Off to a Good Start!

 February 3, 2022

Several years ago, my sister got me a Fitbit for Christmas.  Once I got it and made 10,000 steps a day my goal, I was pretty faithful for a good long time.  It might have even been as many as two years where it was incredibly rare that I didn't hit my goal and if I didn't, it wasn't too far off the mark.  I walked late at night, in the rain or in the heat of summer.  I walked by myself or with my daughter or with my then-husband.  I walked when I was tired and I walked when I was sick.  Walk I did, though.  Every day.  But then I hit a rough patch--an understandable one.  After a diagnosis of cancer and the five surgeries that ensued, recovery took me off my schedule and out of my routine.  In between surgeries I'd heal and get back up to speed with my walking, but then I'd be out again for a time when I went in for the next surgery. I got out of the habit and the mindset of making that a priority.  And then I made excuses.  I was happy when I hit 10,000, but not too sad if my count was 7,000.  It was close enough.  At least it wasn't 2,000, right?  There were days when I didn't even wear my Fitbit, but there were even more days when I wore it but never once looked at it.  I knew I wasn't getting in all the steps, and I didn't want the rebuke from my device reminding me of that.

We all have the same amount of time in our day, and how we spend that time shows what we prioritize.  This year on January 1, I decided to do a reset and send that goal all the way back up near the top of my list.  Not the top, mind you--friends, family, work, reading, and writing (thus the much more frequent blog entries this year than in the past few!)--are all some of the priorities that round out my most important, but walking gets to be in the mix too.  In the past few years it was on the list, but it was a long, long way down.  Like, I knew in my head it was on the list, but it was on page fourteen, you know?  The 'priorities' you know you should have, so you write them down, but you never quite get to?  So far this year, however, my should have goal has just become my goal, and I am happy to report that the first month of the year I managed to meet it every day--even when it was cold out and I was tired and I didn't really want to do it.  The routine is becoming a habit once again.

Tapping on the Door to Progress

 January 21, 2022

I made a list of goals for the year at the beginning of January.  These are not so much New Year's resolutions as they are reminders of things I want to accomplish this year.  One of the things on my list was to get back into the habit of getting 10,000 steps every day.  So far, so good.  Another goal was to take a beginner's tap dancing class for adults.  Random, I know, but I have always wanted to give it a try.  I have some dance experience in my background, but absolutely none in that particular kind of dance.  And, honestly, who doesn't love the aesthetically pleasing sound of the tippy-tap-tap of well-articulated tap choreography?  The problem is, finding beginning adult tap classes in our area is a little like finding a needle in a haystack.  I just haven't found anything.  So as I was checking my Fitbit and trying to determine how much of a late night walk I needed to take, I decided to take a different approach.  I put on my tap shoes (recently purchased, optimistic that I'd find my elusive class), and put Youtube on my big screen.  I did a quick search for tap choreography for beginners, chose a video at random (well, not quite random--the teacher was choreographing to Kenny's Loggins' "Footloose", and my 80s-loving self couldn't pass it up), and hit play. With my TV on in the living room and me tip-tapping on the dining room floor directly across from the screen, I took my first tap class.  Y'all, it was fun!  I fortunately stumbled onto a Youtube teacher who was fast but not too fast, explained and demonstrated just the right amount, and was friendly and personable.  Now I'm going to stick around with her videos for awhile until I gain some aptitude before I branch out and find some other tap lessons.  She was a great introductory instructor, and I want to get the choregraphy down to be able to perform it without watching her feet or hearing her direction.  I'll just have to be the only pupil in my class for now.  But in the meantime, not only did I try tap, but it was a great way to get the rest of my 10,000 steps for the night!

Walking Late at Night

January 8, 2018

I am the owner of a Fitbit--I have been a fairly active walker for the past three years.  I know at my age and in my shape, walking 4-5 miles a day is a good, consistent part of a routine to keep myself in decent physical health.  That being said, I am a night owl, especially during vacation.  Left to my own devices, I'll sleep in until anywhere between 8 and 10, but stay up until 2 a.m. or so.  So I like to walk at night.  Typically I walk around 11 at night.  Being a woman living in these times, I try to be as careful as possible--I choose paths where street lights are in good repair, I scan parked cars to be sure there aren't people quietly waiting there for unsuspecting passersby, and I avoid large bushes or obstructions behind which someone might be lurking, and certainly do not walk on my own around the perimeter of the neighborhood park after hours.  I travel with my phone and and air horn or alarm to alert others in case of danger.  I don't love that I have to take all these precautions, but I know that if I choose to walk at night.  These are likely not precautions that most men even have to think about, but I know I don't have the luxury of being oblivious to potential dangers.  As I am walking, then, late at night, hyper-aware of shadows and the ever-present possibility of threat, let me assure you, random single man slowing your dark vehicle to a crawl behind me--your 'good intent' to shout helpful safety advice did not make me feel safer or appreciative.  Drive on!

More Recalibrating

September 2, 2016

In addition to letting my blogging fall by the wayside, I've only been hit and miss on getting my 10,000 steps everyday since my diagnosis and subsequent surgeries.  Even though there's still more do on the health horizon, I'm trying to get back on board with getting my steps every night.  Tonight, that meant walking around the block about six times on my own, my music blaring in my ears.  I could have ventured out further, but there seemed to be an awful lot of sirens blaring in the not-to-distant streets, so I kept close to home.  Hopefully Doug will still be walking with me most nights, so that won't be such a concern. Thank goodness the weather is starting to be more reasonable, because my goodness, I can't stand the 100 degree weather at 11:00 at night!

Hittin' The Road

February 28, 2014

I finally felt up to taking myself and my FitBit out for a walk tonight (after being out of commission due to a very painful dental emergency for three days)---and promptly fell flat on my face. I mean, literally. I stepped weirdly on a rock on the sidewalk, lost my balance and suddenly pitched forward. In order to avoid landing on my surgically 'enhanced' knee, I landed instead totally flat-out on my face and hands--like I had suddenly decided to do push-ups on the sidewalk at 11:00 at night. Three days without taking my FitBit out and about, and suddenly it's like I've completely forgotten how to walk. On the bright side, my cartoon pratfall offered a little humor break to my hubby (before he so kindly checked to see if I was okay and then helped me up).