Year of Adventures.... Sort Of

Looking back to the end of last year and beginning of this year, I didn't have much in the way of resolutions. I did, however, express one:  Try to have an adventure at least once a month. An adventure, defined loosely, was doing something I had never done before - something hard.  At least, hard for me.

How did I do?

I almost blew it right away.  In January, on the last day of the month, I went running on the mall, right from work. Pretty weak, I'd say, but it counts.  I did this a couple more times this year, but after my dog was cleared for exercise, I mostly have gone running with him.

February was Rocky liberation, and we celebrated with a hike in Greenbelt National Park. My first time to the park, and Rocky's first hike. It was splendid, and long enough to be really physically challenging for us both.

March was different. I did something social, and hard. I went to a "meetup group" - an event set up with an open invitation on the internet.  This was very hard for me, but actually I ended up doing a few of these this year. In March, I attended the Quantified Self group - the same group I gave my talk to in November. I also attended a Data Science DC group, where there was the author of Cool Infographics, something which I am very interested in.

In April, I did a "Meetup Group" hike, to see the cherry blossoms. It ended up with just a couple of us, but it was fun before work.  I also did the Detox Diet, (which I wrote about in May).  Not something I intend to repeat, but an interesting adventure, never-the-less.

May began the 5K circuit, starting with the Takoma Park 5K. It wasn't my first time, but it was the first race in two years, the first of the season, and I'm counting it as my adventure.

June, I went to the Congo with my family. Adventure enough for anyone.  Not your normal vacation destination. It was particularly good for me to be on a vacation where I could influence nothing, I was just along for the ride.

July was the Annapolis Women's 5K. My first race with a friend. Lots of fun.  I also did two other Meetup hikes, places I had never been before. I was not overwhelmed with the company, but it was good to get out and be at least a little bit social.

August was The Attack of the Killer Tree, and my first ride in an ambulance, my first metal stitches. Not an adventure I want to repeat, but it kept me from the Flee the British 5K I had been planning to run, so I have to count the ambulance ride as the adventure.

September I joined a new gym, and ventured out in public in workout clothes. Before then, I had only worn those clothes to my other, private gym, and only for the 6 am workout. Now, I'm strutting around running errands in my workout clothes downtown.

October was three adventures:  two 5ks and sailing on the Pride, as well as ER trip #2 from slicing off a piece of my thumb with a mandoline.

November was the last 5K race of the year, and my QS talk which was posted on the internets.

December - what have I got to show for the month? I'm doing new stuff at the gym - including bench pressing with the big weights! - and the rowing machine, and pull-ups.  I think that will have to count.  I don't want to count ER trip #3, the cardiac false alarm. I'm sorry I brought it up. Let's go back to the subject of planned adventures.

What will I plan for next year? I'm going to take a vacation to San Francisco for one, in June. I think I need more travel, will have to figure it out.  But I think I achieved my goal, overall, of pushing myself to new horizons this year. It is certainly NOT time to rest on my laurels, but instead move forward.

Excelsior!

Silly little goals

I've been trying to meet my step goals on the Jawbone every day (except for the days I blow it off completely because I'm so far from the end at night and it's raining and nasty out).  So last night, I checked it, estimated how far to walk the dog, and came in and got ready to go to bed. I finally checked it again just before climbing in -and I was 200 steps short!  So I decided to go for it-I strolled in a circuit around my kitchen, living room and office. The really amusing part was how the dog faithfully trailed after me every single step! I always hand him a treat after I climb into bed, and so he is especially velcro'd to me as I go through bedtime motions just so he doesn't accidently miss it. So about five minutes of the two of us strolling in a circle made the goal. The phone lit up and the goal bar did its little spectacular dance. 

I'm not at all sure 200 steps has any impact on my health. However, I think maintaining a baseline of activity does have an effect, and the little reinforcements from the phone encourage making the goal consistently.

Little Motivations

It's cold, it's dark, and there are special events every day. I need help getting moving. I like exercise, except for the getting-off-the-couch and the first-five-minutes parts. It takes a nudge to get me going.

Strategies I'm employing:

I have a dog!  He nudges, literally. And he is much better behaved (ie, sleeps more versus looking for something else to eat) if he is tired and not bored. I have a small part of my yard fenced, so I do NOT have to put on the leash and walk. But he really really likes it, and lets me know by inserting his nose between my hand and whatever I'm doing. So out we go.

I'm continuing with personal training, though now I have a new gym. It was good to change it up, and I like the more social scene at the big gym.I certainly would NOT have gone to the gym several times in the last couple of months, except that I have to pay if I simply no-show.  I am planning ahead and cancelling more often, though, on fairly flimsy excuses.  I know I work much harder for the trainer than I would for myself, but I need to get the trainer to push slightly less hard. I don't think she is used to working with old folks like me, and I know what my body is doing pretty well, so I will be speaking up some more.

Goals on my fitness tracker. This is silly and trivial, but it's part of what keeps me moving. I lowered my step goal to within reach, but not a slam-dunk:  9,000 steps a day. Now, the Jawbone app gives me kudos when I make it, and for making it several days in a row - a "streak". Getting that little message has kept me moving more. Last Friday, for example, I was less than half way there in the evening. I went out with the dog, in the dark and cold and light rain, and we took a circuitous walk through the neighborhood - two and a half miles, about 45 minutes. Without the quantitative goal, it would have been shorter. Without the dog, it wouldn't have happened (or else it would have been inside on the treadmill, I suppose, maybe with the ipad).

All those Norwegian genes in my body are expressing themselves by sending messages to every cell:  "Slow down and bulk up! Or else you won't make it to summer!".  I read recently a theory that depression is an adaptive mechanism, to get you through a cold, dark period with scarce food - there is an evolutionary advantage to wanting to lie in the dark and not move.  What makes us different from the animals is we so not have to behave the way our genes suggest. But it definitely takes more effort. It's good to have some immediate, little, nudges and feedback rather than have to rely on longer term, more abstract goals.