The Psychology of 10K

Have you ever seen one of those ads featuring a product that can change the oil in your car while baking a loaf of bread simultaneously allowing you to automatically check two items off your to do list on a Saturday morning?  While this may be quite an embellishment in real life, how many times have you watched an infomercial and been left with no clue as to the product being advertised, much less what you might do with it or when you could possibly put it to use?

Let’s rewind the tape to early 2007 when a circuit board in a wooden box helped to launch what grew to be a $4 billion company.  Like any other finished product on the market, it may not work for everyone, but fortunately, I have found it to be a tremendous help to me.

Christmas Day 2015 I received a gift card, so I decided to purchase my own step recording device. Prior to this, I had never really paid much attention to how many steps I would have walked on any given day.

The benefits of walking only thirty minutes per day have been touted by medical care providers, health care institutions, insurance companies, sports enthusiasts, athletes, nutritionists, and the list goes on by the hour.

I would like to list just a few of the advantages of planning to hit the dusty trail, sidewalk, asphalt, dirt road, green belt, or path of your choice:

• Weight loss
• Increases bone density which is a challenge for aging women
• Lowers risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure
• Absorbing your 15 minutes of outdoor Vitamin D
• Releases your body’s endorphins so you can be a Happy Camper
• Improves your coordination and balance
• Boosts circulation and oxygen supply
• Strengthens your muscles
• Helps to prevent dementia
• If you are unable to afford a gym membership or have health issues such as a suppressed immune system which prevent you from attending the health club, walking is free!
• You can enjoy the scenery and critters along the way

Having owned my new wrist apparel now for just a short three months, a major surprise has been the psychological aspect of it.  One definition of psychology is the mental and emotional factors of governing a situation or activity.  I am much more cognizant of my daily steps with an increased effort toward trying to achieve at least the number featured in the above photo.

I received a telephone call from one of my relatives a few weeks ago.  About five minutes into the conversation, it sounded like he had entered a tunnel.  When inquiring as to his whereabouts and what he was doing, he responded, “I am walking inside a large store. I need to get my 10K steps in today!”  Alas, he’s dialed into the psychological factor as well.

What was the most challenging aspect of this whole exercise?  It’s probably not what you thought it might be. Stopping in the middle of our living room when the device registered 10K to capture the picture was more difficult than one might imagine!

Happy Reading & Walk On!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

                                        

Real Women ~ Real Answers: Are You Following An Illusion?

ARE YOU FOLLOWING AN ILLUSION?

My Monday commenced with a brisk early walk under a waning moonlit canopy of black velvet sprinkled with innumerable stars that glistened as diamonds in the sky.

As I continued on my way, I heard a strange noise behind me.  It took me a couple of minutes to discern that it was the tinkling of a bell.  In the pitch darkness, I attempted to locate the sound since it was quite foreign and intriguing so early in the morning.

I turned around several times trying to determine the source to no avail.  Suddenly, I spotted an object behind me and to my right.  When pivoting to the side, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a feline sporting a bell tied around its neck!  It lunged toward me, then backed off, and continued this pattern for a short while.

Considering that cats are often independent creatures and not all of them happen to be friendly to strangers, I did think it a tad strange that this particular one was following me so closely.  Suddenly, the reason became obvious.

The bottom of my walking stick must have resembled a mouse, of sorts, to this cat!  Ergo, perhaps it thought it might be able to score an early breakfast.  Actually, since I am no Felis catus expert, I am only conjecturing as to what might have been flitting through the cat’s mind.  My assumption is based upon its actions at the time.

Thank you for granting me some grace in the area of artistic design.  Obviously, from the picture above, my talents lie elsewhere.  Some days, it seems as though I am still looking for them . . .  But, I am quite confident that you can at least get the gist of my story.  I am quite elated, however, because I have progressed from simple stick figures to some pictures that closely resemble a cat and a mouse.

The kitty-kitty continued to follow me for the next several minutes and departed as abruptly as it had appeared.

There are times when nature can be a valuable teacher, and I deem this one no exception.  It begs the question, “Are you following an illusion?”

Just exactly what is an illusion?  It is something that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses.  It is also a deceptive appearance or impression, false idea or belief.  Since we have five senses, this increases the probability of wrong perceptions, deceptions, and false beliefs.

In my real life happening, the cat thought it was following a mouse or other object in which it was keenly interested.  It’s obvious that when it got close enough to the bottom end of my walking stick, it realized it was not a standard menu item, and lost interest.  But from a distance, the constant movement of the black padded object moving along the asphalt might have appeared to be a mouse or edible object.

Without getting too far off in the weeds with my little story, cats have a wider field view of 200 degrees compared to that of a human’s 180 degree view.  Their eyes have six to eight times more rod cells which are more sensitive to low light which help them to sense motion in the dark.  Also, a cat’s elliptical eye shape and larger corneas and tapetum help to garner more light.  Humans have the eye edge in the areas of the retina, motion detection in light, eye cones, etc.  The creator’s design is perfect for each species.

There are times in life when not everything is at it appears.  It’s when we get up real close and personal, so to speak, and do some examining and investigating of our own, that we can make a correct judgment.  Sometimes this requires removing the “rose colored glasses” as those have a real tendency to distort reality.

This little Monday morning experience has stirred my spirit to examine the subject of illusions in my own world.  There is one area, however, that is of utmost importance which is the spiritual one.  In the 24th chapter of Matthew, Jesus’ disciples came to him privately inquiring as to the signs of the times.  Verse 4 of that chapter reads, “And Jesus answered and said to them [the disciples], ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.’”

I would encourage you to study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to arm yourself with the whole counsel of God.  Truth can and will defend itself.  Within the pages of the most important book ever written, we can discern truth from falsehood and empower ourselves as women to fulfill the entirety of what God has called us to be and to do.  As we walk out our lives, I am beyond confident that all of us can hear those “warning” bells when applicable.

Happy Reading as you discern those illusions in your life!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram