Honest!

Hello, dear reader!

It has, on occasion, been mentioned that I can be a tad repetitive in my musings on life. I put this down to the heady, roller-coaster ride of day to day existence throwing up similar if not identical issues to navigate my way through than any lack of inspiration but, then again, your mileage may vary.

And so, that being said, it’s that time of year when I look back at last week’s New Year aims and ambitions and document the start I’ve made.

You know, like last year.

Own Goals
The main challenge to myself is getting myself into some kind of shape (other than round, that is). Now, again, this is pretty much identical to last year. I can, with certainty, recall talking about myself in such flattering terms as ‘melted blancmange’ (it may not have been this last year, or, at least this point of last year, but I know I did), and, well, the metaphor still stands.

However…

As I may have glided right past last week, this year sees me (with a bit of luck) reach my half century. As with a lot of men, this is a time for a little self-reflection, a little refocusing, and a lot of looking after oneself.

Now, it’s easy to set these goals. It’s even easy to set them down in writing and launch them into the blog-verse for the disappearing small number of readers to make note of. What has proved less easy, over the years, is keeping up with those goals over the weeks and months ahead

So, what to do.

Full Service
Well (and I’m working this out as I’m writing), I intend, first of all, to have a chat with the local doctors and see if I can get myself booked in for the equivalent of an MOT. That is, an overall health check to keep an eye on such things as blood sugar, heart health, cholesterol levels, and all the rest.

I intend to get the ball rolling on this within the next week. Keep me honest.

The next thing would be diet.

Now, I have already started intermittent fasting (the art of skipping breakfast and not eating ANYTHING between the hours of 8pm to 12pm the next day. Pre Xmas shenanigans, I was doing this three times a week, so lets get that back in place.

Simples.

Of course, fasting alone will not be enough. The general diet also needs to improve. To that end, the intake of fruit and veg needs to increase, and the pre-packed, ultra-processed foods taken down to a minimum. Treats will still be allowed, but treats they will be. Exceptions, rather than the norm. The recent discovery of Too Good To go bags from the local supermarket (a random bag of food they’re about to chuck out, sold at a huge discount) will help with this , while also encouraging an experimental approach to recipes. (Homemade Slimming World Sweet and Sour last night, Honey garlic noodles tonight).

A Good Fit
Which leaves the exercise portion of diet and exercise, and for that I’ve already found a YouTube channel called Adapt To Perform which is run by a wheelchair user to encourage and enable fellow wheelchair users with their exercise needs. The routines are a lot of punches and hand waving, but a 15 minute cardio set is still reassuringly knackering. I’ve set out on doing this particular routine on a two days on/one day off schedule and intend to keep this up.

Again, keep me honest.

So, that’s the plan. Rather than one big, overarching aim, I have, hopefully, broken it down into smaller, more definite, and more measurable targets, which I will monitor on a weekly basis and report back to here. I’m not going to set a weight target, because weighing is difficult, but hopefully, the gut will go, and I will, with luck, be fitter at fifty.

Keep. Me. Honest.



Which




Until next time…


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Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think


New Tales Of Old


Death Ship


Pestilence: Drabbles 1


Reaperman: Drabbles 3


The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu


Eldritch Investigations