What’s a 10K-A-Day Challenge?

Glad you asked. A 10K-A-Day Challenge is simply this: Get in 10,000 steps every day for a month. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Well, I can say, it lived up to being a challenge indeed.

I like to call myself the Chief Steward over the Titus II Living brand since God gave me the name. As you can see, we have the Titus II Living blog and the Meet-Up, but we also have the Titus II Living Facebook group.

In March, I started the group and God gave me the idea for the 10,000 steps challenge and the Bible Reading challenge (read the entire Bible in a month). I introduced the challenges to the group and off we went!

Here Comes the Challenge

I was really excited that first week! It was the first group activity that involved people I knew and those I didn’t. It included people all over the United States (shoutout to my Reclaimed Story family in Arizona). I was really praising God!

The very first day, I went hiking at the Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs, GA. It was such an adventure. I had gotten my 10,000 steps done early in the day and was able to finish out with wonderful task completion. Daily check ins with the group was fun. Encouraging each other and celebrating each other was proving inspirational!

Then came week two….

I don’t know what happened. I was drinking water (I won’t say how much) but for some reason, my right ankle decided that getting in 10,000 steps was not something it had agreed to.

Carving out time to get the steps done was interesting to say the least. By week 3, I was finding myself doing late night laps (circles, circles, circles) around the front porch at 9, 10, 11pm.

NOT FUN!!

By the time the last week rolled around, there was a determination to finish strong and finish by 12 noon and finish while telling my right ankle to hush up!

All in all, I enjoyed the challenge. Matter of fact, we’re continuing the challenge monthly (or bi-monthly…we’ll see!)

Keep reading for the 10 things I learned while on this challenge!

10 Things I Learned…

1. Time is no excuse.

There were plenty of times when I could have said, “I don’t have time to get these steps in. I have too much to do”. But honestly, to say that would be a flat out lie. God reminded me that if I made the covenant to do this, I have the time to meet the goal. I could hear my Pastor (Overseer Thomas A. Pulliam, Sr.) saying in one of his messages, “You must keep the covenant. Don’t make a covenant you can’t keep”!

I just had to find the schedule that worked for me. What worked? To begin walking at 8AM and don’t stop until finished! What worked? Grab a book or the Bible and read while walking (no porch furniture was harmed during this practice).

2. God is your strength.

If I wasn’t reading while walking, I was praying while walking. I confessed while walking. I repented while walking. I praised God while walking. And I definitely asked for God to give me strength while walking.

Let’s face it, some days I just didn’t want to get the steps in. The idea of being the initiator of the challenge meant nothing during those moments where I preferred an alternative to the walking….sitting. However, I asked God to give me strength, not for me but for those who were counting on me to keep the covenant of 10,000 steps every day. And He truly answered my prayer.

3. No matter what, keep the covenant.

Again, some days I just didn’t want to. Some days, I didn’t feel like it. But on those days, I knew quitting was not an option. This wasn’t just physical, but this was also spiritual. I made a covenant. It was recorded in heaven that I made a covenant to get 10,000 steps a day for the month. Quitting was not an option. As my Pastor would say, “The covenant outweighs the occasion”. I had some serious stepping to do.

4. Join with the right accountability partners.

This lesson could be lengthy so I’ll just share what happened. On March 20th, I had a full day, a great day but full. I had been at church all day and by the time I had gotten home that evening, I only had about 3,000 steps. I was ready to go to bed and had absolutely no desire to complete the steps.

Well, my “walking buddy” texted to check on me. Once I let her know my status, on came the encouragement. But it was one thing she said that gripped my heart: “Ok but I’ll be up til I see your post, you have til 11:59”

See, I needed to know that even though she was way on the other side of town, she was going to stick in there with me until I finished. And I did finish!

5. Get out of your own head.

“I can’t get 10,000 steps today so I guess I’ll just wait til tomorrow”

“This is too hard”

“This is taking up too much of my time”

See, all those are just thoughts. Thoughts that don’t have to become realities. So, long story short…I had to get out of my own head and focus on the goal. Make sense?

6. Life and death does lie in the power of the tongue.

You can really talk yourself right out of a blessing. You can talk your way into completion. Choose life!

Did you expect more explanation than that?

7. It takes something to celebrate others.

Can you imagine what it’s like celebrating the completion of others for 31 days straight? Celebrating not just one, but 5? More than 5? Every time they post their completion?

When you look at it, it really takes a heart to want to see others win to be able to celebrate them everyday that they win. It wasn’t just about me, but about us. Let’s win together!

8. You never know who you are inspiring.

I received messages from those who let me know they were inspired by what we were doing. They started to commit to eating healthier, taking the stairs at work, cutting out bad food all because they were inspired by what we were doing. I’ll say this…live right, you never know who you are inspiring to Christ!

9. Eliminate complaints.

How can you see the beauty of nature when you’re focused on complaining? Some of the group members took beautiful photos of rainbows. Imagine missing a moment to capture a rainbow because you’re complaining about having to get in 10,000 steps and you don’t feel like it.

10. God must get the glory.

With each day that we completed, it became more and more of a reminder that God gets all the glory. He gave strength to complete each day. He gave grace to navigate through daily craziness. He gave encouragement when needed. He gave peace when needed. It took faith to complete each day of this challenge and for that we say, TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

So, the March 10K-A-Day is done but I pray you take these 10 things I learned and evaluate your life! And by all means, head over to The Titus II Living Facebook Group and check out what we’re doing! I’ll see you in the threads!

Titus II Living