My grandma couldn’t walk for about the last ten years of her life.
She had degenerative disc disease, and over time she became immobile. Despite the challenges that came with that, Grandma had one of the most positive attitudes of anyone I’ve ever known. She rarely complained. She found ways to keep doing the things she enjoyed and did an incredible amount for someone who couldn’t walk.
I was also one of the primary people who helped her with daily tasks, so I saw how difficult everyday life could be without mobility. Things most of us don’t think twice about required effort or help, and as she got older, she needed more of both.
Years later, when I broke my ankle and couldn’t put weight on one leg, I thought about Grandma a lot. Getting out of a chair was suddenly hard. Getting around the house was hard. Everyday tasks required planning.
Mine was temporary. Hers wasn’t. That experience stayed with me.
Now I’m 55, and I’m paying more attention to what my own body is telling me.
I’m overweight. I’ve grown the dreaded menopot, and my daily uniform of leggings has allowed my ass to grow without drawing much attention to the situation until I have to squeeze it into real pants. And while Freddie Mercury assured us that ”fat-bottomed girls make the rockin’ world go ’round,” I personally feel like I could contribute less.
Overall, I’m probably still in fairly decent shape. I walk my dogs no problem. I garden. I take care of my house and can do the things I want and need to do.
But I’ve noticed some changes. I can’t power through ten flower gardens in one day like I used to. Opening a jar has gotten harder because my grip strength isn’t what it once was. Carrying a basket of laundry upstairs leaves me more winded than I think it should.
I was an athlete at one time in my life. My body has always been something I could pretty much count on to do what I asked of it. Lately, some of those things require more effort.
And I’ve started thinking less about what my body looks like and more about what I want it to be able to do.
Phil and I have plans. Someday we’d love to get a camper, load up the dogs and start driving. We want to see national parks, mountains, lakes and beautiful places we’ve never seen. I want to hike trails and spend time outdoors, because that’s probably where I feel closest to God.
If I’m lucky enough to have grandchildren someday, I want to play with them. I want to get down on the floor and get myself back up. I want to be active with my kids as their families grow, have a long retirement with my husband and do the things we haven’t had time to do yet.
I can’t control everything that happens to my health as I age, but I can do something about what I have today.
For most of my life, losing weight or getting in shape had something waiting at the end of it: a number on the scale, a smaller size, looking better in my clothes.
This time, it really counts.
Sure, I’d like to lose weight. But this is less about how my body looks and much more about what I want it to be able to do ten, twenty, thirty and hopefully forty years from now. At 55, forty years puts me at 95. I might as well plan accordingly.
I’m training for my future.
So I’m starting something new here called Earned Miles, Earned Moments.
I’ll be sharing what I’m doing to become stronger, healthier and more capable as I get older: walking, strength, balance, endurance, maybe a little jogging, changes to how I eat, monthly challenges, my progress toward next year’s Island City Days 5K, and whatever happens along the way.
And no, I am absolutely not becoming a fitness influencer. I’m not a personal trainer or nutritionist. I’m figuring out what works for me and sharing what I learn.
I want it to be practical. Grip strength because I’d still like to open my own jars. Squats because I want to keep getting myself out of a chair. Step-ups because there are stairs, laundry baskets and hiking trails in my future. Sometimes I’ll use dumbbells. Sometimes it might be a chair, a wall or a couple of soup cans.
I’m paying attention to food too. Nothing drastic. More protein, starting my day with something that’s not cake or cookies, stopping when I’m full and noticing when I’m eating because I’m bored, stressed, tired or looking for comfort. If I find something that works for me or a really good recipe, I’ll share it.
This isn’t something I’m doing for a year and then quitting. What works at 55 will probably need to change at 65 and again at 75.
Basically, I’m doing this until I’m under the dirt.
So I might as well have some fun with it, which brings me to my first challenge.
This year I bought an Island City Days 5K shirt. Next year I want to earn one. Maybe I’ll walk it. Maybe I’ll jog some of it. I want to cross that finish line knowing I prepared for it.
The first step starts September 1.
90 intentional miles in September. That’s an average of three miles a day.
Right now I average around 6,500 steps a day, despite spending eight hours of most days sitting at a desk. My main intentional exercise is walking the dogs, usually about a mile and a quarter.
Some days I might walk two miles and some days four. The goal is 90 by the end of the month, not perfection every day. I’ll add lunch and evening walks when I can and keep track of my strength work and other movement too.
I’m making this public because I’ve been down this road plenty of times. I know there will be good weeks, hard weeks and days when I simply don’t want to do it. I’ll share the successes and the stumbles.
I also know I’m not the only person looking toward the future and thinking about this. If watching me figure it out encourages someone else to do something now for the life they want later, that’s worth sharing.
Plus, now I have to come back here every Sunday and tattle on myself.
If you’d like to challenge yourself too, come with me.
You don’t have to walk 90 miles in September. Maybe your goal is 60. Maybe it’s 30. Maybe it’s 10. Maybe it’s walking from your house to the corner and back each day, going around the block or doing a few laps around your yard three times a week. Maybe you want a step goal instead.
Start where you are and choose something that asks just a little more of you than you’re doing today.
Or just come along for the ride.
I’ll share the miles, the strength work, what’s helping, what isn’t and the moments I earn along the way. And, knowing me, I’m sure things will get interesting from time to time.
I have a lot of life I still want to live, and I want to be able to show up for it.
Anyway—off we go
© 2026 Erica Shoemaker. All rights reserved.
