2021: A year in numbers

My eighth consecutive year in which I have recorded my health and fitness metrics daily. 'Beat last year' remains the motto and the ongoing target. The aim is the maintain optimal health and fitness as I slide slowly from middle age into ancienthood.

Some say it's a bit obsessive keeping a spreadsheet. I say it works.

So - a brief, hopefully not too boring, and maybe for some - instructive, overview of my year in numbers.

Walking - fifth year in a row where my daily average across the entire year has exceeded 11,000 paces. Moderate-to-high intensity walking has increased again, this time to 35 minutes a day. This means a maintained, uninterrupted 100 paces per minute.

Alcohol intake very near the UK Chief Medical Officer's guidelines of 14 units/week. In 2021, I drank half as much as I did in 2015. However, because I had more dry days than in 2020, on the days when I was actually imbibing, the input was higher (5.6 units per drinking day in 2021 compared to 5.2 units per drinking day in 2020). Target for 2022 will still be 14 units per week across the year - but with fewer dry days!

Twice as many 'lazy days' (no physical exercise) as last year! I attribute six of these to a strange period in mid-March where for a week I didn't have the energy or motivation to do a single press-up or sit-up. I am wondering whether that might have been a mild dose of Covid. Interestingly, I had three Pfizer jabs this year; none stopped me altogether from exercising, although the first one cut down the number of repetitions significantly. By the third I managed four lots of exercise including pull-ups, sit-ups, squats and plank.

The exercise routine is now more focused on health maintenance than physical strength. Key to this is the plank. Across this year, on average each day, I have held the plank for four minutes and 21 seconds, up ten seconds over last year. This works out at 26 and half hours over the whole year. 

Figures below are per day - for each and every one of the 366 days of 2020 (unless stated otherwise). Red number indicates last year's target not beaten.

Measurable and manageable
	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Paces (daily average)	10.7k	10.6k	11.0k	11.4k	12.0k	11.1k	11.2k
Moderate to high  intensity (mins)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	24	30	35
Alcohol drunk (units/week)	28.0	25.0	20.8	19.7	18.5	15.5	14.1
Dry days over course of year	123	155	186	196	198	208	231
Days with zero physical training	266	148	83	27	17	11	22
Press-ups/day	N/A	N/A	25	60	90	83	20
Pull-ups/day	N/A	N/A	2	7	5	11	12
Sit-ups/day	41	71	N/A	N/A	N/A	16	19
Sets of weights exercises/day	N/A	N/A	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.4	1.1
Squats/day	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	28
Plank time (min: sec/day average)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3:40	4:11	4:21
Portions fresh fruit & veg/day	4.3	5.0	5.2	5.3	5.4	6.1	6.4

Sit-ups are there to maintain spinal flexibility rather than as the primary stomach-muscle exercise. Again, higher quality repetitions - back fully flat on the floor, then twist so that right elbow meets left knee, then left elbow meets right knee. My record plank-holding time was 5 minutes and 16 seconds; more typically it's repetitions of one-and-half to two minutes held for two or three times. Weights - one set = 10 x lateral rises, 10 x interior rotations, 10 x exterior rotations, with 5kg dumbbells. These remain important as without them, my right rotator cuff aches a bit when sleeping on the right shoulder. Pull-ups - up until chin meets bar, from position where forearms are parallel with the floor. 

New this year: squats - from a standing position dropping down to sit on my heels, then bouncing back up. Introduced not only to strengthen thigh muscles, but to maintain good balance. In early days, I'd fall over more often than not. By December, up to 45 in one go.

Less alcohol, but more portions of fresh fruit and vegetables. Spinach, leeks, salads - and lots of cherry tomatoes. 

Fun Fact: since 1 January 2014, I have walked over 25,600km (15,900 miles).

Signing off for 2021, I'd urge all my readers to avoid complacency (subconsciously thinking "because last year/yesterday was good, next year/tomorrow will be good") and to be grateful for everything they have - mental health/state-of-mind, and physical health.

Blood pressure reading from half past eight this morning. Still optimal - 113/79 (average of three readings).

One interesting thing - I am laziest in summer. Any excuse to drop some exercises and take it easy. New Year's resolution - buy a pair of 5kg weights and a door-frame-mounted pull-up bar for the działka. I should recognise that in summertime, the living is easy, and I should let it go a bit - just a bit. Not as much as I did this year.

Above all - I give thanks, immense thanks, to the Good Lord for my health. Thank you God. May complacency never creep up upon me.

This time last year:

2020 - a year in numbers

This time two years ago
2019 - a year in numbers

This time three years ago:
2018- a year in numbers

This time four years ago:
2017 - a year in numbers

This time five years ago:
2016 - a year in numbers

This time six years ago:
2015 - a year in numbers

This time seven years ago:
Economic forecasts for 2014 - and 2015?

This time eight years ago:
Economic predictions for 2014

This time nine years ago:
Economic predictions for 2013

This time 11 years ago:
Economic predictions for 2012

This time 12 years ago:
Classic cars, West Ealing

This time 11 years ago:
Jeziorki 2009, another view

This time 13 years ago:
Jeziorki 2008, another view

This time 14 years ago:
Final thoughts for 2007