❤️ Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge training: Update #5

 Hi friends!

Yesterday i went for my second full walk and thankfully there were no dramas this time. 😀 

As i track the walk each time, the app doesn’t give me the amount of steps i have reached (which is the whole point) but if i can stay between 18 & 19 minutes pace, and make sure i walk about 10.5 miles it seems to be just over 20,000 steps! Yay!

  I have to hold my breath though when i hit finish and reveal the step count, as i don’t want it to be below the 20,000 mark. I know i could just record another one and add them together…But i’m trying to get it on 1 stat page. 💪🏼 

An Advent For Change…❤️
Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 250 miles!!

Please DONATE and help me smash my £1,000 target! 💪🏼 

 

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀 

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❤️ Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge training: Update #4 – “Ouch”

Yay i did it!! 😰

Hi friends! Yesterday i completed the whole 20,000 steps as my ‘Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge’ starts in only 21 days!

The accident and the AirPods…?

Woah, it doesn’t half make you jump when you hit a post…Especially when you’re blind and everything is so blurry or just vanishes! 🤕

As i walk i have only 1 AirPod in which plays my audiobook really low so i can hear my surroundings with my other ear. Also it plays the important announcements from my Fitbit app as the GPS is tracking me along my walk. So when i suddenly felt the cold hard post graze the side of my forehead then hit me square on the right shoulder that stopped me in my tracks…You could say it made me jump, lol!

⇧ Photo of the road i was walking down ⇧ 

As it didn’t knock me out, i kept on walking for about another ten steps until i realised…My book wasn’t playing. “Oh no” i said as i knew my AirPod had flown out of my ear and into the endless green mass at the side of the road. As my stomach dropped with the thought of me losing my AirPods on my first 20,000 step attempt, i pulled out my iPhone and turned on Voiceover (i can’t see to use the phone so Voiceover is fantastic for blind users).

I thought it was the sound of the traffic that was stopping me from hearing the voice through my phone speakers…Until i realised it would be still connected to the AirPod that was lost in the bushes! “Wait a minute” i did as i remembered i had the other AirPod in my pocket. Quickly i placed it in my ear and quickly launched ‘Find My’ app where i could hopefully play a sound through my AirPods. When i heard the radar like sound start quietly at first i quickly placed the AirPod from my ear back into the case, as i don’t want to be deaf too, lol. I heard nothing at first as the traffic was so loud…But then…I could hear the radar sound coming from the dirty, wet and deep brush. I used my homing skills until i was stood right next to it, then pushed my hand into what felt like one of those scenes from Indiana Jones with all of the bugs…And pulled out my AirPod! “No way” i said “I can’t believe i’ve found it”. 😀 

The stats of the challenge…

I always record my walks for this challenge as i don’t want the other steps i do throughout the day to be recorded as being part of my challenge…I think that’s cheating. So i’ve found a way to share with you guys my stats for my walk which i’ll post each day during my challenge (see stats image above). I like the way it separates my walk steps from my total steps. 😀 

I wonder what excitement the next walk will bring, lol! 🤣 

An Advent For Change…❤️
Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 250 miles!! 

 Please DONATE and help me smash my £1,000 target! 💪🏼 

 

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀 

❤️ Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge training: Update #3

Wow…That was hard…😰

Hi friends! Today i did about ⅔ of my total steps i need everyday for 24 days during my ‘Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge’ which starts in only 27 days! 

I’m happy i managed to walk for 2 hours without getting too mentally tired. The sun was so low and bright which gave me such a headache, as it took so much more concentration for me to focus on where i was going whilst not falling into the road etc. 😨

As i use a Fitbit Inspire HR that my lovely wife Sarah bought me for our wedding anniversary in July…All of the hills along my route are not counted or the stats page, and although this sounds like an excuse, lol it really does take it out of you! I’m planning on hitting the 20,000 steps mark very soon and i’m adjusting my food and liquid intake accordingly as i make small steps to conquer the challenge! 💪🏼

An Advent For Change…❤️

Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 250 miles!! 

Please DONATE and help me smash my £1,000 target! 💪🏼 

 

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀 

❤️ Blindman Advent For ChangeStep Challenge training: Update #2 – THANKS

 Wow…I only posted my challenge & fundraising page 2 weeks ago and i’ve already been blessed with 20 donations! 💪🏼 

I’d like to give a gargantuan amount of thanks to my Sister Ambber for her understanding, support and encouragement…Especially as she’s just been into hospital with severely high blood pressure! ❤️

A colossal thanks to Charis & Adam for their donation and relentless kindness. 😀 

A huge thanks to Dora for always believing i can do it…Whatever the challenge!  💪🏼 

A heart warming thanks to Christine for always being here to cheer me on! 

A massive thanks to Alan for completely silencing  me with a mind blowing donation that equates to £20 a day for 24 days!  

I’d like to give a huge thanks to Sheila for her support and encouragement. 💪🏼  

A massive thanks to Andrew & Jenny!  

 A colossal amount of thanks to Sarah A who just keeps on supporting me no matter what! 💪🏼 Is it too early to ask for her to take some photos with her stupendous camera skills? 🤣  

I’d like to give a huge thanks to Linda & Charlie for all of their support and encouragement. 💪🏼  

A powersliding thanks to Ben W who always turbocharges my challenges!! 🏎

I’d like to give a monumental amount of thanks to Anita & Mark for their relentless encouragement! With you guys cheering me on, i know i’ll smash it like at Tough Mudder! 💪🏼 

A huge thanks to Laurence for her kind donation & share! 💪🏼 

A mind-boggling amount of thanks to Ben & Rosie for their staggering display of kindness! 💪🏼 

I’d like to give a stupendous amount of thanks to Rachel K for her support and donation!

Finally…I’d like to give a monumental amount of thanks to 6 mysterious strangers for their kind, loving and supportive donations!  

 Thanks again (to all 20 sponsors) for this overwhelming encouragement towards me and towards powering up to know your numbers and help me to help others know theirs…Also helping me smashing my fundraising target of £1,000! Every £ helps! 💪🏼

Please Donate…And don’t forget to share and make everyone aware! ❤️ 😀  

❤️ Blindman Advent For Change Step Challenge training: Update #1

I asked my lovely wife Sarah to help guide me along a new route today. I thought (in my head) that it would be pretty straight forward and a nice addition to my scalextric type track which is a mile long…But it my help me not to get too bored keep going round and around! 🤣 

Although it would’ve been a ¼ of the daily length i need…Sarah didn’t like it though as there were just too many lamp posts and other obstacles along the way. I agreed as my headache was really strong as i struggled and concentrated too hard…So i’ll keep trying and calculating but there is only 1 calendar month to go!! 💪🏼 😀 

An Advent For Change…❤️

Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 250 miles!! 

Please DONATE and help me smash my £1,000 target! 💪🏼 

 

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀 

Yay -50lb Weight Loss Badge!

Yay another fitness goal smashed! Being lighter will help me on my stupendous advent walking challenge…And won’t wear out my new trainers as fast! 🤣 

💪🏼 Blindman 20,000 Steps, Every Day, For 24 Days This Advent Challenge!

An Advent For Change…❤️

Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 250 miles!! 💪🏼   

Hi friends!

I’ve chosen to raise funds this advent for Blood Pressure Uk. I want to help raise awareness of how vitally important it is that we all know what our blood pressure is and understand that we need to take action now to keep it at a healthy range and protect our hearts. I would love everyone who donates to me to “know their numbers!”. It will only take five minutes to get a check but could change everything and help you live much healthier and happier lives. 

When I was 24 (and fully sighted) I had two brain haemorrhages that burst my optic nerve and left me blind due to Grade 4 severe hypertensive retinopathy (caused by my high blood pressure, that I’ve since discovered is something my family suffers with). So I can’t stress enough how important it is to be aware of this creeping death! Please don’t be complacent about your blood pressure, and if your numbers are too high please do something about it. I know I was very lucky to survive this silent killer…But you might not be”.  

The Challenge…1st Dec – 24th Dec 2020… 

I found a safe local road about half a mile long, near my home, that could work as my walking route (and I can follow without guided help). I then thought it would be great for me to do an ‘advent positive pressure challenge’ …and i’d only have to do 20 laps every day! 🤣  So I quickly set up this fundraising page and created a challenge that would raise funds and generate awareness for this very important message! 💪🏼😀  

Then…It slowly dawned on me that this challenge will include walking nearly a half marathon a day for 24 days…Awww that’s going to hurt and take a lot of effort/strength/energy/discipline to complete. But before I had time to change my mind, i’d created this page and notified the charity…Please help me complete what feels like and impossible challenge, lol! 🤣  

I’m using my Fitbit to count the steps, and upload the screenshots  to keep you updated each day with my progress on here, and my other social media sites…

Follow me and my challenge and say hi! Facebook, Twitter  Share and make everyone aware…😀   

Blood Pressure UK… 

Blood Pressure UK, is the UK charity dedicated to lowering the nation’s blood pressure to prevent disability and death from stroke and heart disease. Our vision is that everyone will know their blood pressure numbers, and take steps to keep them healthy both now and in the future. Funds raised from events like this make a huge difference to the work we can do, helping us to offer advice and support to more people, preventing strokes and heart attacks. 

Know your numbers and help me to help others know theirs, thanks in advance – Steve. 

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….DONATE NOW 

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀