Since this is a pseudo-fitness blog I will start out with my current weight: 147 lbs. I have not done my fat percentage in months, so that is completely out-of-date. I have managed to walk and do other minor forms of exercise, but I haven't been to the gym and my count remains stuck at 75/200.
Now, that we have the preliminaries out of the way, we can move on to my New Year's challenge. I have not really gotten going on the list of talents and training needs. I have taken a look at the master's programs that I am interested in and am narrowing them down in case that is the direction I end up pursuing. I printed out the FAFSA worksheet in preparation for applying for financial aid, and have filled in all the blanks I am able. If I am going to grad school, I have to have everything in order, and I don't want a form or two to prevent my getting started. So, I am working toward what I want in my life.
In even more impressive news, I have both of the Christmas trees down, all of the ornaments and lights boxed up, and everything in the attic. There are a couple of stray Santa decorations and Nativity sets hanging around, but they will be outta here in the next 24 hours. Once all of the Christmas stuff is gone, I will set another step in the clutter-cutting goal. So, I am making great progress on the elimination side of the plan.
Now, to keep the momentum...
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Yeah, That Would Be Me...
The one who manages to lose weight over the holidays and is currently weighing in at 147.5 lbs. I wish I could attribute it to methodical exercise and a stellar diet. It is more likely the fact that I have bronchitis and didn't feel like cooking or eating all of the standard holiday fare.
I will give myself credit, though. I kept myself away from the cases of spiral hams and allowed myself one small piece of pumpkin pie - no whipped cream. The bag of M&Ms that my wasband left at my house was more than I could manage - and I have managed to down a decent amount of it. So, it needs to go.
Outside of that, things are going along about as well as can be expected. My divorce is final (as of Dec. 21 - it gave a whole new meaning to the solstice) and I am looking to the future.
With 72 hours (or so) left in 2005, I have to admit that it has been a pretty impressive year. Yeah, I lost more than 40 pounds, a husband, and completed a year of school. But more than that, I began the journey of rediscovering myself.
2006 is the year I will either meet the MegaChallenge and complete my 200 workouts - or fall short. It is also the year when I will decide whether to tackle a master's degree or to head off to a real job or a combination of the two. Lots of growth and changes are in store.
I don't get into the whole New Year's Resolutions thing - but I do use the change of the calendar to reassess. My favorite question is: If I could have/do/be anything what would it be? Then I have to ask: What is the first step toward having it? When can I get that step completed? Who will hold me accountable for accomplishing it?
My second favorite question is: What is in my life that I would rather be rid of? Then the same steps apply. It isn't mindbogglingly difficult to ask, but it can have enormous impact on my life when I bother to actually implement the answers.
What are you going to do to get 2006 rolling in the right direction?
I will give myself credit, though. I kept myself away from the cases of spiral hams and allowed myself one small piece of pumpkin pie - no whipped cream. The bag of M&Ms that my wasband left at my house was more than I could manage - and I have managed to down a decent amount of it. So, it needs to go.
Outside of that, things are going along about as well as can be expected. My divorce is final (as of Dec. 21 - it gave a whole new meaning to the solstice) and I am looking to the future.
With 72 hours (or so) left in 2005, I have to admit that it has been a pretty impressive year. Yeah, I lost more than 40 pounds, a husband, and completed a year of school. But more than that, I began the journey of rediscovering myself.
2006 is the year I will either meet the MegaChallenge and complete my 200 workouts - or fall short. It is also the year when I will decide whether to tackle a master's degree or to head off to a real job or a combination of the two. Lots of growth and changes are in store.
I don't get into the whole New Year's Resolutions thing - but I do use the change of the calendar to reassess. My favorite question is: If I could have/do/be anything what would it be? Then I have to ask: What is the first step toward having it? When can I get that step completed? Who will hold me accountable for accomplishing it?
My second favorite question is: What is in my life that I would rather be rid of? Then the same steps apply. It isn't mindbogglingly difficult to ask, but it can have enormous impact on my life when I bother to actually implement the answers.
- If I could be anything what would it be? A graphic facilitator/life coach. (See Christina's site and you will have a pretty decent idea of my bliss.)
- What is the first step toward being a life coach? Doing an assessment of my current abilities and the areas which need development.
- When can I get that step completed? By New Year's.
- Who will hold me accountable? My blog readers.
- If I could get rid of anything what would it be? The clutter in my house.
- What is the first step toward decluttering? Taking down the holiday decorations.
- When can I get that step completed? By New Year's.
- Who will hold me accountable? My blog readers.
What are you going to do to get 2006 rolling in the right direction?
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Yeah, I Wish...
I wish I was here to tell you that I am back to working out. Fact is that I doubt the folks at the gym would recognize me. Yeah, it has been that long. I still have a small desire to make my goal of 200 workouts this year. I haven't looked at the math to see if it is still possible - but I do like finishing what I start.
The person who started out doing this with me is in the same boat. It looks like Renee and Allan and Trish have sort of drifted from their goals, too. Perhaps this isn't a sign of failure, though. Perhaps it is a normal part of life. When I set my goal to work out 200 times this year, it was with the idea that it would take that to get back into my summer clothing. Well, I actually reached that goal in 75 workouts. Does that mean that I never need to work out, again? Of course not! But it does mean that my focus has shifted.
Brenna perfectly illustrates this point. Does she want to be physically strong? Absolutely. But she wants to be a mommy more right now. So, her focus has shifted. That's not to say that a couple months after those babies (yes more than one) are born that her focus won't readjust. But growing babies is a big job - and sort of requires that you give up the goal of fitting into anything smaller than a circus tent - at least in the short term.
So, am I struggling with finding the motivation to get to the gym? Absolutely. Am I freaked out about it? Can't say that I am. I will say that I need to fit some fitness into my life.
My real struggle is with making room for all of the things I need to do along with the stuff I want to do. When working out was a want, I was motivated to work it into my daily routine. Now that it is a need, and not my heart's desire I am a little (okay, a lot) less likely to squeeze it in. This portion of the challenge is to find a way to remain motivated to do things that aren't at the very top of my to do list.
Yikes. This stuff just gets harder and harder!
The person who started out doing this with me is in the same boat. It looks like Renee and Allan and Trish have sort of drifted from their goals, too. Perhaps this isn't a sign of failure, though. Perhaps it is a normal part of life. When I set my goal to work out 200 times this year, it was with the idea that it would take that to get back into my summer clothing. Well, I actually reached that goal in 75 workouts. Does that mean that I never need to work out, again? Of course not! But it does mean that my focus has shifted.
Brenna perfectly illustrates this point. Does she want to be physically strong? Absolutely. But she wants to be a mommy more right now. So, her focus has shifted. That's not to say that a couple months after those babies (yes more than one) are born that her focus won't readjust. But growing babies is a big job - and sort of requires that you give up the goal of fitting into anything smaller than a circus tent - at least in the short term.
So, am I struggling with finding the motivation to get to the gym? Absolutely. Am I freaked out about it? Can't say that I am. I will say that I need to fit some fitness into my life.
My real struggle is with making room for all of the things I need to do along with the stuff I want to do. When working out was a want, I was motivated to work it into my daily routine. Now that it is a need, and not my heart's desire I am a little (okay, a lot) less likely to squeeze it in. This portion of the challenge is to find a way to remain motivated to do things that aren't at the very top of my to do list.
Yikes. This stuff just gets harder and harder!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Two Weeks and Two Days Later...
I am still weighing in around 149. Some days a little more, some days a little less. The lowest evah was 148 last week. And don't ask about workouts. They aren't happening. But that is so not the focus of my thoughts right now.
My focus is on getting my house in order - literally and figuratively. I am reading tons of books, planning the holidays for my kids (I am not into it at all, but I know better than to skip the festivities.), and throwing out piles of stuff.
It is amazing what you (I) will hang onto way past its usefulness. Like who needs 75 buttons from the 80's? If you were around when Robin Williams was better known as Mork, you will remember the suspenders he wore - complete with sun and moon buttons. Well, that was early in my formative years, and I took that fad and carried it all the way into my adulthood by way of a massive collection of buttons that refused to die. Yeah, they ended up in some box along with several Swatch watches, ticket stubs from concerts and movies (remember the Police? How 'bout the Goonies??), and gawd knows what else. I finally made a clean break with middle and high school and dumped the whole shebang into the garbage.
Yeah, here's where I could make the leap and say the same thing about my marriage. But that would be way too obvious. So, how about I wait right here while you think through that thought and then we can move on.
You back? Great!
So where were we? Oh yeah, cleaning house. See the trouble with cleaning house is that you spend way too much time looking at the stuff you are throwing away and get really close to forgetting the point of the cleaning part. Now you want to know the point? Okay, get ready for it...
The point of cleaning house is to make room to live in it.
If your life is cluttered with all the memorabilia from what you have already done, how will you ever make space to experience anything new? You won't. Of course, you risk throwing away the one thing that you will desperately need in a week and won't be able to replace for anything less than $600 on eBay. That's why we hang on to all of that stuff. It seems too risky to let it go.
But at some point it has to go. Either that, or you will find yourself sitting amongst your piles of already-dones and wondering why you aren't happy. Don't get me wrong. I am keeping my grandmother's dishes and all of my CDs and lots of other things that I love. It isn't that things from the past are bad - but they need to grow with you. I mean, how ridiculous would I look walking around wearing rainbow suspenders covered with buttons that say things like, "I Heart Garfield"? Yeah. Not pretty.
So, out with the tasteless, dated, rusting garbage. I am making room to live again.
My focus is on getting my house in order - literally and figuratively. I am reading tons of books, planning the holidays for my kids (I am not into it at all, but I know better than to skip the festivities.), and throwing out piles of stuff.
It is amazing what you (I) will hang onto way past its usefulness. Like who needs 75 buttons from the 80's? If you were around when Robin Williams was better known as Mork, you will remember the suspenders he wore - complete with sun and moon buttons. Well, that was early in my formative years, and I took that fad and carried it all the way into my adulthood by way of a massive collection of buttons that refused to die. Yeah, they ended up in some box along with several Swatch watches, ticket stubs from concerts and movies (remember the Police? How 'bout the Goonies??), and gawd knows what else. I finally made a clean break with middle and high school and dumped the whole shebang into the garbage.
Yeah, here's where I could make the leap and say the same thing about my marriage. But that would be way too obvious. So, how about I wait right here while you think through that thought and then we can move on.
You back? Great!
So where were we? Oh yeah, cleaning house. See the trouble with cleaning house is that you spend way too much time looking at the stuff you are throwing away and get really close to forgetting the point of the cleaning part. Now you want to know the point? Okay, get ready for it...
The point of cleaning house is to make room to live in it.
If your life is cluttered with all the memorabilia from what you have already done, how will you ever make space to experience anything new? You won't. Of course, you risk throwing away the one thing that you will desperately need in a week and won't be able to replace for anything less than $600 on eBay. That's why we hang on to all of that stuff. It seems too risky to let it go.
But at some point it has to go. Either that, or you will find yourself sitting amongst your piles of already-dones and wondering why you aren't happy. Don't get me wrong. I am keeping my grandmother's dishes and all of my CDs and lots of other things that I love. It isn't that things from the past are bad - but they need to grow with you. I mean, how ridiculous would I look walking around wearing rainbow suspenders covered with buttons that say things like, "I Heart Garfield"? Yeah. Not pretty.
So, out with the tasteless, dated, rusting garbage. I am making room to live again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)