Health and Accountability – part 1

“If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.”
-Count Rugen, The Princess Bride

New Year’s goals for improved health and fitness are pretty common, and I am no different. Gym memberships skyrocket on January 2, only to return to normal levels by Valentine’s Day. Like most of America, I went back to the gym this month. After almost 3 months of not working out, my muscles are certainly complaining! My hope is to stick with it this time, past February, and even past the summer. And that is the reason for this post.

My dad was a bodybuilder, so I basically grew up in and around gyms. One year for high school I was homeschooled, and I needed a P.E. credit. A workout plan was developed, and I went to the gym 3 times a week with him. My credit hours were fulfilled, I was in great shape, and he gave me an A.
Things changed for me when I left home. Random parts of married life – birth control, pregnancies, just cooking dinners and not being on a college student diet, – coupled with my undying love for almost anything with sugar in it – brought weight gain. I’ve been to the gym on and off my entire adult life, and tried dozens of workout plans with varying degrees of consistency and success. I’ve tried to become a runner several times, and finally had to accept the fact running is not for me. In fact, if you ever see me running, you should run too, because it means something is chasing me. I even had a personal trainer for a few years. And still I’ve usually been around 30 lbs overweight, give or take 10 lbs or so.

My renewed resolve to once again try to get in shape is not a vanity project, or even wholly about weight loss. It is really important to me to be, and stay, healthy. After all, none of us are getting younger! Strength, flexibility, balance, and stamina all help prevent injury, and aid in quicker recovery when injuries do happen. They are also vital components of the tasks in my daily life. I need to able to carry heavy boxes, since we move several times a year. I need to be able to take things like groceries and laundry up and down flights of stairs, since our housing is often not on the first floor. I need to be able to climb into the Jeep, since with the lift and big tires, the step is 24 inches off the ground. And I need to be and stay healthy for our future plans and dreams. We might want to go hiking in New England, or climb the leaning tower of Pisa, or maybe go rafting in Alaska. I’m sure we’ll go back to Universal in the next year or so (they are opening the Harry Potter Ministry of Magic world soon!) and that means at least 20,000 steps a day. I want to continue to be able to do the things that I want to do, even if it’s as simple as getting up off the floor easily.

My goals for this year are to:

1. Reach my goal weight. I know – this is just a number on the scale. I’m not trying to get down to my high school weight or anything crazy like that. But having been up and down the scale so many times, I have a fair idea which number has me feeling healthy, strong, where my clothes fit, and I am comfortable in my skin.
2. Hike 20 miles. Not all at once-just this year! I love the idea of hiking, and I’d like to love the reality of it. I imagine this will be broken up into 6 or 7 hikes. That may seem pretty easy, but since I had major foot surgery last year there are still times when I can’t walk without thinking about it. An additional challenge will be finding locations – I don’t know yet where we’ll be living once we leave Ohio. My trusty AllTrails app will come in handy for this! I have the shoes, the backpack, the bear spray… I’m ready! I just have to make some plans and make it happen.
3. Do a set of 10 pushups (from my toes). I don’t know that I have a specific reason for this one – it would just be cool! A full pushup has always eluded me, at least as an adult, but then again, I haven’t put in the effort to make it happen. Now that I am into my 50’s, it seems like it would be a good way to show off.

So there you go, that’s me. I have no idea if this will be my year or not, and I feel a little vulnerable putting my struggles and ambitions out there. But I thought if I blog about it, that will give me a level of accountability I haven’t had before. It’s a lot different to post it in “the public square” than to just write it down in the Goals section of my planner or tell my husband about it. I will post some updates a few times throughout the year and let everyone know how it’s going. If you’re comfortable, I’d love to know what your health and fitness goals are for this year. Post it in the comments, and maybe we can encourage each other. As for me, I’m headed back to the gym tomorrow.
Until next time… shine bright, friends!