They were sitting in my closet, all shiny and new, and they seemed to be calling to me, "Come, put us on! Take a walk! You know you want to!" Yes, I'm talking about my tennis shoes (running shoes, sneakers, whatever you want to call them). I had bought them the weekend before along with a pair of Yoga pants, determined that I was going to start going to our work's gym at lunch and walking on the treadmill.
Yeah. Right.
The first two days of last week I forgot to bring the gym bag, although it was packed. I brought it Wednesday and it was still there on Thursday, but, alas, it remained sadly on the floor of my cubicle. I glanced down at it and thought, "I'm really going to do this. I'm going to put together an exercise plan, starting on Sunday. We're going to walk the dogs!"
Strangely enough, we did actually walk the dogs on Sunday! The new shoes have been broken in! How great walking feels! What a pretty neighborhood we have to walk around in! What a pain-in-the-butt Atreyu is to walk on a leash! (Thankfully my wonderful fiance took care of him while I handled Sebastian, the easier dog.) We walked down to the duck pond, caught sight of a blue heron, then headed back up and around the neighborhood until we returned to our street. It was a nice, cool day. The dogs had a great time, and you know what? So did we.
This is good, right? I can do this! That's what I told myself! If I can stick with the plan and walk the dogs on Sunday, then I can stick with the plan for this week.
I know that it's only Monday but so far, so good. We got up this morning and did AM Yoga. It was a nice day today (well, it was at lunchtime, at least) and I took a twenty-minute walk around my work campus. My legs were thoroughly confused and they protested a bit before the walk was over, but I did it! I even ate a healthy lunch. I feel slimmer already. And surely yesterday and today's exercise burned off those calories from the chocolate peppermint cookies I ate Saturday evening . . .
Cookies aside . . . I like this whole morning yoga/walking at lunch/healthy food thing that I'm aiming for. I've aimed for it before (and failed quite miserably) but I know that if I set my mind to it, then I can accomplish whatever goal I've established. This will be great for my health and life in the long run. Yes, getting back down to a smaller size in clothing will be nice (and looking gorgeous in my wedding dress next year is even better) but I really look forward to being in the best shape for hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I would like to tell you about my best friend Nichole because she is my biggest inspiration in life right now. Last year in October, she set a weight loss and toning up goal. She has more than succeeded at this. She is kicking some major butt in the fitness department. She's even running! And let me tell you, she is looking great. I love it when she texts me a picture of the new mileage she's met in running or when she's reached a new goal. I am so proud of her. It's not just fitness, either. She and her husband planted a garden last year and got a great crop. They've been canning and making amazing meals with their produce. I wish my garden had done quite so well! But most importantly, I can admire her motivation and her determination and use her as an example of how to stick to my goals, stay motivated, and live life to my fullest potential. Thank you, Nichole, and keep pushing for what you want. You are a wonderful person, I love you like a sister, and I know that you can do anything!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It's the Little Things
Today is the day that the new Halo game comes out. This might not mean much to some of you but to my fiance it means a great deal. He's been like a little kid at Christmas this past week, waiting for this game to come out. It's very sweet. And it makes me realize that sometimes it's the little things in life that truly make us happy.
What do I mean? Well, some people think that they need big things to make them happy. "I will be happier if only . . . I had a new job, a new husband, a new house, etc." I admit, I have been one of these people in the past (I probably still do it from time to time). But why these "big" things can make people happy, it's only a temporary happiness. It's like buying new clothes or a new purse or getting a new haircut. There's a technical term for this but I don't remember what it is. The truth is, however, that it's not the big things but the little things that matter most in life and can add to your long-term happiness.
This past Sunday was spent working in our front yard. The house that we live in belonged to my fiance's maternal grandparents. I understand that they took great care of the yard when they lived here but it's been abandoned for many years and the yard has fallen into neglect. Leaves from our abundant neighborhood trees killed the grass, allowing weeds and poison ivy to grow instead. The decorative ivy that connects the two tiers of the yard took over everything, especially the steps from the street to the house. Getting the yard back into shape has been a struggle and we still have much to do, but we've come so far too! The stairs from the street to the upper tier of the yard have now been cleared of ivy. There's only the section of the sidewalk leading to the house on the upper tier that needs done. Trees have been trimmed and leaves have been blown. Azaleas have been trimmed (and some have been taken out completely). It may not seem like much but it has already made such a difference in the appearance of the front yard.
It's the little things, you see. Yes, in the long run this yard will be beautiful and grassy and kept in constant care with fixed fences and blooming peonies. This is a big goal and small steps need to be taken to achieve it. Every little accomplishment, no matter how tiny it might seem, is still an accomplishment, it's still a step that's now been completed to lead to the bigger goal. Yards are no easy work by any means, regardless of what shape they're in, but think of the happiness that can be found by growing your own vegetables and smelling your own flowers.
The little things are the best things. Coming home to excited puppies. My fiance coming home from work. Supper with family. Playing Cranium with friends. Standing in the yard surrounded by beautiful trees blazing in red and gold and watching the leaves fall, gently blown down from the passing breeze. Autumn is passing, and soon the little joys of winter will be ours.
What do I mean? Well, some people think that they need big things to make them happy. "I will be happier if only . . . I had a new job, a new husband, a new house, etc." I admit, I have been one of these people in the past (I probably still do it from time to time). But why these "big" things can make people happy, it's only a temporary happiness. It's like buying new clothes or a new purse or getting a new haircut. There's a technical term for this but I don't remember what it is. The truth is, however, that it's not the big things but the little things that matter most in life and can add to your long-term happiness.
This past Sunday was spent working in our front yard. The house that we live in belonged to my fiance's maternal grandparents. I understand that they took great care of the yard when they lived here but it's been abandoned for many years and the yard has fallen into neglect. Leaves from our abundant neighborhood trees killed the grass, allowing weeds and poison ivy to grow instead. The decorative ivy that connects the two tiers of the yard took over everything, especially the steps from the street to the house. Getting the yard back into shape has been a struggle and we still have much to do, but we've come so far too! The stairs from the street to the upper tier of the yard have now been cleared of ivy. There's only the section of the sidewalk leading to the house on the upper tier that needs done. Trees have been trimmed and leaves have been blown. Azaleas have been trimmed (and some have been taken out completely). It may not seem like much but it has already made such a difference in the appearance of the front yard.
It's the little things, you see. Yes, in the long run this yard will be beautiful and grassy and kept in constant care with fixed fences and blooming peonies. This is a big goal and small steps need to be taken to achieve it. Every little accomplishment, no matter how tiny it might seem, is still an accomplishment, it's still a step that's now been completed to lead to the bigger goal. Yards are no easy work by any means, regardless of what shape they're in, but think of the happiness that can be found by growing your own vegetables and smelling your own flowers.
The little things are the best things. Coming home to excited puppies. My fiance coming home from work. Supper with family. Playing Cranium with friends. Standing in the yard surrounded by beautiful trees blazing in red and gold and watching the leaves fall, gently blown down from the passing breeze. Autumn is passing, and soon the little joys of winter will be ours.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
30 Days?
At the start of November, my household dove into a thirty-day challenge. What is it? We gave up beer for the entire month.
I know, some of you are thinking, beer? That's it? Why not give up chocolate? (I'm not sure I could ever do that). Why not take on a more physical challenge of exercise or learning a new hobby? Why not take on a challenge as creatively stimulating as my (future) sister-in-law, who wrote a blog post every day for thirty days? (Her blog, by the way, is A Planting of the Lord - seriously, check it out, she's an amazing writer) But, no, us beer snobs decided to give up beer completely for one month.
What is the purpose of this, you may ask. Well, for me it's because I've noticed that while I like the taste of beer, I don't like the way it affects me. Plus, sometime in the near future, a time will come when I have to give it up for nine months so why not go ahead and start early? I'm not an alcoholic nor have I ever been. For me, this is not so much a health challenge as it is a general challenge to see if I can decide to do something and stick with it. The people who know me well will tell you that I am notorious for my indecision. I can hardly make up my mind about anything and whenever I think I do, I change it within days (sometimes even minutes or seconds). I made the conscious decision to give up beer a week or two before November started and so far, I've stuck with it. I also decided to give up soda and fast food (I did slip up on that one over the weekend when I ordered fries and a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chik-fil-a, which, I might add, was absolutely delicious).
This may be a small challenge, yes, but as most people know, sometimes you have to take a big goal and break it into small, little baby steps. If I can decide to give up beer for thirty days and succeed at this, then perhaps next month I can try something bigger (like, yoga every day, perhaps?). And if I can stay firm in this decision and stick with it regardless, then this is a lesson that I can apply to other parts of my life (finish writing a novel comes to mind).
I know, some of you are thinking, beer? That's it? Why not give up chocolate? (I'm not sure I could ever do that). Why not take on a more physical challenge of exercise or learning a new hobby? Why not take on a challenge as creatively stimulating as my (future) sister-in-law, who wrote a blog post every day for thirty days? (Her blog, by the way, is A Planting of the Lord - seriously, check it out, she's an amazing writer) But, no, us beer snobs decided to give up beer completely for one month.
What is the purpose of this, you may ask. Well, for me it's because I've noticed that while I like the taste of beer, I don't like the way it affects me. Plus, sometime in the near future, a time will come when I have to give it up for nine months so why not go ahead and start early? I'm not an alcoholic nor have I ever been. For me, this is not so much a health challenge as it is a general challenge to see if I can decide to do something and stick with it. The people who know me well will tell you that I am notorious for my indecision. I can hardly make up my mind about anything and whenever I think I do, I change it within days (sometimes even minutes or seconds). I made the conscious decision to give up beer a week or two before November started and so far, I've stuck with it. I also decided to give up soda and fast food (I did slip up on that one over the weekend when I ordered fries and a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chik-fil-a, which, I might add, was absolutely delicious).
This may be a small challenge, yes, but as most people know, sometimes you have to take a big goal and break it into small, little baby steps. If I can decide to give up beer for thirty days and succeed at this, then perhaps next month I can try something bigger (like, yoga every day, perhaps?). And if I can stay firm in this decision and stick with it regardless, then this is a lesson that I can apply to other parts of my life (finish writing a novel comes to mind).
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