One Hundred And One Things

What's this about?

Skipping. With a rope, if you were wondering. Nothing so challenging as the picture, but it should train me to be a bit more nimble with my feet.


Why do I want to do this?

When I was a young'un I used to be quite good at skipping (once impressed my trampoline instructor mightily by skipping backwards on the trampoline), but there were a few tricks I never mastered.


How will I know I've done this?

I'll have managed an unbroken run of 500 steps, turning the skipping rope forwards. I'll also have managed an unbroken run of 100 steps, turning the rope backwards. I'll also have managed an unbroken run of ten steps, crossing the rope in front of me.


I'll record this in posts in this journal.

What's this about?

Offa's Dyke is an 8th century earthwork that runs most of the length of the Welsh-English border; these days there's a long-distance footpath that follows it. Alternatively, I could walk from one side of England to the other.


Why do I want to do this?

I'd like to do a long-distance walk that's not a pilgrimage. I want to be able to say that I've walked from one side of a country to another. (I didn't do this on the Camino de Santiago, as I stopped in Santiago de Compostela and didn't continue to Finisterre.)


How will I know when I've done it?

I'll have traversed, on foot, either the length of Offa's Dyke from the Severn to Prestatyn (or vice versa), or from one coast of England to the opposite.


I'll record this in this journal, though you probably won't hear much from me while it's actually in progress.

What's this about?

Wii Fit is an exercise video game that uses the Wii console. It very helpfully tells you how long you've spent on it each day: "FitCash"


Why do I want to do this?

I find that physical exercise has the effect of making me more aware of my body, and more confident in it, as if the more I use it, the more it belongs to me. Therefore, I'd like to exercise regularly - say half an hour per day. But I might not have half an hour every single day. Half an hour per day for 1001 days would be 500.5 hours. I rounded it down to 500, then knocked off another hundred to account for the days when I'm out/ill/tired. I think 400 hours is ambitious but manageable.

I want to make one thing clear: this is not a weight loss thing, it's an activity thing. It doesn't matter whether I spend 400 hours jogging or 400 hours doing deep breathing. The point is that I'm aware of my body and that I'm using it.


How will I know when it's done?

The total number of hours on my FitPiggy will be at least 400 greater than it was on day 1.


I'll record this in occasional updates on this journal, and on Daytum.