I hear a lot about scale obsession but my obsession seems to be more with the pedometer. I keep my step goal a little low to ensure I always make it and have a certain number of steps I have to have every hour or I start wondering around.

Ok so maybe that does not sound to bad, moving is always a good thing right? Well yes. The truly bad part of this is that once I notice my steps are not where I think they should be I immediately start badgering myself, putting myself down because I am not moving.

Take this AM for example. It is raining (actually have rain falling) when I got up this morning, so my normal walk did not occur. I started feeling a bit down because I could not get out and walk. It is 5:30 AM and and still dark out – so putting on a rain coat and walking is probably not a good idea. It is hard enough for drivers to seem me on a clear day – but rainy and dark – Not a good idea.

SO I sit on the couch and kind of zone out – feeling down since my now daily walk is not going to happen. I have 125 steps so far this AM. ( I am usually close to 3000)

At a little after 6 AM my daughter (who has been up since 3 AM) comes up and wants to go to Starbucks. Ok - at least it will get me out of the house and moving a bit. - Here I am really proud of myself – I did not buy anything for myself at Starbucks – only a drink and chicken Panini for my daughter- not the best breakfast but it will work for her. When I got Oh joy I had about 350 steps.

About 7 am when it is time for me to log in and start work I have about 500 steps. I am really out of sorts and not patient as I need to be. The computers are running slow and nothing is going right.

So at a little before 8 AM the rain has stopped – I go out for my morning mile walk. I am finally over 3000 steps and my mood improves. I am able to put things in perspective and relax a bit.

Ok, so maybe my obsession is not so much with the pedometer as with the exercise. I feel a lot better after I have gotten out an moved a bit. Not a bad thing at all.