WHAT DAY IS IT?
And why is that such a difficult question?
Yesterday, I asked a friend if she had any plans for Valentine’s Day.
Don’t read too much into that. It really was an innocent question … I wasn’t trying to get boudoir information or specifics about her lingerie. It wasn’t a fishing expedition for any juicy details. But that isn’t the problem. The problem is that it’s November! Or maybe the real problem is that she wasn’t surprised!
In my defense, February and November are similar in some ways. Especially in Florida, where it’s a little cooler and life has finally found a nice rhythm. This is especially true now that the kids are gone. There are no graduations, dances, or sporting competitions to attend, and no “seasons” to prepare for.
But the truth is, I’m a tiny bit concerned by my friend’s reaction, or lack thereof, to my unaware behavior. Have I become my own version of the absent-minded professor? Bumbling through the day, searching for glasses that are on my head, entering and exiting rooms with a perplexed expression on my face as I mumble like mad? Since both of those things happen a little more regularly than I’d care to admit, perhaps I should be concerned … but only in a preventative sort of way. Secretly, I know that I’m not that old. This year I turned 56, and I fully anticipate 30 to 40 more good years ahead.
But just to be on the safe side and following my own admonition, “Nobody can do it for you,” I re-joined the gym. I had let my membership expire last year when I got bored with the group weight room’s funky smell and bad music. And if self-motivation didn’t do the trick, as if on cue, advertisements started popping up in my feed reminding me of the importance of weightlifting as we age. Apparently, lifting weights is one of the most important things we can do for longevity. I like it when huge amounts of research and advice are whittled down to actionable items. I’ve been known to ask myself, and anyone else who will indulge me, “What is one thing you can do that by doing it will improve everything else?” Credit where credit is due … it’s a phrase I stole from the book The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it.
Anyway, since I wanted to set myself up for success at the gym, I signed up for the new AI-assisted weight machines. I had to make an appointment to get “trained” and get set up with an RFID bracelet that would track my progress. The training session was a little rudimentary. I’ve been going to the gym for years, but I liked it immediately when the screen displayed a biological age of 49 at the end of my first session (that’s seven years younger than my actual age if you haven’t already done the math in your head).
On my way home, I was feeling quite good in my new spandex outfit. So much so that I thought about rewarding myself with a chocolate shake … ridiculous, I know. I’m just being honest. I was excited to share my fitness news with my husband. Halfway through my story, which was taking way too long to tell, I had to keep repeating the part about how I earned more points if I kept the little ball in the right place on the screen as I lifted the weights. My husband scoffed and said, “Sounds like little old lady weightlifting.”
He might be right—again—how irritating. I tried to convince him otherwise by reiterating my low bio age and trying to make it sound cutting edge by spelling out ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE, but by that time I wasn’t even convincing myself. Our conversation ended with, “Any workout is better than no workout.”
But on the upside, maybe by tracking my workout points, I’ll know what day it is.
