# 400 Day Countdown to 60! - Link: https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/ - Published: 2023-07-26T11:30:00-04:00 - Author: Brian Johns ## The 400-day countdown to my 60th birthday begins on August 7, 2023. Some may ask, “_Why on earth are you doing this?_” and “_What are you doing during this countdown?_“ The simple answer is that I am goal-oriented and need a goal RIGHT NOW. The need for a plan has been triggered by three things: (1) my weight gain due to limited physical activity after my right hip replacement six months ago; (2) the recent passing of my mother-in-law; and (3) the fact that turning sixty is a milestone. I have been impatient with my recovery, never mind that a standard hip replacement recovery can take six to twelve months, depending on one’s age and physical condition beforehand. I had a goal of returning to teaching private lessons by May. That turned out to be wildly optimistic. Due to the recovery process limiting my physical activity, I have gained weight. Not good. I ain’t too happy about this. So, that’s a freaking good reason to set a goal. Readers of this blog know that my mother-in-law’s health declined for six months before passing in May. Due to this decline, my wife and I increasingly became full- time caretakers from November through May. Speaking for myself, there has been a void and some aimlessness since May. Yet another reason for me to come up with this goal. ## And let’s be honest, hitting the big 6-0 will be no small feat for yours truly. It’s like reaching the milestone where I can officially trade in my “youth card” for a senior discount at the local pharmacy! I was not in the least bit bothered about turning 50. However, [60 is a different story](https://brianejohns.com/2022/03/23/blog-the-geezer-phase-of-being-a-martial-artist/) _in my present physical condition_. That qualifier is key here. My wife and I recently went to Seattle to visit my sister and her family. It was the first time I had seen her in five years. However, the pandemic (with the US- Canada border closing) and taking care of my mother-in-law prevented us from visiting my sister for a long time. Anyway, the day after we returned from the trip, I weighed in at 192 lbs. ![](https://i0.wp.com/brianejohns.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Blog-Supporters- Thank-You.png?resize=940%2C788&ssl=1) Whoa! On the one hand, if that had occurred on my 60th birthday, I would have been miserable. On the other hand, I need to be fair to myself and remind myself that I’ve been recovering for the last six months and have been unable to “_put the pedal to the medal!_” regarding physical conditioning. Plus, I ate a bit too much in Seattle. Hehehehe. If you are not able to view the video, go [here](https://youtu.be/LmFdyn648UY). ## It’s time to change that. I will soon be able to start working out more intensively. Hence the “400 Day Countdown to 60!” I have created a pre-countdown spreadsheet. It is entitled “Pre-Countdown Experiment.” It contains several categories that I want to achieve each day. You would not be surprised to see that I have included empty hand anyos, cane anyos, and various exercise regimens. I have two weeks to consider and tinker with it before August 7th. The 400-Day Countdown needs a “why?” and metrics. “_I want to feel good by 60_” is a good “why” for me. As I said earlier in this post, seeing 192 on the scale on Monday wasn’t the greatest feeling. But I need solid metrics to get there. I’m leaning toward “_160 and 60 by 60!_” 160 lbs and 60 pull-ups or push-ups by age 60. I’ve been going back and forth between pull-ups and push-ups. I’ve got a couple of weeks to think about this. The above goals will definitely improve the quality of my martial abilities and set the stage for my golden years. 🙂 Most importantly, I want to expand my horizons and have fun! ## What do you think? Oh yes, I’ll be doing a test session with Alex next week to see how my hip holds up. Stay tuned! ## Additional Reading * [Six Month Countdown](https://brianejohns.com/2024/03/14/six-month-countdown/) * [Happy New Year 2024!](https://brianejohns.com/2024/01/03/happy-new-year-2024/) * [Goals of the Bamboo Shoots Program](https://brianejohns.com/2010/08/17/blog-goals-of-the-bamboo-shoots-program/) * [The Stick](https://brianejohns.com/2015/07/13/blog-the-stick/) * [7 Ways I Teach Children Filipino Martial Arts](https://brianejohns.com/2015/10/08/blog-7-ways-i-teach-children-filipino-martial-arts/) ### Share this post: * [ X ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?share=twitter) * [ Facebook ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?share=facebook) * [ LinkedIn ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?share=linkedin) * [ Threads ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?share=threads) * [ WhatsApp ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?share=jetpack-whatsapp) * [ Email ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20400%20Day%20Countdown%20to%2060%21&body=https%3A%2F%2Fbrianejohns.com%2F2023%2F07%2F26%2F400-day-countdown-to-60%2F&share=email) * [ Print ](https://brianejohns.com/2023/07/26/400-day-countdown-to-60/#print?share=print) ### Like this: Like Loading… ### _Related_