2011 Workout Plan

2011 Workout Goal

Take Two

 

I just finished doing my 2011 goal vlog and I look like this (minus the cleavage).

You think I'm kidding? I'm tempted to put a screen shot, but I won't. I've always had a wrinkly forehead, it's in the genes, but the lighting was just perfect for a Klingon effect. I'll just spare you, okay?

So I will attempt to do it again tomorrow with better lighting. It's ALWAYS about lighting, isn't it?

Are you ready for 2011? Do you have some goals? In the past, I got to a point in my life where I stopped making goals for the New Year. Why? Because I thought it was a joke. After years, and years of making goals only to sabotage them before the week's end, I was done.

It wasn't until 2009 something clicked.  I was pretty ticked with how I felt and I made a crazy goal I honestly didn't think I could do. I guess I was mocking myself and the whole New Years Resolution idea. But the joke was on me.

During the year, I learned there is power in January 1st when you make a goal for 365 days. At any point during the year, I was able to find out what day I was on because it was the same as the day of the year! For instance, the 214th day of 2009 I did my 214th workout. Simple math. The numbers worked well with my OCD. I couldn't miss a day because the numbers would be off, and that would have driven me nuts. There was just enough incentive not to miss a day because I knew if I did, the whole goal would have been over, and I was kind of enjoying watching the numbers add up. I'm compulsive like that.

I've learned that I need to workout daily to keep in shape and to stay healthy because I'm full of excuses. One missed day turns into two turns into a week....  There is ALWAYS a reason not to workout. Always. Making such a goal kills the lame excuses I come up with and really, isn't it always an excuse that keeps us from our goals?

Getting ready for 2011

I'm getting ready for 2011.  I have some ideas and goals I want to share with you.  I will have a vlog up tomorrow with my thoughts and plan of action. :)

Pondering goals for 2011

I worked out every single day in 2009.  Yep, 365 workouts in a row.  I dropped 40 pounds and had an awesome habit formed.  At the end of the year, I was very pleased with my loss and happy with my health status.  My BMI was in the healthy range and I was wearing clothes I hadn't seen in a while.  All WIN, right? Right.

One thing held me back from utter bliss though.  I needed to loose another 10-20 pounds to have a comfortable distance from the line that separates "Healthy" and "Overweight" on the BMI chart. I was at a healthy weight, but a few pounds gained would put me into Unhealthy Land.  Too close for comfort.

In 2010 I started to write.  With all the excitement, I cut out exercise so I could have more time for writing.  MISTAKE!! I've gone flabby and can see how missed daily exercise makes a huge difference with my body. I'm only up a few pounds on the scale, but what difference it makes when you aren't as toned. 

Thus, I'm thinking about making another 365 day workout goal that I'll blog and vlog about along the way. 

It's my birthday!

Today is my birthday! It's been a wonderful day filled with birthday visits, phone calls, emails, Facebook posts and Tweets.  I honestly feel loved.

Talking about birthdays and generations, my hubby had a fun idea of seeing birthday years through car designs.  I thought it would be fun to see and started to Google.  It's pretty crazy to see how technology changes with each generation.

We thought we'd go with Fords since they've been around for all the birthdates involved. For those who know me personally, they are laughing at our car choice. (I'm a 100% Honda gal.)
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1913 -The year my grandfather was born.  (He's still living an independent lifestyle and grows a fully functional garden. I hope I have some of his longevity genes.)


1947 - The year both our fathers were born.


1973 - The year yours truly was born. (Yeah, skip the math already) Thanks.


1999 - Year we started having children.


2011

Persimmon Snack

During this time of year, my grandfather has a tree FULL of persimmons.  We use some for Thanksgiving when my mom makes her famous Persimmon Chocolate Chip Cookies--everyone looks forward to them. But after the big meal, we have a lot of fruit left to get creative with.

The downside of the Hachiya Persimmons is that they are astringent until they are fully ripe.  If you wait for them to ripen on the tree, you have oodles of persimmons ready to eat NOW and it's impossible to keep up with them since they are fragile when ripe. So you have to pick them when they are still hard and wait for them to ripen. And wait, and wait, and wait...

You might wonder what astringent tastes like? Imagine sucking on your toner saturated cotton ball after washing your face. *Pucker up* Hachiya's are very deceptive too.  On the outside, they look yummy and ready to eat. But they are very astringent until they are squishy with ripeness.

The following were picked two weeks ago and are still hard as rocks.  Aren't they pretty? One little lick and you'd be gagging.

One thing you can do instead of waiting for these babies to ripen is to dehydrate them. For some reason, even though they are hard and bitter, after they are dehydrated, the astringency is gone and a sweet, nutritious, dried treat remains.

astringent-inedible-nasty

sweet-chewy-satisfying

**Not to be confused with the Fuyu Persimmon. (Below) They are sweet when they are hard. Notice how they have flat, pointless bottoms unlike the Hachiya above.  They're ready to eat as soon as they turn orange.  I tend to get impatient so I have to admit, I like the Fuyu better.  I think we might have to plant a tree too. (I've gobbled a couple of these already today.)

Check out this great Wiki article about persimmons. 

Writing & Weight Loss

Are you curious why I've been talking about writing on my weight loss blog?  Let me take a moment to explain how they are connected.

When I started blogging about weight loss last year, I was in the middle of my 2009 challenge of working out 365 days in a row.  I successfully finished that challenge December 31, 2009. *throws confetti*

During my daily workouts, I found my time on the elliptical as a perfect reading opportunity. It also passed the time. I was going through a lot of books and it was my love of reading that began to spark my interest in writing.

Writing has become an activity I have grown passionate about.  With passion, grows new habits.  While working on a story, my mind is consumed with plot, characters and setting, not food. :) Unfortunately, editing and revision sometimes brings snacking. :(  [I'm still working on this]

As the title of this blog suggests, I write about my weight loss journey. The lessons learned, habits created and new interests found I share here with you because they are a part of the journey, my journey.

Writer Crisis & Review

I was going to blog about this, but vlogging is so much easier, right?