From Holiday Indulgence to High Altitude

The holidays are winding down, a new year is peeking around the corner, and I’ve been soaking up time with my adult children—which still feels like a sentence I’m not quite old enough to say out loud. Having kids this grown is strange and wonderful and mildly disorienting.

The dogs, of course, have loved the nonstop attention. Well… most of the dogs. Freddie is clearly ready for Samson to head back to Richmond for a bit. He does not enjoy sharing his mother. That said, when they’re together, they make me laugh because they look like two chicken nuggets with legs. Thus, they are now known as The Chicken Nugget Crew.

Coming up in March: Peru. A yoga retreat followed by a hiking trip. At altitude. Very high altitude. The kind of altitude that makes you question every life choice that led you to a steep path and thin air. Just thinking about hiking up a mountain makes me slightly nervous and very aware of the fact that I should probably be “training” for this.

However—small problem—it’s been the holidays. The food has been incredible. And the wine, the wine has been generous and social and extremely persuasive. I currently have a lovely glass of eggnog in my refrigerator that my friend brought over, and it feels rude to ignore it. So I keep asking myself: When, exactly, does training begin?

Unfortunately, the answer is: now.

I can still have the eggnog (I’m not a monster), but I need to start thinking about “fueling” my body with “healthy” things. I put both of those words in quotes because I would rather not think about them at all. But here we are. I have ten weeks. Ten weeks to pull this off. Which means not just thinking about it—but actually doing it. Ugh.

So. What’s the plan?

Food

1. Track it. I hate tracking food. But if I don’t, I’ll eat “just a few nuts” and “just a bite of this” and accidentally consume an entire extra meal. Tracking makes me pause. I don’t love it, but it works. Back to the app.
2. Smoothies. Berries and plain yogurt. Simple.
3. 50 fruits and veggies a week. Ambitious, but doable.
4. Water. One full pitcher a day.
5. Alcohol. Slowing down—not quitting. I like wine. I’m not going dry. But for every glass of alcohol, I need two glasses of water. Adult rules.

Moving

1. Yoga – four times a week. Non-negotiable.
2. Walking – every day. Five miles a day. Two of those walks need to be five miles at once. By February, those longer walks need to be eight miles. At once. On purpose.
3. Weights – twice a week. Currently only Wednesday. Need to add another day.
4. High-incline walking – twice a week. Because hills are happening whether I like it or not.

That’s enough. Writing it all down already feels like a lot. But the reality is this: I’m going to Peru. There will be hills. And I plan to get up them—preferably without wheezing, crying, or bargaining with the universe.

So here we go.