Kara, Designer

I've been a very competitive person since I was a kid; so I surprised myself when I didn't run out the door instantly trying to run up those miles on my new pedometer. It ended up being very good timing that my boyfriend and I moved to a new apartment. Not only did this include lots of packing, multiple trips back and forth, loading and unloading (imagine if this pedometer could count calorie burn!) but it also involved more mileage covered in Ikea than I think anyone I know could compete with :-) Those treks through the largest store I've ever seen still haven't ended, to my boyfriend's dismay. However, I don't think shopping, no matter how vigorous, counts as real exercise unfortunately. So this past weekend we went on a great hike. It was only 4 miles but it had an 850 ft. altitude gain in the first mile and a half... so it was good and strenuous. I think those miles are much more rewarding. Until the next hike, I will be going out of my way to take long-cuts and detours :-) It's really surprising the difference it makes when you put in a little extra effort.