What I’ve learned from 200 blog posts for Fit is a Feminist Issue

Hey y’all– it’s my blog post bicentennial! As I was idly poking around the Fit is a Feminist Issue site, I saw that I am reaching 200 posts as of today Woo-hoo!

I started blogging in August 2014. I wrote here about a long group ride I took in western Massachusetts– my pre-ride fears, my during-ride experiences, and after-ride glow and satisfaction. Since mid-2015, I’ve been blogging every Sunday and occasionally mid-week. Looking back, here are some things I’ve learned:

1. Even though I love physical activity, it provokes a bunch of fears and anxieties in me. I’ve written about them in great detail; here are a few:

• 6 Steps to Overcoming Hiking Phobia—A Trip to Mt. Katahdin
• On exercise, love, anxiety and identity
• An asana a day: can I make it stay?
• Easy does it: not so easy after all, but maybe worth it
• On Love, Fear and Risk

2. I’ve learned that I am most definitely not alone in having these feelings. You, dear readers, have responded generously and frankly, sharing your own experiences, reassuring me that it gets better, and encouraging me to keep doing what I love on my own terms because that is just fine. Thank you so much for the solidarity and support.

3. I’ve found through writing and reading this blog that there are a lot of fun ways to move on land, sea, and air. There are a lot of fun ways to develop, maintain, increase and preserve strength, stamina, flexibility, endurance, and grace. Here are some activities I’ve tried and written about in the course of blogging here:

• ropes yoga
• sea kayaking (like, actually in the ocean)
• scuba
• skate skiing
• the sit-rise test

Update: I love ropes yoga and still do it when I can. I’ve downscaled my sea kayaking ambitions to paddling in calmer waters for now, but the ocean horizon still beckons. Scuba is expensive and logistically complicated, so it won’t be a regular part of my life, although I hope to continue it when I’m in parts of the world with turquoise warm water and brightly colored fishes. I’m glad I saw the Great Barrier Reef when I had the chance. Skate skiing is also probably not in the offing– I hope to use my regular xc skis in future (although who knows what weather will be like in the next few years).

Re the sit-rise test: the less said about it, the better. Can’t do it. At all. Hoping it doesn’t mean I’ll die very very soon… 🙂

4. Through reading other bloggers’ stories, writing my own, and hearing from readers, I’ve learned a lot about what my values and priorities are with respect to physical activity. I want to:

• cycle for the rest of my life (yes, I’ll go recumbent if need be; we’ll see)
• keep doing yoga, not worrying about taking beginner classes forever
• find some ways to swim more– I love the water and feel great moving in it
• accept that I like walking in nature but not up (or down) super-steep slopes
• dance more (yeah, that pretty much says it)
• do wacky semi-active things like mini golf and bowling more often (don’t mock– they are fun fun fun in groups)
• try axe throwing

I’ll be adding to the list as time goes on.

5. Not all my experiences have been sunny and positive. For instance, I still don’t know whether eggs are good for us or bad for us.

Fake egg news? More on the eggs-good/eggs-bad controversy

The new US dietary guidelines, or: just tell me—are eggs good or bad this year?

6. One thing I do know: Food is neither good nor evil– this we’ve got covered at Fit is a Feminist Issue.

7. Another thing I know: I love this group of bloggers, readers, commenters. You are a source of great and deep joy to me. Thank you, and see you next week for blog post 201.