This is my post marathon week. I succeeded in that I finished. Big learning experience and the one goal I had on race day was that I wanted to finish while being excited for the next one. That has happened and I'm very excited about the coming year of races. I have planned out my months which will give me a focus with continued training. I'm going to continue to not worry about the end results and focus daily on the given workout. One Day At A Time needs to be my montra, while running, its One Mile At A Time! I can't say I was thinking about Orlick's chapters while I was running, but what the book had given me were lessons that I put to use while practicing, so on race day I was in a better place as far as my "head" was concerned. Going forward seems less daunting than it would have in the past, due to some of the chapters that I have read, and my take on the lessons. I have taken it easy for a few days, today was my first run since Sunday. Felt good I guess, nothing hurting too bad. Next goal is the Turkey Trot, however, not taking it too seriously, its a fun run for Thanksgiving. So that should be the focus, run for fun, easier said than done in my world. But I'll give it a shot. Till next week...
This week wasn't necessarily one for the record books, but I am starting to see the physical changes I was hoping to - however, that may be due in part to a continually redefined and more positive outlook towards myself. Exercise has continued to improve, though I'd like to increase the amount I'm doing. Blood pressure has been great, heart rate tolerable. I've been applying relaxation techniques towards stressful/irritable moments, making sure I'm aware of the somatic reaction I experience and adjusting physically (gotta love the diaphragmatic breathing) as well as mentally, such as reappraising circumstances and establishing a plan of action where appropriate. Had a couple of taco bell nights over the past two weeks, though I also dared to partake in an adventurous dinner and found myself exposed to and sampling many dishes I likely wouldn't have before. This upcoming week I would like to try going cold turkey... I'm a little nervous and am confronting many thoughts on the subject, however I've made many of the necessary changes - such as coping with critical issues with other methods of dealing... So I picked up a little book-ish-journal-thing to help maintain positive focus entitled "In My Humble Opinion: A journal to vent about why people are like that and why all the stupid things they do are so obvious to me, from not using their turn signals to believing they're the center of the universe to sweating the small stuff to ignoring the fact that we're all just trying to make our way in this insanely crowded world but some of us are doing it a whole lot better than other." (Yes, that's the entire title - which struck a humorous tone with me as it does seem to poke fun at oneself in the process). I hope I don't have to use the pages of this journal too often; I think the process of actually writing it down has three particularly constructive advantages. First, you have to reevaluate whatever it is that's irking and judge whether it's actually worth the bother, i.e. don't sweat the small stuff.. Second, the circumstances that do qualify allows for a cathartic experience without necessarily seeking/bothering others with bad news.. And finally, it allows for reflection - to see how you viewed a situation and dealt with it, and try to gain productive (or atleast practical) personal insight... For those not so necessary instances, the book has plenty of comical tongue-in-cheek quotes from many of the greatest minds in history. Twas a bit of Fate, it would seem; I came home that day and later had a conversation pertaining to the jocular cynicism with which I often view the world, mentioning my particular fondness for Mark Twain... About twenty minutes later I decided to skim my new little book thing, the author's note closing with none other than Mr. Twain himself. For a book intended for vexing annoyances, it certainly does seem to inspire an cheerful disposition, I have yet to put it down without a lighthearted smirk. And I'm happy to say, I haven't felt compelled to use it yet ;) Cheerio, chums and goodnight!
This week could have certainly benefited from some better strategies. I have been, however,keeping on track with reading assignments and exercises yet I feel that the ultimate goal I originally set out to accomplish is morphing into something else entirely. The strategies for focus and positive imaging, distraction control and time management, which served me wonderfully in the first month, are now no longer sufficient. I struggle to comprehend whether it is the degree of work required or the means to the end which have evolved beyond the set plan. I am considering setting aside a few moments this coming weekend and week in order to sort through this dilemma. I hope that by the end, I will have a clear idea as to what is posing such a hindrance to my progress despite my adherence to a rigorous goal plan. I also hope to be able to modify and adapt the schedule which has served me well thus far, to the demands of the current situation (whatever it may be).
Ive kept up with my new goals that I created. These new goals are much more tangible than my previous ones. I've met my goal's for the week by keeping a chart of how much time I should devote each day. Apart from doing my daily meditation and focusing on being mindful in that time, i've also downloaded a recording of autogenic relaxation. I've been spending some time at night listening to that, it helps me wind down after a long day. Sometimes i've even fallen asleep listening to the track. I also just signed up for a yoga class during this winter semester. This can be very beneficial to me. I'll learn much more about yoga and how to practice new techniques and implement them into my own mindful yoga. I just hope its noting like Bikram Yoga...That was way too intense for me. And i like to relax and not feel like i'm on the verge of dying when I participate in yoga exercises. I plan on rereading some of the previous chapters in our book, just so I can touch up on some of my strive towards excellence. I have got to say that since i've changed my goals and made them more realistic, i've been having an easier time focusing on what I can accomplish against what I feel like I won't accomplish by practicing yoga.
I'm getting to the point where I'm really wishing I'd chosen becoming excellent at crocheting hats or something... which is a very negative thought process and not at all beneficial towards my excellence, but it's definitely the thoughts I've been trying to get over.
I've been doing alright meeting some of my smaller goals, as per usual these last few weeks, and I've noticed things are getting a little better as far as how I feel on a day to day basis. I've been looking over my diet, and I have definitely been better at some semblance of self control with my eating.
This past week, getting my exercise in has been the hardest part... not only did my boyfriend bring home a new video game that it's hard not to want to play, but the weather has been really nasty lately. My lungs and muscles aren't well adapted to functioning in the winter, and the paths I've been walking are really hilly... I get winded a lot more quickly than before. It's frustrating, so it's harder for me to force myself to follow through.
I just finished reading Orlick's chapter on consistency, and I definitely need to focus more on that in particular. My attitude about my progress both in my health activities and my juggling are very inconsistent and I haven't been dealing as well with setbacks as I would like.
BUT, next week is going to be awesome, I've docided!!
The chapter on balance made me think a lot. I really don’t have a lot of balance in my life at all. My life is mostly filled with things I have to do - school, homework, work, paying bills, etc. I do very few things I like to do; I unwind on a very rare basis. This obviously makes me a little high strung - which really doesn’t help me in the behavior I’m trying to change. I don’t relax and enjoy things as much as I would like. Forget doing one thing that makes me happy a day; I probably can’t even think of one thing a week! That is a real problem. I hadn’t at all realized how out of balance my life was. I hadn’t really taken stock of just how much I worked as opposed to how much I relaxed. I had been feeling burnt out, but I hadn’t really thought that doing anything about it was an option. But I really need to find something small everyday that I can do to help myself relax. I’m not really sure what that will be yet. I can’t think of anything yet.
This week has been going well. I have been making diet changes. The program recommends a high protein eating plan. It actually seems like too much food, so I have peeled back a bit and I’ll increase as I go. The exercise side is going a bit slower. I have been exercising a little each day to get my body ready for the full workout. I have shoulder tendonitis that has been there for quite a while, thus I know that I need to ease into this program. The food part of it seems the most difficult because of the planning that is involved. I try to eat very well by eating grass-fed meat and locally grown vegetables, however I have notice that I don’t feel that great eating the amount of protein the recommend. So, I will make changes as I feel are necessary.
This week's chapter on Balance (how to deal with overload specifically) really resinated with me. I have definitely been feeling overloaded with all my responsibilities and it is making me feel kind of negative and irritable. I have not been following through with my journal writing at all this week because I just don't have the desire or energy to do it when I get home at night. The author listed all these steps, or decisions to make in regards to fining balance, and while these are all well and good, I feel like just saying "decide to do this" or "decide to do that" is not all that helpful. I would do a lot's of activities for pure enjoyment if I had the time to do them. The problem is I don't have the time. This post is not so much about my writing as it is about how I am really feeling in my life at the moment, which is overwhelmed in case you didn't know. I know that I need to find balance so I don't have a nervous breakdown, but I don't know how to do this. I feel like the life I am leading right now is sucking the life right out of me. Maybe I need to change some things, like cut back on my work hours, but this would create financial stress, so I would basically be trading one type of stress for another. I don't really know what I am supposed to do to find more balance in my life-HELP! Mr. Terry Goodkind is a great talker, but unless he can give me some money so I don't have to work and go to school at the same time, he's just a great talker. I know, I know, I sound very negative right now, so sorry.
Well things have been rough for me the past week as I head into the final stretch before surgery. I am most anxious about what happens after. This is the 3rd major surgery that I have had on my wrist and from experience it might only look like the wrist is hurt but this recovery always feels like a full body hangover. I use a prevalent after image (lethargic me) to drive and motivate me to practice as much as I can while I can. Spinning the bola has become my go to method for handling stress relief. This project and this book have helped to drive home the concept that principle holds true across dimensions. As i have progressed with my spinning I have come to realize that to me the Bola is my pen or pencil, while the space around me is my eternal page. Some of you have started to write journals of your own using real paper and pen. The only difference is that yall get to erase or cover up what yall don’t want the journal to know about. With the bola there is only one page and everything that is put there stays. I am not perfect but I choose to strive for my ideal. When a journal entry is started (the writer picks up a pen, I pick up a bola) flows of emotion and feeling come mixed and disorganized but throughout the process things become clearer. Taking a few steps back I come to realize I was standing waist deep in the middle of a river. What I had perceived to be disorganized was then met as order for sometimes disturbance creation is my doing and sometimes it is not. A Journal is the reflection of the self. Have you in your own way made an entry into your journal today?
Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle has been going well. I have been able to successfully regulate my sleep cycle by ensuring that I get precisely eight hours of sleep each night. The one area that I continue to struggle with is going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. I try to drink coffee in the morning, but not late at night so as not to interfere with falling asleep. Additionally, I have developed a nightly routine that prepares my mind and body for sleep. I drink a cup of tea and listen to music before going to bed each night. I also wear a sleep mask at night, which has helped me fall asleep very soon after getting into bed. Prior to setting this goal, I only wore a sleep mask occasionally. I enjoy engaging in these new behaviors, and am still seeking some new things that will help me wake up in the morning. I believe waking up has been most difficult during these eight weeks, and have yet to pinpoint techniques that are exceedingly beneficial.
So, I think I have come to a bit of a realization. I have started to make some other "daily life" changes like control my sleeping pattern a bit more, and to try and sleep better. And I've realized that getting in better shape is not my highest priority by any means, and that there are a lot of other things that I see as higher need that I focus on much more than my fitness level. I think that I might shift my fitness level goal to be a much more pointed goal. Perhaps exercise 2 times a week, which doesn't sound like much but actually would be for me who isn't successfully exercising (formally) at all. Also, as a part of my thoughts on my tiredness when it comes to exercise I thought my caffeine intake was to blame, it being too high and wearing my body out more. So I have also cut soda from my diet (I don't drink coffee anyway) and I think that is helping a lot with my sleeping and I am feeling more energetic. Though, of my little changes that have temptations, the resistance to soda is a tough one. But I have done well thus far and think I will continue to do well.
This week has been just about the same as last. I don't really have anything interesting to report right now. I'm still keeping good posture in my classes, which has always been a big opportunity for me to slouch and lean on my desk, so my progress there is still doing well. I have been keeping relatively good posture in the car too, which is another place that I would typically slouch a lot. I have been slouching on the couch this week, and I realize that I still need to work on that area of my posture. When walking and standing, I've been doing well keeping my posture, but I still need to work on it a little, especially while standing still. I've made quite a bit of progress since the beginning of the semester, so I'm happy with how things are now. I will also report that I don't have as much back pain as I did on a regular basis prior to the beginning of the semester, which I would attribute to my improvement in posture since before this class, my posture was horrible.
I will also say that it is interesting to watch other people sitting in class or walking around and to notice how their posture is. When I see other people in my classes, I am amazed at how terrible most peoples' posture is. When I look around me and I am one of the only people sitting up straight, I feel good about myself because I know I have made progress toward my goal just by comparing myself to other people. I used to have posture just like them, and I guess I didn't realize that until I actually took a look around and started noticing how other people carry themselves.
The past couple of weeks have been my best this semester. I've made breakthroughs that have seriously boosted my confidence and commitment to being better at managing my money. Now that I've diligently tracked my revenue for two months, I am noticing patterns in my spending, which allows me to fine tune my spending and saving strategies. At this point, I'm more than half way to my ultimate goal of $500 saved by December 14th--and I KNOW that I will reach the goal because I have the next month planned out to a T. Planning and scheduling have been crucial skills in improving my situation. I feel that they're finally starting to take hold as permanent habits. Another significant improvement is that I am actually making more money. I was struggling before because my spending needs were higher than my monthly income. No kidding I was stuck! I'm now picking up a lot more shifts at work, making hundreds of dollars more a month, and spending LESS. My situation is so much better and I've noticed an amazing reduction in my overall stress. The benefits have spilled over into other areas of my life, too. In the past few weeks I've begun time blocking 100% of my responsibilities week by week using a master calendar.
Due to Hurricane Sandy, weather conditions and climate have been very unfavorable to fishing. The sudden freeze immediately after the hurricane did not help either. At this time I'm waiting for the weather to improve in the next few days, as the forecast promises to do, and fish early next week. Furthermore, hurricane sandy came right during a full moon and high tide, which was the best time to fish, ever. I'll have to wait for the secondary feeding time (I learned about fish feeding times while pursuing my outside skill of fishing ) and go during a new moon on a high tide during the day. That is all. I have concentrated instead of fishing, on juggling.
This week has gone quite well for me. I have found myself a partner in my desire to quit smoking... a sort of smoking sponsor if you will. This is a guy I see on a daily basis as well as work with him, so we have been challenging (as well as harassing) each other on the smoking issue. I have also started a workout regimen at a local gym that involves a lot of commitment. Tomorrow is day five at the gym, and I can definitely say that working out again is helping me quite a bit. Realizing how out of shape and quickly short of breath i become is one hell of a motivator for cessation. My competitive streak will not allow me to fall behind the others that I work out with, nor will it allow me to exercise any less intensely than I used to do. I find that I am competing with myself predominantly, however, and so it really upsets me when I cannot perform the way I used to in my lifting and running. Simply the clean and amazing way my body feels after I have sweated out all of those toxins that I have gotten so used to living with has proved to be a great help in not smoking. If I work out hard in the morning, I have found that I don't really even desire a cigarette until much later in the evening.
This is my post marathon week. I succeeded in that I finished. Big learning experience and the one goal I had on race day was that I wanted to finish while being excited for the next one. That has happened and I'm very excited about the coming year of races. I have planned out my months which will give me a focus with continued training. I'm going to continue to not worry about the end results and focus daily on the given workout. One Day At A Time needs to be my montra, while running, its One Mile At A Time!
ReplyDeleteI can't say I was thinking about Orlick's chapters while I was running, but what the book had given me were lessons that I put to use while practicing, so on race day I was in a better place as far as my "head" was concerned. Going forward seems less daunting than it would have in the past, due to some of the chapters that I have read, and my take on the lessons.
I have taken it easy for a few days, today was my first run since Sunday. Felt good I guess, nothing hurting too bad.
Next goal is the Turkey Trot, however, not taking it too seriously, its a fun run for Thanksgiving. So that should be the focus, run for fun, easier said than done in my world. But I'll give it a shot.
Till next week...
This week wasn't necessarily one for the record books, but I am starting to see the physical changes I was hoping to - however, that may be due in part to a continually redefined and more positive outlook towards myself. Exercise has continued to improve, though I'd like to increase the amount I'm doing. Blood pressure has been great, heart rate tolerable. I've been applying relaxation techniques towards stressful/irritable moments, making sure I'm aware of the somatic reaction I experience and adjusting physically (gotta love the diaphragmatic breathing) as well as mentally, such as reappraising circumstances and establishing a plan of action where appropriate. Had a couple of taco bell nights over the past two weeks, though I also dared to partake in an adventurous dinner and found myself exposed to and sampling many dishes I likely wouldn't have before. This upcoming week I would like to try going cold turkey... I'm a little nervous and am confronting many thoughts on the subject, however I've made many of the necessary changes - such as coping with critical issues with other methods of dealing... So I picked up a little book-ish-journal-thing to help maintain positive focus entitled "In My Humble Opinion: A journal to vent about why people are like that and why all the stupid things they do are so obvious to me, from not using their turn signals to believing they're the center of the universe to sweating the small stuff to ignoring the fact that we're all just trying to make our way in this insanely crowded world but some of us are doing it a whole lot better than other." (Yes, that's the entire title - which struck a humorous tone with me as it does seem to poke fun at oneself in the process). I hope I don't have to use the pages of this journal too often; I think the process of actually writing it down has three particularly constructive advantages. First, you have to reevaluate whatever it is that's irking and judge whether it's actually worth the bother, i.e. don't sweat the small stuff.. Second, the circumstances that do qualify allows for a cathartic experience without necessarily seeking/bothering others with bad news.. And finally, it allows for reflection - to see how you viewed a situation and dealt with it, and try to gain productive (or atleast practical) personal insight... For those not so necessary instances, the book has plenty of comical tongue-in-cheek quotes from many of the greatest minds in history. Twas a bit of Fate, it would seem; I came home that day and later had a conversation pertaining to the jocular cynicism with which I often view the world, mentioning my particular fondness for Mark Twain... About twenty minutes later I decided to skim my new little book thing, the author's note closing with none other than Mr. Twain himself. For a book intended for vexing annoyances, it certainly does seem to inspire an cheerful disposition, I have yet to put it down without a lighthearted smirk. And I'm happy to say, I haven't felt compelled to use it yet ;) Cheerio, chums and goodnight!
ReplyDeleteThis week could have certainly benefited from some better strategies. I have been, however,keeping on track with reading assignments and exercises yet I feel that the ultimate goal I originally set out to accomplish is morphing into something else entirely. The strategies for focus and positive imaging, distraction control and time management, which served me wonderfully in the first month, are now no longer sufficient. I struggle to comprehend whether it is the degree of work required or the means to the end which have evolved beyond the set plan. I am considering setting aside a few moments this coming weekend and week in order to sort through this dilemma. I hope that by the end, I will have a clear idea as to what is posing such a hindrance to my progress despite my adherence to a rigorous goal plan. I also hope to be able to modify and adapt the schedule which has served me well thus far, to the demands of the current situation (whatever it may be).
ReplyDeleteIve kept up with my new goals that I created. These new goals are much more tangible than my previous ones. I've met my goal's for the week by keeping a chart of how much time I should devote each day. Apart from doing my daily meditation and focusing on being mindful in that time, i've also downloaded a recording of autogenic relaxation. I've been spending some time at night listening to that, it helps me wind down after a long day. Sometimes i've even fallen asleep listening to the track. I also just signed up for a yoga class during this winter semester. This can be very beneficial to me. I'll learn much more about yoga and how to practice new techniques and implement them into my own mindful yoga. I just hope its noting like Bikram Yoga...That was way too intense for me. And i like to relax and not feel like i'm on the verge of dying when I participate in yoga exercises. I plan on rereading some of the previous chapters in our book, just so I can touch up on some of my strive towards excellence. I have got to say that since i've changed my goals and made them more realistic, i've been having an easier time focusing on what I can accomplish against what I feel like I won't accomplish by practicing yoga.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting to the point where I'm really wishing I'd chosen becoming excellent at crocheting hats or something... which is a very negative thought process and not at all beneficial towards my excellence, but it's definitely the thoughts I've been trying to get over.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing alright meeting some of my smaller goals, as per usual these last few weeks, and I've noticed things are getting a little better as far as how I feel on a day to day basis. I've been looking over my diet, and I have definitely been better at some semblance of self control with my eating.
This past week, getting my exercise in has been the hardest part... not only did my boyfriend bring home a new video game that it's hard not to want to play, but the weather has been really nasty lately. My lungs and muscles aren't well adapted to functioning in the winter, and the paths I've been walking are really hilly... I get winded a lot more quickly than before. It's frustrating, so it's harder for me to force myself to follow through.
I just finished reading Orlick's chapter on consistency, and I definitely need to focus more on that in particular. My attitude about my progress both in my health activities and my juggling are very inconsistent and I haven't been dealing as well with setbacks as I would like.
BUT, next week is going to be awesome, I've docided!!
The chapter on balance made me think a lot. I really don’t have a lot of balance in my life at all. My life is mostly filled with things I have to do - school, homework, work, paying bills, etc. I do very few things I like to do; I unwind on a very rare basis. This obviously makes me a little high strung - which really doesn’t help me in the behavior I’m trying to change. I don’t relax and enjoy things as much as I would like. Forget doing one thing that makes me happy a day; I probably can’t even think of one thing a week! That is a real problem. I hadn’t at all realized how out of balance my life was. I hadn’t really taken stock of just how much I worked as opposed to how much I relaxed. I had been feeling burnt out, but I hadn’t really thought that doing anything about it was an option. But I really need to find something small everyday that I can do to help myself relax. I’m not really sure what that will be yet. I can’t think of anything yet.
ReplyDeleteThis week has been going well. I have been making diet changes. The program recommends a high protein eating plan. It actually seems like too much food, so I have peeled back a bit and I’ll increase as I go. The exercise side is going a bit slower. I have been exercising a little each day to get my body ready for the full workout. I have shoulder tendonitis that has been there for quite a while, thus I know that I need to ease into this program. The food part of it seems the most difficult because of the planning that is involved. I try to eat very well by eating grass-fed meat and locally grown vegetables, however I have notice that I don’t feel that great eating the amount of protein the recommend. So, I will make changes as I feel are necessary.
ReplyDeleteThis week's chapter on Balance (how to deal with overload specifically) really resinated with me. I have definitely been feeling overloaded with all my responsibilities and it is making me feel kind of negative and irritable. I have not been following through with my journal writing at all this week because I just don't have the desire or energy to do it when I get home at night. The author listed all these steps, or decisions to make in regards to fining balance, and while these are all well and good, I feel like just saying "decide to do this" or "decide to do that" is not all that helpful. I would do a lot's of activities for pure enjoyment if I had the time to do them. The problem is I don't have the time. This post is not so much about my writing as it is about how I am really feeling in my life at the moment, which is overwhelmed in case you didn't know. I know that I need to find balance so I don't have a nervous breakdown, but I don't know how to do this. I feel like the life I am leading right now is sucking the life right out of me. Maybe I need to change some things, like cut back on my work hours, but this would create financial stress, so I would basically be trading one type of stress for another. I don't really know what I am supposed to do to find more balance in my life-HELP! Mr. Terry Goodkind is a great talker, but unless he can give me some money so I don't have to work and go to school at the same time, he's just a great talker. I know, I know, I sound very negative right now, so sorry.
ReplyDeleteWell things have been rough for me the past week as I head into the final stretch before surgery. I am most anxious about what happens after. This is the 3rd major surgery that I have had on my wrist and from experience it might only look like the wrist is hurt but this recovery always feels like a full body hangover. I use a prevalent after image (lethargic me) to drive and motivate me to practice as much as I can while I can. Spinning the bola has become my go to method for handling stress relief. This project and this book have helped to drive home the concept that principle holds true across dimensions. As i have progressed with my spinning I have come to realize that to me the Bola is my pen or pencil, while the space around me is my eternal page. Some of you have started to write journals of your own using real paper and pen. The only difference is that yall get to erase or cover up what yall don’t want the journal to know about. With the bola there is only one page and everything that is put there stays. I am not perfect but I choose to strive for my ideal. When a journal entry is started (the writer picks up a pen, I pick up a bola) flows of emotion and feeling come mixed and disorganized but throughout the process things become clearer. Taking a few steps back I come to realize I was standing waist deep in the middle of a river. What I had perceived to be disorganized was then met as order for sometimes disturbance creation is my doing and sometimes it is not. A Journal is the reflection of the self. Have you in your own way made an entry into your journal today?
ReplyDeleteMaintaining a healthy sleep cycle has been going well. I have been able to successfully regulate my sleep cycle by ensuring that I get precisely eight hours of sleep each night. The one area that I continue to struggle with is going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. I try to drink coffee in the morning, but not late at night so as not to interfere with falling asleep. Additionally, I have developed a nightly routine that prepares my mind and body for sleep. I drink a cup of tea and listen to music before going to bed each night. I also wear a sleep mask at night, which has helped me fall asleep very soon after getting into bed. Prior to setting this goal, I only wore a sleep mask occasionally. I enjoy engaging in these new behaviors, and am still seeking some new things that will help me wake up in the morning. I believe waking up has been most difficult during these eight weeks, and have yet to pinpoint techniques that are exceedingly beneficial.
ReplyDeleteSo, I think I have come to a bit of a realization. I have started to make some other "daily life" changes like control my sleeping pattern a bit more, and to try and sleep better. And I've realized that getting in better shape is not my highest priority by any means, and that there are a lot of other things that I see as higher need that I focus on much more than my fitness level. I think that I might shift my fitness level goal to be a much more pointed goal. Perhaps exercise 2 times a week, which doesn't sound like much but actually would be for me who isn't successfully exercising (formally) at all. Also, as a part of my thoughts on my tiredness when it comes to exercise I thought my caffeine intake was to blame, it being too high and wearing my body out more. So I have also cut soda from my diet (I don't drink coffee anyway) and I think that is helping a lot with my sleeping and I am feeling more energetic. Though, of my little changes that have temptations, the resistance to soda is a tough one. But I have done well thus far and think I will continue to do well.
ReplyDeleteThis week has been just about the same as last. I don't really have anything interesting to report right now. I'm still keeping good posture in my classes, which has always been a big opportunity for me to slouch and lean on my desk, so my progress there is still doing well. I have been keeping relatively good posture in the car too, which is another place that I would typically slouch a lot. I have been slouching on the couch this week, and I realize that I still need to work on that area of my posture. When walking and standing, I've been doing well keeping my posture, but I still need to work on it a little, especially while standing still. I've made quite a bit of progress since the beginning of the semester, so I'm happy with how things are now. I will also report that I don't have as much back pain as I did on a regular basis prior to the beginning of the semester, which I would attribute to my improvement in posture since before this class, my posture was horrible.
ReplyDeleteI will also say that it is interesting to watch other people sitting in class or walking around and to notice how their posture is. When I see other people in my classes, I am amazed at how terrible most peoples' posture is. When I look around me and I am one of the only people sitting up straight, I feel good about myself because I know I have made progress toward my goal just by comparing myself to other people. I used to have posture just like them, and I guess I didn't realize that until I actually took a look around and started noticing how other people carry themselves.
The past couple of weeks have been my best this semester. I've made breakthroughs that have seriously boosted my confidence and commitment to being better at managing my money. Now that I've diligently tracked my revenue for two months, I am noticing patterns in my spending, which allows me to fine tune my spending and saving strategies. At this point, I'm more than half way to my ultimate goal of $500 saved by December 14th--and I KNOW that I will reach the goal because I have the next month planned out to a T. Planning and scheduling have been crucial skills in improving my situation. I feel that they're finally starting to take hold as permanent habits. Another significant improvement is that I am actually making more money. I was struggling before because my spending needs were higher than my monthly income. No kidding I was stuck! I'm now picking up a lot more shifts at work, making hundreds of dollars more a month, and spending LESS. My situation is so much better and I've noticed an amazing reduction in my overall stress. The benefits have spilled over into other areas of my life, too. In the past few weeks I've begun time blocking 100% of my responsibilities week by week using a master calendar.
ReplyDeleteDue to Hurricane Sandy, weather conditions and climate have been very unfavorable to fishing. The sudden freeze immediately after the hurricane did not help either. At this time I'm waiting for the weather to improve in the next few days, as the forecast promises to do, and fish early next week. Furthermore, hurricane sandy came right during a full moon and high tide, which was the best time to fish, ever. I'll have to wait for the secondary feeding time (I learned about fish feeding times while pursuing my outside skill of fishing ) and go during a new moon on a high tide during the day. That is all. I have concentrated instead of fishing, on juggling.
ReplyDeleteThis week has gone quite well for me. I have found myself a partner in my desire to quit smoking... a sort of smoking sponsor if you will. This is a guy I see on a daily basis as well as work with him, so we have been challenging (as well as harassing) each other on the smoking issue. I have also started a workout regimen at a local gym that involves a lot of commitment. Tomorrow is day five at the gym, and I can definitely say that working out again is helping me quite a bit. Realizing how out of shape and quickly short of breath i become is one hell of a motivator for cessation. My competitive streak will not allow me to fall behind the others that I work out with, nor will it allow me to exercise any less intensely than I used to do. I find that I am competing with myself predominantly, however, and so it really upsets me when I cannot perform the way I used to in my lifting and running. Simply the clean and amazing way my body feels after I have sweated out all of those toxins that I have gotten so used to living with has proved to be a great help in not smoking. If I work out hard in the morning, I have found that I don't really even desire a cigarette until much later in the evening.
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