{"id":10711,"date":"2021-02-02T01:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T01:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/?p=10711"},"modified":"2026-01-15T20:59:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:59:43","slug":"up-for-the-challenge-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/?p=10711","title":{"rendered":"Up for the Challenge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 I spend a good deal of time reading articles on self improvement. I’m sure I read them years ago, as well. Then it would have been to get a better job, perhaps, or to dress a little trendier, look a little smarter, keep a cleaner house, raise healthier children….the list goes on.<\/p>\n

Now, I read posts to just keep me going, recharge what faculties I have left and maybe make a few more, if I try a lot harder. This is how I came to read a post that summarized a book on productive ageing. Mercifully the post condensed a lot of scientific data into 5 basic principles. You will add years and richness to your life, if you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friends from elementary school.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Keep up meaningful friendships. I’m a little weak in this area, but I will try to push myself even more to keep a close circle of friends.<\/p>\n

2. Exercise. I walk and bike often. But I know I could do both, more often.<\/p>\n

3. Sleep. Yes, having a good night’s sleep is critical to repairing those bits of the body that may need some mending. I’m pretty close to having a routine to get back to sleep, if I wake up. I rarely have trouble getting to sleep.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Biking over the Golden Gate Bridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Eat more berries. What could be simpler. Buy a box of blueberries and eat a bowl a day. I add them to muffins and pancakes, but I think I should get back to the steel cut oatmeal in the morning covered with berries.<\/p>\n

5. Do something everyday that challenges you. I could do more of this and I am working on it. My writing partner and I will get back to giving each other word challenges for blog writing and I am working on some longer writing. I have decided to learn to play the piano properly – if there is an improper way to do anything, believe me, I will find it. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Says it all !!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

I have also been working on challenges with house cleaning and organizing. My garden is a challenge every year. This year I may add winter sowing. I still run a small distribution company, with its daily challenges. When the weather is better, we will look for new bike trails as challenges. However, I don’t do these everyday. I need to start a daily challenge.<\/p>\n

Here is a synopsis from another post on actually adding to your brain’s grey matter, rather than watching it shrink.<\/p>\n

1. Fast for 16 hours everyday or one day, once a week. I’m not sure I could do this.<\/p>\n

2. Read novels. I do this, but I could read more.<\/p>\n

3. Travel. I do, but I could do more (not during the pandemic). I could travel closer to home more often, rather than waiting for the one big trip.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eros at Piccadilly Circus for anyone who loves to travel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

4. Learn a new instrument. I have tried guitar, but I wasn’t very good. I do play the piano a little, but this wouldn’t be a new instrument. Maybe I’ll just have to settle for learning a new or more complicated piece of music, more often.<\/p>\n

I do follow a group on FB called “Growing Bolder” as opposed to “growing older.” They are enablers. They are the ones who post about the 100 and somethings who run marathons. I should be so lucky – never say never.<\/p>\n

I’ll posts my challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 I spend a good deal of time reading articles on self improvement. I’m sure I read them years ago, as well. Then it would have been to get a better job, perhaps, or to dress a little trendier, look a little smarter, keep a cleaner house, raise healthier children….the list goes on. Now, I read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9631,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10713,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10711\/revisions\/10713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeiswhathappens.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}