my fitness bucket list
All this talk about my need to find my marathon has got me thinking about my fitness bucket list—a list of physical activities I really want to accomplish before I kick the proverbial bucket. Before I got healthy, it never even occurred to me that fitness goals could be part of a bucket list. I thought fitness was just about slogging away for 30 minutes on the treadmill a few times a week just to keep your girlish figure. It wasn’t until after I ran my first 5K that I began to realize that hitting fitness milestones could be exciting, liberating, empowering and make you beam with pride. I began to realize that it’s totally possible to want to do activity just for the sake of seeing what your body could do and where your body could take you instead of doing activity just to lose weight or stay healthy.
So here are a few of the top items on my fitness bucket list. Items that, four or five years ago, would have been totally preposterous and are now, completely achievable. It’s amazing what the human body is capable of.
Do the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.
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You guys already know that I’m doing the Avon 2-Day Breast Cancer Walk this year, and I’m really excited for both the fundraising and physical challenge of it. That being said, I’d eventually LOVE to do the 3-Day. We didn’t do it this year because of schedule conflicts, but I’m hoping in the future I’ll be able to cover 60 miles in three days. What an amazing feat that would be! Although, the 39.3 I’m doing in June is going be an adventure of it’s very own. I figure this is a good warm up for the fundraising and physical challenge of the 3-Day.
Hike the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim.
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I come from a family of outdoorsy people and I grew up hiking, but once I hit adolescence, I stopped joining the family hikes. Once I started on my health journey, I picked up the hobby again and fell in love. I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, and honestly, can think of no better way to see it that to spend four or five days hiking from one side to the other. Obviously, hiking those steep inclines, declines and rocky terrain is not easy and requires a lot of training and physical fitness. I can only begin to imagine how proud and strong you feel after completing a hike up to the top of the Canyon. My eyes well up a little bit just thinking about it.
Try surfing.
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Okay, so this is some far-fetched romantic dream of a life-long resident of a landlocked state, but I’d love to try my hand at surfing. I’m not naive enough to believe that I can really master it considering I live quite a ways from the closest surfable body of water, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try it when I go on some awesome beach vacation in the future. I LOVE being in the water and I think the feeling of getting up on the board for the first time would be incredible.
Do a set of 10 regular pushups.
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I’ve never been able to do a regular push-up. I very clearly remember being in 4th grade gym class and doing the President’s Challenge (*cough* what a beautifully designed website! I wonder who could have done it? *cough*) and not being able to do a push-up. My P.E. teacher tried every which way of positioning my arms and still, nothing. And it’s been that way ever since. That’s not acceptable. A year ago, I couldn’t even do a single modified push-up, and now I can do a set of 10, so I’m getting there.
Hike the Knobstone Trail.
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The Knobstone Trail is a 58 mile trail that runs through the area of Southern Indiana where I grew up. I’ve done parts of the trail before on day hikes, but I’d love to do the whole 58 miles on a backpacking trip. The trail is strenuous enough that a lot of folks use it to train to hike the Appalachian Trail, which if the Knobstone hike goes well, will probably end up on my bucket list, too. Not only is Southern Indiana absolutely gorgeous, but I also think there is something really nice about being “at one” with this area I live in. I spend so much time racing around in my car and rushing down the sidewalk that it’d be really nice to spend a few days just really enjoying this state that I love so much.
I’m sure there are a million other fitness-y things I’d love to accomplish, but those are the ones that really stick out to me. It’ll be interesting to come back to this list in a year or two and see how far I’ve come.
What’s on your fitness bucket list?
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I’m Cassie. I’m a Midwestern girl trying to live a healthy life without being too crazy about it. I’m a lover of fresh veggies, bright colors, craft beer, hiking, funky eyeglasses, and really, really dark chocolate.
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These are all great goals to have on your fitness bucket list! If I were to create a fitness bucket list, I think the first thing on there would be to learn how to swim. I want to invest in swimming lessons and be taught by a professional. Another thing I would add to my bucket list would be running a 5k (and then working my way up to a marathon). I need to get back into running if I want to cross that one off.
You should definitely learn to swim.
I think being confident in the water is one of the absolute best things. It’s so much fun!
I LOVE hiking. Love love love.
For my hiking bucket list I’d like to do the Bruce Trail across Ontario (which you may have heard of before from Babyface?). I’ve done parts of it before and it’s beautiful.
Also I’d like to do the Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne Park in NFLD because I hear it’s gorgeous and there’s a lot of wildlife and it doesn’t have a path so you have to wear a tracking device. If you don’t go with a guide then you’re tested on your ability to read a compass, GPS, and topographical map before you’re allowed to do it. It’s pretty intense.
Another one I want to do is hike all the Presidentials in the White Mountains in NH.
Wow, I haven’t heart of the Bruce Trail, but hiking across Ontario sounds awesome!
Great list! Very inspiring!
I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon when I was a teenager and it was HARD! It took an entire day, but probably wouldn’t even compare to what you want to do. What a fun goal!
I really want to learn to surf too, but I’ve actually heard that it’s not terribly hard.
I also really want to run a tri at some point in my life. But I need to work on my swimming and biking!
I’ve thought about doing a tri, but the bike part seems SO expensive to me. It’s not like running where you can just head out there and try it. To even see if I want to try cycling, there is a HUGE investment!
Thanks for linking to the Knobstone Trail. I’m in central Kentucky, so it’s not that far from me. I’m not very far along in my fitness adventure, but one thing on my bucket list is to run a trail race. First, I need to start doing some trail running!
I think they even run a marathon on the Knobstone! That’d be craaaaazy.
I like your list! It’s very diverse!
My fitness bucket list would have to include doing a pull-up (unassisted) – just one! and completing a triathalon. I’d also like to climb Mt. Raineer or some similar peak that involves substantial mountaineering.
OOOH, the pull-up one is good! I want to do that, too!
You’re going to love the Grand Canyon! On my bucket list: Everest Basecamp trek, Wonderland Trail (around Mount Rainier), John Muir Trail, climb Glacier Peak. Oh, and somehow, someday run an ultramarathon (even if it’s “just” 50K).
WOW. This is an awesome list!
My brother is an ultramarathoner (he did a 50 miler this Spring and is training for a 100 miler). It’s fun to go cheer him on, but NO WAY. 
I HATED that President’s Challenge as a kid, because of the flexibility test. I couldn’t even REACH THE BOX, that’s how bad my flexibility is. It’s STILL that bad now. When I reach down, I can only touch my knees. My fitness goals are to actually be able to touch my toes, and to run a 5k. at least, these are the goals for this year
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I HATED PC as a kid, too. It’s kinda ironic that they are now one of my biggest clients. Side note: we totally have one of the sit and reach boxes in our office just for fun. Well, and because our client gave us one.
The first two goals that come to mind are:
1) run a 5K race in less than 30:00 minutes
2) run a 10K race in less than 60:00 minutes
I’m pregnant now, so I probably won’t get to take a stab at these until 2013…..but I’m so excited to eventually conquer them!
Those are awesome goals!
This is awesome! I need to make one of these. Trying surfing sounds really cool – I’ve always wanted to do that, too.
I am with you on the push ups! I can only do five regular ones, and they start to look downright pathetic if I try to do anymore. I want to be able to do 25 in one minute. And really, I’d just love to beat a tough-looking biker in an arm wrestling match. Does that count as a fitness goal?