Every morning Jessica Slaughter walks back and forth in her one bedroom apartment. She doesn’t stop until she has 3,000 steps on her Fitbit. Jessica is 87 years old!

More than a decade ago, a doctor told Jessica she was on the verge of becoming a diabetic. She had struggled with her weight her whole life. Even though Jessica was teased in school, and for decades knew she needed to lose weight, she didn’t know how.

Her diet consisted of fried foods, bacon, eggs, and lots of desserts. And, she didn’t move much. But, that doctor’s appointment was a game changer for Jessica. Something clicked and she knew changes needed to be made.

After talking with a friend, Jessica decided to stop eating meat. She also knew she had to move more, but she didn’t want to join a gym. So, Jessica started walking in her small apartment. Back and forth between the kitchen and bedroom.

At first, Jessica’s goal was time based. It was her granddaughter who suggested she get a Fitbit. She did and her goal became 3,000 steps.

Jessica is also a great example of someone who first established a fitness habit that eventually led to fitness momentum. Those early days, more than ten years ago, were hard.

Imagine the difficulty of walking back and forth in a tiny apartment. But, Jessica kept showing up. Every day, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. As Jessica gained some fitness and lost some weight she started building momentum.

Fitness momentum eventually leads to fitness transformation. That’s where Jessica is today at age 87. She lost 120 pounds and she’s no longer pre-diabetic. In fact, her doctor says Jessica is now healthier than he is! And, she still puts in her 3,000 steps each morning.

Every fitness transformation requires two decisions. The first decision is to start. The second decision is to keep going.

What if Jessica NEVER started? What if she thought it was too hard or was afraid she would fail again? Thankfully, Jessica made the first decision to start.

The second decision needs to be made every day. That’s the decision to keep going. What if Jessica thought her walking back and forth wasn’t working? What if Jessica thought it wasn’t fun and she’d rather sit and watch TV? She might have thought both of those things, but when she did she still decided to keep going.

If you’re doing The 30 Day New Year Fitness Challenge you’ve already made the first decision to start. Today you need to make the decision AGAIN to keep going even if it feels like it’s not working or there’s something more fun you’d rather do.

I’m certain the 87 year old Jessica is grateful to the 75 year old Jessica for getting started and for deciding every day to keep going even when she didn’t feel like it.

Likewise, your future self will also be grateful to your current self for making those same two decisions.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

If you don’t have a daily step goal, I want to challenge you to give it a try. Not only will it improve your mood, it will also help you create a fitness habit. I call it The 30 Day Fitness Challenge. This free guide will walk you through how to get started. It’s very easy.

If you don’t have a Fitbit I recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is the Fitbit I use to track my 20,000 steps a day. The Inspire HR also tracks your heart rate and sleep so you get an even wider picture of your fitness progress.

(By the way…if you use the links in this article to make a purchase this blog will receive a small commission. It won’t add anything to what you pay, but letting you know is the right thing to do)

This blog is designed to help you embrace walking as a fitness activity. It’s sustainable, flexible, effective, and fun. Every week I post new articles with stories and helpful suggestions to Win at Fitness.

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