The Road Ahead

I would have to say that this is an uphill journey for me. I would wish that once I set my mind to my goals, they would just be accomplished in a matter-of-fact way. This is not the case. I need to pay constant attention to them. It's a bit like having a newborn--they simply require lots of time and cannot endure neglect. That said, I am pressing on, though less impressively than I would wish. I guess I have lost 2-3 pounds (my scale is erratic, but it is somewhere in there). I have been faithful in my walking, pretty good about my vitamins, decent about recording my food intake and the self care. I've gone on hikes and given myself a pedicure. But there is a feeling that it could all slip away if I am not vigilant. The tendency is definitely towards unhealth and inner chaos.

So, today I plan to rejuvinate my goals and the steps I am taking towards them by taking a little extra time to reorient. I'll set aside that space to take the extra few minutes to look at my checklist, to record my eating, to plan some meals, to take my vitamins, to make a plan for the day. Perhaps one of the lessons that is hardest for me to learn, but so necessary to this process, is to take the time that it needs.

Happy feet!

Last night, I gave my feet a good soak and treated them to an exfoliating mask and lotion at the end of a long day. We've had things in the evening the last four out of five nights--not really my speed! So, when we got home at 10:00 last night, I decided to treat myself to a movie and a foot soak. Good way to unwind and to celebrate a good day of getting things done and meeting my goals for the day.
So, I am five days into my health goals. I am always surprised by how much time it takes of my day. It makes me think that I usually spend rather little time on caring for my body and health. I know that not much truly changes in my body in 5 days, but I do begin to feel more fit and more attractive after a few days of proactivity. Then I start dressing with more care and taking a little more time and it begins a good cycle. I am never quite sure how to trigger the positive cycle, but I am thankful when I find myself in one!

Daily Self Care...

Well, so far towards this goal I have taken chipped nail polish off of my toes and remembered to wear body fragrance. Truthfully, this goal will take plenty of thought on my part. These are not the things that come naturally to me and I have the hardest time taking the time for the simplest things. Sometimes I just feel like I really need to get going on my work. Other times things just don't occur to me. I'm not sure what I'll do today--I should start a master list of sorts. Things I could do to help accomplish something here--pedicure, shave my legs, facial, haircut, an hour at the beach....Anyone have some other ideas? I'm thinking of things that generally don't take very long that I just don't seem to get to...

Goal setting

It seems manageable to make some personal goals that will bring me to the end of July, at which time I will reevaluate. All of them are meant in some way to take care of me. Here they are:
1. Walk 5-6X a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour each time.
2. Record my daily food intake.
3. Keep a daily journal.
4. Try a new "healthy" recipe once a week.
5. One small home improvement task daily.
6. Lose 10 pounds.
7. Grow something to eat.
8. Ride my bicycle once a week.
9. Finish sewing my tote bag.
10. Finish plying my spun yarn.
11. One special self care item daily.
I know, the list seems long, but I always feel like balancing the list with some things I really want time for (the sewing and crafting) helps me with the things that require a bit more discipline on my part.

Reflections and keeping on....

Two years ago I had a great run at improving my health. I blogged here 177 times and lost a great deal of weight. Since then, I continue to struggle off and on with my weight. I am currently 224 pounds. Not that the weight itself is the core of the issue, but it is a good indicator of how my self-care is progressing. I recently read "The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl" by Shauna Reid, though, and was very encouraged by her journey--her weight loss took her six years with lots of ups and downs in there. Still she kept getting back to it eventually. So, perhaps if I just keep at it? I do think that I need to develop some different ways of thinking about myself in order to succeed. There are many things that I think that I'll do when I lose weight that I'm beginning to think that I should do now. Here are some of my more recent attempts: making myself a skirt, making a sweater, having a pedicure. It hasn't always seemed like it was worth the work on these things in the past. I always thought, "What if I lose weight? Then the _________ won't fit anymore." Well, I guess I'd just have to make myself more things. Self care is the big word for me this year--it's something that I am not so good at, whether it is body care or taking care of my time or what have you. Anyway, I am sitting down today to make some goals for the next 6 weeks or so. I'll post them after they are a bit more firm. I am going to attempt to revive this blog, perhaps in a slightly different way than before. So, here's to keeping on!