As scheduled this morning at 3:15 AM, I kicked off The Plan for 2024. I suppose I ought to backtrack: last night I finalized the NYR24 with a progress chart. Seeing that 30,000-foot view helps me to wrap my mind around what lies ahead. While initially it was on a monthly basis, its segments by Expeditions are more practical.

There's something empowering and transparent about laying all of my stuff out there, where I am and where I am going. It parallels my closet: once I had a discombobulation of workout shorts and sweat pants. Now, I have a growing new collection of pants and jeans (17 at last count) all segmented out with 3-inch dividers (pool noodle) by waist size. The only shorts that remain are for swimming.

I am so going to delight in moving across the closet rack this year! Truly, it's just another chart, albeit in 3D space.

This morning, I put in 50+ minutes of lifting. They were supersets, so much so that there were times I skipped the rest even between the combos. I mean, if I usually take 45 seconds to rest, why not just use the other exercise to rest? At 5 sets each, I did high reps, primarily 20:

1. Stiff-Leg Dead Lifts / Curls
2. Shrugs / Incline Zottman Curls
3. Incline Rows / Wrist Curls

I completed that and straight away in the backdrop of a windchill of 24℉, I hit the streets—welll, not before fumbling with the Starbucks app. The 4.6-mile round trek became my morning walking target, like Panera percolated 2021 (I need a new Oak Court Mall zombie run). My steaming hot venti coffee would eventually be close to an iced coffee by the time I got home. Yes, and I did savor 4 warm and cozy cups of homemade chicken broth upon my return!

These Starbuck morning cardio sessions will be fundamental to 2024. While the cup or just the sleeve I do not know, but I will be keeping a trophy from each experience. It's all the building blocks of what I am becoming.