July Step Competition,

20,000 steps a day  was never too much for me, but I had never had that experience of walking that much every single day. Sometimes I walked even more, and sometimes I didn't walk at all. But during competition month, there were a single day when I scored less than 12,000 steps. One day I even made 37,000 steps, according to the app that we used for the competition. My fitness watch counted even more than that. The first two weeks of competition were a struggle not because of the steps themselves, but because of my job. My boss gave me 10-15 kg of papers to deliver. Sometimes I had to carry that heavy weight for 12 hours! Sometimes I didn't have time for lunch. I lost 3 kg, and for my weight, that was a lot. But I didn't want to quit the competition just because of my job became phisically hard. It was my first experience of participating in something that I truly love doing. I decided I wouldn't let the changes in my working conditions ruin my competition experience.

From that moment,  I start building new relationship with my body and with how I treat it. Nutrition became more important than ever before because I couldn't let myself lose more weight, and I needed enough energy for the competition. I found something that works best for me and my lifestyle- smoothies! They're fast, easy to make, and I can drink them even when I don't feel hunrgy. I also tracked how much protein I ate, and made sure I drank enough water. I bought luggage so I could stop carrying heavy papers on my back and reduce the load on it. I put on knee sleeves to protect my knees when I had to work long hours with heavy weight.

I feel so proud of myself  that for winning this competition. And that victory gave me much more than just a prize. It gave me new understanding of my physical abilities, made me feel so young and stong, and helped me to build more trust with my body. And a the nutrition habits I build during competition fit my lifestyle much better and give me even more energy! It also gave me new feeling of self-worth. I will not accept carrying 15 kg + and working overtime for weeks anymore. My standards have shifted. And with the end of this competition, a new chapter of my life began. 20K steps didn't change me nearly as much as everything I had to learn in order to keep doing them. I realized that 20K steps isn't something that everyone does so naturally and easily. It can be hard work for some! It was hard work for me when I had 15 kg of weight to carry for 12 hours. I had to slow down, stop running, and rest whenever possible. And when I did, I realized how much difference my usual walking speed actually makes. I stopped taking my activities for granted. I realized how much work my body does to make it feel like it's not a big deal. My light weekend walks usually change something about my life a little bit. I come back feeling fresh and full of new energy. This entire month of steps brought much more change than I expected. I learned to appreciate time off and rest. I took my first vacation in three years!