The Project of the Moment

I am currently engaged in what I have come to call the "Think and
Act Like a Thin Young Person Project (TALTYPP). Try saying that out loud.  I am inviting all who wish to participate to join in and let me know how it is going. So far I know of a few people who are "in"... a bit more on that later. It's been fun, and since I started, I have only fallen once, and I didn't break any bones. Actually I don't think the fall was the result of the project; it was more of a klutz thing.

It all started when I was watching people move at Walmart.  A great many of them were my age or close and... I realized that posture is huge at this stage of the game. When you lean on your grocery cart and let it act as your support/skeletal system, or when you hang onto other people's carts while forcing them to chat with you, you are looking a bit on the feeble side and...seriously... on the lazy side as well. When you stand straighter, you look thinner and younger because you feel thinner and younger because you are acting thinner and younger.  It's all very simple -- or at least it appears that way on the surface. The process begins with visualization. Serious visualization is key to the TALTYPP Project. You just have to picture yourself as what you want to become.  So...I no longer lean on any shopping cart... and sometimes that is easier said than done.  I am now constantly mindful of my posture. I even sit up straight when typing at my computer. I also pick up my feet, wear shoes that fit and am working at thinking before I eat --  I feel better... thinner, younger... and even a bit stronger. I want to do this as long as I am able... and hopefully that is a long time. I am "into it" now.

Also important to the plan is that I have begun to walk outside and to move more when inside. To this end, I purchased a simple Garmin Vivofit that, among a few other things, tracks the number of steps I take each day and sets goals for me. Nice on one hand, sort of creepy on the other. The thing about this is that the better you become at reaching your goals, the higher the goals become. I know it may sound awful, but it actually makes me feel good -- better, thinner, younger and fits the TALTYPP project nicely. Several different devices will do this type of thing -- the Apple Watch even vibrates on your wrist if you are inactive too long, and there is the popular Fitbit which does all kinds of things in addition to tracking the number of steps. The Vivofit shows red warning lines to indicate your inactivity and to spur/guilt you into moving.  I should mention that you can also sync any of these devices with your phone, tablet, laptop, etc.  ...and as far as I know ... they all track your movement during sleep.  Did I mention that these devices are a bit creepy?

Anyway -- this project of the moment is a good thing that is working for me. Actually I think it is catching on a bit. I know that people in five states have joined the TALTYPP movement (so what if that is one person in each of those states and that most are relatives of mine). Locally... I notice that more and more people are displaying better posture, looking younger, stronger, and a bit more healthy. I see more and more Fitbit and Vivofit devices all the time.  (They are not particularly attractive and are easy to spot.) I am thinking that anything that encourages people to move more is a good thing all the way around.  One thing though -- it is important to note that the Fitbit and Vivofit do not count steps if one is leaning on a shopping cart even if a person's feet are moving. So when you see people using one arm to push their cart and swinging their other arm as they shop, you will know they are counting their steps and also that they are a bit compulsive about it - like me....  Also...    

It's 332 steps to my mailbox and back.  Just saying...