My Fitness Journey with FitBrit 2.0

It was past office time when the #FitBrit2.0 contest was announced on 13th January 2023, and the last date to sign up (and start the contest) was 15th January, which left me with just two days to make up my mind. The next day being a Saturday and a holiday for those of us working in the corporate office in Bangalore, gave me some space to contemplate on this opportunity to work on my fitness while getting to be a part of a ‘contest’ also.

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The #FitBrit contest was launched to get employees of #BritanniaIndustriesLimited across the country to pursue physical fitness, with prizes thrown in to add an element of fun. It was a simple?contest?where the participants had to do a physical activity like Walking, Running, or Cycling, and log those activities on #strava (an App that is used to track physical activity). Prize vouchers were given out to the top 10 in the country, (with prizes given out for certain other criteria also), based on the total distance and pace accomplished during the period of the contest. #FitBrit2.0 was for a period of two months.

There were 3 categories – Pro, Amateur and Beginner?– based on the distance and pace the participants committed to achieve.

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I have always liked walking and had started regular walking on a serious note after the doctor warned me of high cholesterol which she said could be tackled with brisk walking of half an hour daily or for at least 3 days a week. But this contest was a different ball game altogether. It required me to walk as much as I could in one hour, and daily, barring one compulsory off every week. Additionally, the rating would be on the pace of walking, so I knew I had to walk with a difference, if I had to come out with some decent rating at the end of two months.

I realised it would be exciting walking with my eyes on the pace (literally) and having someone monitor me (as we had to both register on #FitBrit and link to #strava). I loved the double accountability. With the prize angle factored in, it was like icing on a vegan cake, so without further delay, I signed up as Beginner, in the walking category ??

On the first day January 15th 2023, I went to a public park nearest to my home and walked my fastest, with the highest zeal I could muster, only to find that time had passed but my walk had not got registered on #strava because – I learnt later – I had failed to put Location on in the phone. Precious learning there. More failures (or errors) followed – I walked on a leave day (we were to walk only after office hours), once forgot to put #strava on, at times I unknowingly combined two walks over two different times of the day. ?

Soon, I got the hang of it and how. I ranked 6th among the top 10 in the Beginner category ??

The two months of walking were rewarding in more ways than one. I enjoyed the experiences on the road. Once seeing me walking REAL fast, a woman walking in the morning asked me whether I was going to some gym, as, like most, she thought only those going to gyms walk for health. I was so focussed on walking – and breathless too – I barely answered her but smiled to myself. I had some fun moments too. At another time, I had a cute street dog running in circles in excitement as I walked past him. Mostly, he thought I was in a competition with him. ?

I chose to walk in the mornings to avoid the busy traffic on the roads, and I am glad I did that. Being a nature lover, I realised these morning walks were God’s way of opening my eyes to beautiful mornings, at times rain-washed the previous night, which I would otherwise miss if I slept a little longer. A lot of observations around me gave me plenty of ideas for my writing projects. I got a whole hour to reflect on several things in the quietude of my mind. Prayers said on the move braced me to face the rest of the day with a new level of confidence. Each time I completed my morning walk and reached home, I felt so much more energized and grateful for being able to walk so much.

The contest ended on 15th March 2023, two months after it started, but I kept my paced walking going on. I had discovered a new high and was not going to let go of it any sooner. On April 8th we had to convene at a common place with other participants and replicate our performance over the previous two months. I walked with high spirits and new fitness levels – obviously it showed in my performance on that day. I clocked a little more than 7 Kms. for the hour, pleasantly surprising myself. The following map on #strava is an artwork to me!