A personal health review due: You too?
It's the time of year that we mark endings, consider new beginnings, and take stock. I'm no exception. More on this, with the usual fun, guidance and inspiration too.
Once I’d got the kids to kindergarten and school this morning, I called my doctors surgery. It was a busy health morning for me. I’d already gone to get blood drawn for tests that I get done annually, and booked myself for an annual health check review early in January. After all, I am in my 50s now.
But this particular episode of concern started back in July / August, when I noticed that running in a particular pair of shoes caused the outside of my left foot to hurt after 20 minutes or so.
I thought it was the shoes. I cycled them out of my rotation and bought a new pair of running shoes in. They had more cushioning. And that seemed to work. Until very recently.
That patch of hard skin on the outside of the left sole of my foot was getting harder. And broader. And now I was getting pain just standing up, let alone running.
Last night, I hopped over to my oldest daughter.
“Hey, you had a verruca recently. Can you remember it feeling like this?”
My wife came over. They agreed and gave me their verdict.
“That’s a verruca.”
I’m in my 50s. This is my first verruca. Is that a bit unusual?
“We can fit you in at 1045”, said the nurse.
“That’s great - see you then”, I replied.
Turned out it was the doctor instead.
“Well, it’s a verruca, alright. Most likely anyway. Not the biggest I’ve seen, but it definitely needs treating.”
He went through the treatment options: 3 months of scraping away at it daily and then covering the freshly revealed surface it treatment with wart paint. Or blast it with liquid nitrogen now - though that was likely to cause more pain. And we might need to do it again in 3 weeks.
He’d barely finished telling me the options before I replied.
“Blast it.”
So, we gathered around my foot, and he blasted the offending wart with a very small, very cold liquid nitrogen blowtorch. It wasn’t exactly painful. More like a faint burning feeling. It was fine.
“I had a few of these when I was young. I opted for the nitrogen every time. Couldn’t be bothered waiting”.
“Do you think I’ll be able to run on Saturday for 12km on it?”, I asked.
“It depends. Some people don’t find it that painful and would be able to do that.”
The signs are looking good.
Next on my personal health checklist: I don’t think I can avoid it any longer. I think I need reading glasses. And given I am horrifically short-sighted already, I everything points towards varifocals. Large sighs.
What now for China?
With the zero-Covid policy in China looking like it’s being dismantled rather rapidly, the balance of health / economy is changing. The relative exposure of the older population without adequate vaccine cover is worrying. Couple this with a health system that is unlikely to cope with a large number of sick Covid patients, and the winter looks like it may be a terrible one.
This story from the New York Times breaks down how Xi Jinping’s authoritarian impulses and actions have rewritten Beijing’s longstanding social contract with its people.
Still, even if “zero Covid” goes away, Mr. Xi’s broader fixation on control is unlikely to do the same. In that environment, it remains to be seen whether the ambition that fueled China’s rise can still thrive.
Don’t try to do everything in December
Here’s an interesting approach. Just pick one big thing and do that well.
“A limit-embracing attitude to time means organizing your days with the understanding that you definitely won’t have time for everything you want to do, or that other people want you to do.” — Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
Here’s what you can do:
Step 1: Envision your future self end of December
Take a deep breath and envision the Future You on December 31st. How will you feel?
Knackered, exhausted, at your wit’s end, staggering to the finish line, with no energy left to actually enjoy yourself on any break that you allow yourself, and limping sad and sorry into 2023?
Or maybe ….
Feeling accomplished and pleased with nailing the one big thing you set yourself to achieve by the end of actual scheduled work-time, meaning you enjoyed your break and are looking forward and raring to leap into the new year?
Step 2: Pick the one big thing you want to do well in the rest of December.
What will finishing it look like? How will you know when you are done? Where will you submit it to mark the completion of the big thing? Write it all down.
Step 3: (and here’s the cheat) Wrote a short list of bonus tasks you could do
They can’t distract you from your one big goal, and you only do them at times where you are low in energy. You have 3 minutes to write them down. Anything that doesn’t make it into your bonus task list probably isn’t that important.
Does that feel scary to only have one thing? Did you think you might cheat too much and put too much in your bonus task list. Check here for more coaching tips, and let me know how you get on.
Oh. and check out my Energy Audit series if you want to find out how to get smart about how you spend your precious time and va-va-voom.
Maybe don’t optimise your downtime either
Maybe you succeed in not over-working yourself into the ground before the end of the year. Now, don’t fall into the trap of maximising your productivity during your downtime.
It’s hard to just be. Meander. Cruise. Because everything around us begs to be consumed, or if we are not consuming we are told we should be creating.
Sod that.
Play with your dog. Make a cup of tea. Walk into a room. Put it down somewhere. Pick up a book. Sit down. Forget where you put your cup of tea. Get up and make another one. Find your original cup of tea again as you walk back to your book.
Laugh at yourself. Slow down. Be idle. It can be hard. But it can also be addictive. And don’t worry, the economy won’t break because of it.
Break a sweat without breaking the bank
Courtesy of The Guardian, check out 26 of the best free or cheap fitness apps, sites and podcasts. Whether it is yoga, cycling, HIIT, running or strength training you are after, there are plenty of affordable options to keep you moving, including options for those who are pregnant, have a disability, or are older.
That’s it from me for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed the selection of articles, links and insights this week. What did you think of this issue?
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Morning! Oh gosh poor you, reading your article I was sure you were going to say you had shin splints. Fifty and your only getting a verucca now? Painful yes, but you chose the right option. Mine was in my twenties along with other odd things like impetigo caught from the local swimming pool.
During lockdowns I walked a lot in Cornwall Park and acquired ring worm on my ankle. The doctor said it was probably due to the cows and long grass, right luckily just a cream for that. Another oddity ticked off the list.
Good luck with the running!