Today is day one of saving who I want to be in the future. The path I’m currently on will lead me to mobility issues, obesity, health issues, and poor quality of life overall. I turned 50 last summer. I’ve done quite a bit in my life so far, but I have a lot more that I still want my future self to be able to do. Things that require me to be able to walk and move my body, breathe, carry things, etc. I’m not ready to sit back and wait for death to take me. I’m still worth fighting for.
So, today, I’m making the commitment to myself. As a reminder of my commitment, I’ve decided to wear a cheap ring I had lying around, on the same finger I used to wear my wedding ring. It’s something that can go with me anywhere, that I see often, and will help keep me faithful to the fact that I’ve pledged my life to ME (and my children, by taking care of their mother).
My first priority will be my physical health, because without that, nothing else matters.
Current stats:
Height: 152 cm (5 feet)
Current Weight (rounded off): 77 kg (170 lbs)
Goal Weight (rounded off): 55 kg (125 lbs) At my height, I could go down to 100 lbs and still be healthy, but I don’t plan on going below 115 lbs. My goal is not to be ripped, but to be healthy and have a full range of motion. I want to be able to lead an active outdoor lifestyle.
Challenges:
ADHD: makes it hard to start things and stick with them to the end. I don’t tolerate boredom well at all. Will have to find ways to keep things fresh and exciting.
Depression: robs me of my energy and motivation. More important than ever to take my medication faithfully and remember everything I have to be grateful for.
Anxiety: paralyses me. Makes me afraid to venture out or try something new. I need to remember that baby steps are more than acceptable. It doesn’t have to be all at once.
Knee pain: when I walk more than a few blocks at a time, my knee gets inflamed. The longer I walk, the more inflamed it gets, to the point where I can no longer put weight on that leg. Will look on YouTube for videos to help me do physio therapy on it. I’m borrowing my mom’s trekking poles to see if that extends the distance I can travel. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try crutches or something that allows me to continue travelling without putting weight on my knee. Might also try various types of knee braces. Taking breaks also helps.
Ankle pain: I sprained my ankle over a decade ago, but it still gets mad at me from time to time. I wear insoles to cushion the impact. Can also do physio on it. Plus I’ll need to make sure I wear proper shoes for whatever activity I’m doing.
Weak pelvic floor: I gave birth to two kids. Will need to start with low-impact exercise and kegels.
Cardio: My cardio-vascular system is embarrassingly out of shape. Will need to build that back up before my heart and lungs give up on me.
Budget: My budget right now is practically non-existent. To start, I need to rely on what I have and can do for free.
Milestones (in no particular order):
- Walk 1 km on paved path without pain.
- Walk 5 km on paved path without pain.
- Walk 1 km in a foot of snow
- Walk 5 km in snow shoes
- Inline Figure Roller Skating
- Ice Figure Skating
- Ride a peddle-assist e-bike 5 km
- Ride a peddle-assist e-bike 10 km
- Ride a peddle-assist e-bike 40 km
- Sprint 100 m
- Sprint 100 m on a beach
- Hike 1 km on uneven terrain without pain
- Hike 5 km on uneven terrain without pain
- Stand-up paddleboard
- Dance to a full song with high-energy choreography
- Waltzing
- Do 5 pull-ups
- Do a hand stand
- Do the yoga scorpion pose
- Do a proper cartwheel without hurting myself
I’m sure there will be more along the way, but this list is a damn good start.
Fitness for self-care
I’ve downloaded the LazyFit app. They have workouts I can do from bed. Allows me to ease into exercise without putting weight on my joints, and avoids all the ADHD resistance from getting up, getting dressed, etc. that regular exercise requires. Also gets me moving while I wait for the ice outside to melt. Until I can be active outdoors without worrying about slipping on a patch of ice and cracking my head open.
Later on, I’ll be using iPhone Fitness and Health apps to track the distances I walk, if I’ve taken my meds that day, etc. My distance goals will be determined by my Conqueror Virtual Challenges medals.
Conqueror Virtual Challenges
Years ago I took part in three Conqueror Virtual Challenges : The Camino de Santiago (772 km/480 mi), Cabot Trail (298 km/185 mi), and Everest (64 km/40 mi). I ran out of time, so I fudged the last two a little bit, so I could get the medals. I didn’t want to waste the money I had spent on signing up for the challenges. But now, I want to do them right. I want to walk 298 km for the Cabot Trail and I want to climb 64 km worth of stairs for the Everest one. I might do the Camino one again after that, see if I can do it in one year, instead of two. After that, maybe I’ll sign up for new ones.
What are the Conqueror Virtual Challenges? The website has dozens of challenges you can sign up for. Most of them are based on actual distances of places all over the world. But instead of travelling to the destination to walk on the real path, you do whatever exercise you want in your own town. Each kilometre worth of exercise you do (there are conversion charts for various activities) counts as a kilometre travelled along your virtual path. Once you complete the distance, you get a gorgeous, high-quality medal. Each challenge has its own, so you can collect them. Along your journey, you can see, on the map, where you’re “located” along the path of the challenge you have chosen. You also get postcards emailed to you and other incentives. Some challenges also plant trees in real life based on a minimum number of kilometres travelled. CLICK HERE to visit their website.
Food for self-care
Due to budget limitations, my calorie intake won’t be where it should be. I’ll have to make sure everything I eat is nutrient dense. More fruits and vegetables, fewer desserts.
Finances for self-care
My ultimate goal is to make this blog my source of income, so I can afford to buy a camper van and travel all over Canada. There are places in the USA that I want to see as well, like the Giant Sequoias, but not until the fascists have been removed from power and some semblance of sanity has returned to the country. In the meantime, there are PLENTY of cool places I can visit right here in my home country.
I also want to create some digital products I can sell. Things that have a minimal impact on the planet. I’ll probably get into affiliate marketing at some point too, but I’m not doing ads on my blog. I find them extremely annoying and I don’t want to do that to my readers.
Fun for self-care
I also have other activities I want to take part in, such as:
- Learn to play the piano. I don’t want to become a professional at it. I’m more interested in being able to use the piano to figure out the harmony parts to my favourite songs.
- Learn the basics of playing the viola
- Re-learn my clarinet so I can play jazz and movie soundtracks
- Buy a bunch more percussion instruments that I can hit with mallets
- Take up sewing again, so I can make the clothes I want to wear.
- Buy various cameras (Sony Alpha, Go Pro, Drone, Dash cam) plus photo editing software, and get more serious about my photography. I want to achieve professional quality in this area. I want to take National Geographic worthy photos. I’m already close.
- Do a whole lot more dancing (various types)
- Buy a heavy bag so I can beat the crap out of it and release frustrations
- Way more camping
- Many more road trips of varying distances
- Work with my hands (ie DIY projects)
Like I said, there’s still lots I want to accomplish and experience before my time on earth comes to an end. Will I get everything done? Who knows. All I know is that I don’t want to come to the end and look back to see that I wasted the precious gift that is my life. I want to know that I at least gave it my all. Even just striving get everything done will allow me to be the best version of myself and live a life less confined.
