Day 2: Successes and failures

Well, once again, went to bed too late and didn't get up early enough to get on the Fit. Dinner with Mom & Sis went later than planned, Hubby was asleep and on my side of the bed by the time I got home. All not conducive to abiding by alarm clocks, etc.

But, yesterday was a success, overall. Calories were in check, though I really need to cut out the chocolate chip habit. Seriously, half the fat grams I'm consuming are coming from that. Hopefully the ice pops will give me a better dessert option and I can save chocolate for special treats.

As for exercise, I walked down to dinner, about a mile, in 20 minutes, so I'm substituting that for the Fit workout. I still want to get back to that, but exercise is exercise. Maybe I'll walk to the bus after work to make up for missing this morning. That's 2 miles. Depending on Hubby's schedule, I could do the Fit when I get home, too.

False start...

Oops. After all that planning I wasn't able to get myself out of bed this morning to workout. It didn't help that I was up later than usual because of the town fireworks show. Normally I would have skipped it, but it was important to Hubby, who was working on the show and concert, that I go -- and I'm glad I did, not only for him. It was a good show and a nice night. Too bad it took 45 minutes to get home, a trip that normally takes 10 minutes...

And I'm meeting Mom and Sis for dinner tonight, so I won't be able to workout when I get home. To make up for this I'm planning to walk as much as I can this afternoon when I go to meet them. Even if I walk to Grand Central to get the subway, instead of getting on closer and transferring, it's better than nothing.

At least I'm behaving calorie-wise. Breakfast was greek yogurt, strawberries and granola. Yum!

Here we go

The new project starts tomorrow. Here are my plans for the first month, all about health and wellness.

Week 1: Focus on getting up early enough to get 30 minutes of Wii Fit time in before heading to work. If I'm late, so be it. This is my priority. It's a short week, so I'll have more time Thursday and Friday, which should help me get through the week. Also, I have to hit my calorie targets and track my food everyday.

Reward: iTunes album

Week 2: Keep going with exercise and calorie tracking. The idea is to make it a habit. Also, add in a daily vitamin AND my iron pills. I have a feeling I will need the energy. Take 1 iron pill with breakfast, the vitamin with lunch, and the last iron pill with dinner. Taking something with every meal will help make it automatic.

Reward: New workout clothes

Week 3: Maintain workouts, calorie counts, vitamins. Add in flossing daily.

Reward: New PJs

Week 4: Maintain everything. I may add something else to this week later, but it may be best to give myself a week of just maintaining before I switch it up. Also can use that break to focus on next month's goals.

Reward: If I make it through the entire month working out daily and I drop at least 5 pounds, I get a spa treatment! So exciting!

In the beginning

-- Tomorrow doesn't exist. Only today.

-- Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

-- Today is the greatest.

Thus begins my year of doing. Of exploring. Of trying and learning new things and reconnecting with some old hobbies. See, my 30th birthday is next week, and I feel like I'm finally coming out from under this cloud that's been following me around. For months I've been in a funk -- out of it at work, antisocial, lazy and just generally apathetic. Maybe it's midlife crisis, a little early. Maybe it's the lousy weather we've had this year. Maybe it's something else entirely, but I feel more positive than I have in a long while and I'm celebrating that and my birthday with a year long challenge: do what you haven't done before.

The driving question for me is this: what do I want my life to look like a year from now? A lot won't be changing. I love my husband and the life we've built for each other. I'm happy with my job, although I think I could be doing more with it. What will be changing? My health needs to be a bigger priority. I want to have more fun with my friends rather than crashing on the couch. I want to learn more and be a better conversationalist. I want to cook more and learn how to sharpen my knives. I want to refine my sense of style and finish those lingering house projects. Don't get me wrong, this isn't about becoming someone else. It's about becoming a better, more active me.

I'm still figuring out how to tackle all this, and what specific things I want to go after. But my goal is to have monthly themes, weekly challenges -- I've already got the first month planned around fitness. In a nutshell: Watch calories, exercise daily. As that becomes more routine, I'll incorporate some other health ideas -- like womanning up and taking my vitamin every day (yeah, some of this stuff may seem mind-numbingly simple, but not for me!). I want to wear a skirt everyday, rather than watching them all become moth food in my closet.

Most of all I want to be accountable to myself and others again. I became so apathetic I convinced myself it didn't even matter what I think of myself. And I want to be confident in myself -- strengths, talents, flaws, facets and all.