2011 Weekly Challenges - #3

Here are the weekly challenges....

Health challenges
1) Sweat for 30 minutes at least 3 times this week
2) Yoga - Sun Solace repeat 3x each on at least 3 days
3) Finish off those remaining 6 pieces of fruit and the 3 hearts of Romain


Declutter challenges - I'm going to try to approach this slightly differently to see if we can finally take back the family room and get those piles of papers out...
1) get updated on Quicken
2) prepare the Health Care Savings reimbursement for 2010
3) get updates on IBM reimbursable expenses (phone) and get it set up as recurring scheduled tasks into the IBM notes calendar
4) develop a winter fun plan/schedule - this is getting some fun stuff snowshoing, skiing, etc and saving some dates for it

Running Plans

I was perusing the blogs I regularly check and Mac at GetFitSlowly had publish his race calendar for the year.  And the funny thing was, I had been scribbling on scrap paper of runs I wanted to do this year.   I decided it was time to put together a post with those goals with links to them.

Sat, Feb 12, 10 am - Steve Cullen 8K -- this is a stretch goal.  I'm not near confident I could comfortably run 8k (about 5 miles) in cold February weather.  This run will be a day of decision - with a lot based on the weather that day.  Bonus, if I'm not comfortable with 5 miles, there is a 2 mile run run/walk associated with it that I could do.

Sat, Mar 5, noon  - 5 mile Point Bock Run -  this run just sounds fun!  I'd like to add it into the mix, but again I think it may be a bit of a stretch both in how I feel and the Wisconsin March weather.  This could be very nice or still very cold and snowy.

April - May - Marty's Trail Running program - I talked to Marty about this last night and I am definitely in.  This year's his program is set to prepare us for the Ice Age Trail Half Marathon - which I'm already signed up for and this is my premier race/goal for the spring.   I'm hoping the Fall brings another premier race/goal for me - but I have to wait and see how the year goes before selecting it.

Sat, April 30 - Crazylegs in Madison - the last time I ran this it was a new run.  I think I ran it in year 2 or 3.  It has grown incredible big since then.   Last time my finish time was just under 1 hour.  I would love to have that be my time again this year.  

Sat, May 14 - Ice Age Trail Half Marathon - this is my premier race of the year.  The one I'm most looking forward to doing.   Last year's trail program really instilled a love of trail running in me.   Honestly, I wish it was a 10K or 15K run.  A half marathon will be a big step for me.  But I think I will be well prepared and I want this so much that I think it will work out well for me.

Sun, July 10 - Summerfest Run 10K - this is a brand new  (1st year) run in Milwaukee.  The course includes running over the Horn Bridge which will provide outstanding views of Milwaukee and its lakefront.  It gets pricey, so I need to make my decision early - 10K: $40 thru 3/31, $50 thru 6/30, $70 thereafter

It's working

The weekly challenges impact my decisions.  Today for lunch I was heating up some leftovers and without too much thought I instinctively grabbed the zucchini and cut it up to be steamed with the leftovers.  It added great flavor and added some veggies which are often missing from my lunch choices.

The weekly challenges are not doing near as well for the decluttering efforts.  I still need to place some more focus on that.

2011 Weekly Challenges - #2

The first challenges are starting to get me on the right foot (haha a little joke since the its my left foot that has the plantar fasciitis problem so I'm much better on the right foot than left)

On to this week's challenges.....

Health Challenge Somewhat Successful - I counted and I have 20 pieces of fruit in my house.  For this challenge all should be eaten by next Saturday.   Bonus challenges  1) have a salad every day for the week and 2) at least 2 exercise sessions of at least 30 minutes each - can be wii fit, DVD programs, Bally's, etc.  My foot issues have greatly reduced my ability to walk, jog/run, hike and even snowshoe -- all of which are my primary fitness activities.  It's time to find something new - maybe try the elliptical trainer, yoga, running on the mini trampoline, etc -- something has to be out there that I can do to build up a sweat and drop some pounds. I'm calling this 'somewhat successful' because it helps to celebrate the small successes and there were successes with this.   There were more than a few times that if this challenge did not exist I would have grabbed a cookie,etc but instead I had a pear or apple.   I did not get through all the fruit - in part because I had a lot of fresh veggies to also get through - and did!  I still have 3 oranges and 3 pears to finish up this week.

Decluttering challenge Unsuccessful - Take back the Family room.  My papers have been scattered all around it.  Its time to go through them and file, pay, shred, etc - whatever they need done.   The challenge is to go through the paper and identify the next action, but not necessarily do the next action (that may take time and be its own challenge down the road. At best I made a small dent in the papers, but I added as much as I as I was able to get done, so at best net result is no difference which makes this unsuccessful.  Overall these decluttering challenges have not gone well - I need to put on my thinking cap and figure out a way to make a difference in this area.

2011 Weekly Challenges - #1

My brilliant idea for helping me reach my 2011 resolutions is to have one week goals.   I've found that I do very well with short term challenges.  The longer they go, the more likely I am to drop off.  So I'll try a series of one week challenges - and I can repeat that challenge for multiple weeks if it feels right.  I'm going to try to one challenge each for the 2 resolution areas.   The challenges themselves will not necessarily be hard - the hard part for me is keeping them going all week long for those that are daily challenges, or getting them done within the week for those larger challenges.

• 1) Health area challenge - follow the new medication and exercises every day.  This seams simple enough and I have hopes that this will help get the foot exercises into my daily morning habit.  Status: Successful - it took a little work to get the right timing down for the foot exercises, shower, and applying medicated cream.  Net result is the foot pain starts later in the day so things must be working/improving

• 2) De-clutter challenge -  I went back and forth on this one and I think my solution is to come up with one and a second bonus challenge...and I've just determined that reaching a bonus challenge deserves a reward.

1. main: "Take back the house" - this means getting the rest of the Christmas and Christmas guest stuff taken care of by cleaning and properly storing it away.  Status: Giving myself a "Successful minus".  Things are cleaned and out of the way but I'd like to work on a better storage system for them so there is still more work to do.  I could have put the towels, blankets, etc back where and how they were shoved into the linen closet but instead I've left them on a table in the kitchen until I can get the storage bags for them.  Overall this is still a success.   
2. bonus: Consuming or Scheduling the Groupons so they get used timely and don't go to waste - Status: Good effort but not yet successful. the bonus was too much, and most of it did not get done.  It was good to have the stretch goal because it did motivate me to try to get these tasks that have been sitting out there on my to-do list finally completed.  
• Massage - get this schedule, and see if it can be upgraded to a hot stone massage completed, reservation made for Jan 20 for a Hot Stone Massage
• Oil Change -used/ completed
• Oilerie - make the reservations (Thurs, Feb 3 date) - completed, reservation made for Feb 3 with Barb T and Nancy
• California Closets - need to clear closets -- this week's challenge is to tackle the Right side.
• REWARD - ??

The reward concept is hard for me - and probably not for the reasons you think.  Most rewards cost money, and weather I make the challenge or not, its still my money that's being spent and the concept of giving myself permission to spend my own money (when I already feel I have that permission) is just a weird concept to me and does not really feel rewarding.   Another common reward area is food related, and with my desire to reduce my weight, food or more likely decadent food is also less of a motivating factor for me.   I need to give the reward some more thought. 

2011 - the year of reductions

It took a while but I've determined 2011 will be the Year of Reductions!!

My life currently has an unwanted level of abundance.   Too much clutter, too much stock piling, too much weight, etc.   I'm feeling the need to correct these areas.  But I need to be careful of my tendency of perfectionism and the all or nothing approach -- too often I get overwhelmed and don't know where to start or feel like I'm making so little progress there is no point to continuing.  I need to work on overcoming both of those key stoppers for me.  My mantra will be "moving in the right direction"  and "a little is better than nothing".


 So on to the specific subgoals for 2011

Reduction of Stock Piling
I have too many supplies, both food and non-food (office supplies, cleaning supplies, etc).   My philosophy will be to "use it or lose it".    This will be hard - I have a tendency to creatively find bargains and stock up.  Sometimes the bargains are only available when stockpiling and purchasing larger volumes than a single household needs.   This is also a long ingrained idea that comes from the attitude of my parents as I was growing up; finding bargains is a virtue.  These goals will probably cost me more dollars but overall I expect it to create more happiness and I currently have the cash to spend and could use a bit more happiness in my life.

1. Eat from the Pantry Challenges at least 5 times this year for periods of at least 2 weeks.  This means very limited grocery shopping during this period except for pet food and milk (and truly great deals).   I think I could get by without for anything else using substitutions (ie, out of coffee then drink tea in the morning, etc).
2. Remove all periodicals that over 1 month old.  This covers all those old magazines that I have stacked up just waiting to be read.   The initial goal is will be to get all the pre-2009 periodicals out by end of March (first quarter), all remaining 2009 by May, and from then on keep nothing over 1 month old (ie, all January will be out by end of February).
3. Clean out Closets - this is helped by the already purchased groupon for California Closets.  I have too much.   That's it - no additional need to clarify that sentence.   I would like to change that and have less but higher quality clothes with more cross usability.   Its time for some upgrades to what I have.  And time to let somethings go.

Reduction of weight / bmi
This is the standard one across most of Americans - time to get into shape.   And really I'm not going to have the scale define too much of this goal.   Instead, I'm going to focus on some exercise goals and challenges.

1. Time Goal: Complete 5K in under 12 min pace.  Ultimate goal is to get back to being a 10 min mile runner but that goal can wait.  This Fall I was running close to 14 min miles and I believe I can get down to 12 min miles if I keep at it - I need to resolve my plantar fasciitis problem to make this goal
2. Distance Goal: 1/2 Marathon.  Ultimate goal is a full marathon - its on my bucket list.   This year it is a stretch to do a 1/2 marathon and I'm reserving the right to change this if my planter faciatis keeps me from getting the miles I would need to get in for 1/2 marathon training.  Update:  I'm registered for the Ice Age Trail Half Marathon on May 14 and expect to take Marty's trail running program starting April 1 as preparation for it.

These are the goals and I'll meet them by having weekly challenges.  More on that to come.