what's the skinny?

As I've said before, a big part of becoming a happier person is becoming a healthier person. My goal is to weigh in here each Friday, just to keep track of my progress. I tried to be more aware of my diet this week and actually got a trip to the gym in the mix, too. Next week will be better.

I started the week at 212.8, which I am counting as my official starting weight.

Today's weigh-in: 210.6
Loss of 2.2 pounds
(Not bad for a start, huh?)

january in july?

Okay, so here's the situation...I really started this project with the best of intentions. You should see the pretty handwritten charts I designed for tracking my progress on my goals. In fact, if I had my desktop at my desk right now (instead of piled up in a corner with every other thing that was pulled out of my waterlogged basement last month...story for later), I would scan it in and post it here just to prove how pretty it was.

Okay, moving on from my pretty charts...

Everything really got away from me...or did it? I really think that I am still working through the fallout of what this project set into motion in January. The bulk of my last post dealt with personnel issues at my office. Since publishing that post five months ago, those personnel issues have finally been resolved. Unfortunately, it took a full five months to resolve them. So, while I have been feeling as though I've been failing at my project, the truth of the matter is that I've just been working on one nagging task for five months!

That being said, my work life is finally starting to come back together. With personnel issues out of the way, I am suddenly an effective employee and manager again. Amazing!

Also, in the five months since my last post, my five-year-old twins have moved from their very sweet and supportive daycare to the all-day summer program at the school they will begin attending this fall. (Kindergarten? Already?) This has sent me into a world of packing lunches and backpacks nightly and being sure that my girls have what they need for whatever field trip or activity is coming up on the following day. It is forcing me to become more organized at home. In addition, it is no longer possible for me to put the girls to bed and then retire to the couch for the evening. I am now forced to be effective in that time after bed, which (strangely enough) hasn't stopped at packing lunches and backpacks. Now, after getting those things done, I am motivated (compelled?) to over-accomplish the task of a ten-minute clean-up. (I'm even making the bed on a daily basis, Mom...I know you're proud.)

So, now, as July is ready to begin, I feel like I might be able to tackle the resolutions I laid out in January:

Go to Sleep Earlier: I'll get there...for now, typing at almost midnight feels really good.

Exercise Better: Went back to the gym today. I have some pretty serious work-out and weight loss goals laid out. More on that later.

Eat More Healthfully: Working on it.

Toss, Restore, Organize: This is absolutely my favorite. Last month, we had water in our basement after a tremendous rainfall. So much water, in fact, that we had to pull out all of the carpet. So much, in fact that we are now going to have to have drain tile and a sump pump installed, which means that we are going to have to completely gut our basement, which means that we are going to have to remodel our basement, which means that everything that currently in our basement in going into a storage unit. Now, why would this make me happy? I see it as a phenomenal opportunity to go toss, restore, and organize as things move from basement to storage and again as it moves back. There is going to be some major simplification going on and I can't wait to see it happen. Nothing like being forced into working through a nagging task, huh?

Act More Energetic: Easy to do when your load has been lightened and things are beginning to fall into place. Momma is getting her groove back.

So, I am resolving to begin January all over again in July. As least I will still have a use for my pretty charts.

let's get it started...

So, I spent some time laying out my resolutions for the month of January.  Today, I bought my graph paper (I love buying school supplies) and laid out my first set of resolutions.  Here's how it stacks up:

• lights out at 10:30
• exercise for at least 30 minutes
• eat healthfully
• eat three meals
• drink 64 oz of water
• spend 10 minutes tidying up before bed
• tackle a nagging task
• act energetic

The 10-minute clean-up has been easy to complete.  Double check for yesterday and today.  I attempted to act more energetic both days; whether or not I was successful is an entirely different matter. I'll attempt to crank it back up tomorrow.  I am also going to make a concentrated effort to get to sleep early tonight.  Lately it seems as though I am exhausted by 9:00...which would explain the dark circles under my eyes.


Exercise...yikes.  I have only 19 days left to get 12 gym visits in.  This tends to get away from me every month.  I hate going to the gym on Monday mornings and then I usually have a meeting on Tuesday.  That just sets me up for a bad week.  I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and make Monday happen.  I am also going to have to spend time at the beginning of each month highlighting available gym mornings in my resolution chart.

My eating habits are a subject for an entry of their own.  More to come on that this week.

Finally, we get to "Tackle a Nagging Task."  I wasn't joking about the fact that my first nagging task was to create the list...something I haven't gotten to yet.  However, I feel as though I have spent the last two days tackling a big one.  While it isn't yet down for the count, it is on the ropes.

I manage a small non-profit organization and have been struggling with some personnel issues lately.  It has been amazing to me how quickly an upbeat and productive day can turn into a day of ineffectiveness because of someone else's issues.  To back up, I took a lot of time off in December (vacation time...use it or lose it), including an entire week between Christmas and New Year's.  I came back in January but was not in the office much due to the death of my husband's amazing Grandmother.

When I finally came back to work this week, prepared for my first full week of work since mid-November, I was ready to roll...to make things happen.  Within three hours, I had to deal with an issue between two employees.  It was as though my energy balloon had been completely deflated (phhhhhhhht).  In the past, I would have listened, given them both advice for how to deal with one another, and resolved to take care of the issue once and for all...as soon I got to a place where I was caught up enough to deal with their seemingly never-ending childish squabbles (I mean, really...am I actually the principal of an all-girls middle school?).

This week was different.  Happy Mommy Boss Lady looked it square in the face.  I am not going to tolerate it any more, and told them so...in no uncertain terms.  Formal warnings and everything.  And, most importantly, I did it with a smile on my face.

First nagging task completed.

the story continues...

So...it's almost a year later and not much has changed.  While I have been trying to find the time to get happy, another big chunk of my life has flown by.  I've spent the last year finding excuses instead of happiness.

The time has come to make a change.