I am a prolific hobbyist. I have tried many, many things. Some stick with me. Some are quickly abandoned. I never think trying something new is a waste of time. When it clicks for me, great! When it doesn’t click for me, great! Now I know something I didn’t know before.

Today though, I want ignore the hobbies that I have continuously worked on for over a decade (like knitting and quilting) and instead talk about three hobbies that have dropped in and out of my routine over the past ten years. These are three wildly different activities (riding the Peloton bike, throwing pottery and garment sewing) that were a big part of my life, were gone completely and now I am working to re-cultivate. I have learned a few things about how to restart a hobby over the past few years and am excited to share them today.

Begin again with a structured program.

In late February 2024, right around my 39th birthday, I told Paul I wanted to start moving my body on purpose again. I remember telling him that I didn’t feel great and I wanted to feel better by next year when I turned 40. What did he think I should do? I hoped he would recommend something super ground-breaking like that I should hire a trainer or enroll in a fancy program. Instead he told me the most boring thing. He suggested I get back on the Peloton.

It felt so anti-climatic. The Peloton? The thing in our house? The thing I had already been doing from 2020-2022? The thing we were already paying for? No way it could be that easy. If it was that easy, I would have done it already!

Paul assured me it could be that easy and suggested I start with a five week Power Zone program. Without getting too technical, Power Zone training is a targeted workout that combines anaerobic and aerobic exercise to raise your Functional Threshold Power overtime. (Basically to improve your endurance and cardiovascular fitness). It’s a great workout for any level because it’s based on your current ability not any other metric.