My efforts to regain my health are paying off big time. But what comes next?

After finishing my radiation treatments last Friday, my husband and mother promptly took me out for a little celebration lunch that put an early end to my Whole 30 Challenge.

Disappointed? Nope.

Actually I completely forgot about the Whole 30. Clearly I wasn’t mentally ready to take on a challenge. With my treatments coming to an end, for the first time since mid-June I actually started giving serious thought to my future.

Since my 2015 physical my life’s been on cruise control. I have about 25 pounds of “vanity weight” (my doctor’s phrase) I wanted to lose. But I really didn’t double down and try to lose the extra fat. I achieved my goal of regaining my health (or so I thought). So I coasted. Deep down I knew I needed to figure out what comes next. Instead I took a year off, ate healthy and maintained my weight.

Well the cruise control came to a screeching halt the morning of June 17.

I really do hate that it takes serious health scares to get me thinking this way. But like that horrible 2012 physical that started me on my healthy life journey, cancer is setting me on a new path.

I’m not sure what that path is yet. Clearly 30-day challenges are not part of the equation right now (sorry Whole 30 fans). I’ve been so focused on living healthy the last 4+ years, I need to put some emphasis on living.

It doesn’t mean the health aspect goes away. That stays forever. After all I still have 20 pounds fat I need to drop and a lot of fitness goals I want to hit. Oh, and I’m still kicking cancer’s sorry ass. That’s where my diet, exercise routine and staying active come in.

But now it’s time to figure out my next path.

This week I’ve mulled over my healthy bucket list. I’ve actually accomplished less than 20%. While I still want to do everything on this list, maybe it’s time to retool it  and add a few things not fitness related, like:

• Mastering a foreign language and using it.
• Drinking a pint of Guinness in Dublin.
• Starting a business.
• Sailing the Spice Islands (the Grenadines).
• Learning to cook Mediterranean delights in the Amalfi Coast.

The tagline for this blog is “My world’s expanding as my butt is shrinking.” Well I’ve done a great job with the butt shrinking and that will continue. But now it’s time to focus on expanding my world.