Walking Streak: 1,053 Days in a Row—and Counting
Laurie Phelan, who works in HR as a benefits data analyst, hasn’t missed a day of walking since June 28, 2020. Lacing up every day isn’t just about getting her steps in. It’s a way of life and part of her daily routine.
1,053 consecutive days, 12,248,725 steps and 5,338 miles.
If you walked in Laurie Phelan’s shoes every day for the past several years, this is how many steps and miles you would have logged on your fitness watch or app. Laurie has walked every day since June 28, 2020.
The HR benefits data analyst at Cape Cod Healthcare typically starts her day at 5:30 a.m. on the treadmill and walks 45 minutes to an hour—around 3 to 4 miles—while catching up on old crime shows such as “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds.” If she has time on her lunch hour and the weather is nice, she will add a second activity to her day, heading out from her 60 Park Street office down to Hyannis Harbor. She keeps track of all her activities and challenges on her Apple Watch. She typically walks four to six miles a day.
Since she has started her daily walking routine, Laurie has lost about 32 pounds (give or take a few). “Walking has become second nature to me,” says Laurie, during a two-mile loop around Hardings Beach and Stage Harbor Light in Chatham at the end of her workday. “I look forward to exercising.” Even during a 14-day road trip on a recent vacation, Laurie didn’t stray from her routine — she would wake up at 6 a.m. and hit the treadmill at the hotels’ fitness centers and also walk outside throughout the day.
Game-changer: Signing up for LiveWell challenges
Laurie, who turns 62 next month and will celebrate her 24th year with Cape Cod Healthcare in October, says she has always enjoyed exercising, but never did it consistently. So when the work-from-home order went into effect in March of 2020, it turned out to be a game-changer. The Chatham resident was determined to stay active and not gain weight while working at home. She bought a pair of Brooks sneakers and soon started participating in the challenges (both team and individual) through the LiveWell Employee Wellness Program. To date, she has completed nearly a dozen step challenges, some of which include completing 7,500 steps daily or 52,500 steps weekly for 21 days. As a reward for completing the LiveWell challenges, she has received Amazon and Visa gift cards.
“My most memorable challenge was earlier this year when I joined an individual (rather than a team) challenge. “It was for exercise minutes and was cumulative over the period of the challenge, about six weeks. I ended up earning fifth place, and I was pleased with the results,” says Laurie. She also participates in monthly challenges through Apple Fitness, which include completing 71 minutes of exercise daily for at least 14 days in the month. In addition to her solo activities and adventures, Laurie also enjoys going hiking with her husband on trails in Nickerson State Park in Brewster and Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham.
The best habits start with small, consistent wins
Her advice for people who want to start walking is to start small, half a mile at a time, and work your way up to more mileage. “There are so many benefits to walking besides losing weight. It’s also good for your heart and mental state.”
So what is Laurie’s secret to staying motivated after walking every day for more than three years?
“Now it’s just part of my life, a daily habit, but it also takes discipline,” says Laurie. “There are days that I don’t feel like getting on the treadmill, but I do it because I don’t want to break my streak. I think it’s important to set aside the time in a daily schedule. For me, it’s 5:30 a.m.
“Sometimes my husband teases me, you should take a day off, but I don’t want to now. I have to keep the streak going!”
