I never thought I would climb a 3,000+ meter mountain. But I did it last year. And then I went on an even harder adventure to the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in Washington.
For someone who had always been rather inactive, those were two huge achievements. They didn't happen overnight though: last summer, I decided to get fit and started hiking a few times a week. From easier to harder (never going crazy though!). I began in a park in the city and ended up climbing a volcano less than 2 months after that.
It took me a few weeks to get in shape, but I did it. This experience showed me that a person can achieve much more than what they think they are capable of. You just have to believe it.
Fast forward a few months, and here I am: 25 pounds fatter and, even worse, out of shape and struggling with the easiest hikes.
The past few months have been hard on my body. First, the road trip: a lot of driving, not much exercising. Then, a long winter where the main activities were eating and drinking. The last straw: moving back home to Spain where I've been eating everything I hadn't had the chance to eat for the last few years.
I already knew I wasn't in shape, but my last trip to Asturias made me sad. I struggled a lot on a hike that would've been really easy not too long ago. Worse, even on shorter hikes / walks I get much more tired than before, faster, and that affects my attention and capacity to focus. Thus, I feel I can't concentrate as well as before to make images.
Landscape photography doesn't have to involve getting deep in the wilderness on long and hard hikes. It can be done from the side of the road. But you'd be missing the best part of it. Also, the deeper and higher you go, the more you connect with the landscape, so you can make images of not just what you saw, but what the place makes you feel like.
Being healthier will improve your images even if you aren't out in the wilderness. You'll be much more focused and able to spend hours outside. In general, you'll also have more energy so it will be easier to just get out and make some images.
And of course, don't forget that a healthier body will improve your life in many other ways, not just photography wise.
All of this is why I'm saying enough. I've started a diet and I'm exercising regularly. The diet isn't extreme at all and I'm taking it easy with the exercise (I don't want to make it worse by getting hurt), so it will take me a while to get there. But I know I will. Because I've done it before and I know it's possible.
If you were thinking about getting healthier but had doubts about yourself, join me. Start small, but keep going steady. Don't think it's too late, it's not. Don't think tomorrow will be easier either. It won't, it actually will be harder. Now is the time. Let's do it!