The Year of Living Adventurously

[Blaze]

After years of dieting failure, punctuated by occasional but temporary successes, I find myself at 43, never married and no kids, weighing more than I've ever weighed before - 232 - and sick of waiting for life to happen to me.  I found this quote the other day.  

 

"Life isn't about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shawn

 

Last year I had some success creating year-long goals for myself in various aspects of my life.  Among other things, I got a promotion and I'm on track to get out of debt soon.  I made some new single friends, which has been great since I lost a lot of friends to marriage and moving away.  But I really sucked at the diet and fitness category so I want to focus on that this year, along with getting organized.  In November and December I started looking for new diets to try, new fitness trends, old things I might have missed, anything that might actually work.  I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I would know it when I found it.  Then I stumbled on Nerd Fitness and a little article about how to become a superhero, and it lead me to more awesome articles.  This...  All of this was exactly what I've been looking for!  A long time ago I created a superhero alter-ego for myself, a character I wrote stories about.  She was Blaze, and she had adventures even when there were no bad guys to be stopped.   Blaze, a powerful thermalkinetic who doesn't like to hurt people, she's fun, active, adventurous and helpful.  I created Blaze, and she's inside of me still.  I think it's time to let her out to play.  Blaze makes the perfect model for me for all of the goals I want to accomplish in 2013, both fitness-wise and in other aspects of my life.

 

So what do I mean by The Year of Living Adventurously?  That's an excellent question.  I mean that I intend to get off my butt and start living my life, actively seeking out challenges, meeting them head-on and succeeding. I want to try new things, explore new places, learn new skills.

 

I want to bring some balance to my life, by clearing away at least one credit card worth of debt and by getting rid of all the junk in my apartment and keeping it clean.  I want to learn new things - I'm already looking into taking a Tae Kwon Do class, and I'd also like to learn to knit, and take up archery because I've always wanted to.    I also really want to get more involved with my church this year, so I'm looking for ways that I can do that that fit my personality and interests.  And of course I want to lose some weight and gain some strength, and be Blaze.  As I travel this year, I plan to have some adventures along the way, like zip-lining, caving, kayaking and hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding and more. (I've already gone skydiving or that would be on the list for sure.)  To do all these very active things I want to do, I really need to start getting in shape, but in Wisconsin in the winter, it ain't easy.  Still, I'm up for the challenge.  Unlike previous failed attempts at meaningful change, this time I'm going to start slow but finish strong.  Rather than take on too much at the start,  I'm going to build on my successes.  I've set a few simple goals for myself, and once I can do them consistently, I'll add on.   I figure the best way to do this will be by using these six week challenges.  

 

So that's my plan.  I'm heading off the Challenge page to figure that out and record my goals.  

 

The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel and the purer the gold. 

~Blaze~

[KylieBear]

I'm new here too!  I love your enthusiasm.  I hope you kick the 6-week Challenge's butt!

I'm in Wisconsin as well, so I definitely feel your winter pain.  There are some great starter exercises here on the website, which could work for you.  I'm also a fan of yoga.  As I was reading your post, I found myself thinking "when it gets warm out, I'm going to make a goal in one of my Challenges to do at least 1 outdoor activity a week."

 

Good Luck!

[JessOfAllTrades]

Welcome to the community! I love the idea of living adventurously.