Monday, January 31, 2011

On track

I am the person that needs a plan to reach my goals. I used to think I could just do it with an ambiguous idea of what I wanted to accomplish and I thought I could do it on my own.  HA!!!

How often does the enemy use that kind of thinking to keep us from getting where we want to be? 

How often have I started something just to give up because it seems too hard.  Well if you've ever read my blog before you know it's pretty common. 

Now I am making a stand and making a change.

I met with a personal trainer on Friday.  She gave me a workout to follow and an eating plan to get me started. 

My first task is to eat breakfast every morning within an hour of getting up.  My second task is to track everything I put in my mouth, from a sip of coffee to a chocolate truffle.  Tracking has been something I haven't really put a lot of attention to.

I saw a great analogy this weekend of the benefit of tracking.  When people track their spending they spend 15% less on average.  I think it will be the same when tracking food intake.  I know that I will be showing someone else which makes me think twice about the choices I make. 

The third task is to get the right amount of water.  Does anyone else get to the point where you just can't drink one more glass of water?  I am so thankful for Crystal Light!  As I write this, I am staring at my 2nd 1 liter bottle of water that I need to drink.  Ugh!

And of course the basic thing that I haven't mentioned is getting enough exercise and the right exercise. 

Well, there is my basic outline to get me started on my way to looking and feeling better. 

I will share more outlines for other projects as I have time but right now, I have a little man who wants help with some math homework.

Loves!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

trouble spots

Today is one of THOSE days.  I woke up with a migraine and haven't been able to shake it which makes me particularly grumpy. 

When I have a migraine I don't want to do  all the things I need to do to reach my goals.   I want comfort foods and to sit on the couch and read.  I don't want to eat what's good for me but what makes me feel good.  I don't want to jump on the treadmill and get my sweat on.  OH...just saying jump made my head throb a little harder momentarily. 

I am not typically the person who will hide in a dark room to try to get rid of it.  Life is to short to spend it hiding in the dark.  Don't get me wrong, there have been several occasions that I have had to have my beloved come and get me from work and take me home to sleep it off. 

So doing what I need to do when I have a migraine is one of my biggest trouble spots. 

I will workout when I have fibromyalgia flair ups but migraines just kick me to the curb.  So frustrating as I get them several times a month.  Sometimes they only last a couple hours sometimes they last for 3 days. 

That is my grumble and frustration for the day. 

Thanks for letting me vent.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Reading

One of my goals this year is to squeeze in more reading and more writing.  I have always had a passion for both.  I would hang out in my room and devour as many books as I could.  Both my parents were avid bookworms so it was completely natural for me to read rather than play.  I have a vivid and rambunctious imagination too so putting my thoughts to paper and seeing what came out of it.

To make my goal more solid and keep me on track, I have joined an online book club.  There are 2 ways to play with them, which really appeals to me.  I can read their assigned reading or a book of my choice.  So here is my book list for the first 6 months. 

January - Three Cups of Tea
February - Craving God
March - Mansfield Park
April - The Pursuit of God
May - The Teachable Moment
June - The Potluck Club

In addition to these books I am reading books for my blogging for books group.  They give me the book that I choose off their list in return for my review of the book.  Last month I read Blind Hope by Kim Meeker and LOVED it!  I just got this months book but can't remember what it's called.  I am in the middle of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson so I won't start the other one until I'm done. 

It's been so nice reading my age level.  I know that sounds really silly but after reading to Billy night after night trying to help infuse a love of reading to him and help him with his word recognition grown up books are a nice escape from the Dr. Seuss rhymes and nonsense.  Don't get me wrong, I love Dr Seuss but there is only so much I can take.

In addition to that reading I am reading thru the Bible as well using our church Life Journal reading plan.  Whew.  All this talk of reading and finishing books has me antsy to get my nose buried in my kindle and my Bible.  All in good time though.

And as far as my passion for writing, that is a good portion of why I started a blog, to share with you in the way that I am most articulate.  Sometimes it's good to just get it out and into written form so it makes sense or can be shuffled to make sense.  Life in my head can get pretty jumbled and things get hidden with so much swimming around so letting it out by writing it down is a house cleaning of sorts.

Any ways, that's what I'm up to.  Hope you're having a great day!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Excitement

As this year gets moving I am so excited about the possibilities that are out there, just beyond where I am.  I am looking forward to getting to "that" place and tackling obstacles along the way. 

One of my darling friends has asked me to participate in a half marathon with her later this year.  Then another friend has invited me to join her group for an extreme 5k.  Check it out here....


I am super excited.  What fun challenges.  What great motivation to get my tail in the gym.  Well that and the idea of me in a swim suit in May.  That is a huge motivator in itself but sometimes I tend to lose sight of why I started doing something because it is so far away. 

So in addition to a half marathon and the Warrior Dash I will be participating in 5 and 10k's along the way to keep motivated and keep working to get better. 

What are you doing to stay motivated toward your goals?  Do you like to challenge yourself on the way to your bigger goals or just keep plodding along knowing the path you're taking will get you to your long term goals?
Have an amazing day.
Stay focused, be nice to yourself and you can do anything!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Change to routine

I have been thinking a lot recently about what I want from my life and what I want my life to look like.  I think it is good to reflect and make sure the actions taken are going to get you where you truly want to go.

Tonight will be night 2 back at the gym.  Last night we played racquetball for 30 minutes and got a good full body workout in.  Tonight I will be on the treadmill and working with free weights.  I need to drink a lot more water today still. 

I have read the Bible today.  That should be 2nd nature and the first thing I do when my eyes pop open in the morning but I'm a work in process.  Sometimes the so and so begat so and so can be a real turn off and when you're going thru a structured reading plan, you have to go thru it. 

I am contemplating rejoining BSF.  It was a lot of work but I learned a lot from it. 

I got my daily binder put together to help with my organization.  There is always so much more to do than I seem to have time for.  How in the world does that happen?  And here I am thinking of taking on another challenge/time commitment.  What am I thinking?  LOL!!  It is not by my power or my might but by the grace of God.  What an incredibly gracious, loving God I have the opportunity to serve.  He provides me with the energy and strength needed to get thru all the tasks ahead. 

Since I serve the God of relationships, I am focusing my attention on deepening relationships. First, I must focus on the relationships at home, with my husband and children.  So often it is so easy to neglect those relationships in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and before you know it your kids are grown and your spouse is either moved on or dead.  Don't put off the most vital relationships. 

With that in mind, my goal is to practice flirting with my husband and on building him up with compliments, so he knows I appreciate him.  I am also going to be more intentional with letting my kids hear me brag them up to other adults.  Billy is a fun little bundle of energy and rather than me bemoaning his abundant energy, I can talk about his incredible imagination and how much he helps keep me young and active.  He is a great cheerleader.  I also need to make a point to spend time with each of my guys one on one doing something they enjoy doing.  If that means playing legos on the floor or going bowling or going to the movies, I need to be willing and not cop out that I'm too tired or I don't want to. 

That's the challenge of the week. Wish me luck!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Much to do

I love new years because it's a fresh start and a time of reflection of what worked and what didn't work for the past 12 months. There is much I want to change and do differently this year. There is so much that it is slightly overwhelming. I want to read more and write more. Will this be the year I write a book? Is it high enough on my priority list for me to make it happen?
This is the year I will be happier. This year I will show more love. This year I will spend more time with the people I care about. This year I will have at least 12 dates with my boyfriend of 20 years.
Relationships are my priority this year. My relationship with my Savior is my top priority. I am blessed to be part of a wonderful small group that was using our church life journal as our study guide to get me deeper in the word.
Part of improving my relationship with my Savior involves taking care of me. I need to take care of the body God gave me. I need to eat better and exercise more. More on that later.
I am happy with the direction I'm headed and the prioritize I have set for the new year. It seems like a lot until I boil it down to the basics...it's all about relationships, which truth be told was what my Jesus was all about too.

Blind Hope

I read a wonderful book this week called Blind Hope by Kim Meeder.  I highly recommend it for many reasons.  It is a true story and it is set in our beautiful Central Oregon.

The stories is about a young lady named Laurie and the dog she adopts who's name is Mia.  Mia has been severely neglected and is on deaths door when Laurie rescues her.  Laurie nurses her back to health and in the process grows in her love and relationship with the God she can't see but knows is out there.  The lessons she learns on her path with this precious little sickly pup are lessons for each of us. 

Along the way thru this book you see other relationship develope and healing of hearts.  It is a true example of how any of us who refer to ourselves as Christians should be living.

I want to say so much more but for the risk of saying to much I want to just pique your interest enough to read it yourself. 

In my book this is a must read!

Let me know what you think of it!

I was given a copy of this book by Waterbrook Multnomah for review.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Beginnings

As 2010 closes and 2011 begins I stand on the edge of the past and the future.  What a sweet thing New Years is.  It gives us a chance to take a look at our year in review and to look forward to what could be in our future.  As I sit here, we have just blown off a bunch of little fireworks, the ones that are legal in Oregon as we have the benefit of having neighbors who really enjoy spending their hard earned money on the big booming ones so I can enjoy them without the bill.  I have kissed my love our first kiss of the new year and now I think of all I want to accomplish and change and see grow in the new year.  That is all for another blog as tonight I am going to bed as I have a full day of being responsible tomorrow.
Much love to you and yours in this new year.  May what needs to be left behind stay in 2010 and what needs to go with you be multiplied 100 fold in this new year.
Sweet dreams!