Aerobic inspiration

I wonder if Rick Springfield knows how much he inspires people. He probably knows to some extent, as people bring him paintings, drawings, crafts or poems at the meet and greets. (I’m pretty sure I sent him a poem or two back in the day, either handwritten or typed out on a typewriter, pouring out my teenage heart.)

It’s no secret that RS’s healthy lifestyle has allowed him to continue doing what he has been doing for so long. I think we’d all like to have that much energy at age 67. Even a dose of that at 20 years younger would be nice, too. A glass of red wine every night may be a good start, but I realize that healthy eating and exercise are important components, too.

Last month, a fan inspired by RS’s healthy lifestyle started a friendly fitness competition for fellow fans. Participants sign up for the competition and download the appropriate app then their steps are tracked during the week on a Fitbit or similar device and the winner gets a prize.

I recently participated in one of the challenges and it was great! My Fitbit was sending me all kinds of laudatory messages throughout the week and I was breaking all kinds of records (clarification: my own records). My kids got in on the action, encouraging me throughout the week to take more and more steps. (Disclaimer: I finally gave in to their requests to install Pokemon Go on my phone so they would eagerly accompany me on after-school walks.) I parked on top floors of parking garages so I could take the stairs and danced around in the kitchen as I cooked dinner to get more steps in (“Rocket Science” provides great exercise music, in case you were curious.)

Sadly, I didn’t win the competition, but it was still a winning week for me because I realized I could fit in more exercise into my busy week.

Unfortunately, this week wasn’t a repeat of last week. We had two days of heavy rain so no walks in the park. Then I had work-related events nearly every night. This week I only reached the 10,000-step goal once and that’s only because I  wandered around on a community college campus for 20 minutes trying to find my car, visiting several parking lots in the process.

But there’s always next week. Perseverance is the key to success, right?