Work Out Warrior

I finally had a day where I felt less like a work out wannabe and more like a work out warrior. Usually, when I am at the gym a basketball game or some other ESPNesque event is on the many televisions which are not generally of interest to me. However, yesterday I was at the gym at a different time of day and a comedy was on. I realized that I could listen to it with my headphones. DUH! I am totally a tv junkie. If my husband puts on a tv show for just 30 seconds, I am hooked. So, it looks like I found the key to stamina enough to stay on the eliptical for over an hour: watch tv. I must say that it is very rare that television is the answer to anything good, but in this case I must say a great big thank you to the writers at That 70s Show although anything besides ESPN or FOX news probably would have worked just as well.

Day 2 of Working Out...Oh Lordy!

Ok, so I must have felt very ambitious earlier today. I brought my gym clothes to work, changed into them after work, got my nails done and walked to the gym. Got there just in time for a core workout class. Oh. Ouch. They were all out of lighter weights, so I took the 8 pounders, which is too much for me I found out.  My arms are still shaking slightly. But, I held my own. Then took part of an abs class, and did 13 minutes on the eliptical before I mentally threw my hands in the air and headed towards home. Pretty happy with my work today, but nervous about how motivated I will feel tomorrow if my arms and abs are still sore. We will see....

The Dreaded Gym Month Begins

Just time for a quick entry. March started today, which also means that the month of physical activity is beginning. In theory, it sounds fabulous. Unfortunately, theory doesn't take into account my awful sloth-like nature which tends to sway more towards the couch than the gym. I lack discipline. There, I said it. I didn't even make it all the way through the "no facebook" month. I made it pretty far though, and got rid of a few bad habits (e.g. having facebook open behind whatever else I am working on, having my computer open while watching tv with my husband even though I know it bothers him, and thinking in status updates). So, bottom line for February- slightly failed, but it served the purpose I was hoping for- a detox of sorts.

So yes, we have established that I lack discipline, and apparently we have also established that I lack the ability to finish a train of thought. Hmmm...where was I? Oh, yes. The gym. I first tried to get out of going by beginning an at home yoga program. When hubby showed up and was wanting to go, it created the ideal motivation. Why is it so hard to motivate myself I wonder? Anyways, I went, I elipticalized, and I feel good that I didn't fail myself on the very first day. One down, 30 more to go. Cheers to living The Skinny Life (literally in this case :)).

Facebook Free: Harder Than I Thought...

So I am only on day 3 of my facebook free month, and I am finding it much more difficult than originally anticipated. So far, the first two days, I actually had to go onto facebook to get an an address out of my inbox and also to check event info (although I was on under a minute each time). I hadn't realize how essential this damn website has become in my life. Thank goodness that by today, day 3, I have stopped thinking in status updates and I don't foresee any other needs coming up. This is definitely not a resolution that is seeming to fit seamlessly into my lifestyle. My soda resolution was well suited for me, and when given the option to choose soda, I have continued to choose water (yay me!). Wish me luck this month as my fingers gradually stop their itching to type an "f" after that "www.".

Our New and Improved Office

Ahhhhhh. That is really all there is to say. I am not sure why, but when we moved into our place three and a half years ago, we had the entire downstairs done in wood laminate, yet our downstairs office done in carpet. I have no idea why this seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turns out the only one in our household who actually enjoyed the carpet was our dog, Ali who believed it was a fabulous substitute for grass when she was too lazy to use her doggy door. Now, countless gallons of stain remover later, we finally made the change and it is awesome!!

Today was a pain with all the furniture moving and paper sorting but now that it is done, I feel super proactive and ready to do great things. The office had totally been bringing my husband down too. He works full time from home and how can a person be productive in that type of environment? Dusty, cluttered and stained- probably a pretty apt description of our minds too when we were in there. At some point, I think we just threw our hands in the air and did most of our work from the living room. Now, we both have a renewed energy. It is so interesting how changes in our environment can affect us so greatly. I even incorporated some feng shui elements. A living plant, wood in our corner for business growth. I am not sure I completely trust every feng shui principle, but it sure does help create a nice energy. Maybe its that energy that makes the feng shui principles seem to work. Either way, I am excited about our new and improved office. Living (and working) is getting easier! Just one more step on my journey to The Skinny Life.

New Months Resolutions

I make some variation of New Years Resolutions every year. Except every year, just like most other people in the world who make New Years Resolutions they don't last long. This year I have decided to do something a little different... I am going to make a new resolution for every month. I know I have problems with self discipline (ah yes, here lies the reason for the extra poundage), but I figure even I may be able to keep a resolution for one month. Don't most people make it through January? I hope???

I think every life needs balance which is basically the focus of this blog. This is also the reason I don't usually like to put blanket restrictions on myself. Sometimes blanket restrictions can be a good way to recharge and see what is really important, but sometimes they are just restricting oneself for the sake of restriction.

The goal for these monthly resolutions will be to "see what sticks." If I can spend a month changing my life in some way for the better and it actually becomes a good fit for my life, then maybe it will be easier to keep it as a permanent part of me. And if it doesn't seem to work quite right, I can let it go in good conscience after one month without the feeling of failure because I couldn't stick to it for a whole year. Seems like a shame to have two options like that: either stick to a resolution that maybe once seemed like a good idea, but may not actual fit my lifestyle, or quit part way through the year and feel like a failure. Resolutions are a great idea, but a year is a long time and I don't have the time to waste doing things that don't fit for the balance I am trying to create in my life. So, here is goes. My New Months Resolutions:

January: No soda (starting off small :))
February: No Facebook (this may be tough, but necessary)
March: Gym or a substitute activity every day
April: No alcohol
May: Create art every day
June: Go for a walk every day
July: No Television
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

I will also be focusing on staying hydrating, eating less meat, and buying more locally grown foods.

In my mind these are some pretty strict requirements and I am going to be realistic by giving myself 5 days off per month if I need them. It hasn't escaped my notice that only part of my year is filled in, but I think it will be better if I start with these and when I hit August I can better pick something that I feel led to at that time. I am hoping this will help with my self discipline issues.  Now....lets see if I can pull this off....Cheers to living The Skinny Life

On the Eve of Thirty

2010. It is almost hard to believe. This is the year I turn 30. Why has "30" always been such a benchmark year? Why is it that most of us expect to be full and complete people by this time? If this were possible, there would be no reason to continue. I remember as a teenager once dramatically (is there any other way when you are a teen?) telling a friend that if I ever made it to the age of 30 that she should shoot me because I would not ever want to be that old. (I hope she isn't planning on tracking me down). Now, here I am just a few months from the that dreaded day. I sure don't feel old enough to throw in the towel. I don't actually feel much different than I did at the age of 17. Ok, maybe that isn't all the way true. I sure wasn't very street smart or people savvy back in those days. I would like to think I have picked up a few knowledge nuggets on my journey. But besides becoming the brilliant person I am today (sarcasm implied), I just don't feel old. Sure I notice a few more pounds and a few fine lines, but at what point do we begin to feel old?

I guess coming up on this "milestone" has induced more than just a little self reflection. I have been thinking a lot about where I have been, what I have accomplished to date and what I hope to accomplish in the future. My old "goal setting" lists were all labeled "To Do Before I am 30." Time to rip those up I guess. I am pretty sure I won't be learning guitar or earning a black belt in karate in the next 4 months. The interesting thing is that I wouldn't really want to anymore.

One of the most fascinating things about looking back is seeing who you were. For Christmas a few years ago, my dad had all of our home movies put on to DVDs. What a great gift! I have been spending time with these during the past week. In some of the videos I am too young to be able to remember exactly my mindset at that age, but the videos where I am old enough to remember a bit is where it gets interesting. It is a stark contrast between my outlook on the world then and now. In the video of my high school graduation I remember thinking that I had my whole life ahead of me to do anything. Now, with a little more of that life behind me I am realizing how important it is to use the time left wisely-and maybe learning guitar isn't it for me.

I guess that who we are is made up of our thoughts, memories and experiences. But, because these grow and change each day, I guess it is safe to say that we really are a different person from one day to the next. In one home video, I am probably 10, my mother around 40 and my sister close to 5 years old. My mother is reading a story and it occurs to me, that those people no longer exist. What a weird thought. Of course people with those same names exist, but in no way are ANY of us the same people.

Looking at the past has been interesting, but I learned that I am not going to find many answers about myself there. Maybe I was expecting a grand AHA! moment. A clarity of what I am to do with the rest of my life. No, clarity isn't going to come with watching a Cabbage Patch obsessed child boss her little sister around. It will come with looking inward, outward and forward.