52 Days Of Fitness: Introduction

Can I Lose 10 Pounds In 52 Days?

I mean, it’s worth a try.

Hello. So nice to see you! Welcome to my new series, 52 Days of Fitness.

Wait a second! What! Yes, yes. I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t you write about sobriety, Kim? What in tarnation is going on here?”

Fair question. So glad you asked.

You’re correct, dear reader. I write about sobriety. This publication is mostly dedicated to my thoughts on that topic.

But this is my publication, a place where I hold and share my thoughts, on, well, anything.

And right now, I’m thinking about fitness. For 52 days, and hopefully longer (hey, I went a lot longer in my sobriety).

And now for the FAQs portion of this article.

I Gather That You Would Like to Lose 10 Pounds In 52 Days. But… Why?

I have gained a little weight over the past year or so. Not too too much, but enough that I feel a little ungainly.

I would prefer not to feel ungainly, particularly because in approximately 52 (giver or take) days, I am going on a vacation to a far-away place and I will be on a plane for 10 hours.

And while this far-away place is very Western-tourist friendly, generally speaking, its population is a little smaller than your average Canadian, and I’m anticipating that some places might feel a little tight.

Okay, the far-away place is Japan. And while I’m there, I would also like to try a whole bunch of street food (like the red bean paste-filled fish-shaped delight pictured below), and I’d like to feel confident that the waistband of my cargo pants can handle it all.

So, What’s Your Plan, Anyway?

This might be a little crazy, but I’m not going to focus too much on what I eat.

Why? Because I love to eat. And I have found in the past that when I obsess over calories and restrict myself, it always always always backfires, resulting in binges and weight gain.

So my focus during this challenge is going to be on exercise.

It will look something like this:

• Exercise with the desired goal of burning an extra 500 calories a day (running, walking, and hiking).
• Continue my morning routine of planking, stretching, and (modified) push-ups, with the desired goal of building up to a 60-second plank twice a day, and 50 modified push-ups in one daily set.
• Eat sensibly between Monday to Friday. (I know that “sensibly” is vague and could mean different things for different people. For me, it really just means not mindlessly stuffing my face out of boredom, especially in the evenings).
• Allow myself reasonable leeway on the weekends (again, a little vague. I’m talking here about an indulgence such as a slice of pie with ice cream on Saturday night, that sort of thing).

10 Pounds Seems Like A Lot In 52 Days. What If You Don’t Do It?

I agree, 10 pounds is a lot in 52 days. Especially because I don’t plan to make too many changes to my diet, and mostly want to focus on exercise. It will be a challenge.

But guess what?

If I don’t do it… I don’t do it.

The world won’t end.

Nobody’s going to die.

The worst that could happen is I gain weight. The best is that I lose the 10 pounds I’m hoping for.

The most likely scenario is somewhere in between, maybe a six- or seven-pound loss. I’d be pretty okay with that.

Please Read This Part Because This Part Is Really Important To Me

I love myself just as I am. So do all the important people in my life.

I do not look in the mirror and want to cry.

I do not think of myself as “too” anything — too heavy, too big, too fat— or “not enough” anything — not skinny enough, not fit enough, not beautiful enough.

I want to lose just a little weight so that I feel more comfortable on a long plane ride and during a vacation in which I think some spaces are going to be a little smaller than I’m used to.

I am not body shaming myself, and believe me when I say that I am not into body shaming others.

I’m all for body positivity. Generally, I have positive feelings about my body, which will never model high fashion on the runway, but has done some pretty great things over the years.

This is my body. I care about it.

Also, I live in it. And if I’d like it to weigh 10 pounds less for any reason, that’s my call.

When Do You Start? And How (And How Often) Will You Update Readers On Your Progress?

Start date is today, Monday, June 26th.

I will publish my first post about it tomorrow, Tuesday, June 27th.

I will not be posting my starting weight. (Why not? I don’t know. But I do know. But… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll get brave enough to do it. We’ll see).

Going forward, I will be posting the changes in my weight twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, along with any pithy observations and complaints about the whole thing.

I don’t promise to go public with my weight. But I promise to be honest about every other part of this process. If I mess up and/or gain weight, I will tell you.

Okay! I think that about covers it.

Can’t wait… I think. Thanks so much for being a part of it, everyone.

And hey, as always, feel free to follow along with your own fitness plan, and let me know how it goes!

Hey! Thanks so much for stopping by. There’s some great stuff here on Medium, am I right? Did you know that for only $5 a month, you can have access to all of it? If you use my referral link below, I get a little cut of your membership fee, and you get my eternal gratitude.