My new Fitbit now gives a Readiness Score that tells each day how ready your body is for strenuous activity. I have no idea how accurate it is, only that it’s based on what you did the day before, how your heart rate varied, and what kind of sleep you just had. Today, for example, Fitbit suggested to me that with my Readiness Score of 78, I could try for even more Zone Minutes (fat burn, cardio and peak).
But what if we gave ourselves a Readiness Score each morning and what if Zone Minutes meant moments of contentment, ease, and happiness?
I’m thinking Readiness could be a score from 1-100 based on how ready we feel to meet the day and its various demands, considering the weather and any other mitigating factors. We might shoot for 60 Zone Minutes and call that a very good day. Or maybe 15 or 20 minutes would be the goal, depending upon circumstances.
Today, for example, I do feel rested and energized for all the things on my agenda. Rested is key. The weather is unseasonably warm and sunny, so a leisurely walk with my dog and maybe later with a friend will be not only pleasant but easy. I can well imagine some Zone Minutes of contentment happening then. I have the chance to play pickleball indoors, whereas it’s a little windy to play outside today. I am free of injuries, so I can easily do that, most likely racking up quite a few Happy Zone Minutes. I have my MerryThoughts letter to write and I have this great idea for it. I have chocolate on hand. I am planning NOT to tackle income tax or sales tax on such a beautiful day, so I feel positive and happy about this day.
I’d give myself a Readiness Score of 91. I suppose it could be higher but I’m keeping it there just because. Well, Rufus is a worry with all his health problems, and then there’s The World. So a score of 100 would actually seem immoral.
| If I were planning to work on my income tax or sales tax today, then I might not give myself such a high score. Or if I’d woken up tired, achey, allergic or even sick, I could see my score falling considerably. The whole thing would be meaningless if I gave myself some ridiculously high score every day.The point is, if we take a realistic approach to the day, keeping expectations in line with what is possible, and totting up those minutes of contentment, happiness, laughter, and even joy, well, then we might a) approach the day in a better frame of mind and b) end the day having reached the apogee of what could reasonably have been expected. Another successful day, with a Zone Minute goal met! So what is your Readiness Score for today? Before Dawn – Kay Foley Up before dawn I make a vow to do so again. And again. From now on all the days to have the fullness of the hours sunrise to sunset and beyond the rise of the moon the popping out of the stars the unfolding of the day a sheet of cloth opened out layer by layer to make one complete piece upon which anything may be laid. |
| If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. If you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here. Thanks for listening, Kay P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.” |