In November of 2012 I ran a half marathon. It was the culmination of more than a year of healthy living and a lot of exercise. The days following the half marathon were super painful. Every single muscle in my body ached. I was sore beyond belief. Since I was in so much pain, it made total sense not to run or walk for the first few weeks post half marathon. Weeks turned into months. And months turned into a year.

With each passing month and no exercise, my body was a big mess of pain. My arthritis has been flaring up making my back and legs hurt. My headaches have been back with a vengeance. And I've packed on some of those pounds I worked so hard to lose. I had to do something, but I didn't know what.

On February 15th I made a goal. Starting the next day I was going to walk, run or hike a mile a day. A mile a day, no matter what. A mile seems manageable. I can easily carve out 15 minutes each day to moving my body. So that's what I've been doing.

I'm now on day 12 of my challenge and I'm getting into a bit of a rhythm. Most days I go more than a mile, mostly because I have a little extra time and it feels good to get off my butt and move. I've bee trying to get outside for my exercise, and the sunshine on my face is magical. The simple truth is this: daily exercise keeps my grounded and keeps my crazy at bay. I've always know this, but for some reason I've struggle putting action to this knowledge.

For now, I have no end date for my challenge. I'm really trying to form a habit, so until it becomes less work and more of a natural instinct, I'm going to keep going. Plus, one of my 40 before 40 goals is to walk or run 400 miles before my birthday. This is helping me get there: step by step, mile by mile.

Wanna join me? Get out there and do a mile today and then post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #mileaday. You can also follow my progress on Instagram as well, I'm kimberlykalil over there.