It was a pleasantly dry and refreshing day across most of Japan, except for Okinawa, which had just entered the rainy season. A morning walk turned into more than routine exercise—it became a moment of reflection. An old set of health check records, discovered during a household cleanup, offered a chance to look back over the years. Comparing past and present numbers can be surprisingly revealing, not only about physical changes, but about how we age and adapt. This is a small record of that realization.
It was a pleasantly dry and refreshing day.
Except for Okinawa, which entered the rainy season yesterday, it seems that most of the country enjoyed clear skies.
This morning, I walked my dog Ann alone, taking the hiking trail from behind Myohonji Temple up to Mt. Gion.
I found myself wondering whether the ups and downs had always been this demanding.
For a moment, I recalled the days when I used to walk these paths lightly with my children.
When I returned home, my wife showed me an old set of health check results she had found while doing a thorough cleanup.
They were more than 15 years old. I thought about entering them into my health management app, but unfortunately, the data was too old to be supported.
So instead, I decided to jot down part of the record here, including more recent data.
Feb 2009 Feb 2015 Aug 2022 Aug 2025 Today (home)
Height (cm) 176.7 176.0 175.1 174.8 —
Weight (kg) 80.9 78.9 74.7 75.8 76.7
BMI 25.9 25.5 24.4 24.8 25.4
Waist (cm) 99.0 94.0 89.9 91.7 —
Blood Pressure 136/89 116/79 129/81 132/82 127/77
Aside from becoming slightly shorter, my waist measurement has actually improved, perhaps thanks to my recent efforts at dieting.
Next time, I hope for even better results.
The reason today’s hike felt more demanding is probably not just my body shape.
Muscle strength, eyesight, and balance likely all play a role.
Still, I would like to make an effort to keep walking regularly.
At the very least, I would like to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
・・・
Vocabulary for Learners
- refreshing：爽やかな
- thorough cleanup：徹底的な掃除
- jot down：書き留める
- demanding：きつい、負担の大きい
- measurement：測定値
- aside from：〜を除けば
- effort：努力、心がけ
- put one foot in front of the other：一歩一歩進む（比喩表現）
