I keep a fairly active life, mostly motivated by the desire to keep using my body until it expires. It freaks me out how much there is about our biology that we can't control. Exercise (tailored to individual physique and capability) seems like one of the few precious ways we have to influence the future.

Activities I dedicate portions of my life to:

Pole fitness: Colloquially known as "pole dancing", but we don't dance in my class. "Pole gymnastics" might be a better word for it, but at my level it's just doing strength and mobility training on a vertical metal pole. There's a lot you can't tell from watching until you've tried it yourself, like how much brain is involved, what sort of strength you need to pull off a move, and how terrifying it is to do it while spinning 😵‍💫

Pilates: I do Pilates regularly to support my pole training and manage issues around my joint hypermobility. Back when I was doing it with a physiotherapist, I learned it's so, so, so important to shop around for health and fitness professionals whose philosophy, values and attitude towards the sports you train for match yours. Someone negative or disengaged will end up feeding your inner critic and hinder your progress.

Walking/hiking: I like walking for practicality and leisure, and sometimes enjoy a casual hike.

General calisthenics: My pet projects are currently the press-up to handstand, the straddle L-sit to mayurasana (peacock pose), and hopefully one day, a full planche and a Stalder press. I'm not actively training toward my calisthenics goals at the moment.

Activities I used to commit to:

Football (soccer): Years ago, I played for a State League Reserves team and occasionally got a run with the Premier players. My favourite football, however, is non-competitive five-a-side futsal with friends. I stopped playing in 2019 to prevent overtraining around pole, but occasionally join my old mates for a game.

Taekwondo: It's a misconception that you become a deadly weapon when you reach a certain level. You can go up in belts by executing to a desired standard during a grading, but real-life is nothing like a grading. I stopped training in 2019 to make time for pole.

Powerlifting: A short-lived obsession while in rehab for a shoulder subluxation. Lifting heavy is great for building lean muscle, which accelerates fat burn, helps develop bone density, and is such a psychological pick-me-up. In 2021, I eased off to prevent overtraining around pole.

Sometimes I write about fitness