Although I've always incorporated some kind of pysical activity in my life (swimming and gymnastics as a child, weights and kick boxing as a young adult, yoga more recently), I have never really seen myself as an extreme athlete. I've always marvelled at people who run marathons, climb Kilimanjaro, do Iron Man, or Arctic treks.
Last year as my 50th birthday was approaching I thought that it was a good idea to set myself a really important physical goal, something worthy of a half century, something to truly work at. But what? I run occasionally and have even done 5k and 8k races but in my heart I am not a runner so no marathon for me. I thought about the Three Peaks challenge in the UK but the idea of sleeping in a car in between hiking three mountains in 24 hours didn't appeal. Tough Mudder is just too....well, tough! What could I do?
In the end I think I came up with a brilliant solution for someone like me who likes to do little bits of different sorts of things: 50 different activities within the year. They didn't necessarily have to be new (although most were). They just had to be a variety of different classes or physical challenges. I did all sorts of classes and challenges but these were my favourite:
1. Morning Gloryville - a couple of times a month around London there is a morning rave that goes from 6-9am. It is a true party! You dance hard like a fool for 3 hours, breaking for a smoothie or head massage, decked out in a tiara and tutu with plenty of glitter....this is my kind of morning exercise! They do it in many other cities around the world now, too. Fabulous.
2. Pole Dancing - if you ignore the erotic connotations this is a phenomenally difficult workout. It requires enormous upper body strength and grace, all with great music.
3. Stand Up Paddle Boarding - I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon with my teenage son paddling across Sarasota Bay, Florida, gawping at the houses of the rich and famous on Bird Key, and furiously engaging my core so as not to fall over. It's peaceful and strenuous in equal measure.
I found that setting a goal made me do things I never would have done otherwise and I know it works for most people like this. So I am urging all of you to find a goal, no matter how small, and get started. Here are some different ideas:
- Small race, whether it's the Color Run, a biathlon, half-marathon, cycling, cross country skiing, whatever your "thing" is.
- A Walk for charity, or a jumprope marathon!
- Scenic hike through the Brecon Beacons, the Lake District, the Peak District, along the Cliffs of Dover,
- A big group running relay. A friend recently did this with a large group in a VW van....one person ran for 8 miles or so and then hopped in the van while another one got out and ran. They kept going through the night and ran some crazy kind of hundreds of miles in 24 hours.
- An on-line challenge, like 30-day squat challenge, 30-day plank challenge, 30-day arm toning challenge,
- Or just imagine what sort of physical shape you'd like to be in by the end of this year, and think about what it would take to get there. Does it mean increasing weights by 2.5 kg every few weeks? Walking a half mile further? Swimming two more laps? Just build in an increase and see where you end up in December - you might surprise yourself!
Let me know what you get up to. Wishing you health and wellness.
