building habits: january 2014

the point of goals is to remind you of what you want to accomplish in a month, right? so that you at least get something done... even if you don't manage it all {or most of it...}. right? right. just gonna keep telling myself that.

quota: one rosetta stone activity or 15 minutes of duolingo per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: none.
verdict: try again. a lot harder.

quota: finish digitizing 2003-2004 // goal: digitize memorabilia
progress: none. but i did manage to upload december 2013 photos, and finish up my 2013 photobook!
verdict: pseudo-success. effort still required.

quota: turn off electronics by 11pm four nights a week // goal: reasonable hours
progress: i didn't really track this very well, so i don't know how effective i actually was. i did make a concerted effort many days though, so i think i am heading toward the overall goal. also, because i have had a cold all month, i've made sleeping more a big focus, so this goal was definitely a focus.  this month i will see if i can't track the quota-meeting more effectively.
verdict: on the way!

quota: one serving of greens per day // goal: eat healthier
progress: making this a specific goal has definitely made me aware of the days i am not eating enough greens. again, i didn't track this very well, but i do feel that i made an effort to meet it every day.
verdict: on the way!

quota: exercise three times a week // goal: keep active
progress: the never-ending cold i came down with the first week in january waylaid this goal quite a bit. i squeezed in two rounds of jillian the one week i felt well(ish), and went on a few walks. i'm not too bothered about the lack of workouts, because when ill sleeping is more important, but maybe a good balance would be more walking!
verdict: overall, not well met, but for good reason.

so...based on the non-progress with many goals, february's quotas are looking pretty identical to january's. with the addition of "tracking quota progress"...

building habits: update 3

belated update on micro quotas and macro goals. might even keep it belated in the future, because that would be more in keeping with the calendar... anyway. october was...well, iffy, goals-wise. november will need a bit of adjusting. but! sleep and exercise got prioritized and that was great. because they're priorities. so now it's keeping those as priorities, and also accomplishing the rest. lunches probably need work too, and less eating out should probably be a goal. maybe someday! sigh. i'm not even watching tv on weeknights to get everything in and i still can't manage it all...which is totally not a woe is me moment, but a how do you do it all?! moment. promise. {but really - how do you do it all?!}

quota: thirty minutes of rosetta stone per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: at the beginning of the month, i was doing pretty well, fitting in at least 20 minutes at least 5 days a week. but then work got crazy and my fella came to visit and there was a wedding to attend and basically spanish practice got sidelined. excuses, excuses.
verdict: needs work.

quota: two hours per weekend documenting // goal: digitize memorabilia
progress: two of my weekends were full of time with my fella, which takes priority, but i have no good reason for why the other weekends didn't happen. i even have the gear now! i guess this means it's time to get cracking...
verdict: try again.

quota: one hour article work per week // goal: write an article by october december 2013
progress: still a struggle. but i think i might have finally found a topic i'm interested in writing about, and have already done a bit of research on for work, so now i just have to make sure it's viable.
verdict: try again.

quota: turn off electronics by 11pm // goal: reasonable hours
progress: okay, until about 3 days ago i was doing fantastically on this one. seriously. which is part of why the other goals are suffering, actually, because i prioritized getting on a sleep schedule. so if something hadn't happened by 11, it wasn't happening. and i was liking it. i got off track because fella left and that always throws me off, but this is working and i like it. it also makes morning work outs so much more realistic!
verdict: almost a success!

new quota: 3 green smoothies a week // new goal: healthier eating
progress: not even. well....actually sort of, now that i think about it. i moved past larabars for breakfast (!!) and am doing a mix of smoothies or yogurt&granola...depending on how close to 7 i actually start my workout. so lately it's been pretty heavy on the yogurt&granola.
verdict: rubbish. try again.

new quota: 3 workouts a week // new goal: healthy living
progress: oooooh so much winning with this! i failed on the squat/sit-up challenged i mentioned last month, but that's totally okay because i committed to doing jillian's 30 day shred about 3 weeks ago and it's happening. i think i explained this in a quicktakes but basically the plan is to jillian at 7 am M-F, with 2 days break (so each level takes 2 weeks). it doesn't always work that way - this week i was gone tuesday morning for work, so i'll be making it up saturday - but the point is 5 days of exercise a week, and since the whole fam is doing it we're pretty okay at sticking to it. plus there are some solid laughs to be had when you have four people (and 2 pups) jillian-ing in the early hours.
verdict: met!!

a morning person

project become-a-morning-person commenced at 7am yesterday...

building habits: update 2

monthly update on my micro quotas and macro goals! like last month, i'm getting somewhere with a few, and nowhere with others, but most of my choices are a bit more intentional this time around. so, the update goes a little like this:

quota: thirty minutes of rosetta stone per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: i joined duolingo.com as a back-up method, a supplemental practice option, for those days when i'm not around my computer or can't seem to fit it in to sit down and do a few lessons.  that has helped me practice at least a little bit of spanish nearly every day, which is great, and definitely goes toward my overall goal.  for the next month, though, since things have been a bit heavy on the practice and a bit light on the learning, i'd like to focus on getting in some solid time with the rosetta stone lessons at least 3 times a week.
verdict: met, but always with room for improvement!

quota: two hours per weekend documenting // goal: digitize memorabilia
progress: oh goodness. i did actually make it to fedex-kinkos this month, but the experience caused me to totally re-evaluate how i want to make this goal happen. spending over an hour, and $4.99, to digitize 100 photos is neither cost- nor time-efficient. so! i started digging around the internet for a good flatbed photo scanner, and put it on my birthday list. this way, i can scan to my heart's content from the comfort of my couch. and! once i've tackled my personal stash, i can get started on ditigizing my parents' photos. waiting on the birthday means i haven't really made any progress on this goal, but i'm looking forward to getting this done with my new plan!
verdict: postponed due to a plan change {which, if i'm being honest, means: needs work!}

quota: one hour article work per week // goal: write an article by october 2013
progress: ohhh heavens. this one seems to be a struggle for me.
verdict: try again?

quota: go to bed/wake 15 minutes earlier daily turn off electronics by 11pm // goal: reasonable hours
progress: well. some days i turn off my electronics by 11. and on those days, i keep some pretty reasonable hours - generally in bed and asleep by midnight. but some days i don't. not as many days as when i was back in school, or even earlier this year, but still, too many days. and those days make for less than friendly mornings. and awful dark circles. vicious cycle, folks.
verdict: keep trying!

new quota: 3 green smoothies a week // new goal: healthier eating
progress: oh my. i seem to have dropped even the one a week i was managing last month.
verdict: rubbish. try again.

new quota: 3 workouts a week // new goal: healthy living
progress: this i am succeeding with! well, mostly. i just started running again, but before that i was rocking a bit of jillian. and i've added on a squat/sit-up challenge with my sister and her fella. i could probably use a little more variety in my work out, but since i seem to work out in waves, i think i'll try for consistency first.
verdict: mostly met...with room for improvement

next update in a month!

building habits: update 1

about a month ago, i posted about my micro quotas and macro goals, and promised an update. i'm getting somewhere with a few, and almost nowhere with others. and then there are the ones i forgot to mention, but have been working on anyway.  so, the update goes a little like this:

quota: thirty minutes of rosetta stone per day // goal: learn spanish
progress: minus the week my guy was visiting, i have managed at least 15 minutes a day. not exactly 30 minutes, but daily use! plus, i seem to get through a lot of the units faster than the stated time, so those 15 minutes are solid learning :)
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.

quota: two hours per weekend documenting // goal: digitalize memorabilia
progress: i haven't managed to make it to fedex-kinko's yet to start digitalizing old photos (which is a major part of the goal), but i did manage to finish the 2009 family photobook for my mom and keep my 2013 photobook up to date. i don't know if i'd consider this semi-met or not, since i really want to get those photos in digital format and haven't yet.
verdict: needs work!

quota: one hour article work per week // goal: write an article by october 2013
progress: zero.
verdict: try again?

quota: go to bed and wake 15 minutes earlier each day // goal: reasonable hours
progress: i don't even know how to gauge this. it varies daily, with a lot of days being decent on bedtime, but other days being absolutely awful. i think maybe this micro-quota needs to be revised...new version, "turn off electronics by 11pm."
verdict: try the new angle!

new quota: 3 green smoothies a week // new goal: healthier eating
progress: at least one a week, but if i can manage the reasonable hours, then more smoothies will be a lot simpler to manage.
verdict: will improve in tandem with reasonable hours, but pretty rubbish presently.

new quota: 3 workouts a week // new goal: healthy living
progress: does paddle boarding count? because if so, then i have improved on this one quite a bit in the last week or so. even managed 2 rounds of jillian and some pinterest routine my sister dragged me through. just have to keep it up now...
verdict: semi-met, but definitely room for improvement.

next update in a month!

red pencil skirt

i felt the urge to be crafty this weekend. felt it in that overwhelming, can't ignore it kind of way. do you know what i'm talking about? no? oh well. regardless, for the sake of my sanity, something had to be created! but. biiiig but. i'm also trying to be frugal about my personal spending, so i didn't want to just run out to the nearest store and buy craft supplies. that meant painting, refashioning, and furniture remodeling {ha!} were out. i even tried making some progress on an ongoing cross-stitch first, but that wasn't really doing it for me.

enter a red knit fabric. once purchased to be the skirt of a homemade maxi dress, it has been sitting under my bed for a year now. but it could still be a skirt, right? right. and since my guy has recently expressed a like for pencil skirts... i decided to go for a casual pencil skirt. very casual, thanks to my lack of skills re clean seams on knits. alas. {i meant to post a semi-tutorial, but i forgot to take enough pictures along the way... sorry. i was distracted by the doctor&rose!}. anyway, try this one from merrick's art if you're interested in making your own!

 front    ::    back

 front again, with a look at the waistband {elastic, thankyouverymuch}

zigzag hem-stitch in blue. because contrast detail is cool. 

{orrrr i didn't have red thread.}

building habits, continued.

humpfh. july isn't even nearly over and i have failed so miserably at the plank & push-up habit. {i am, however, still making the bed daily. so, i guess there's that!} i am so far from a morning person, but being a night person just doesn't work outside of the sheltered world of academia. does anyone have tips on how to actually keep to a decent bedtime? besides turning off the electronics, because i already know that one.

anyway, i read a great article today on how to create habits that stick. it says lots of things i already know but forget to factor in when i'm setting my goals.  {i also forget to remember my own weaknesses - like being a night person - but that's a whole 'nother ball game.} check it out here: 5 scientific ways to build habits that stick.

so i thought maybe i would take a tip from the article, and frame my remaining efforts for 2013 in terms of macro-goals and micro-quotas. which are as follows:

micro quota (macro goal)
thirty minutes of rosetta stone spanish per day (learn spanish).
two hours per weekend documenting/scanning (digitalize memorabilia).
one hour of article work per day (write an article by october 2013).
go to bed/wake up 15 minutes earlier each day (reasonable hours...7-11?).

we'll see how this goes. i'll report back in a month.

building habits.

in may i decided it was probably time to start making my bed more often. so i committed to one month of making it every day, no matter what. and {to my surprise} i did! even better, i still am! every morning, regardless of how late i might be running, my first action - okay, second, turning off the alarm being first - is to pull up the covers and toss on the pillows. two months into this new habit, i think it is time for another. this time i'm going for a physical/exercise based habit...but keeping it very reasonable, or else i might start looking for excuses to skip it.

july's new habit is a 30 second plank and 15 push-ups, third thing in the morning {after i turn off the alarm and make the bed}. stating the habit here is definitely my way of making sure i stick to it! and if you're interested in trying something similar...

directions for the plank & how to do the perfect pushup

beach time

i think the world health organization got it right when in 1946, it defined health broadly as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

this weekend was a mini-dose of magic for my health. reading case law on the beach, toes in the sand and sun on skin. riding ferries and bikes to dinner with m&d, eating good food with great people, and biking home as the sun went down. morning walks, complemented by a coffee and doughnut splurge. a long-overdue skype session with one college friend, and a lunch date with another. and a whirlwind visit with my guy, who always knows how to bring a smile to my face.

spirit.

people travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass themselves by without wondering.
{st. augustine}

this quote got me thinking {as any good quote is likely to do}. i've said before, and will say again {mostly to remind myself, honestly} that health isn't just about the physical. it isn't just about weight or muscle tone or how many kale leaves were on today's menu. health is about the whole - the sum of the parts - being cared for and nourished. because as human beings, we are more than just physical. i read recently that we have four selves: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. maybe that seems like too many, or maybe it seems too simplistic, but regardless- the acknowledgement that we are multifaceted, and more than just a body, is the foundation. that foundation is a concept i can get behind. and years of watching other people live their lives, and of looking at how i live mine, has made so clear - sometimes painfully so - that the emotional/spiritual self should never, ever be forgotten or muted. it should be respected, nurtured even.

i believe that investing the time to begin knowing your self is an integral part of overall health. that you can learn big things, but also little things that make a big difference. like whether you are someone who must have a few hours alone a week to recharge, or whether you recharge best by soaking up the energy of a crowded party/restaurant/amusement park. whether you need a quiet half hour with your coffee every morning before you can face the day, or an hour of tv to turn off your brain before bed. personally, i prefer my interaction with others to be in smaller doses - less people at a time rather than more - but i also struggle when i have very little interaction with others at all, like in my last job. i enjoy the quiet of a saturday morning {and by morning i prefer that to mean sometime around noon...} with a nice mocha and a book or my favorite blogs. when i'm feeling inadequate or unsettled, i turn to craft projects, sewing projects or baking as a coping mechanism to help me feel more productive or in control. these are just a few of the things i've learned about myself over time...what about you?

grounding.

those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
{rachel carson}

i was reminded recently of a natural marvel i discovered during bar prep...grounding. from the connect2happiness project, a quick blurb on grounding:

"direct contact with the ground connects us with the natural electrical energy of the earth's surface. recharge and replenish your body by getting barefoot! stand tall in the grass, the sand, the snow, or wherever you are...wiggle your toes, and feel the solid foundation of your feet on the earth. physically, mentally and emotionally gauge how you're feeling before and afterward; the difference will surprise you." {more resources on grounding: 1, 2, 3}

the last few weeks before the exam, i made sure to spend 45-60 minutes a day at the beach, feet in the sand, sun on my skin (and outline in my lap). despite the fact that i was smack in the middle of one of the most stressful experiences of my life, i felt calm[er], slept better and honestly? i think i retained more information from those few weeks than the rest of the two months. i was a believer in grounding almost instantly, and only wish i could remember to sink my feet in the sand more often.

gluten-free and food trucks

grabbed lunch today with a few other people from the office at the nearby food trucks. i wasn't sure whether i would be able to get much, or if i should even go, because i am giving up breads/gluten for the next forty days in an effort to reduce my overall dependence on breads in my diet. shouldn't have been too worried...my [wild boar] chili cheese [sweet potato] fries were not only gluten free but also seriously delicious.

besides, something i have always believed was important to remember in my journey to health is that - as with everything - there is a balance. in this particular case, a balance between eating a home-made, guaranteed healthy lunch, and feeding the spirit with a mostly healthy lunch away from the desk, in the sunshine, with other people. also, some really interesting reading for anyone seriously considering cutting their carb intake...[1, 2]

ten healthy basics.

choosing health is not a quick-fix choice. it takes effort - a lot, at first, but over time things that used to seem taxing and maybe even stressful begin to become part of the routine.  and as with everything, there is a balance between what is recommended - by doctors, by bloggers, by whoever your resources are - and what is best for you and your life.  a good place to start, and where i return to when in need of a refresher, is wellness mama's wellness lifestyle overview.  head over if you want to see more detail, but...the basics, summed up, are: 

drink pure water

eat real food

eat only when hungry

exercise, but not too much 

breathe

avoid toxins

sleep

optimize vitamin d

don't stress

have fun

365:293

to be honest, when i started this journey of becoming healthier, i don't know that i genuinely believed i would ever reach my "goal" weight. i hadn't seen the number i put as my goal in over 7 years. i figured that it was okay if i never quite hit it, because i wasn't really aiming for an exact weight, just using it as a general target for a healthy body. nearly 8 months later, i've not only reached that target but gone below it. the most exciting part of that is not the number. it's the fact that without ever starving myself, i've managed to reset my senses to wanting healthier (and spicier! weird, right?) foods, to eating more appropriate portions, to enjoying exercising (in moderation, of course).  it's that i've never felt deprived (except maybe when i gave up soda and candy for lent and then again for october, but considering how unhealthy both of those are, that's a deprivation i'm okay with). i've learned the difference between true hunger and hunger that comes with boredom, and how to feed them both - one with food, one with something to do!  i've found healthier alternatives to old treats, and learned how different foods help or hurt our bodies. i've driven people nuts with my discussions on coconut oil, green smoothies and chia seeds. i've enjoyed learning so much about food, nutrition, health and myself, and i genuinely look forward to continuing that learning!

365:290

back in february, i nixed this dress as an option for a nice dinner with boyfriend because it was just too tight for comfort {or propriety, for that matter!}.  by easter weekend, it fit exactly - not too tight, but no wiggle room either. here we are in november, and after months of making smart choices in food and keeping myself active, it fits like this:

 

365:263

a wonderful afternoon snack or quick breakfast. even tastes good in crumble form {maybe even as an ice cream topping?}. if you nix the egg, vanilla and chocolate chips, add another cup of peanut butter, and freeze the resulting balls instead of baking into cookies, you'll have a great little pre-run snack too. fantastic way to fuel a healthy body 

365:198

post-work out. only picture i took today, so try to enjoy this ridiculous face.

365:95

expanding my knowledge of what being healthy means on a bookstore study break

365:89

kale chips! cajun kale chips! so excited my tastebuds are on board with my decision to add more greens to my life.

365:52

30 day shred + myfitnesspal app + this baby = progress. slow & steady to the end goal of a fit & healthy me!