As I wrap up this year and begin to look forward to next, I am most excited about getting back into the gym and achieving some new health and fitness goals. OK it's not world peace, an end to climate change, or even an exit from my current living situation, but I am after goals that are something I can control, and perhaps more importantly, achieve.
It is difficult to put those goals in concrete terms, but for the sake of my own reminder, I will try. It's a lifestyle that I'm trying to build, not a regimented slog towards some arbitrary number, or size. There has to be room for other things than eating well and hitting the gym. The microscopic body changes, gains in muscle, and conversion of weight, while helpful tools for measuring progress, are not enough to sustain life long motivation. The changes needed are those that I can comfortably implement and stick to, day in and day out.
These are numbered, but by no means by priority:
1. Find more easy to make, and inexpensive, meals that better fit my macro-nutrient needs. Let's face it, eating healthfully, enjoyably, and cleanly is not cheap and it take time, but not every meal needs to be elaborate. There is pleasure in simplicity.
2. Reinstitute two veggie days per week. I've tried for more in the past, but I do not live alone and my dietary requirements are not the only ones that need to be satisfied. Two is about what I can get away with before the rest of the family lodges any complaints.
3. Add two sessions of intense cardio per week to existing gym schedule. I do a ton of walking throughout the week, and in all seasons, but high intensity cardiovascular exercise is not my favorite thing, and I no longer have the knees for running, jumping, or real dancing. This means that the elliptical machines are about to become my new best friend.
4. Transition from weight training machines to dumb bells and bar bell exercises. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the nautilus type of machines, particularly when you are a beginner. However; I've long since lost any claim to being a newbie, and I need to add more tools to the toolbox. I have avoided this out of nothing more than fear: I am afraid that I will get injured, and if I'm being completely honest, I'm afraid I will look foolish.
5. Patience. Acquire some. Does this really need explanation? On top of being greedy at the table I am impatient, I want results in the gym. It's often really easy to get caught up in the immediate and risk setbacks with the long term goal.
I haven't included this in my list because, beyond six being and odd number to end on, it really is an ongoing struggle. That is, write something everyday! I love to write. I find a great deal of satisfaction in putting my thoughts on the page, but I am not a terribly disciplined person: I need deadlines. To that end, I will try - illness, death, or disaster - to post something to this blog every day.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Journal - Hectic Holidays
Today is the last day that I need to be up at 5:30am so that my hubby can be in class by 8:00am: may he never get assigned this class again.
Do I need to tell anyone that I am not a morning person? I may not be the kind of person who complains about the weather, but I detest being out of bed before the sun has hit the horizon. As important as a good night's sleep is, and having read at least some the research on circadian rhythms, I still still find myself reluctant to give up on the day. I know that, whatever the next day holds, I will be better equipped to handle it with a full nights rest, but that doesn't keep me from laying in bed worrying. I am a list maker, after all.
Today is also the day I need to hit the (holiday) ground running. I have three celebrations to prepare for, my own on the Solstice Dec. 21, Christmas Eve Dec. 24, and Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Throw in a drink to celebrate Saternalia with some of my more cerebral but pagan leaning friends, and it doesn't leave much time for rest.
I survive this time of year by carving out blocks of time for baking, and cooking, carousing, and yes, even caroling, along side time for quiet walks and workouts at the gym. This is not a time when I'm trying to achieve any new fitness goals, just maintain what accomplished until the new year. I sometimes feel this means that I can only really be stingy with my time, but life, at least my life, requires structure - no matter how strong the urge to resist it.
Do I need to tell anyone that I am not a morning person? I may not be the kind of person who complains about the weather, but I detest being out of bed before the sun has hit the horizon. As important as a good night's sleep is, and having read at least some the research on circadian rhythms, I still still find myself reluctant to give up on the day. I know that, whatever the next day holds, I will be better equipped to handle it with a full nights rest, but that doesn't keep me from laying in bed worrying. I am a list maker, after all.
Today is also the day I need to hit the (holiday) ground running. I have three celebrations to prepare for, my own on the Solstice Dec. 21, Christmas Eve Dec. 24, and Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Throw in a drink to celebrate Saternalia with some of my more cerebral but pagan leaning friends, and it doesn't leave much time for rest.
I survive this time of year by carving out blocks of time for baking, and cooking, carousing, and yes, even caroling, along side time for quiet walks and workouts at the gym. This is not a time when I'm trying to achieve any new fitness goals, just maintain what accomplished until the new year. I sometimes feel this means that I can only really be stingy with my time, but life, at least my life, requires structure - no matter how strong the urge to resist it.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Blog Overview
nutrition:
I am not a chef, but up until recently I was planning, and saving up, to attend culinary school and become one. I have spent several years intensively educating myself about cooking and baking, food provenance, culinary history, and nutrition. I have also worked for large and small catering companies, and have picked up many tricks of the trade along the way.
fitness:
As part of a healthy life, I am active and workout. I am working towards making fitness and nutrition a career by attending school, getting licensed, and continuing to read everything I can. I live by two philosophies, the first is "everything in moderation, including moderation," and the second less eloquent rule, "I'd rather sweat a little more at the gym, than deprive myself of pleasure at the table."
home economics:
Make do and mend. I have worked as a sewer and cutter in theatrical costume shops, and have a broad knowledge of clothing construction and tailoring. The home I grew up in was in a constant state of remodeling from which I've learned everything from upholstery and framing, to rough woodworking, plumbing and electrical. I do not know everything, but I know when it's time to call a professional!
design:
For many years I worked in the event, and floral design industries, earning accreditation from the American Institute of Floral Design, and an associates degree in horticulture/floriculture. I have planned and executed weddings and other special events, large and small, from logistics to floral design, linens to tent rentals. I know a thing or two about making it pretty, and throwing a party.
soap crafting:
The most recent addition to my cannon of homemaking skills. My husband and I are in the very beginning stages of creating a business that makes and sells all natural, responsibly sourced, ecologically friendly soaps, salves, and balms.
sustainability:
Concern for the environment, and wanting to live green, healthfully, and sustainably was taught to me by my parents example. The responsible choice isn't always the organic choice, or the local choice, or the reusable choice. It isn't always clear in all cases, and I respect effort over correctness. Trying is 99% of making the difference, the remainder is the actual choice that you make.
quotes:
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Michael Pollan
I am not a chef, but up until recently I was planning, and saving up, to attend culinary school and become one. I have spent several years intensively educating myself about cooking and baking, food provenance, culinary history, and nutrition. I have also worked for large and small catering companies, and have picked up many tricks of the trade along the way.
fitness:
As part of a healthy life, I am active and workout. I am working towards making fitness and nutrition a career by attending school, getting licensed, and continuing to read everything I can. I live by two philosophies, the first is "everything in moderation, including moderation," and the second less eloquent rule, "I'd rather sweat a little more at the gym, than deprive myself of pleasure at the table."
home economics:
Make do and mend. I have worked as a sewer and cutter in theatrical costume shops, and have a broad knowledge of clothing construction and tailoring. The home I grew up in was in a constant state of remodeling from which I've learned everything from upholstery and framing, to rough woodworking, plumbing and electrical. I do not know everything, but I know when it's time to call a professional!
design:
For many years I worked in the event, and floral design industries, earning accreditation from the American Institute of Floral Design, and an associates degree in horticulture/floriculture. I have planned and executed weddings and other special events, large and small, from logistics to floral design, linens to tent rentals. I know a thing or two about making it pretty, and throwing a party.
soap crafting:
The most recent addition to my cannon of homemaking skills. My husband and I are in the very beginning stages of creating a business that makes and sells all natural, responsibly sourced, ecologically friendly soaps, salves, and balms.
sustainability:
Concern for the environment, and wanting to live green, healthfully, and sustainably was taught to me by my parents example. The responsible choice isn't always the organic choice, or the local choice, or the reusable choice. It isn't always clear in all cases, and I respect effort over correctness. Trying is 99% of making the difference, the remainder is the actual choice that you make.
quotes:
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Michael Pollan
From November 20th, 2014
Three layers on the bottom, four layers on top: I've got this cold thing covered! This isn't a uniquely chilly morning, but it is remarkable for November, and even this Michigan boy isn't conditioned for it yet. Long John's help, but sometimes the cold can seem bone deep. I am looking forward to my workout tonight, but more than that, the fifteen or twenty minutes I'll spend in the sauna afterwards.
Today is as good a reminder as any of my continued commitment to being happier all year round. As I said, I live in the thumb region of Michigan where the four seasons are, summer, almost winter, winter, and still winter. Several years ago now, after having spent yet another season huddled inside, gaining weight, loosing muscle mass, and feeling more than a little miserable about the seemly endless cold and dark, I decided to do something. I decided if I was going to be unhappy every time the weather wasn't to my liking, too wet, too cold, too hot, too...you name it, then I was going to continue to be miserable most of the days of the year.
There are some wonderful things about living in the Midwest. The beauty of a snowy woodland scene, evergreens and bare bark against stark white; frozen ponds and the other worldly architecture of ice flows pressing against the lakeshore; the power of a blinding white lake affect snow squall that pops up, and clears just as suddenly; the eery silence of a blanket of six or more inches of fresh snowfall; or the sound of "hard-snow" as it crunches under your feet on a freezing "subzero" morning; that are truly worth the inconvenience of being slightly uncomfortable, or inconvenienced.
I found that if I accepted it was simply going to take longer to get from place to place, and that I was going to have to plan ahead and get up all the earlier to deal with the snow so that I wouldn't be late for whatever it was I needed to do in the morning, then the inconvenience of winter was muted by simply being prepared for it. Most importantly, I learned that if I dressed appropriately and went outside to experience the cold, snow, and wind and all the things I listed above, during the short daylight hours that we do have, then I was ultimately mentally and physically healthier all winter long.
Some winters are longer than others, and this is by no means a fool proof system. Nor am I suggesting that all winter ailments - specifically SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or the pain and inflammation of arthritis and fibromyalgia - can be cured with a change of attitude. That said; the recommended therapy for SAD is exposure to sunlight with supplemental broad spectrum indoor lighting, and moving, as much as you're able, is always recommendable to help with pain and inflammation. So, if you live in a cold place, get out there and embrace what you can about the longest season of the year.
Today is as good a reminder as any of my continued commitment to being happier all year round. As I said, I live in the thumb region of Michigan where the four seasons are, summer, almost winter, winter, and still winter. Several years ago now, after having spent yet another season huddled inside, gaining weight, loosing muscle mass, and feeling more than a little miserable about the seemly endless cold and dark, I decided to do something. I decided if I was going to be unhappy every time the weather wasn't to my liking, too wet, too cold, too hot, too...you name it, then I was going to continue to be miserable most of the days of the year.
There are some wonderful things about living in the Midwest. The beauty of a snowy woodland scene, evergreens and bare bark against stark white; frozen ponds and the other worldly architecture of ice flows pressing against the lakeshore; the power of a blinding white lake affect snow squall that pops up, and clears just as suddenly; the eery silence of a blanket of six or more inches of fresh snowfall; or the sound of "hard-snow" as it crunches under your feet on a freezing "subzero" morning; that are truly worth the inconvenience of being slightly uncomfortable, or inconvenienced.
I found that if I accepted it was simply going to take longer to get from place to place, and that I was going to have to plan ahead and get up all the earlier to deal with the snow so that I wouldn't be late for whatever it was I needed to do in the morning, then the inconvenience of winter was muted by simply being prepared for it. Most importantly, I learned that if I dressed appropriately and went outside to experience the cold, snow, and wind and all the things I listed above, during the short daylight hours that we do have, then I was ultimately mentally and physically healthier all winter long.
Some winters are longer than others, and this is by no means a fool proof system. Nor am I suggesting that all winter ailments - specifically SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or the pain and inflammation of arthritis and fibromyalgia - can be cured with a change of attitude. That said; the recommended therapy for SAD is exposure to sunlight with supplemental broad spectrum indoor lighting, and moving, as much as you're able, is always recommendable to help with pain and inflammation. So, if you live in a cold place, get out there and embrace what you can about the longest season of the year.
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