Reviewing 2020
So, that was fun. I ended my goals for 2020 with "I feel good about 2020, even though I'm starting it with a fairly bad illness." I also recall almost getting into a fight with some jerky guy at the casino just after midnight. All that should've been a sign of things to come.
However, 2020 wasn't all bad. A lot of good things came out of it, if we just ignore the very obvious bad things that happened. I went on a few amazing trips - Colorado, New Hampshire 3 times. I got to stay home and spend more time with my dog. I got more sleep overall! And I was able to eat dinner at a reasonable time every day. I also saved a good amount of money by not commuting, and not spending a ton of money on Marvel sales. While I missed seeing my coworkers, having parties, going to movies, and so on, I have to look at all the positives that came out of staying around.
So let's review what I accomplished...
1. Many may yell at me for this, but I intend to get down to my normal weight of 102lbs by the summer, and maintain it through all the crazy holidays. The number isn't necessarily important, as I am aware if I tone up more, my weight may actually increase - more importantly, my goal is that I fit into my jeans again and that I feel comfortable in my bathing suits. And if I could do this without getting injured, that'd be fantastic.
--> Success, but, fail? After we started staying home, I avoided the gym like the plague... because... plague... er, Covid. I tried following a few workouts that didn't really go well, but I found Anita Herbert's home workouts, and I ended up doing those for a while. They are pretty great actually. I only hurt myself a few times for overdoing it, but overall I got into great shape. I even got down to my target weight! However, after Halloween... there was way too much candy and I have slipped back a bit. I could not maintain. Ergo,
Rating: 2 out of 5
2. I would like to try acupuncture. I've been seeing a chiropractor regularly for my back issues, and she also does a lot of other holistic health techniques. I'd like to see if this helps with stress and my overall wellness.
--> Fail. I've asked my chiropractor about this several times, but she doesn't really do this for stress or general wellness, it's for very specific pain. We might try in 2021 for specific back problems, but I don't think the acupuncture would be used well for what I thought. Since I actually looked into getting it done, I'll bump my rating up.
Rating: 2 out of 5
3. Do some winter hiking, at least 2 different occasions/areas. I really enjoyed this when we went to Mt. Washington a few years ago and I think I should try to get out more often this winter. I also ordered new snow pants so I should give them a good test.
--> Success!! Before the pandemic happened, my friends and I did Mt. Greylock on Groundhog Day. In May, we tried to backpack the Southern Presidential Loop (failed tremendously as May is the worst and most unpredictable time to hike, and I thought I was going to freeze to death the first night) where we ran into some serious snow, so I'll count that trip. At the first snowfall in December, we went to Sleeping Giant and did a nice snow hike in our crampons and had some hot chocolate as it snowed. And after most of the snow melted, we did another peaceful, easy winter hike again at Sleeping Giant. For bonus points, I will also mention that we backpacked across the Presidential Traverse in July and did 3 overnights, which was amazing. It wasn't a winter hike, but it was pretty awesome.
Rating: 5 out of 5
4. Run at least 2 5ks. So maybe 3 was a bit aggressive last year, and in doing so much activity my old body couldn't take it any more and ripped. I'll take it slightly easier and say two this time, and if I can do more, great. I really want to do the black light or foam glow run, it sounds really cool. I also was really disappointed I didn't run the Christopher Martin 5k this year due to the injury.
--> Fail, but pass. Thanks to the pandemic, most 5ks all became virtual. And that's no fun. No foam, no obstacles, no black light runs... so sad. Covid killed everything. However, I being home, I started running randomly outside during the spring and early summer. I actually used my Nike Run app! I never really hit 3.1 but I came pretty close, and i was able to get my pace down to under 9 minutes a few times. Not bad, considering.
Rating: 3 out of 5
5. Score at least 3 goals in hockey. I've been off my game a bit lately. I think 3 goals in approximate 36 games is fairly reasonable.
-->Success, barely... Covid really impacted hockey, naturally. We stopped all games from about April to July. We resumed, but only until early November, when the infection numbers started to skyrocket. However, in those 8-9ish months, I scored 4 goals. 3 were in 1 game. I was hoping for more, but there will be more opportunities when Covid is over.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Overall rating: 3.2
So 2020 was terrible. However this rating is my highest EVER and a huge improvement over 2019 and previous years, granted I gave myself a couple bumps because of the challenge of Covid. I stand by my silver linings though. Because of all the badness, it forced me to work on myself and try to accomplish things just to stay preoccupied. I really pray that in 2021, things are better and I can get back to being social. I miss seeing people and I could use a break from all the anxiety.