Thank you for taking the time to make it this far, and to read my little spiel about what I'm up to now!

I promise this won't take too long!

I've tried to keep this personal challenge as simple and as straightforward as possible.

I have decided to challenge myself (and my Garmin watch, which is doing all the tracking) to walk at least 10,000 steps every day for a year.

Sounds simple? Yes, in theory. Like many challenges which I have carried out in recent years, the difficulty is often more mental, rather than physical.

The act of walking 10,000 steps in a day is, very fortunately for myself, achievable by simply dedicating the time during my day - Although things like a sprained ankle, 30 degrees heat and hangovers make it a lot more challenging!

I think you would be surprised very surprised, however, how often things can appear to get in the way of carrying out what is a relatively straightforward task. I certainly am at times, and I sometimes look at my watch and think, is that it? Surely a walk to the shop is more steps than that!

Work, television, reading, mobile phones - Whilst none of these things are bad for us (in moderation) you probably would be suprised at how much time you spend doing these things, or would rather do these things, than actually getting out there and getting your 10,000 steps in.

I certainly have found it challenging at times over the past year to record 10,000 steps in a day, especially when you get sucked into general life, with some things taking over which are really no-where near as important as getting your body moving, getting some head space and keeping the show on the road.

At the time of writing, I am currently at day 320, so I thought that would give you a little encouragement that I am making it towards the end!

I am really looking forward to completing this challenge, which will be sometime in mid-August. Hopefully as well, you are able to sponsor me and my chose charity.

Centre 33 is a drop-in day centre in St Albans providing support for the homeless or socially disadvantaged. We provide a warm welcome, hot food and drink and clothes and a shower at no charge.

Volunteering at this shelter over the past year has given me a real insight into the homeless community and the challenges they face, and hopefully I can do my bit to help raise money for this very worthwhile cause.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully you can donate to this worthy cause.

Much love,

Reuel

x

And here's the blurb from JustGiving:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.