Healthy Life: It's Damn Hard

 

Oooo, boy. The last time I posted one of these was in June of 2021. Yeah, gaining on two years now. What happened? Well, I'm not going to go over all of that again because what was happening then kept on happening if I'm being honest. Instead here's the link so you can refresh your memory.

As the new year rolled around, I decided that it was high time I got back on the wagon. I needed to. I had to. I'm not getting any younger and I have many things I still want to accomplish in life. This means I need to be healthy and well until I leave this earth. 

The first thing I did, then, was go back to eating a keto diet. Back in 2018, I lost a bunch of weight by following keto and exercising quite a bit. After I stopped doing keto, all my old habits crept back in. At first, I maintained the weight I lost and then when 2020 hit, I started to gain. Fortunately, I didn't gain it all back but unfortunately, I gained a large chunk of it back. Le sigh.

After a few successful months of eating keto, I also hopped back on the intermittent fasting wagon. I ate that way for a long time and I feel better when I eat later in the day. Now, I'm not saying anyone else should do keto and/or intermittent fasting, but I will say that one should listen to their own body and do what works best for them. This is what works best for me.

Have I been successful yet? Well, yes, yes I have. I have refused to step on the scale because every time I do I am disappointed, but my clothes are getting bigger and I have more energy than I have had in a few years. 

Because of my success and diligence over the past few months, I'm planning on gently getting back into hiking once Spring hits. Why not now? Well, if you all remember from previous posts I tore the meniscus in both knees trying to hike with a large pack using a body that was carrying too much weight and suffering from not being treated well. Are my knees healed? No, they will never be completely healed, but by eating in a way that keeps inflammation in my body away and getting rid of weight that exacerbates the issue, they can do what they're supposed to do. 

After a few more months, then, of me being good to myself and shedding some more weight, I'll be ready to dust off my old day pack and start taking short hikes in my favorite spots again. Over time, I'll gradually get back to being the hiker I used to be.

It's been a while since I've attempted any real hiking since I got deathly sick on the AT last June. Which was just as well because I was incredibly out of shape. Barring that, I cannot leave this earth until I make it back to the AT again one day and accomplish what I set out to do in 2022.

Another bad habit I fell back into was drinking too much (I'm so predictable, eating and drinking all my feelings). Once again I've relegated drinking to something I do on the weekends. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but drinking alone just isn't as fun as it once was. I've noticed over the past several months that I naturally only drink 3-4 times a month now. I'm also happier than I've ever been, and finally at the point I want to be in life. I think that helps a lot. I mean, when you don't need to escape anything, then you don't.

Above all else, I'm not critical of myself anymore. Much like life, this journey isn't a race either so I'm not treating it like one. I'm slowly, but surely, working toward the health and life that I desire. 

So, that's where I am. I'll keep you posted on my progress.