...Before 50

A friend of mine had a goal of Fit Before 50 and with the big 5-0 creeping up on me in 2026, I thought it would be a good time to my own End of 40s To Do list. And what better way to do that than to re-restart the 500 New Things challenge! 2025 had not been a productive year for me so I’m going just going to start things from scratch and name September 7th as the the new beginning, the Fall of the rise, the Fit/Fun/Whatever I think of Before 50 hits in October next year. (Also another friend of me mocked me for my last attempt at 500 New Things crapping out at #2 so I need to redeem myself.)

As for 500 New Things - a fun challenge I’ve tried before - people always ask me What are the rules? Well, it’s literally something I made up so the rules are whatever I want. Or whatever you want if you want to give it a go.
I try not to make it too easy - I can’t just listen to 500 new songs and call it a success - so there needs to be some sort of commitment.
I count visits to new restaurants, new movies, new art exhibits or concerts.
For TV, I have to watch at least 5 episodes of a new show (not a new season of an existing show) for it to count.
Music, I only count concerts, although trying to find new music nowadays is a massive time commitment.
For new bars, I need to have one drink at a bar for it to count. Bar hopping does become a fun and easy way to knock off new things although in LA, more bars are closing than opening of late so the options aren’t as plentiful as when I tried this challenge a while back.
I have some scripts and songs in my head so I’ll count finished first drafts as a new thing. Rewrites don’t count.
Clothes… I don’t usually count except for shoes. I do need to rework my wardrobe - I just poked a whole in a shirt as I was trying to put it on which is neither a good sign for the shirt or my dexterity - but I don’t feel like trying new clothing brands count. Trying new shoe brands, however, is a bit more impactful.

In general, the 500 New Things challenge so the rules don’t really matter that much; just as long as the challenge gets me out and about and trying new things and not allowing myself to settle into a rut.

I’m also going to go for Fit By 50 Challenge. Not just to lose weight but I’ve become embarrassingly weak over the years and I need to get myself into fighting form. Not that I believe in fighting but I’ve had some real battles with bottles and jars of late.

So here’s to new things, better health and fitness, and making the most of the end of my 4th decade on Earth.