    Oh my gosh @Deeder522 ! Jessica smith wants $200???? To watch her walk in her living room????? In front of her fireplace????? With Peanut?????? :noway: I'm sorry, she's going to have to come to my house and walk in front of my fireplace next to my battery operated cat (I don't have any live ones at the moment since Orion passed) if she wants $200!!!! I am beginning to think that money has become much more important than any commitment these folks have to fitness. This is a Charlie Brown "Good Grief" moment!!

    I see MI is predicted to be in the mid 80s next week! YIKES!!! We are supposed to hit 82F on Tuesday, but we'll see if we make it. Still, high 70s is way beyond the norm here for October. We are taking advantage of it though and getting all of our wood split and stacked for winter. It is an awful job once it gets cold.

    I am so glad you are feeling so much better @texasgardnr ! You have given me some great ideas for increasing my steps for this month's challenge. I never thought of deliberately doing things to create more steps. I usually try to do 10 things at once to decrease my steps! :laugh: I'm a type A so it is going to be a real challenge to do one thing at a time!

    Does the decluttering every end???? :neutral: I feel like I left almost 50% of my house in MI when we moved and have donated 50% of this house to the local thrift shop here!!! Even so, I fill a huge box every month with things we no longer need or use. Some of it is toys that the grandchildren have outgrown and I am no longer going to store, but a lot are things I used to use all the time and no longer do, like sugar bowls. Does anyone use sugar bowls anymore? We used to have one out every morning for our coffee and cereal and always for formal family dinners. Now everyone drinks black coffee or some kind of Starbucks concoction! I kept one on the off chance someone actually ever asks me for granulated sugar ... but I am not holding my breath! :smirk:

    I think we all miss posting here @texasgardnr and all the folks whose lives we kept up with as a result. I was a little worried about you because I know how bad long term COVID can be. It is just good to know you are on the mend and getting back to life as you knew it!

    See you both in October! :bigsmile: