Day 24
With a work training day on the schedule I managed to get a lift in to the office, meaning minimal steps were achieved before 11. With a short 10 minute break being granted, I challenged myself to a Greggs run, squeezing in a thousand or so steps, as well as a sausage bap and a cake...
With lunch being turned in to a team bonding event at the pub, rather than a walk, I was hugely lacking in steps by the end of the working day. I was however weirdly hyperactive, so a couple of us headed for a drink and game of pool. In true penny pinching style, we managed to long out one game of pool for 45 minutes (which was of course all about embracing our time at the table and not because we were all too rubbish to pot anything).
In case you were wondering though, I did eventually win...
End of day step total: 8,706
Day 25
Hockey day, a mid morning home game against one of the lower league teams. After getting a goal early on, I was eager for the team to get more as currently goal difference is a key difference between whose second place in the league, all the way through to about sixth.
With some beautiful passing play from the whole team, one-two runs and triangles being utilised by the mids and forwards, we got another goal before half time and a third slightly after. With ten minutes to go the game was all attacking, I had already hit the inside post on two different shots, and after excitedly hitting a third in a few minutes I could see it was just missing the back post. With my fellow forward in position, I literally jumped up and down on the spot shouting for her to hit it in the goal (which she later took some flack for as everyone else on the pitch thought she had just stolen my goal...)
Ending on a 4-0 win, we had vegetable curry for teas - I can't be the only one looking forward to the end of Veganuary - meaning I then spent half an hour walking around Asda on the way home trying to find food as I was still starving.
End of day step total: 15,420
Day 26
After a reasonable lay-in and slight disappointment that the football game hadn't been cancelled, I layered up and headed to out. With the team still not yet achieving a win this season, everyone was hopeful to play the team currently sitting above us. We had a full squad, which has been the biggest issue since the start of the season, and most of the girls were high in energy. After 90 minutes of the wind trying to blow me away, but the quicksand mud I was attempting to move in holding me firmly to the ground, we ended the game in an incredibly frustrating 3-3 draw.
Atleast the pub we ended up in after the game had heating, so the day wasn't a complete write off.
End of day step total: 14,041
Day 27
Apparently I did get a weekend, the blog told me so.
Back to work, back to the pre-germ routine, early morning walk in to the office, another lunch break spent running between Poke'stops and a fast paced stroll back to the car at the end of the day in the hopes I don't get mugged...
So for anyone that's been following the blog, you may remember I set myself a couple of different challenges for RED Jan. The first was my 10,00 a day steps, which I have rambled on about continuously since day 1, and the second, which I've conveniently swept under the rug until now, was to try new activities. So today was the day!
After a weekend of pushing my body hard during sport it would make sense for me to try something lighter, and also less intimidating to ease myself in to the challenge of new and scary activities. Maybe something I would expect to be good at because of my team sports, not something I had adamantly said I did not want to do as I'm embarrassingly bad at moving my body - That's right - I picked African style dancing...
Azonto Fitness runs every Monday night from 7-8pm at the Shephall Community Centre, and is well worth a go! After panicking the entire evening about attending and making a fool of myself, the leader was incredibly friendly and the regulars were so welcoming. With all of the steps being broken down, even I could keep up with the routine (only nearly falling over my feet a couple of times). By the end of the session my legs were burning, I had used muscles I didn't know existed and had a big smile on my face.
So for everyone's amusement - Here's me attempting to dance:
End of day step total: 17,431