Having reviewed much of what I have written this year, it appears that I have somehow created a false impression of many accomplishments and perfection in my effort. Of course, I share a lot about my health and wellness journey, and I feel I owe you an update on how well I am carrying out the things I mentioned in previous posts. In particular, the items for which I have not been as faithful as I would have liked; this is the main reason for this confession.
If you remember from my post in February, “Bro, You’re Huge.” I made a promise to myself the previous September to go back to the gym at least 3 days a week to do strength training. This was difficult for me, as I have no love of repeatedly lifting large heavy weights; regardless, I committed, and I like to keep my commitments. The emphasis on “like.” It seems, as the summer hit full swing last year, I found other things to do outdoors, none of which involved lifting heavy metal things. By August, just one short month before my commitment would naturally end, I stopped altogether.
Was I disappointed in myself? Yes. Did I lose any sleep over it? Not at all. I probably did about a solid 10 and a half months, found some muscles that weren’t there before, and strengthened my body in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise.
I also mentioned my love of rucking and long beach walks with heavy weights strapped to my back. Once I committed last April to start training for the Camino, I focused instead on miles under my feet rather than weight on my back. My rucksack sat on a lonely shelf in the garage and waited patiently for me.
The good news is that recently, a couple from Glen Arbor formed the Leelanau Ruck Club, which meets in a new location every Saturday morning, regardless of the weather. Every Saturday that I am in town, I have made the effort to join my fellow ruckers and learn some new trails in the county. This is a very informal group of vastly differing ages. Some people simply walk without a rucksack, others are fitted out in all their gear, laden with the weights of their choosing, while others merely toss a few five-pound bags of flour in a backpack to carry. I love the eclectic mix and have enjoyed meeting others who share a fondness for the outdoors.
I suppose I am back to rucking, at least once a week, so I am not quite a failure in this category either. I don’t want to leave the impression that I am rucking twenty miles a week, as maybe I was when I first started. I am sure I will return to this healthy pastime once I return from Spain.
One of the more recent failures was when I posted, “An Endless To-Do List (of Learning)” a few weeks ago. I closed with the admonition to reduce screen time with some sort of superiority of a cloistered monk. I only had a vague idea of my own screen time when I suggested reducing yours by 10% each week for the next several weeks. I will stand by the advice, as it is excellent. However, since I wrote that blog, I have recorded my own screen time and set personal limits in the “Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls” section under settings. I happened to use an Android, but I am sure that Apple offers a similar feature.
I observed the data for the previous four weeks (which was not horrible relative to average usage) and made a 20% reduction. I felt like this was fair since I was recommending you reduce by 10%. Furthermore, drilling into this section, I further reduced social media specifically to 15 minutes per day. This may seem like an extreme form of austerity, denying amusing content, but as I mentioned in the previous post, there is little value in any of these sites.
I am pleased to report that since I have set those limits, I have not gone over them on any day. I am leaving minutes of social media on the table, and I don’t feel like a social pariah or loser. I have also taken my own advice and picked a couple more non-fiction books on topics that I find interesting, but hadn’t planned to read. With this newfound time, I am delving into new and interesting topics.
There you have it. I am trying a lot of things, some stick, others fall off the radar. I want to be completely transparent with you by sharing both my successes and my failures. I feel better getting these things off my chest and letting you know that, contrary to popular opinion, I’m not perfect. I try a lot, do a lot, but I am a work in progress. This venue is my workshop. You are my friends, cheerleaders, and hopefully the beneficiaries of a fraction of what I am learning about health and wellness.
I find it interesting that this post about my failures has by far the lowest word count of all of them from the past year. Coincidence? I think not.