January 09, 2013

Rock Your Resolution Giveaway, Week 2

If you're joining us late, this post is part of a giveaway contest, which it's not to late to join.   But more importantly, it's intended to be a source of mutual support for those of us trying to acquire some shiny new healthy habits in 2013.  Today's theme?

Find the Joy!


And sure, there's always a bit of suck-it-up self discipline involved in forming a new habit.  If it were totally easy and effortless to make changes, why the hell would we have waited so long?

If broccoli tasted like fresh baked cookies, and if lifting weights felt like a lovely trip to your favorite spa for a massage, and if we were all well-organized stress-free superachievers, there would be little need for all the "resolution" and "willpower" and "this time it will be different" crap.

But just because lifestyle changes require a bit of focus and resolve, they don't have to suck! There are a number of things you can do to make the change process more fun and less miserable. And less misery means a better chance of success, right?

First Off, The Giveaway Thingy:

If you're just joining us and want to participate:

1. At least skim the first New Year's Resolution January Giveaway post, even if you have absolutely no desire to win a free Life Coaching package.  The real point of this post is Community Support!

2. To catch up and be eligible, if you wanna play: leave a two part comment to let us know if you have a goal or resolution or whatever (you don't have to say what it is), as well as some observation about how you're doing on it.   And  leave at least two reply comments on other people's comments giving them some support in some way. If you get here early, you may have to come back; c'est la vie.

Or, if you were here last week and are already playing:

1. Leave a comment on this post with any sort of observation about how it's going, and one other reply comment on someone else's progress report. Be supportive or informative or encouraging! (If you forgot that part last time, just make it two this week and you're good).

2. (Optional) go back and see if anyone commented on your comment from last week, and feel free to engage in some back-and-forth at either post!

Editorial Note:  I suspect there will be some drop-off, but last week was SO FUN for me! Loved all the helpful comments and inspiring goals and amusing observations. It really helped me stay on track! More on that in the comments.


And so now, here are:

Four Simple-Minded Ideas for Bringing Joy to Virtuous Pursuits

1. Allow Yourself to Throw a Little Time or Cash at It

Change is often hardest at the beginning.  If you have the ability to indulge extra time, energy, or money to make it fun when you first start off, you'll have a better chance of maintaining initial momentum.

Consider a splurge like a new time-saving kitchen gadget for preparing yummy healthy recipes, or a fun new piece of home exercise equipment, or a wildly overpriced but really pretty new notebook with a fancy cover to brainstorm in. Or heck, go to Whole Foods and look for healthy treats and pretend the numbers on the price tags are just figured in Monopoly money!  You can even promise yourself future fun purchases to reward "good" behavior.

 Well, sure--a Ferrari seems a fair reward for surviving your first trip to the gym.


2.  Swap, Don't Sacrifice

If you're trying to cut something out of your routine that was formerly rewarding, experiment with a fun substitute.  It could even be something slightly naughty in a different way, just to facilitate the transition. If you're quitting smoking, perhaps swapping a couple bites of chocolate for your usual vice during a "cigarette break" might ease the transition. (Although in the "naughty" department, be careful: spontaneous Husband or Wife Swapping may cause unpleasant complications).  Once your brain is rewired to no longer crave your usual unhealthy reward, you may be able to ditch the evil substitute for something better for you.

Similarly, if you're trying to add something new and challenging to your routine, consider giving yourself a break on some other ongoing virtuous activity if you're feeling too martyred. You'll get back to it once your New Thing is more routine.

3.  Be Playful, and Make it a Game!


Getting Up Earlier: Way More Fun if You Can Fly

Spend a few minutes thinking how to turn a goal into a game. Do you like to compete with others or yourself?  Wanna bet your spouse a week worth of dishes who caves on their resolution first? There are interactive apps out there that encourage competitions which I'm too lazy to research but they ain't hard to find.

Exercise is a natural for morphing into playtime, because, well, play was the only kind of exercise we got as kids and recess was something to look forward to, right?

The thing is: you are still that kid, somewhere inside. So find that little brat and ask her/him for inspiration. What could Play could look like or feel like in your world now?  Romping with dogs? A game of tennis? Dancing? Running? Smearing feces all over the wall above your crib?  Oh wait, perhaps you better not ask your inner kid to help out after all.

But even something that is nonphysical can be made more playful.  Get creative with your "chore." Think about tracking and beating your previous efforts, but make it goofy, with stickers or colored pens or vision boards or depending on your temperament, spreadsheets or interpretative dances done to bongo drums.  Take a few moments to ponder possibilities to make the new thing as weirdly silly and fun as you can make it.

4.  Tweak Your Environment

So let's say hypothetically you have an ongoing goal of yours to stay active and exercise.  And let's further hypothesize that you woke up on a weekend morning planning to go to the gym, which you normally don't mind because you've been coming up with new and better ways to make an ass of yourself playing with the toys there.  But suppose on this particular morning you thought, well crap, I don't FEEL like going to the gym. And then a good friend with a companionable canine proposed a hike up a (small) mountain?  And let's further assume you had a flexible partner willing to come along too and the whole "exercise" thing became a lovely outing instead of a grim item to cross off the "to do" list?

Just hypothetically.


Quite a Bit More Fun that the Gym

Some alternatives on tweaking your environment besides wandering out into the great outdoors?  You could clean up and prettify your indoor environment, for example..not that piles of dirty laundry or sticky food wrappers or stacks of paper still to be filed from 1997 arent, to some eyes, perfectly lovely.  Or you could make an effort to introduce pleasant smells if you have a nontoxic way to do that, like making a fragrant tea or something. 

You could go where other folks are, or are not, depending on how you feel about sociability. (In my case, a writing goal is a great one to take to a communal space like a library or coffeehouse, while gym stuff I'm happiest accomplishing completely solo. I would happily lock the doors and keep everyone else the hell out of my gym if I could get away with it).

And music!  Tunes make everything better! (OK, unless one of  your resolutions happens to involve listening to guided self-hypnosis recordings, in which case you may have to hold off on the tunes for a bit).

Anyone else got ideas on making things fun?  And how are you doing on your January goal/resolution, still hanging in there?  My progress report will be in the comments, see ya down there!

Dog photo: cobalt124 
Bedroom Superhero: Eole
Sports car:Freedigitalphotos

112 comments:

  1. So first off, I indeed Rocked my Resolution this week, in large part because I knew I would be reporting back here. I also love knowing that others of you are out there challenging yourselves and weirdly, feeling part of a larger effort was motivating! I felt like if I tried hard, it would magically translate to others doing well too. How weird is that?

    This self-hypnosis thing is something I've dabbled with before, but never in a dedicated enough manner to make it part of my routine. The goal is to get it to become a healthy habit.

    This week, I did a session everyday, and finally went back to trying to write my own scripts for future recordings, thanks to a helpful comment by "Spaz" last week. I used to write scripts for others as a psychotherapist, but never did my own.

    I'm already getting better at the relaxation/trance aspect, hooray! And I've even noticed some improvements on the two things I thought I'd start working on: allergies and insomnia.

    Not entire sure on the allergies but they seem less bothersome; but I'm definitely sleeping better. Coincidence? Possibly but I'm gonna try to go with the theory that it's working! That's the biggest challenge for me; setting aside the skeptical part of myself as much as possible.

    As to the joy part, well, that actually is inherent in the process. Trance is fun! It was just making time and getting myself to focus that was the issue.

    I am hope hope hoping I can keep going with this, and perhaps get a daily routine established over the next month. Thanks guys, for helping!

    And no doubt I will bore you all about the specifics in an upcoming blog post.

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    1. Wow, self-hypnosis for allergies? That's one that would never have occured to me! Does that imply that there's a psychosomatic aspect to allergies, or is the idea that it's a physical reqaction which can be supressed mentally?

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    2. I would love to hear more about ANYTHING to help with sleeping better. Seriously.

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    3. There seems to be research that it's not even just the psychological aspects that can change using hypnosis with allergies, Shadowduck, but physiological responses to allergy triggers. IgG or igE or something, I need to hunt it down.

      And Shelley, there should be a follow up post with more resources, but in the meantime, the sleep stuff I've been using is part of a bigger course by Steven Gurgevich over at Sounds True (there's an ad for them at the bottom of the page!) but I think he's got specific sleep related material; for allergies I've got a cheap phone app by Adam Eason with a surprising amount of resources for under five bucks. I think he has a sleep app too which is next up on my list.

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    4. Thanks for the info - I'm going to look up the sleep app. :)

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    5. Lead me to it! My allergies are pretty much under control (mostly) but the sleep can use all the help it can get.

      Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    6. Wow - you are rocking your resolution!!
      I would really be interested in more info on the correlation between sleeping better (or at all) and hypnosis.

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    7. I definitely need to do a future post on this!

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    8. I believe I have entered the "perimenopause" portion of my life and sleep has started to elude me too. What's up with that? LOL!

      Glad you are doing well with your self-hypnosis and are seeing physical improvements.

      Kimberley

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    9. This is a topic of interest to me too. I have both allergies and some sleep problems. Never thought of guided meditation before you brought it up. I want it to work so you can teach us all.

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  2. One thing I like to do to make my time at the gym more fun is to pretend I'm at one of those murder mystery dinner parties. I go up to different people and ask questions such as "Where were you when Countess Contessa was stabbed with the butter knife?" I still haven't figured out who done it yet!

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    1. Definitely love the idea of regarding fellow gymgoers as murder suspects. So many candidates for potential psychopaths that it would be hard to narrow down, but could make staring at all the treadmill plodders and zumba dancers way more interesting!

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    2. I've not spent much of my life in gyms (I'm more of an outdoors exerciser), but going off some of the psycopathic stares I've seen on my occasional visits I suspect you could be closer to the truth than you think!

      Do you actually walk up to people and question them? That takes it to a new level of awesome... What sort of responses do you get?

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    3. Your gym sounds like more fun than mine, if people play along with this. Good job, though, finding ways to keep yourself going to the gym!

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    4. The idea of approaching my fellow gym attendees with a quesion like that has me cracking up! I love it.

      When I am running on my treadmill I like to imagine that I am the heroine in a action movie and I HAVE to keep running. :)

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  3. I haven't been offered anything yet that I'd regret not doing, but the year is oh so young. I'm looking forward to whatever comes along.

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    1. Hope it's something massively awesome! Love the no regrets philosophy.

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  4. Well, I've now got a pretty good idea of how much time I spend on useless internet activity. And the answer is ... *drum roll* ... about a third of it! I'm not going to even mention the actual figure, but I was surprised to find that a third of my computer time is actually spent doing things that can be classed as "productive"! Another third is used for entertaining "timewasting", and (depressingly) a whole third of my internet time goes on aimless surfing / reading / facebook checking which is neither productive nor enjoyable. Now that really IS wasted time.

    The next thing is to start cutting back on the idle time. Obviously, the chunk I want to lose is that last third ... I've already culled half my RSS feeds, which is going to make a big difference (thanks to bdaiss for the input last week), and I'm using a "mindfulness bell" app on my phone to drag me out of the zombie-surf mode on a regular basis. We'll see if that's enough.

    I like the idea of trying to make this more fun! My original plan was to use the extra time to get some DIY done, but actually I think it may turn into a bit of extra guitar practice and an opportunity to take the little one down to the park. #8-) If anybody wants to know why that bedroom isn't decorated yet, I'll just say "Crabby said it was okay!".

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    1. I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to combine internet activity with actual activity...I watch videos and TV shows on my iPad while I ride my exercise bike - now that is what I call a win-win situation!

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    2. Wow Shadowduck, that's great progress already! How interesting what your tracking turned up. And I love the idea of the mindfulness bell app; i need one on my pc. (But could see spending hours googling and going off track!)

      Shelly, awesome idea for getting surfing in while not taking away from other stuff! I'm too dependent on my tunes while working out, but for others more open minded that's an excellent idea.

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    3. Great idea - you should use that extra time for fun stuff!!! I love the reward system and Crabby did say there should be reward!!!

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    4. Shadowduck, if you're still around, Mark at Mark's Daily Apple just did a post on this: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/13-ways-to-spend-less-time-online-and-reclaim-your-real-life/#axzz2HfsUnQLX

      Some interesting ideas!

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    5. Yea for awareness - at least you know what you're facing now! (And you did much better than I did at culling your feeds...must make another effort.) For awhile I did the 20-10 approach: 20 minutes productive, 10 minutes play. Once I nailed that I moved it to 30-10, then 40-10, then 50-10. Unfortunately I think I need to start over as I'm probably at 10-50. :)

      Thanks Crabby for the link to Mark's post! Off to grab some pointers!

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  5. My thing was focusing on BALANCE.

    Considering I'm training for a marathon on 1/27, exercise balance isn't going too well so far, talk to me in February! I have a couple of plans to try some new non-running workout things that will help me balance out all that cardio.

    I'm participating in a food tracking challenge though, so that has helped me moderate my food choices better now that the holidays are gone, so that's good.

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    1. Yeah, trying to add crosstraining during marathon prep could be a bit much OTF! But hmm, bet you're finding ways to add mental balance, or other balance aspects to your marathon training.

      And if you're also keeping up with the food tracking, that sounds great and like you're attending to overall life balance. yay you!

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    2. It's normal, i think, to have to let certain things drag when you have one overwhelming goal for a time. It's the losing balance over the whole course of life that brings us down. Do what you can, and know you will get back to the other things after the big run.

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    3. Thanks folks. I know that at this point anything different I do only has potential to hurt all I've been doing to train. So it's kind of funny to be in the midst of NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONVILLE and be like "nope, can't really get on board right now."

      But 2013 is 12 months long (SO THEY SAY) and I've got time.

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    4. Or if you just make your January resolution to "keep going on marathon training without screwing up the rest of my life entirely" then seems like you're doing pretty darn good on balance! And other aspects can pick up in February.

      And btw, marathon training seems to me a HUGE deal! Not something I've ever attempted; I can only admire from the sidelines.

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    5. Here's the thing - when you're a couple of weeks out from a marathon, balance is going to mean something different.

      My temporary definition of balance for you would be that marathon activities are done as planned as far as training (you are doing what you need to do to prevent injury and preserve your mental health, all of which keep you in BALANCE).

      BALANCE the non-training preparation you need to do for the marathon (paperwork, packing list if you're traveling, actual packing, etc.) so that it takes place over many days and you're not rushing at the end.

      BALANCE the rest of your life with the remaining scant time in the day. Break down what categories are important to you (work, family, time for yourself, etc.) and make sure you don't leave rest out. You need it to avoid injury!

      I can't wait to hear how it goes!

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  6. I did great (pats self on back) with my exercise bike last week, and I even added another small challenge - planks - to my routine. WHO AM I??? ;)

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    1. Shelley that's so cool! And it ain't like you were slacking before. Great that you're hanging in with the new addition and even challenging yourself further.

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    2. Is it a stationary bike? The only way I have ever been able to tolerate that is reading. Impressive that just a week in you are adding to your goal!!!

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    3. Shelley - way to go on the planks! As someone who is core exercise adverse I admire that completely and totally. You rock!
      Spaz

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    4. Kim, yes - it's a stationary bike...my son recently gave it to us. I've been watching TV shows via the iPad with it while I ride and love it.

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    5. Spaz, the worst part about planks so far are the rug burns on my elbows...think I need to pull out my yoga mat, lol!

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    6. Like treadmills, exercise bikes seem to be one of those things you can either stand or you can't... I don't watch much TV, and if I try to read while exercising I end up doing justice to neither. Glad you've found a way to make it work for you!

      Planks are deceptive. My teenage daughter saw my wife doing them as part of her yoga-ish routine and thought it was hilarious as it was obviously FAR too easy to count as exercise - she changed her mind when she tried to do it herself and couldn't last thirty seconds! #8-D

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    7. Congratulations Shelley!!! More pats on the back from me!

      Kimberley

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    8. Cross training *and* planking? Way to kick butt and take names!

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  7. We have two gals at my gym that seem to have a lot of fun. They are training to do pull-ups and they challenge each other to do ridiculous things and make a spectacle of themselves. I am normally finished my workout when they start but I caught the act one day and they were wearing silly hats and loudly trading funny insults. One of these gals is also the source for weird and wonderful local events.

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    1. OMG Cindy, that sounds hilarious and makes me want an exercise buddy like that! What a great idea, especially for folks who already work out with a partner.

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    2. I love this - those ladies sound like so much fun! I did enjoy working out with a small group for that reason - you can really make the time go by faster, plus it made me look forward to going to the workout.

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  8. Somehow, i've managed to stop for five minutes each morning of deep breathing, and trying to clear my mind. Don't know that it "counts" for meditation, really, but it's making my scarred lung feel better.

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    1. Yes, it counts. That pretty much sums up what meditation is. (And deep breathing makes everything feel better.)

      Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    2. Yeah messymimi, I'm with solarity, it definitely counts. And if you're doing it every day, that's awesome! Supposed to be really good for stress and it's great that it's helping your lungs. Hope you can find ways to keep it going!

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  9. This isn't a resolution, of course, and it certainly isn't a lifestyle change, but my ongoing slog through the unpacking was greatly improved by all the inspiration and enthusiasm last week. I've unpacked five boxes of books, and (today was recycling day) emptied a corner of the basement of flattened boxes, so I had room to maneuver a set of metal shelves through the paths between stacks of boxes into the coal cellar where I'm setting up auxiliary kitchen storage. Progress!

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    1. That sort of thing is so satisfying, isn't it? Hard to get started on of course, but creating order out of chaos is wonderful for the soul. I believe that's why tetris-type games are so popular!

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    2. Wow Solarity, that's great progress already! And it's not exactly like you have a ton of free time with your work schedule.

      Imagine how satisfying it will be if the trend continues, bit by bit, until you've created sparkling order out of chaos? I'm with Shadowduck, I think there's something very psychologically beneficial about the process.

      Hmm, she said, looking around at the disarray on her desk... perhaps a little tidying up might be in order Chez Crab as well.

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    3. And then I was derailed by two days without internet, spending all my "spare" time on the phone with tech support. Onward!

      Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  10. My thing was working my way to performing an actual "real" push up. TrabbsBoy's "fish" comment and the follow-ons were funny and terrific at helping me lighten up a bit about it. I'm no closer this week that I can tell, but am going to keep laughing at my shaking arms and have faith that the magic will happen eventually.
    Cindy - I think we are all wondering what gym you go to? Is it the same as JSGettin'Fit????????

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    1. Maybe try using a bigger fish? Flounder or plaice are no good for beginners, you need to start off with a big old salmon or tuna and then slowly progress through cod and mackerel... #;-)

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    2. Ah Shadowduck, too funny!

      And that's great that you're keeping at it Anon, even if it is a long range process. Think how awesome those "real" pushups will feel!

      Of course my inclination would be to find a push-up like movement that was easier to make progress on to add to or alternate with the one you're stuck on, but that's just my "take the easy way" approach to things. It's how I eventually got to push ups and pull ups... some of the way there was awful darn ugly and took lots of modification before I could pull or push my own body weight. But I'm convinced you WILL get there if you keep at it!

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  11. My goal was to try to live in the moment and enjoy all of my life (not just parts) instead of always looking ahead (or behind). This past week was great. I focused on really being present when talking to my boys (sometimes I daydream or surf the web or...) and I think they have noticed that I am really fully present!!!

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    1. What an awesome way to stay present Kim--focusing on your boys seems like such a great goal, and how cool that they actually seem to sense the difference!

      I often hear parents of adult kids regretting how quickly the time went and wishing they'd been less caught up in daily concerns and really treasured the childhood moments. (At least those that didn't involve cursing or broken windows or bloody noses) :)

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    2. Great job Kim...living right in the moment is a hard one!

      Kimberley

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  12. My goal was to try and make peace with myself. I started a couple of things this week. The first was I started to clear up the clutter that I have surrounded myself with. I cleaned out my closet and have 3 bags of clothes ready to donate. I am a huge fan of music and like a having a personal theme song(thanks Ally McBeal!) So I spent last week singing Chaka Khan's "Aint Nobody Loves me Better than you" to myself in the mirror. Totally corny but really helped!
    Spaz

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    1. Love the Chaka Khan mirror thing, and so much LESS corny than most self-affirming practices. Which are so good for us if we can figure out a way to do them without feeling like a total ass.

      I am SO impressed with the decluttering; 3 bags of clothes? That takes determination!

      Oh, and THANK YOU so much for the self-hypnosis suggestion; because of you I'm starting to put together a script to record and I'll let you know how it goes!

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    2. What a fabulous goal! I struggle with that myself--maybe I'll try your song tactic.

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  13. Funny thing...went back to check on any comments from last week and no comment from me could be found. LOL...(darn kindle)

    So, instead of giving up, throwing in the towel (can you say past pattern of a week into the new year) I will just write a novel in your comment section..

    My intention & word for 2013 Metamorphosis and BOY is it moving right along. I originally thought transformation but it is WAY more than that hence the harder to spell word....LOL

    Blog look and new direction and not ALL about weight loss (or lack there of)

    I am engaged in the "routines" section of the new Weight Watchers 360. Love this! The new routines or bringing back old ones that worked has been fun this week. I actually rolled out of bed this morning and consciously did 10 sit ups. I am planning and cooking and taking the reason for the excuses out of the equation BEFORE they come up.

    I am organizing my kitchen and my office to support me and giving myself the gift of meditation at least once if not twice a day. (I went more into that in the week one comment that went somewhere)

    so all in all a great week!

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    1. First off Jules, SO SORRY about the missing comment! I have no idea why blogger sometimes does that on certain devices and I know how frustrating that is. Wish I knew how to fix it!

      And wow, metamorphosis (which took me three tried to spell before I could get rid of the red squiggle) is such a powerful transformative word. So many cool aspects to it and it sounds like you're already off to a great start.

      So great to have you here on this thread with your inspirational thoughts and accomplishments!

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  14. I am trying to be kinder to myself. So far I am not doing very well. I wish I were able to give myself the latitude I allow others

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    1. By the authority vested in me as a random stranger on teh intertoobz, I hereby give you permission to be human. From this day forward, all your small failings, forgetfulness, grumpy moments, procrastination and inability to fix every single problem in the whole world will be recognised and accepted as part of the human condition. If you were perfect, you'd be boring - be you.

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    2. Hi Lisa!

      So listen to Shadowduck, he actually has magical powers and if he has granted you permission for you to be human and fallible then it is indeed ok. (And while I'm here, I'll take some of that too, Shadowduck, if I can have your permission as well. So well said!).

      Sorry to hear you're having a hard time of it Lisa. Learning self-acceptance can be tough, especially for people who have challenging backgrounds or temperaments, but it can be done and it sounds like you're ready, willing, and able to work at it. (And don't be too hard on yourself about being hard on yourself either! Very common for people with really high standards for themselves).

      If you're still around, what's one way that you're hard on yourself that you might consider shifting or changing or experimenting with this week? Some of us may have had some personal experience with this stuff and might be able to offer some ideas.

      Good luck and keep at it and thanks for joining us!

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    3. Shadowduck and Crabby are very wise.

      Of course it depends on what "being kind to yourself" means to you, but trying to think of ways to be kind to yourself (ummm, or me to myself) ...

      What about playing with past and future selves? Like, when you do the dishes before bed, think of it as a present to your future self? Or, conversely, when you realize you've already done something that you needed to do, thank your yesterday's self?

      Or you could send emails to yourself in the future? There are a couple of different web sites and apps that do that. Someday that you feel good, you could send an email to yourself about how great you did at something, and maybe the day you get it it could give you a lift?

      Doesn't really address giving yourself latitude, but it might help overall kindly feelings?

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  15. I LOVE the pic of you & the Lobster & doggies!!! I am working on things.. it is tough at times but I keep trying!

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    1. Thanks Jody, and keeping at it is the most important thing! Yay you!

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  16. I had a great week fitness wise. Thanks for asking. I did three miles yesterday at a pace of 11:48 min/mi. My goal is 11:30. That's what happens when your ankle tells you that you can't run anymore. You walk as fast as you can. :) I agree with you that you have to release your inner kid. I can't wait until it warms up and I can't start biking again. That's when I feel the most joy while exercising, coasting down a hill with a song in my heart.
    Hope you and everyone joining in here has a great week!
    Gaye

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    1. Hi Gaye!!

      How frustrating about the ankle, but that's awesome that you're sucking it up and doing the fast walking. (I tried racewalking as a running substitute but could never quite get the hang of it. Thank god for the elliptical).

      I LOVE the vision of you and your inner kid joyfully flying down a hill on your bike! Sounds like something great to look forward to.

      Good luck getting to 11:30 on the walking!!

      And on the stupid blogger login thing: all I can think of is that if you can't clear it up by making sure you're not still logged into an old google account somewhere when you comment, you can use the Name/Url field near the bottom, and then put your blog url in there. (And it has to start with the full http thing).At least that's what I use to comment on google blogs when I'm not logged in as Crabby.

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    2. Thanks for cheering me on. I kind of miss running, even though my pace was pretty close to my walking pace. :)And yes, you'd get a kick out of seeing me going DOWN the hill. Uphill not so much.

      Me going down -- "Look at me! I'm 8 years old again!!!"

      Me, going up the hill, "Oh holy s***! I'm 108 years old."

      Eh, maybe you'd get a kick out of both. :)

      Lets give this publish thing a whirl again and see what it comes up with now.

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    3. I am in my current google account. It must be something I did on Blogger. Will check this weekend. Anyway, it's me, Gaye!
      Thanks!

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    4. So sorry the login thing continues to be hosed. But had to laugh at the uphill/downhill thing. I predict you'll be charging up those hills like a youngster come spring!

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    5. Sunny, I get those exact same feelings on the hills - glad to see I'm not alone! :)

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  17. Whoops. CAN start biking again. :)

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  18. I am more into brisk walking and jogging as a start of an early morning habit. I am not really a morning person so this challenge for me is quite tough. THis was actually my husband's idea.

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    1. Wow, that's hard to shift times especially if it was someone else's idea. I'll be really curious to see how it goes! I'm a morning person and yet it would actually work better with my schedule to exercise in the afternoons and I keep SAYING I'm going to give it a chance for a week or two to see if I can change. But somehow that never happens!

      So yeah, hope you keep us posted because I may be using you for inspiration! And whether it's morning or later, good for you for keeping active!

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  19. YES YES YES

    PLAYFUL FOR THE WIN!!!!

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    1. You are the QUEEN of play and a great role model Miz!

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  20. Started a placement this week and my second semester at school, so I could not get here until today. But I am here!

    I have meditated every day of 2013!!! It was hard to get down to it every.single.day. But I am sure it will get easier as I continue to make the commitment.

    Kimberley

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    1. Wow, that's awesome, what a great start to the new year. And how cool would it be if you could say the same thing in February, or May, or December?

      Way to go kimberly!

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  21. I'm pleased with my 90% clean/10% treats food resolution so far. I was a little closer to 80/20 over the weekend, but my overall quality of food is WAY better than it has been over the last few months and I definitely feel better.

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    1. Hey Jess, that's fantastic. And cutting treats down to even 20% is way challenging on weekends. So cool that you're noticing feeling better already!

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  22. I probably apply these good ideas to keeping fit. Except the Ferrari, maybe for the next car, but after flying a plane, driving on the ground is not all that.

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    1. K know you are a champion at keeping things fun Dr. J!

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  23. My resolution was to learn a concrete task over the year (leaning towards the ukelele for some reason), which I must admit I haven't had time to do yet. I have a legitimate work delay, but I am excited to take one new task, either that instrument or bellydance perhaps and practice. What I'm really craving is the mental focus and discipline I was using for my MSc to be applied to little old ME instead of an academic premise to really pour some goodness back into myself.
    I'm excited at what the year may bring!

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    1. I LOVE the idea of the ukelele and it's going to be so cool when you get going on it.

      Is there a way to do something ukelele related while work is crazy just to keep the inspirational flames flickering? Like maybe listening to ukelele music or picturing yourself strumming happily, perhaps on a beach in Hawaii? :)

      Can't wait to hear how it goes!

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    2. My dad picked up the ukelele a few years ago after a trip to Hawaii, and now my mom plays it, too...and they are going to ukelele camp later this month, in Hawaii. So hey, you never know WHERE learning to one might take you!

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    3. Ukelele is fun. I played mine a lot in high school and college, and it still sits around waiting for me to find time to buy it some new strings. But the piano gets more attention from me.

      Mary Anne in Kentucky

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    4. I recently heard a woman named Victoria Vox, who is a Ukelele from Maryland (although not Hawaiian style). Soooo good!

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  24. I love the idea of adding more fun into life! The world is a negative, difficult place sometimes so if we can focus on the positive and make it a bit more fun, then we can combat some of that negativity. Our thoughts and actions are powerful. Let's inject some more fun into the universe! Thank you for this great post :-) Happy New Year.

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    1. Thanks coffeediva!!

      As a Cranky Crab, it's been something of a journey learning to focus on the positive and have fun, but I'm finally getting there. Sounds like you have a great attitude, and happy new year to you too!

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  25. Crabby, I love your blog & your book & your attitude! Perhaps my resolution should be actually to write all the blog comments I hear in my head. But I don't think I'll set up for failure - too busy - this is being written on a tablet & takes too many back-spaces.

    I do have a goal/resolution. I want to get strong enough on hills to complete all 5 summits on the Death Ride. I am 61. I have 5 grandchildren. I have never been a fast cyclist. So for now.I need to build a solid base, then start building distance, then (yikes) try to combine the strength with the endurance. So I won't really know much about how it's going for a few months. But it is inspiring see so many people struggling with so many challenges & I definitely plan to spend more time here, and find time to comment & reply.

    By the way, I keep thinking anout the balance challenge in your very cool book. We had a yoga teacher who had us trying something like that. I was ok as long as she kept talking - could orient to her voice. So you might turn on some music that obviously comes from one direction. It would not be able to walk around & make you topple over as a yoga teacher can.

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    1. Welcome, Anonymous Amazing Soon to be Death Ridin' Grandmother of 5!

      First off, thank you SO MUCH for buying and thank you even more for actually reading the darn ebook, can't tell you how much I appreciate it. And I do really hope you stick around and comment sometimes, because with your wisdom and kick-ass approach to fitness you provide great inspiration for others, especially middle-agers who are struggling to make fitness more of a priority.

      The Death Ride goal sounds challenging but wow are you going to be in amazing shape if you can do it. Hoping you have fun along the way!

      And interesting about the voice orientation approach to eyes-closed balancing. I haven't tried that, and in fact, it's kind of a good reminder to me that I've been slacking off on balance training generally. Thank you for that too, and I'm so glad you found us here!



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    2. You are totally my new cycling inspiration!

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    3. you totally rock! im inspired reading your comment!
      good luck! puja

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  26. So I was excited to start my training for the half marathon this past Monday. The only problem is that I have been sick for the last 14 days. No big deal, just a sore throat and earache. The fatigue has really gotten to me though, so I haven't done much of anything. I have lots of time until the event, but I really was anxious to get started. I got started on antibiotics yesterday, so hopefully I'll be good to go for Monday.

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    1. Oh shoot Dani, how frustrating about being sick!

      Is there anything nonstrenuous you could do in the meantime to keep the inspiration going? Check out online resources or training ideas or window shop for cool gadgets or something? So frustrating to be sidelined when you're all pumped to get going!

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    2. Yeah, I did a few of those things today - did some reading, scanned Pinterest, etc. As for gadget shopping, I'll be doing that from my deathbed at some far distant point in the future, so I was way ahead of you on that one. :-) Tomorrow, I'll pack my gym bag up for Monday, and it will be all good.

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    3. Sounds like you are ALL OVER THIS Dani. Feel better soon and hope it goes well monday!

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  27. I continued my experiment with having friends who can view my online food diary. I'm up to THREE! One high school friend, one college friend, and one online friend. None of them are people I interact with in the physical world, or even spend that much time in direct one-to-one communications. But I think they're at the right level for this experiment -- people I feel kindly towards and whose opinion I respect (versus just having the log open for anyone to read), but not people I interact with all the time (so I don't feel claustrophobic). I have no idea if any of them has read any of the entries, but any of them could have.

    So far, the experiment is going well. I feel a little more awareness both of my food choices, and also how the day fits together -- whether it tells a nutritional story, as it were.

    One thing I hadn't anticipated was that I also felt greater ownership of "not great" choices. Not in a guilt sort of a way, but just ... can I justify this? Oh, gads, maybe that's not the word, because that sounds like I have to make excuses for what I eat.

    But today, for example. I had planned to meet my mom for lunch, then I found out I'd need to go to the office unexpectedly for who knew how long. So I needed to minimize the time spent in a restaurant waiting for service and cooking and getting the check. I thought about it and suggested to my mom that we eat at McDonald's. Where I had a Big Mac. On the one hand, Big Mac's are not the best nutrition. But considering the time and the circumstances, I felt comfortable that it was the right decision for me today. I could both picture it on the food log and explain why it was there, if I had to. Which I don't. :)

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    1. Hey Rachel,

      I'm finding this fascinating! It's so cool you're so open to experimentation and are so self aware.

      As you've discovered, food tracking is a powerful tool for change but also brings up all kinds of emotional issues. And going public adds a whole other layer. Seems like you have the groundedness to handle this kind of experiment and use it to increase mindfulness rather than guilt, but at the same time are aware of the weird things it can do to your head. Since we humans are social creatures, inviting in friends, (or even just the idea of friends possibly "watching") seems a very clever motivational technique for increasing your own awareness of choices.

      I'll be really curious to hear more, love the way you capture such interesting things about the process!

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    2. Grounded! Yes, yes, grounded to the ground! (Commercial reference, for them what's given up TV in a resolution.)

      Thanks, Crabby. So far, so good, but I have to admit that the first couple of weeks of something like this are easy, particularly after the excesses of holiday celebrations.

      What I'm not sure is what is going to happen when I hit one of my "too much is just getting started" types of foods. (Wine. Pizza. Pizza with wine.) Will I be moderate out of respect for prying eyes? Will I plunge in with usual joyful abandon and tell the truth and shame the devil? Will I shrink from telling the truth? I honestly don't know.

      One thought that rattled up recently -- which was at the same time incredibly lame and incredibly revelatory to me --- is that MY BODY is already reading my REAL nutrition log. I get so used to being in my mind and thinking in my mind, but while my mind might say "oh, I won't log over the holidays because it's too complicated" or (theoretically) "yikes, I can't log this!" or just conveniently "forget" to log something. But whatever it is, my body is already reading it.

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    3. Rachel, NOT LAME! I've had this same revelation when tracking (or especially when feeling tempted to round down or skip tracking) and it's amazing how easy it is to forget!

      And yeah, the temptation to be dishonest with quantities when others are "watching" and you're not pleased with the honest numbers... that will be interesting to see how that goes when the novelty wears off.

      I suspect that keeping your eye on the PROCESS of logging, rather than any one days results, and celebrating being on track with that and being 100% honest, will help you moving forward even if you have the understandable pizzapalooza winefest one night. If you can feel "on track" because you logged every last bite and sip honestly, you can hold your head up and approach the next day knowing your numbers will balance out over time and you are still golden even if there is the occasional WTF day or week. You might have to picture your friends seeing that WTF meal (if they even bother to look) in the larger context of all the good days that will surround it.

      And if it ever comes down to outsider accountability versus honesty, and you can't seem to do both, I'd say it's time to go private again rather than give up. But you sound like you're really coming at this with a cautious but positive attitude, good luck!

      Good luck with it!

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    4. And yeah, I should proofread before hitting reply!

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    5. i feel the same way often! right now ive changed my direction and am not tracking. i cook for the whole week on sundays and hope that just eating reasonable amounts of clean food will let me lose. good luck to you!
      puja

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  28. I did well this week! Didn't get quite as many miles on the 'mill as I wanted, but I made up for it with a Zumba experiment (fun!). I did reasonably well tracking on Spark and am determined to keep on keeping on. I printed out almost all my photos for last year's scrapbook, so now I just need to finish the documenting (good thing since the stuff for this year's should be here by Friday). And I knocked one book off the list and am half way through another. So yeah. Trying to keep the ball rolling!

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    1. WOW you are doing great!!! So Zumba was fun? I'm still scared of it, perhaps you will be my inspiration. And so many other things you're getting to. So glad it's going so well!

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  29. Ok week 2. This is the week that my last daughter left the nest. I was sad, but to help me through my pain I painted her room. I love it, I bought a new bed set, added some of my antiques that I had in the basement and it turned it a beautiful guest room.
    I also started the my fitness pal app. Ok, if you put it in your mouth you have to write it down. I admit that part sucks, but boy does it make you mindful. My bosses assistant, or Satan, as I have lovingly nicknamed (cuz she wont buy candy I dont like) She tells me, if you eat it you have to write it down. I know my conscience talks to me in a very different voice. This does make me get out of my office and tackle the 3 flights of stairs 10 times. I have not had any of my other office mates join, but I am being hopeful.
    I am just trying to prove that fitness and resolutions don't have to be painful. I do boot camp 3 days a week, spinning 3 days a week and yoga twice a week (I even teach one of the classes).
    Hmm what will I write about next week...

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  30. this week i experimented with not putting anything into my mouth that belongs to the category: lying around in the office looking tempting and sweet. i rocked! and i lost weight! yay me!

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  31. about finding the joy: my blogreaders did kind of an intervention for me because i lost my usual good mood for a while and was trying to force myself to goal which of course didnt happen. after a good cry and taking good care of myself im going easier. comments can be a blessing! hehe...
    puja

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  32. My husband and I cleaned out closets mid-January. It was waaay over due and it continues to make me happy every time I open one and see how tidy and organized they are! 2 down, 3 to go. We lost steam and the project has been at a standstill. After reading the resolution posts and comments here on Cranky Fitness - I am re-inspired to get going on another one this weekend. :)

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    1. Sounds like a great start on closet cleaning, and you sound fired up to tackle another one. Think how AWESOME it will feel to open another closet door and have it be a happy experience every time!

      Hmm... she said, noticing the disordered state of her workspace and how much more pleasant it would be tidied up... thanks for the inspiration!

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