Time... To Shake Things Up? Goal Support and Jord Watch Giveaway!

By Crabby McSlacker

Time has a way of marching right along, doesn't it? Somehow, summer is here!

(And never mind any foolishness you may have heard about summer starting on June 21st. Solstice, shcmolstice, I say summer starts in June).

Anyway, does anyone else find that sometimes the shifting of the seasons seems to call for new goals, or at least a change in emphasis?  Especially when tried and true approaches to living a healthy fulfilling life get boring or are yielding crappier and crappier results?

Or maybe it's just me.  I know the whole weird shifting from coast to coast thing we do every six months tends to magnify the impact of changing seasons.  

But whether you feel like it's Time for a change or not, it is at least Time for a fun giveaway:

It's a wooden watch from Jord. Besides being stylish and natural and classy, these comes from a sponsor who will ship internationally so this giveaway does NOT require that you be from the United States to enter!

They have both men's and women's watches, but I'm thinking the look is especially dude-friendly, and one might make a great Father's Day gift.  (More about the watch and how you can win one below.)

Goal Support Post: Go Inside!

photo: ca_heckler

By Crabby McSlacker

Nah, I'm not talking about "going inside" as opposed to "going outdoors."

And I'm certainly not advocating that you get even more virtuous shit done within the confines of your homes or offices or gyms.

Or combinations thereof...

Photo: Pierogi Gallery

In fact, this time of year, outside is probably the place to be! Well, at least if your weather conditions and allergies and schedules permit.  So this is more about going psychologically "inside" versus "outside," at least in terms of how you frame goals or experience your life.

This is also one of those periodic Goal Support posts, where the lovely people who stop by here are sometimes kind enough to check in with what they're up to lately, as well as to offer encouragement to others by replying to comments.

Anyway, here are a couple weird thoughts on the whys and hows of "going inside"... in Q & A format 'cause why the heck not? Let's pretend that someone actually stayed awake long enough to ask a few Q's for me to A.

Monthly Support Post: Blow Your Own Horn (Plus, Life Coaching Flash-Sale )

By Crabby McSlacker

Regulars here may recall that about once a month, Cranky Fitness gets all nosy wants to know what you guys are up to.  These "goal support" posts may have started out being about New Years resolutions, but many people who check in are not actually pursuing any official resolutions or goals. And that's just peachy too! 

So how about we do something slightly different? This month, I'd like to encourage Cranky Fitness readers to say something nice about themselves. 

So join me, will you? Let's go ahead and brag a little!

And, like me, you can consider getting some practice promoting your business or blog or your employment qualifications or your leadership ability or the crafts you make or your athletic prowess or parenting skills.  Or you can acknowledge your determination, generosity, accomplishments or the tough challenges you've overcome. Or... 

Wait, no! Don't leave yet!

Crap.

This is such an unpretentious, humble, down-to-earth, non-braggy bunch of readers that it's gonna be like pulling teeth to get some of you to join me in this, but please stick around and hear me out, ok?

Resolution Resurrection: Emergency Repair for Broken Pledges

Even back in 1909, people totally sucked at keeping resolutions

image: wikimedia commons

By Crabby McSlacker

For those of us who were nutty enough to make official New Years Resolutions January 1st, or set some other sort of goal, formal or informal...

Well gosh, a month has gone by now, hasn't it!

Is it time for a little smug celebration? Some minor tweaking? Some major re-thinking? Or perhaps some hysterical WTF-was-I-smoking laughter?

Well, here's the thing: no matter how hopeless you feel about your progress now, if you are able to force yourself through this entire post, I can solemnly swear be pretty darn sure you will be feeling much less crappy and much more hopeful about the state of your goals by the end.

Wait, how can I be so optimistic? I'm hardly ever "pretty darn sure" about anything!

Sneak Attack--Monthly Goals

Photo: byron chin

So, we're a month away from that most amusing time of year, New Years Resolution Season!

Hope springs eternal, eh?

I know not everyone is a fan of the annual Resolution Ritual.  Each year, millions of earnest folks set lofty goals and then, for the most part, totally blow 'em off a few weeks or days or even hours later.

Getting healthier and/or more productive generally involves willpower, self-discipline, and deprivation--and dressing it up in a party hat, alas, doesn't make it suck any less.

Portion control? Nooooooo!!!

photo: tambako

But, if you, like me, can't help but join in the annual Failure Festivities... what if we give ourselves a fighting chance this year?

Here's my sneaky plan, if anyone else wants to play along.

Train Your Brain, Cranky Style: Monthly Goal Support Post

Yep it's time to check in and see what everyone's been up to, as well as to find out who won the Airbac Backpack and the Extreme Makeover DVD's.

I also have a few thoughts on strengthening the most important body part you own to ensure maximum healthiness and happiness: your brain.

But this being Cranky Fitness, you can be sure my training suggestions are not going to include the typical crossword puzzles,  foreign language lessons, socializing when you'd rather stay home and sulk, or focusing on your freakin' breath for endless, endless, endless, endless, endless, endless minutes until your ass goes numb and you want to shoot yourself. (Um... speaking of which, anyone wanna know how that whole mediation thing is going? Drop down in the comments).

There are tons of ordinary practical lists on brain strengthening out there already.  This is more a Cranky Fitness style list that is so "meta" as to be virtually useless.

Sound like fun?

Pushin' It: June Goal Support Post & Giveaway

It's my favorite post of the month, because all the good stuff comes in the comments!

So we'll have the usual chance to check in with what people are working on and how everyone is doing with their goals, as well as find out who won last month's giveaway. And we have a new giveaway to announce as well.

As is the custom with these monthly goal posts, we encourage people to reply to each other's comments and offer support, advice, thoughts, encouragement or whatever.  And to check back to continue conversations or offer progress reports if feeling so inclined.

The theme this month is: Pushin' It! Which coincidentally...

May Day! Goal Support and Fun Book Giveaway

So when you hear the words "May Day," do you think of...

Festive celebrations?

Or acknowledgment of those who perform hard labor around the world?

Or perhaps you think of panicked calls for help during horrible disasters?

Well, it's all good, because May Day coincides with our monthly goal check-in! Which often involves discussion of celebrations, back-breaking work, and disasters of one kind or another.

Plus we've got a giveaway of two copies of a nifty book which you will hear more about momentarily: "Honey, Do You Need a Ride?" by Jennifer Graham.

Oh, and if you participated in last months goal post, you may want to see if you are one of the winners of the MOVband armband activity monitor.

So let's get to it!

Win-Win!

Yep, this is the post where you can discover who won the "Rugged Readers" reading glasses.

So what's the second WIN?  Well, this post is also the commencement of a monthly version of our January weekly goal "support group," which has been a huge "Win!" for me personally.

[And there is also more info on the Resolution/Goals Support & Life Coaching Giveaway. Of course this should be the day I announce that winner as well, but, instead I'm conducting a clever Anti-Perfectionism Demonstration exercise.  To those who are overly-conscientious: watch how easy it is to screw up and get over it quickly!  I realized I need some help from interested contestants and will announce the winner in a few days. More details below, and sorry about that!]

So why was I so psyched about the Goal Support posts?  Well, not only did you guys help me rock one of my New Year's resolutions all month, but many of you chose goals that resonated with my own self-improvement efforts.  So I got all kinds of great ideas about exercise and healthy eating and mindfulness and simplifying and saving time and getting organized etc from reading your comments!

OK, maybe no one actually suggested this particular winner, but there was plenty of creative thinking.

So anyway, let's find out who won the reading glasses and get straightened out on the coaching giveaway, and then finally get this monthly "support group" fired up!