It's Almost New Year's

The New Year is almost upon us, and for me, that means goals (aka, resolutions). Like most people, I resolve to lose weight and get fit - and a hundred other things, most of which I never accomplish. I fail because I set very high goals and expect too much of myself. After 51 years, I know myself well enough that striving for perfection is not going to get me closer to my goals. It’s just going to make me feel like a failure.

(If you've looked around my site, you'll see my last post was before my birthday over a year ago. The old me would say I failed big time. The new me says, "Yep, definitely failed. But it's okay. Just keep going." Actually, the old me would have said that too. I keep trying every year.)

That’s why this year, I’m doing things a little differently. It’s going to be all about taking baby steps to get to “good enough” rather than perfection or ideal.

If you’ve watched the news the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard politicians and pundits say too often “don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.” Striving for perfection has definitely been my enemy. So this year, I’m going to strive for “good enough,” because good enough will still be better than where I am now.

The 7-day challenges will be a stepping off point. I don’t want to overwhelm myself by committing to something long-term. I just want to be able to get started and hope that momentum and the feeling of accomplishment will keep me going, even if I’m not doing it on a daily basis. Three days/week is “good enough,” and a lot better than never.

Feel free to join me in any of the challenges that interest you, and let me know if you have ideas for a 7-day challenge. I’ll keep you updated, and I look forward to your comments so you can keep me updated as well.

Here’s the first one, starting on January 1st...

7 Day Challenge #1 - Exercise

Since it's almost New Year's, what else could the first challenge be but exercise (other than diet - and I do that year-round)? I had set a goal last year of doing a 5K every month, with the goal of achieving a personal best time by the end of the year. Considering my personal best was about twice that of most people, it should have been totally doable.

(“Should have been's” are a big part of my life, and I need - WANT - to eradicate them.)

I managed a 5K for the first 3 months (on my own, not through an official race), and then COVID hit. I used it as an excuse, although looking back, it’s the worst excuse ever. Even if I was too anxious to be outside, since everyone was out there once people were stuck at home and banned from gyms, I have a treadmill which is where I had done most of my “training” to date.

My third 5K in March had been during my daughter’s swim meet (so much time between events!). Since it was at a school with a track, I walked outside, though it was windy and the temperature was in the 20’s. I had gone prepared with a hat, gloves and scarf, and I felt like I accomplished something since I hate the cold. Anything under 50 degrees is too cold for me. If I could do it then, there was nothing that should have stopped me from continuing.

All that to say I’m setting the same goal again this year. Since I haven’t stepped on a treadmill or gone on much of a walk due to a severe case of plantar fasciitis that still hasn’t healed after months, it’s going to be more of a challenge this year. But in this case, it really is the journey that matters, even if I don’t get to my personal best of under 39 minutes (which I did when I was 30 and training for a marathon).

So this week’s challenge will be 30 minutes of walking everyday, even if it’s at the pace of a sloth to keep from making my fasciitis worse.

Who wants to join me in this challenge? You can set your own walking time and your own pace. Just commit to doing it everyday for 7 days, and see where the journey takes you.