So Sam posted earlier about her progress on meeting the 24 goals she had set for 2024. I took some ideas from that, but instead of going through my entire list, I’ll highlight some of my favourite things….
- Swimming (you know it).
- Swimming outdoors once every month. I only missed April and September and I might miss December (although there’s still time!) Swimming outside in the cold months has been a hoot, and the highlight of my lake swimming was doing all 5 Great Lakes in one day.
- Swimming in 24 locations (beaches and pools): So very close….I swam in 17 beaches and 5 pools. Had I had time to find swimming pools in the cities I went to conferences, I would have done it!
- And the last….swim 200 km this year. Oh so close! I’m up to 178.2 km. And that is my highest ever mileage (kilometerage?) over the years I’ve been tracking my swims, so I am very happy with this. My highlight was my epic birthday swim, 59 x 50 m.
- Overall, my swimming has felt strong and powerful all year, and I set a personal best in the 400 m free at Provincials in March 2024. I am very happy with how I’m feeling in the water. Hope it continues through 2025!
2. Strength training.
I had set a goal to lift twice a week and seriously build. While I didn’t quite do that, I did compare my lifting frequency to what I’d done from 2012-2016, when I was lifting regularly at the gym (things got a little weird after that). And it looks like I’m on track to do more workouts in 2024 than in each of those years. Now I aim to lift as much in my 60th year as I did in my 50th year. And I think that’s awesome.
3. Reading.
My goal was to read 2 books a month, and again, I came close…I’m on my 17th book this year, with an 18thone planned for over the holidays. This goal has been very rewarding, as it’s reduced my social media doomscrolling and has me reading all sorts of books: fiction, science, philosophy, biographies. I’d forgotten what joy reading brings to me, and how immersing myself in another world is one of my happiest places.
4. Fun stuff!
Got a tattoo! Coloured my hair purple (and will do another colour soon!) Had a 59th birthday party with a cowboy theme! Cold plunges and saunas! And my husband and I are planning a trip to northern Labrador for our 60th birthdays!
I don’t think I’ll have a list of 25 things to do for 2025, but that’s OK. This list has instilled some good habits that I will carry into 2025 (reading, swimming, more fun stuff). Thanks for the challenge!
Have any readers here accomplished any goals they had set for the year (or came close or modified a goal and achieved it, or got inspired to do, or think about doing, one thing)?
