So, About Those Resolultions

I can not explain it easily why I can't seem to develop some simple, yet unique, new resolutions for 2013.  But, I can't.  I keep thinking that maybe it's because I know our year is going to be a crazy one, if the Lord blesses us to continue on this track to build our house.  Maybe, I think, it's because I didn't REALLY finish everything I set out to do last year, and I hate leaving things unfinished.   So, I believe that's what I will focus on with one minor alteration:

1)  Finish those last 5 lbs of weight loss.

I want to be in a place where I can yo-yo a bit on the scale and still have it start with a reasonable number.  Right now, after having slacked off from about Thanksgiving until now, I have had zero extra weight loss, and quite frankly, the scale was a little mean this morning.  So, back on the horse, lose the last 5.  Get comfortable in a size of clothing.  I have a year to do it, but I'd like to have it done by the summertime.

2)  Finish getting back splits, and make the arabesque a pure and true 90 degree arabesque.

No explanation needed there.

3)  I'm sitting here drumming my fingers on the keyboard, trying to come up with a way to explain how I'm not going to really try to finish the C25K program.  It's not that I want to leave it unfinished.  I don't.  And, I might just finish it accidentally.  But, I no longer have the urge to do it, although I really do enjoy the process of running, which I never really had before.  I DO, however, have the urge to get to exercising again, on a regular schedule.  All the progress that I made last year has almost completely been wiped out over the past two months of inactivity.  It's getting almost unnerving how quickly fitness can be lost as the years go by.

However, I find myself in a difficult place in life, with the kids and homeschooling, and my schedule not being my own.  I can't just leave the house and go walk the neighborhood, because the kids are too little.  I can't just bring them along, because then the workout isn't really one that has a great effect.  (although that would be better than what I'm doing now, which is nothing!)  The timing of my day doesn't really allow for me to take 30 minutes "just for me".  It seems like an easy thing to do, and MAYBE it's easier than I think it's going to be.  MAYBE I just need to gently alter the kids' thinking about the importance of mom being healthy.  And, to do that, I need to have time on the treadmill or whathaveyou.  I just don't know how it's going to work.  That's part of my problem.  I want that time to be on a schedule.  I like schedules and lists and knowing what's going to happen and following a plan.  I'm not great with the whole flying by the seat of my pants thing.  (I'm not a poster child for homeschooling, I'll be honest).  But, it takes some time to work through 40+ years of someone's personality!  I'm always going to be that person, but I have to learn to be flexible enough to allow creativity when fitting in exercise time.  It won't be done in a manner that makes me comfortable.  But, if it's done at all, then that's a success!

But, I know that I have GOT to resolve to find the time I need to stretch and use my muscles, to strengthen and support my body, to keep myself moving so that I don't lose mobility.  Inactivity quickly leads to a health decline.  And, there's too much to do to have that happening.  :-)

So, off through the new year, back on the wagon with the healthy eating (except for tonight - it's Kung Pao Friday!!), back on the wagon with some form of stretching or exercise every day, and hopefully heading towards a direction of improved health and strength!  And, maybe, next year one of my resolutions just might include an actual ballet class each week.  We'll see!

2012 Resolutions Recap

As we wind down this year of 2012, it's time for me to don the proverbial big girl undergarments and revisit those resolutions made back in January.  Confession is good for the soul, they say.  So, let's see how we did here, and maybe that will help me focus in order to develop some worthwhile resolutions for 2013.

2012 Resolutions:
1)  Lose Weight.
Okay, so, I did manage to get a good start on this one, praise the Lord.  I'm not all the way where I need to be, but I'm down 18 pounds!  (In a spirit of total and full confession, I was down 18 pounds at the start of December.  I have backslid a bit during this month, I hate to admit).  But, I have clothes in my closet that no longer fit well, and it's because they're too big instead of being too small!  That's a huge blessing.  Here's a picture from Christmas 2011 taken before Jmk and I headed out for his office Christmas party:

And, here's one from this year:

Why, yes!  He HAS lost a lot of weight himself!  He's down 28 pounds so far.  I'm so, so proud of his success.  And, yes, you're right.  My bookshelves are quite stuffed full of unorganized things.  :-)  Better Homes and Gardens is not really beating my door down for my decorating style.  ::grin::

What have we been doing?  Putting down the fork.  ::shrug::  It's not fun, and it's not complicated.  If you take in less calories than you burn during a day, then you lose weight eventually.  The type of calories you take in matter, of course.  But, when you track everything that goes into your mouth, then you tend to eat the foods that give you the most bang for your caloric buck.  And brownies just don't have the bang.  ::sadness::  :-)  I've got another few lbs to go yet.  (maybe another 5 or so?)  I want to be at a place that allows me some wiggle room during the holidays as well as get me down into a solid size.  I'm sort of in between two sizes right now, and I want to get fully into a single one.  Know what I mean?



2)  Exercise More.
I definitely did exercise more than I did in 2011.  But I definitely did NOT exercise as much as I meant to.  I need to be doing something 3 days a week at a very minimum.  Not for weight loss, but for health reasons and for strength.  I had spurts during the year where I would totally be on the treadmill 4 or 5 times in a week, and then spurts where I'd slack off for 6 or more weeks at a time.  So, I guess you could say I sorta kept this resolution and sorta didn't.  :-/


3)  Get back my side splits and a 90 degree arabesque.
Hmmm.  Well, I'm *this* close to the side splits.   I have no one to blame but myself for that one.  I simply didn't stretch consistently like I should have.  I have no excuse; I just didn't do it.  Fail.  But, I am close enough for government work with regard to the arabesque.  I'd call it about an 88 degree arabesque.

I'd definitely say I need my leg up a couple more inches and get my standing leg to turn out better.  (Turnout has never been my strong point).  And, my left shoulder needs to get down.  And my entire torso needs to be picked up more.  And that left hip needs to get down into place.  And...  Aaarrrgggh!  I have to stop before I decide that I didn't get anywhere near the arabesque I wanted.  It's better than it was a year ago, and I need to remember that.  I wish I'd thought to take a picture of it then so as to have photographic evidence of the progress.


4)  Finish the Couch to 5K program.
::sigh::  Man, being honest on here stinks!  No, I never finished the whole program.  I got closer than I have in the past!  I finished through week 7, and then school started back in the fall.  And once my mornings were spent schooling, I just couldn't seem to get myself together enough to take time to exercise after lunch.  I really don't know quite how to make exercise time fit into my day, even now.  But, as I'm trying to formulate my 2013 resolutions, knowing that that is one of them, I must figure something out.  I must!  I can't wait till the wee one is older and all that.


5)  Feel like I'm able to dance a swing with my youngest brother.
Well, I actually do think that I could make it through one now.  I'm not nearly in the type of shape I ought to be in, but I do think I'm in better shape than I was at the beginning of 2012.  And, I think I could get through a swing with him without feeling ill.  Ha!  So, I'll call this one a success.


I think that having these public resolutions this year were somewhat helpful for me!  So, I'll give this another go in 2013.  In complete honesty, my greatest success (the weight loss) was possible because Jmk was/is doing it with me.  We work so well as a team, and when we do things together, we always seem to be more successful.  We definitely have more fun!  So, thank you honey for being the most wonderfulest husband ever.  :-)

I'm still thinking about 2013 resolutions, and when I get them pulled together, I'll definitely share.  Share yours with me and I'll be your cheerleader!

Thank you, Lord God, for the unmerited blessings you have bestowed on me during this past year.  Thank you for the support and kind words and needed encouragement that you sent through others that reminded me of my goals.  Thank you for the good health that you gave to us this year.  Thank you, Father, for Your mercy and Your grace.

C25K Week5 Day3! DONE!!!

Can I get a wahoooo??!!??


C25K is the nickname for the Couch to 5K program.  It's a nine week program that is designed to take a non-runner from no running at all to being able to run a 5K from start to finish.  (That's about 3.1 miles).  There are 3 runs each week, and each one is a combo of runs and walks with a warm-up and cool-down walk of 5 minutes each as book ends.  UNTIL the 3rd day of the 5th week.  This is the day where you have a 20 minute run, with zero recovery walks, in between the warm-up and cool-down.  And I did it!!!  Towanda!!  (Fried Green Tomatoes reference, y'all).  


Now, you know me.  I just gotta qualify everything.  So, let me qualify the above celebration by saying that 14 of these 15 runs so far have been on the treadmill in the garage.  (Yay, SueSue, for the treadmill!)  And they haven't been so much "runs" as they have been jogs.  And, if I'm being REALLY honest, some of those jogs have looked an awful lot like bouncy walks.  And, as I can attest from doing one of my runs "in the real world", treadmill running is way easier than real world running.  Mentally, it's harder, 'cause it's tee-totally boring.  But, physically, it's easier.  So, if I were to go outside this minute and try to run for 20 straight minutes, I'd likely not be able to finish it.  Why, then, am I doing all this on the treadmill?  Well, I have little kids.  One who still naps.  And I homeschool.  And my sweet husband leaves before the crack of dawn (literally) in the morning so that he can be home as close to 5 as possible, but still get in the 10-12 hours a day that his job entails.  So, I can't just up and take off around the neighborhood and leave the kiddos unattended.  Thus, the treadmill in the garage has been great!  And I'm blessed to be able to do that much, because I remember a time where finding 30 minutes to myself was absolutely not an option.


But, see, that's not The Point.  The Point is this is the first time in my whole life that I've ever run for 20 minutes straight in any form whatsoever!  Even my totally fit dancing/cheerleading days from high school, I couldn't run 20 minutes straight anywhere.  I have been dreading this day of the program since I started, and to finish it is heartening and exciting and motivating like you wouldn't believe!  So stinkin' excited.  I started singing "Eye of the Tiger" to Jmk when I came in from the garage.  Heehee!  (Rocky reference, y'all).


Now, I'll be honest.  I'm 4 lbs heavier than I was when I started all this.  My tummy isn't any smaller.  (I look 4 months pregnant without Spanx and 2 months preggo with it!)  So, I have GOT to actually do some diet modification and some extra exercising during the days I'm not running.  But, by george, I know for a fact now that my stamina is increasing.  And the muscle strength in my legs is increasing.  And getting to this point is just exhilarating for me!


I know there are an awful lot of exclamation points in this post, so I do beg your forgiveness.  :-)  I've got another 4 weeks to, which will eventually culminate in my running 30 straight minutes.  And, at that point, I'm supposed to sign up to actually run a 5K.  While I completely understand what I'm supposed to do, I think I'll wait until I can prove to myself on my neighborhood sidewalks that I actually CAN run 30 straight minutes in the real world.


But, after that, I'm gonna really do it!  The person who said she'd never run unless she was being chased by someone is going to run a 5K!  I have to do it before next January, you know.  ;-)


Want to give it a try yourself?  Here's a link to the explanation of the program.  And, this is the app that I bought for my iPhone that has been worth every penny.  (And I hate paying for apps). 


Praise God for a wonderful day at home (plans changed so that I didn't have to go anywhere!) today, lots of chores getting done, a last minute decision to exercise, and a date night on the couch tonight.  :-D  Today has been a rainy, nasty, perfectly fantastic day!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Resolutions!

I recently saw a joke about how New Year's Resolutions are merely a to-do list for the first week of January.  ;-)

And, honestly, that has typically been what I've experienced with resolutions.  I'm so bad with them.  My intent is good, my spirit is willing...  then, I get half way through January, the shine and shimmer of the New Year has already begun to dull, and I'm back to my same old ways.  And my "resolutions" become just one more thing I didn't get to.  And, of course, THEN I feel guilty and unproductive for the rest of the year.  Stop The Insanity!!

SO!
I'm going to put it On The Line.  I'm putting it out there for all to see.  I'm going to put my goals, or resolutions if you will, on the blog.  Now, I will some accountability.  Hopefully, I haven't added undue pressure on myself.  We'll have to see how that pans out.  :-)  And, I'm going to blog more often, so that we can all keep up!

Whoops.  I guess the blogging more thing counts as a resolution, huh?  Hmmm.  Didn't think that one all the way through.  Well, this might mean blogs without pictures, because that tends to be what hangs me up.  I feel like every post should have some pictures to keep things interesting.  But I can't always get around to getting interesting pictures on there.  So I don't blog.  Turrible cycle, that.  Of course, blogging more than I did LAST year won't be hard.  I wasn't around much, eh?

So, my primary personal goal for 2012 pretty much revolves around improved health.  Here goes:
1)  Lose weight.

I know!!!  Stop yawning.  We ALL say it.  Every flippin' year, we say it.  And we really do mean it.  There are plenty of people who might recommend that I set a specific goal of X number of pounds.  Ehhh.  Maybe.  But I'm concerned that if I do that, I will get hung up on a number and won't focus on size.  Or, I will stop when I reach a certain number instead of continuing on.  OR, I will get disheartened because I slip up or plateau.  So, this time, next year, I will weigh less than I do now, which will be better for my joints and my spine and my overall energy level.  How much less isn't the issue.  I'm not going to have some enormous transformation by June or anything like that.  I'm just going to weigh less.

Y'all, I weigh more now than I ever have in my LIFE, except for when I was pregnant.  And, a great portion of that comes from a lack of the type of exercise that works for me.  Sooo.....

2)  Exercise more.

Yeah, you're yawning again.  That's okay.  This resolution glides very nicely right into the next one:

3)  Be able to do side splits and have at least a 90 degree arabesque again.

Ah HA!!  Now we're talking!  Now I'm getting specific.  It may take me a whole year, but I will get at least that much flexibility and strength back.  I will do different things to get to this point.  Stretching, exercise tapes, just doing barre exercises as I'm cooking tacos.  WhatEVer I can fit in around my particular schedule and needs.  I will do the best I can!

4)  Finally finish the Couch to 5K program.  I have started that program either 2 or 3 times, and I have stopped somewhere around week 4 almost every stinkin' time.  Why?  Am I scared of week 5?  Well..., yes.  Yes, I am.  But that's not why I stopped.  I let life get in the way every time.  Now, I will admit that it might take me all year to finish this 9 week program.  And that's okay.  I intend to have finished the program by this time next year.  That's all.

5)  Feel like I could dance with my brother at his wedding again.

No, no, my brother is very happily married and fully intends on staying that way.  But, if it WERE 2010, and he WAS getting married, I want to feel like I could manage to get through a swing with him without feeling like I needed to pass out just to feel better.  The C25K will help, but so will just dancing more.  I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do that, but again, I'm going to work the details out as I go through the year.

One of the things that stops me in this typical January List Making is that I try to accommodate all the possible scenarios regarding planning exercise time around family, school, activities, etc.  It is impossible, my friends!  Not that I haven't tried to overplan in the past.  I have.  It's what I do.  So, I don't know how or when some of my exercising will happen, but I will figure something out.  No stress, no guilt, no beating myself up.  (That would be a great change for me right there!)

As much as I'd like to join the Y (and Jmk would be all behind it if I said we needed to), I really am unsure of the child care situation.  I'm not going to lie.  I'm worried about germs.  I'm not a germaphobe, really.  But, y'all, those places are breeding grounds for every single virus that is going around.  And when a kid gets sick around here, lots more than my "free time" gets put on hold.  Schooling tends to get put on hold.  And that throws all kinds of things off.  Bleh.  As flexible as homeschooling is, it also requires that I make decisions that support the home education lifestyle.  Right now, sick little kids would disrupt things in a significant way.  Sick older kids - not as much of a disruption.  But my babies are still little.  :-)  ::hug them!!::

So, ANYway, I really don't have concrete plans for dance related exercise right at this minute.  If I had access to a Mary Poppins, I'd go take (or maybe even start!) some adult ballet classes.  But I don't, so I won't.  However, now is not forever, and I don't know what kind of fun things the next year will hold!  As far as a diet plan goes, Jmk and I have decided to go with the well proven ELF diet.  Eat Less Food.  It works every time.  And, y'all, when you see me at a holiday function or one of my kids' birthdays and I'm having cake AND ice cream, remember that I said LESS food.  Not NO food.  ::grin::  Important, crucial difference.

Are there other resolutions that one would expect to be on a well rounded list?  Like, more time spent in God's Word, or building a photography portfolio, or learning a new language, or cleaning out clutter from the house, etc?  Well, of course, all those things (except the language thing - I'm so ambivalent about that for some reason.  Charlotte Mason would NOT be impressed with me) are certainly things that I strive to improve upon.  But, I've reached a point in my life where I feel like my health is important.  For me, yes.  But also for my husband.  For my children.  And it will be easier now to improve my eating habits, exercise habits, and strengthening habits than it will be even 5 years from now.  Thus, I'm going to focus on personal health for the next year.

As we travel through 2012, I hope to be more loving, more open, and more like the kid I used to be.  And, hopefully, there will be less of me in the process.

Oh, and apparently I'm going to be blogging more.  Fingers crossed on that one!