Just One More

I'm participating in a Pushup Challenge this year that I heard about from my friend, Mary. The gist is that you do one pushup on the first day of the year, two pushups on the second day of the year, ten pushups on the tenth day of the year,  ... and if you're jumping ahead, you know that by the end of the year, you are expected to do 365 pushups on December 31st. Well, except this year because it's Leap Year, I get to do 366 pushups on the last day of the year. When I do something, I go all in. 

It's only three weeks in and I've learned a couple of things. 

• Any goal is conquerable with perseverance... There is no way that I could do one pushup on January 1st and then expect to do 366 on December 31st without doing all the work in between. It's the journey to the goal that is the real reward. And, where you learn the most about yourself.
• ...and a good attitude. When I got on the floor to do pushups this morning, I didn't think to myself, "I have to do 21 pushups." I thought, "I just have to do one more than yesterday." 

And every day, I do just that. Just one more.

The Pushup Challenge is just one of the four fitness goals I've set for myself this year. Are you doing anything to maintain or improve your fitness? I'd love to hear what and how you're doing. Good luck! 

To Do and Ta Da

And just like that, the first half of the year is over. 

I'm taking stock today of what I have left to do in 2011 and figuring out where to focus my energy now. It is a good time to reenergize and prioritize and determine to make the next half even better than the first. It feels like there is so much left to do.

To Do 

• Find a realtor. I want to find someone who knows the area I am thinking of buying in because while I want to find a house I love, I also want to find a house that will be a good investment. This has been a bigger struggle than I imagined it would be but I have some new ideas to try later today. Hopefully I can check this off within the next few weeks.
• Continue eliminating possessions. I have gone through every closet, drawer and cabinet but I can do that again. The clearer the vision of my new house becomes, the easier it is to look at something and know if it will or will not work in the new space. I would like to get rid of 90% of my furniture, too, but that will have to wait until after the house is sold, I'm afraid. I need it for staging the house for potential buyers. (But if any family members or lovely locals need furniture, I can probably hook you up in a few months.) 
• Start packing the non-essentials. Last month I happened across an ad on our company's notice board that a fellow employee had moving boxes to sell. I now have a huge stack of boxes and five boxes of packing paper sitting in my garage, waiting for their next gig. 
• Sell, buy, pack, move and unpack. Seems easy enough, eh? Good golly, Molly.
• Incorporate a regular exercise routine. While I have been eating really well and exercising a time or two a week, I really need to step it up. This whole moving situation is going to be stressful, work isn't getting any less so, and I'm going to need a consistent exercise regime to help me face each day. I am worth it.
• Start accepting those social invitations. Ugh, let's not even talk about it. It might take me another month or two to brave this one. Talk about stress.

But as a good friend told me the other day, I can't just focus on what is left to do. I need to also take a moment to celebrate all that has been accomplished. And, go me, I have done a lot of what I intended to do this year already and my touchstone word INVEST has been at the heart of it all.

Ta Da

• Find creativity inspiration. Oh my stars. I have spent countless hours in writing, photography and painting courses the past six months. I have loved learning the technical aspects as well as just letting go and playing. It's been great. And I have more photography workshops and writing fun lined up for the last half of the year, too.
• Prepare the house for sale. Done, inside and out. And it feels good. You should see the perennials outside my front door. And my new kitchen counter. Gorgeous. 
• Pare down the possessions.  I used to need two closets to hold all my clothes. Now everything is hanging in 3/4 of one… and that's summer and winter clothes! I've taken so many boxes and bags of books, tchotchkes and dishes to Goodwill, the volunteers there know more about me than you do. The sense of freedom and light that comes from a good unburdening is immense. I highly recommend it.
• Focus on healthy living. I wanted to adopt a more holistic approach to living this year and I'm making progress. I did everything from taking up yoga and Tai Chi to packing a healthy lunch for work every day the past six months. I also wanted to do something about my sleep issues and attended a sleep seminar (sponsored through work) to learn what I needed to change to get more rest. I bought light-eliminating shades for the bedroom, started running a fan for white noise (and to keep the room cool for the best sleep) and started meditating before I turned in. Though it took a few weeks to readjust, I am happy to say I'm sleeping again. I feel great. 

How about you, dear reader? Have you made changes this year? Have changes you'd like to make? I would love to hear about them and cheer you on. 

Happy July and the best of 2011 to you.

Not Going to Miss This One

I always seem to get to September and have this lightbulb moment when I realize that the summer season is at a close and I have yet to enjoy it. I remember one extremely hectic work year when I did not even realize that the entire season had passed until I was driving through the country and saw that all the fields had been harvested. For some reason, I never really appreciate summer like I should.

Part of that is my own doing because once the temps and the humidity both reach about 100 (degrees and percent, respectively) I shut down. It is a miserable time for me because I cannot breathe in those conditions. Not to mention, it does Roseanne Roseannadanna-like things to my hair. It is just not a positive experience.

This year, I want to change that. I want to do things, see people and go places this summer. I want to spend more time outdoors (after doubling up on hair products) and find new things to experience. Even just riding my bike more, going out to take photos, walking to the movie rental store or whatever I can find around town will be welcome. 

In a few weeks, I will be in Chicago and a few weeks after that, I will be back on vacation for a week. Other than that, I have no plans. I would like to line up a few more things that will ensure that I stay motivated and looking forward to things all throughout the summer months. 

Some of the things I have on my list (you knew I had to have a list, right?) are the Farmers' Markets in Peoria and Bloomington, walking the great hiking trail in Bloomington, perhaps a concert or two at the riverfront, maybe a local community fair, and hitting both the zoo and the wildlife park for photo opportunities. Also on the list but with a great big hesitant question mark next to it is the outdoor climbing walls in Bloomington. I have never done that but I keep thinking it would be fun and a good test of my strength, both physical and mental. I may just talk myself into before long. 

I am looking for more ideas. What are your favorite things to do outside when it's warm? And, if you are local, do you have any favorite community events or outings I should consider? 

Living In Mudville

I am not enjoying life. 

That was a hard sentence to write and an even harder thing to realize but it is true. My days are chaotic, stressful and unrewarding, full of conflict and anger. My nights are solitary, emotional and restless. My weekends are a blur of sleep-deprived furious energy moving towards targets: writing x number of words, exercising x number of minutes, cleaning out x number of items… all which are supposed to bring me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment but only just leave me exhausted.

I need joy.

It was not that long ago that the majority of my days were happy ones. Dark moments would pass through but overall, I was a joyful person. I can no longer say that. I feel like every day is something to endure, to get through, not something to rejoice in and celebrate. This is not the way I want to live. 

I sat down the other day and wrote about what an enjoyable day for me would be like. I was not interested in a ‘shucking it all and lying on a beach’ kind of day, I wanted to figure out what it would take to change the days I am living now into days that I want to be living: a new normal day. What I came up with was not too shocking. I found I need more fulfillment and purpose in my career, and I want to easily find time for the other things that matter, writing, running, spending time with the people I love. The isolation I feel at work and being alone outside work is wearing on me even more than I knew. I wake with an overwhelming sense of dread every day.

Before anyone fears for my mental health or well-being, I am looking at this realization as a positive thing. I have not been in this state of mind for long so I have every hope that I can turn it around in short order. Facing an issue is the first step in conquering it, and I fully intend to conquer this one.  

This is going to be my summer of joy. I am going to identify and work toward adding more light and relaxation and reenergizing activities and spending more time doing the things that matter, with the people that matter. It is obvious to me that things need to change. This is just my declaration that they will. 

Contest 1: Get Moving -- Winner!

We did a great job on our quest to Get Moving in March! I am proud of each of us for recognizing the importance of exercise and actually doing something about it. Go Us!

Even though our healthier attitudes should be reward enough, I did promise one of you a prize. So I went back over your four weeks of comments and entered your name on a spreadsheet once for completing three 20-minute exercise sessions in a week, and an additional time for every time over the three sessions. It was so great to see the spreadsheet fill up as quickly as it did.

When I got done with that, I went to Random.org and entered the range for it to select a number and clicked Submit. The number it generated for me was:  9!

And on line nine of the spreadsheet was none other than our blogging buddy, Alissa of Life's Little Adventures and Life's Little Adventures {Photos Only} !!

Congratulations, Alissa! Just let me know if you would prefer a $50 gift card to Amazon or iTunes and I'll email it right away.

Thanks, Everyone, for participating and being so supportive. I hope April finds you moving even more often!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Contest 1: Get Moving -- Final Week

See this post for contest details. Please comment by end of day Tuesday, so I can announce the winner later this week. Thank you to all who participated and Good Luck!

I am not going to lie, this was a rough week for me. It took me at least two or three nights to finally feel well-rested after vacation (well-rested being a relative term) so I just did not have the energy to do much the first half of the week. I did get a couple of sessions in before the end of the weekend but I still was not feeling on top of my game. I am hoping now with the vacation behind me and the additional hours of sunlight in the evening, I can really get back into the swing of things this week.

So how have you done? Did you get your three exercise sessions in? Leave a comment and tell us how you did and what you felt was the most positive part of the experience for you. Have you committed to keeping exercise part of your normal routine?

For me, the stress relief I continued to find when I exercised regularly was the best part of the month and the best motivation to keep going. I am excited to get back into a regular five-time a week schedule like last year.

Don't forget to comment and best of luck to all participants. Thank you for being part of this with me!

Contest 1: Get Moving -- End of Week Three

See this post for contest details. It is not too late to join!

I was on holiday in the UK and am unsure whether to count this week as a success or not. We spent a lot of time walking, climbing stairs, touring local historical sites and the like but... we also spent some time eating wonderful, not-so-good-for-us food. Cream tea, proper English chips, sticky toffee pudding, and vanilla custard now rank rather high on my favorite foods list. Ah well, things that are good for the soul are sometimes just as important as those good for the body. Or so I try to convince myself. I will get back on the more formal exercise wagon this week.

How are you doing? Did you meet your three-time exercise goal this week? Is the practice of adding exercise to your routine becoming easier or more tedious? Are you seeing any improvements in your mood, energy levels, or sleep habits? Do your favorite clothes fit a little better? I hope you are all seeing something positive from this and can share to keep us all inspired. 

On to Week Four and a strong finish!