One of the features that I recently discovered was the default “health” app, which combines with the pedometer app to keep track of my steps/mileage. I don’t believe the pedometer is completely accurate, but it’s close enough. What I immediately determined was that there were quite a few days when I just wasn’t getting off my butt. As a result, I set 10,000 steps per day as a goal.
That works out to be about 4-5 miles, and I frequently exceed that by quite a bit. The major benefit to me is that I no longer have very many days when I don’t get in the 10,000 steps. If it’s 3 pm., and I’m still “in the red”, I make every effort to get enough steps in to get “into the green” and make the confetti rain in the app. Kind of silly, I know, but the app keeps me from sedentary days, especially helpful when it’s wet or cold.
The main gun deer hunting season is over, so I am back at my regular hikes on the Ice Age Trail. Today, I ambled from the the Lodi Cannery property off Hwy 113 to the bluff overlooking the Lodi Marsh.
I don’t generally hike with a hiking stick or poles, but I change that up during the winter when the trail is snowy or icy. I use a pair of cross-country ski poles that I kept after giving up cross-country skiing. The poles definitely give me more of an upper body workout on the uphills and provide balance for moving more rapidly on the downhills.
Frankly, I love this time of year for hiking. There are so many positives. I rarely see anyone else hiking. No bugs. I don’t get too hot or cold. I burn lots of calories. Plus, cold air is so wonderful to breathe. There is a freshness to the air that one doesn’t encounter in the summer. The dry prairie winter colors are amazing to me.
