| In early March of 2007 we were finishing up a | | | | the two year anniversary of that first workout. |
| very stressful project in North Carolina. My team | | | | The streak continues despite some minor illnesses |
| had two months to get a very complex system | | | | along the way and one badly separated shoulder. |
| up and running and it took all of our concentration | | | | The point of this article then is to suggest that |
| and traveling back and forth between Pittsburgh | | | | you start your own streak. To us, the hardest |
| and North Carolina on a weekly basis to make it | | | | thing about exercise programs is keeping up with |
| happen. | | | | them. You start, full of good intentions but get |
| During those two months I was eating badly, | | | | bored, busy, tired or whatever and pretty soon |
| eating late and not getting the exercise that I | | | | you are back to square one. With the streak |
| should have. For some background I'm in my late | | | | method your motivation is there when you wake |
| 40's and have exercised at least semi-regularly | | | | up in the morning. You can have fun with the |
| for most of my adult life. I have always been | | | | streak I keep track of my in an Excel |
| active and enjoy a variety of activities from | | | | spreadsheet that I update with the date, streak |
| hiking to biking, kayaking to running, softball to | | | | day, activity type and duration of the effort. |
| volleyball. Still with the stress of the project and a | | | | It's a very simple system that doesn't promise |
| less than uniform daily schedule (early morning | | | | you'll lose 50 pounds in 10 days but I believe it is a |
| starts, late night finishes) I simply couldn't find the | | | | very healthy, realistic way to get in better shape |
| motivation to exercise. | | | | both physically and emotionally. You'll feel proud of |
| That is a big problem for me because the less I | | | | your streak and even more proud when your |
| exercise the worse I feel emotionally if not | | | | friends and family learn of it. It's not for everyone |
| physically. After a winter of sloth I was about to | | | | yet everyone can do it. All it takes is that first |
| go out of my mind when an idea suddenly hit me | | | | step and the willingness to take the next step |
| will I was showering (I seem to get my best | | | | tomorrow and the third step the day after |
| ideas in the shower). I would exercise for the | | | | tomorrow. |
| next 30 days in a row no matter what. The rules | | | | The streak methodology doesn't demand that |
| were that I had to do something for a minimum | | | | you spend hours at the gym or in the pool or on |
| of 20 minutes each day. I figured if I met this | | | | the track. Trust me, if you do the minimum |
| rather modest goal that I would at least be 'on | | | | every day you'll be better off than 90% of the |
| my way back' fitness wise by the time softball | | | | people in the U.S. I frequently do more than the |
| season arrived. Well 30 days later I had indeed | | | | minimum using those 20 minute efforts as almost |
| met my goal, I had either run, walked, biked, | | | | 'rest' days to allow my body to recover from |
| hiked, lifted weights or done something active | | | | harder efforts. |
| each and every day. The only problem was | | | | The 'Streak' method also benefits from enabling |
| softball season hadn't started so due to inclement | | | | you do to a variety of different activities. This |
| weather so I kept on exercise daily. We ended up | | | | isn't about how wonderful swimming, or running, |
| experiencing 3 weeks of rain outs which added | | | | or cycling, or walking is as an exercise program. |
| another 21 days or so to my consecutive | | | | We believe that a key to maintaining and keeping |
| workouts. At that point I decided on another goal, | | | | up with an exercise program requires the ability |
| I would try to keep up the consecutive string for | | | | to vary your workouts. If all you do is run, |
| 1 year. I knew that it would be a stretch goal but | | | | eventually you are going to get bored running, |
| I did it! | | | | same thing with swimming or walking or |
| It is really hard to explain how motivated I | | | | whatever. With the Streak, you get up in the |
| became to not ending the streak. I would go to | | | | morning, evaluate your day and decide what |
| extraordinary lengths to insure I got my work out | | | | activity you feel like doing that day. That kind of |
| in and my daughter and girl friend even got | | | | latitude goes a long way towards aiding your |
| involved frequently asking me 'if I got my | | | | motivation. |
| workout in today'. After the year I thought about | | | | The streak has worked for us and we're excited |
| ending the streak but just couldn't bring myself to | | | | that it can work for everyone. Give it a try and |
| do it. It had done so much to keep me motivated | | | | let us know how the streak has improved your |
| and I was in much better shape. So the streak | | | | life. |
| continued, for another year this March I passed | | | | |