not the orange popsicle kind

Few things mark seriousness of intent as much as adding a category to your blog. So take the addition of the “fitness” category here at Haibane.info for the momentous event it is. I’m in reasonable shape – I am 5′ 8″ and I weigh 150 lbs. That’s a Body Mass Index of 22.8 which is solidly in the normal range. I used to lift weights in college and still retain some of that mass. I also was an avid bicyclist for a time. However it has been about 7 years since I last went to a gym with any regularity. At age 34, I am currently engaged in no physical activities whatsoever, and the Nintendo Wii does not count.

If I intend to be an active grandparent someday, I need to start now, and the best way to do that, in the absence of any kind of free time which I might use to actually excercise at a gym or bike or run, is to start some kind of home routine. The obvious and simplest thing to start is with pushups and situps. So, let’s see if I can set a goal for myself, to do as many pushups as I can, three times a week, before bed. The Washington Post has a handy table to consult to assess your fitness level based on how many you can do by age.

(pause)

I just did 20 pushups. The last 3 were with the baby deciding to ride along, which accelerated my decline, but I doubt I’d have lasted much longer regardless. That felt like a lot, but 20 is only 3 more than Poor and 4 less than Fair. I need to reach 30 to hit Good. Ten more! I’ve got a way to go I guess. I am loath to be too ambitious because then I’ll fail. I need to keep my goals modest so that the sense of progress keeps me motivated.

20 pushups is indeed Good… if I was 50-59 years old 😛