10 Week Turnaround: Done!

Last week marked the end of 10 Week Turnaround for me.

Week 10: Prep lunches and snacks at least one day ahead (5/7)
Making the effort worked in the long run even on the days that I went to bed late because of it.  I still had some zombie mode mornings but knowing all I had to do was throw everything in my lunch bag helped.  Over the weekend, knowing I had snacks kept me from staring in the pantry but never actually seeing anything.

So I am glad I tried this challenge.  I’ve learned that trying to work on something for a week works best for me.  At the same time, if I plan something for that specific week and it doesn’t go as planned I’m not beating myself up over it.  Seven days off track isn’t horrible.  Seven weeks would be a different story and in need of some changes.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 8 – Taking Care of Me

Last week’s challenge was a bust.
Week 7 – Do some sort of weight related and/or strength training exercise daily (2/7)
I didn’t feel motivated to work out.  While I have gotten back into the habit of my daily stretching, that was it.  I couldn’t really figure out WHY I wasn’t motivated. I just had no desire to really get out there and do it. However, now I know why. I was getting sick.

Week 8 – Take care of myself and kick this cold
So I have a doozy of a cold right now. Cue the tissues. Cue the naps. Cue the tea, hot Airborne, and juice.  When I get sick I do as little as possible so that my body can feel better.  I just can’t soak my feet in the hot water and mustard powder this time because my rain boots gave me blisters.

I think I’ll go take another nap.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 7 – Throwing My Weight Around

Last week…
Week 6: Take 10 minutes to work on something I keep putting off (3.5/7)
I’m counting this as a half since while I took the extra ten minutes, it wasn’t always things I had been putting off. The plan ended up morphing into something else but in the end things got done. I found myself thinking “ok ten minutes to…” and that pushed me to get things done when I just wanted to stop or to do something else.  Perhaps a good way is to called it a skewed sense of motivation. I was motivated to do something extra but not always what I had planned to do or work on. I have a feeling if I revisit this plan when it is cold and/or rainy outside things will end up differently. Sorting magazines with a fireplace blazing and a hot chocolate at my side is one thing that comes to mind.

Now on to this week…
Week 7 – Do some sort of weight related and/or strength training exercise daily
I decided upon this week’s plan when I was dragging a 46lb bag of dog food out of the car trunk.  It had a small hole in one side so I couldn’t carry it like I normally do.  I can’t drag it literally or the bag will blow out a corner or two.

I stretch. I walk about 13 miles a week. I also have handweights and kettlebells gathering dust under the living room couch. I’ve read numerous articles about the benefits of using weights. I’ve collected and done various routines in the past. I just haven’t done anything lately.  I’m not looking to get ripped or anything close to validating making that obnoxious “welcome to the gun show/tickets to the gun show” joke that was on way too many t-shirts several years back. I just know that it will benefit me both in the short term (since two dogs will go through that bag in a decent amount of time) and the long run (hello healthy bones.)

10 Week Turnaround: Week 6 – Taking 10 Extra Minutes

Week 5 Goal: Practice yoga daily (1/7)
This was a week when a great plan just didn’t work. I ended up giving my return flight seat to a father and son so I flew back a day later. I ended up not feeling well for a few days. I had plans with friends, a concert with Darth Husband, and then a BBQ. There was a lot to do and I didn’t even get other things done.

These can easily be seen as reasons or excuses. I see them as reasons.  If I had nothing going on and felt 100% then they would be excuses.  I think one of the keys to living a balanced life is deciding when sometimes I just need to scale back.  At the same time, I need to remember when I just need to stop.  I know I’ll eventually get back to yoga. I just don’t know quite when.

Week 6: Take 10 minutes to work on something I keep putting off
I have plans and projects in the wings for numerous things. I want to start working on them but I keep putting them off.  They aren’t things that need to be done so at times this is way too easy: cutting out recipes/ideas/etc from magazines, reorganizing my yarn stash, painting the chair that I found for under $5 at a garage sale, etc. Some things will just make me happy (the chair) while others will help both me and Darth Husband (getting rid of the giant stack of magazines.)

A follow-up to my prior weeks:

• Week 4 Goal: Stretch
  I’ve found that this has gotten to be almost automatic once again.  Some days I find myself stretching at least twice a day too.  The knot in my back is slowly going away.  My shoulders are still wonky from dragging around luggage but much better than they were before.
• Week 3 Goal: Go to bed earlier
  Some days I am really good at this. Others I totally lose track of time.  I was recently on vacation and so those days I decided to go to bed when I was absolutely tired.  (Plus catching up with friends does not warrant an early bedtime.)
• Week 2 Goal: Start every morning with unsweetened green tea
  I am practically out of plain green tea so I need to pick up some more.  I have TONS of other tea in the house however so making a travel mug or regular mug of tea is extremely easy. Vacation made it a bit harder since the one hotel had a very small and somewhat odd coffee maker. I just stuck to drink mixes as a replacement.

• Week 1 Goal: Practice focused meditation every day for 10 minutes
  This is now back as part of my daily routine. Some days it might only be 5 minutes. Some days I find myself taking 20 minutes. On days I don’t take the time, I can feel the difference and make sure to do it the next day.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 5 – Go Go Gadget… errr Yoga!

This recap is a day late due to my being in Cambridge and Boston this past weekend and just getting home today. There will be future posts about the trip soon including my first time trying lobstaaaahhh.

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Week 4 Goal: Stretch (7/7)
I love how something can be so simple and not simple at the same time.  My right shoulder and right knee like to be cranky from time to time and so stretching helps out with that.  It helps, however, when I remember to do it.  After this week, it has gotten back to the automatic mode that I had before.  This past weekend had a ton of walking and carrying heavy luggage. I don’t even want to think of how I’d feel if I hadn’t done any stretching. I do have some knots that I want to go away from the bags, especially my carry-on, so I plan to step it up a notch this week.

Week 5 Goal: Practice yoga daily
I’ve practiced yoga on and off for probably 15 years now.  It was never anything super hardcore in terms of studio attendance or total hour count on the mat but rather something I’ve just enjoyed. I am not setting a specific amount of time for this one.  I think if I make it to rigid I will be less successful. Plus some days work better than others to really get the mat out and the dog or cat off it since they love it and relax.  This will also give me the chance to check out a few DVDs I have and see what I can find on YouTube.

Music for this post: Skrillex

10 Week Turnaround: Week 4 – Stretch!

I ended up not being alone in Week 3′s challenge.  April from The April Blake ended up helping me be accountable.

Week 3 Goal: Go to bed earlier (6/7)

Success! I know it isn’t 100% but I still think this is a success.  I paid attention to the clock. I turned off the laptop before it got late. One night I got in one of those crazy go-go-go modes and had to finish things rather than letting them be until the next day. Otherwise, I was within a decent amount of time of when I wanted to get to bed.

In a way though the timing was perfect.  Even with the extra sleep, I was worn out.  I think the meh feeling from before with my green tea morning plan was more than just allergies.  Extra sleep is always good when I’m coming down with something and this time I think (fingers crossed) it went away completely.

Week 4 Goal: Stretch

There are times when I am really good at making sure I stretch daily. Other times I totally forget and only realize it when I have a giant knot in my back, neck, or both. I keep planning to get back to regularly practicing yoga and I think this is a good way to start as well.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 3 – Go To Bed

Week 2 ended up being much more successful than Week 1. Tea is an everyday part of my life so that made it easier.

Been there, done that…

Week 2 Goal: Start every morning with unsweetened green tea. (5/7)
I think I did really well. I had one day when the tea was too old and tasted horrible so I swapped it out with Lipton decaf. Yesterday I woke up super early with a horrible migraine, took some meds, went back to sleep, and still felt sick when I got up later. I woke up with that funky taste in my mouth from the meds and needed something with more of a punch than green tea. Peach black tea to the rescue! It still is tea just not green.

However in terms of allergies, I think I jinxed myself.  My head was driving me crazy this week.  It may have been a precursor to the migraine that eventually kicked in. It may have been the aftermath of being on vacation and inside for so long then heading back to the normal commute. Maybe it was from last-minute housecleaning and yardwork. Honestly I don’t know but it was still annoying but I know it could have been worse.

Will I stick with my morning tea routine? Of course. If I have not had any tea, there is something wrong. Will it only be green tea in the morning? Probably not.  I have over a dozen boxes of different teas in the house.  Certain ones, like chai, I prefer to drink at home but most of them have an unofficial rotation.

Next on the to-do list…

Week 3 Goal: Go to bed earlier

I try to get to bed around the same time during the week but it doesn’t always happen.  I need to make a conscious effort to get to bed at least 10 minutes earlier every night.  I know 10 minutes isn’t a huge amount of time but I know it will make a difference.  It will also stop me from trying to get one more thing done which never is just one thing if we are talking something online ahem Pinterest.  While the main goal is to get a little more sleep, it will also help me to relax on the days I have that crazy energy waaaaaaay too late in the evening.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 2 – Perfect to a Tea

First things first, let’s see if Week 1 ended up being a success or a flop…

WEEK 1 Goal: Practice focused meditation every day for 10 minutes (4.5/7)
I think deciding to do this during a vacation week was a bad idea.  My overall plan this week was relax, get some things done, and see people especially Laura who was in from out-of-town.  I had the chance to get extra sleep too which always helps. I think that was the key part that really got me centered.  Some days  I forgot about it and tried to fit the 10 minutes in as I was already bed. That idea was a major fail since I’d end up falling asleep before the 10 minutes were up.  I am going to keep trying to get this done every day, just not when I’m yawning.

Now for this week…
Week 2 Goal: Start every morning with unsweetened green tea.
The fact that I am a tea person is old news.  I drink at least 3 cups of it a day. I can’t remember if it was an article I read or something I heard but the key point was about green tea and allergies.  I have made green tea for years and knew that it supposedly has health benefits. Cancer fighting properties is one I see mentioned quite often.  Allergies is not.  I usually take a travel mug or water bottle with me when I’m out and about. The plan is to have my travel mug clean and ready to go every workday morning and have a pot of it ready for the weekend mornings. It should be interesting to see if it helps with my allergies unless they decide to not act up this week.

10 Week Turnaround: Week 1 – 10 Minute Meditation

A few months ago Erin at Big Girl Feats posted “My 10 Week Turnaround” which I thought was a GREAT idea since it is a different approach to other goal based challenges. My plan is to post once a week about the 10 Week Turnaround.  Since I don’t want this to be only work week based, I’m using Sunday as the first day of the week instead of Monday.

I love Erin’s main idea “Each week I’ll either add a new habit or subtract an old habit that doesn’t serve me anymore/is something I want to change” since it focuses on adding as well as removing.  I don’t want to focus all my energy on thing that are percived as bad and need to be stopped.

WEEK 1 Goal: Practice focused meditation every day for 10 minutes

I recently started this style of meditation since clearing my mind completely never worked for me. I now need to start making this part of my daily routine.

If my mind has a clear target, I can then quiet my mind, relax my body, and truly get balanced for a few minutes. I focus on something that I’m looking forward to in the future or something that always makes me happy.  If something negative tries to take over, I stop mentally tell it “No! This is not the time for you!” and refocus my thoughts.

If I can make this a daily habit, I know it will be extremely helpful when life gets busy.  It’s much more than just saying that I need to sit down for a few minutes or go take a nap.

That time I joined a gym

I recently did something I never thought I’d do. I joined a gym.

I know that oodles of people join gyms, go to gyms, intend to go to gyms, blah blah blah. I had been to a gym maybe twice… ever. I kept the cliche of grunting meatheads, bad music, and that funky funk in my head for a long time. I was happy with my group classes and had no interest in going. It worked so why change it, right?

Fast forward to about a month or so ago. A friend of mine joined a gym and I ended up going with her one day as her free guest. That visit changed my opinion of  gyms. While the grunting meathead cliches were there, they were either actually working out and not strutting around sending out telepathic “LOOK AT MEEEEE” messages. The music was decent top 40 stuff and there was no funk.  We worked out partially in the women’s section and partially in the main gym. Overall we  were there a little over an hour and I left happy.

Even though I woke up sore two days later since my body loves the delayed ouch mode, I decided I was going to give this a try.  It was a decent deal. If I absolutely hated it, I could cancel. For what I was paying a month I could easily go out for a nice dinner at a semi fancy restaurant (if I actually liked semi fancy restaurants.) I just had to decide when I wanted to sign up, ended up doing so a little earlier than planned due to a really clever ad, and followed up with a celebratory shake from McDonalds since this is how I roll.

I’m not joking about the shake. It was vanilla.

So now I am a mini plastic membership card tag carrying member of a large-scale gym. While I have no plans to quit my smaller studio for my Zumba classes, this is something I can add to my plan to get my butt in gear for my June 5k and fit in those grey jeans I love. I just have another option that isn’t specifically one day. If I am in the mood to go I can go and as long as I do go, I’m not wasting money or someone elses time.

My sister-in-law joined me the last time I was there and we had a good time.  It was nice since there was no comparison, no competition, and no stress. We each popped in our headphones and got to work though my ear buds insisted on falling out on the arc trainer. Over an hour later, we were headed home and that is where things hit a roadblock, make that two.

I was all geared up to get back to the gym.  I had my clothes ready and made sure I had two of the same wicking socks. Then I ended up with giant blisters on the back of both heels from a pair of boots.  I actually ended up having to get the bandaids specifically for blisters so I could walk.  If I couldn’t walk normally, going to the gym was definitely out. Then I got sick. If I was stuck in bed, going to the gym, again, was definitely out.

While I am not happy, I know that I made the right decision for me.  The blisters would be extremely painful if they broke open and then I’d be risking delayed healing or worst case, an infection. If I am sick, the last thing I’m thinking about is working out. I need extra sleep, extra rest in general, and even more tea that I normally drink. I don’t want it to get worse or not go away. I had to deal with that over the winter when a cold turned into something worse and I was sick for way too long.

So the key word here is roadblock and not wall.  Every day I feel a bit closer to normal and every day the blisters are healing. I know that it won’t be long til I get back there. At least now I can actually put together a decent playlist.

Sorry AC/DC, I love you but you don’t work for a full trip to the gym.

Music for this post: Walk Off the Earth’s cover of Cheers(Drink to that) — (on repeat) 
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