30 Day Challenge

Well March certainly seems to have snuck up on me!  As I continue on my wellness journey I'm feeling a desire to challenge myself to really make this year totally about myself.  I won't lie - I still get caught up in feeling a need to not let people down and be there for them whenever they need me.  I know that I have set the stage for this by always dropping what I am doing and rushing to be there for whoever needs me whenever they need me.  I'm slowly learning that I can still be a great friend, daughter, sister, aunt and still make myself a priority.

So for March I have decided to give myself a challenge.  I decided to keep it simple so that it is achievable.  Does that defeat the purpose of a challenge?  I don't think so and once I tell you the challenge you will see why it is a challenge.  For the next 30 days I am going to set aside 60 minutes every day where I do something that is completely for me and moves me closer to my wellness goals.  I am excited to move forward with this challenge and will be blogging my progress with more consistency.  Happy reading to those of you out there following my progress. 

Time Flies

WOW - time really flies.  It's hard to believe that we are already into the second week of February.  Why is it when you are young time seems to creep by and as you get older time just seems to zoom past you!  It's so hard not to get caught up in letting life pass by you.  One thing that I want to focus on this year is to be as present in every moment of this year as I possibly can.  How am I doing at it - well not that great if I am totally honest with myself.  It is hard work to slow down, focus on the minute, hour, day you are in and not think 10 steps ahead of yourself but it is something that I am working at every day.  What I have found is that when I slow it down and savour the moment - I'm happier, less anxious and definitely a better friend, sister, daughter etc to those people in my life. 

I joined Gold's Gym near my house.  In my earlier days I would never have considered joining a gym that is  well known as a bodybuilder gym but at this stage of my life I really don't worry about who is there with me - I just worry about whether or not I get there.  I always find it fascinating when I see a juice monkey walk by me and his muscles are so big that his arms don't hang by their sides.  As crazy as it seems to me - in some ways it is in fact very motivating.  Think about it - these guys are incredibly dedicated to their strength training.  They are there every day without fail pumping the iron to get to where they need to be.  And while I don't understand why you would need the strength to lift a truck with your bare hands I respect the effort that goes into it and it helps me to think of those guys when I am trying to talk myself out of going to the gym.

Another group of people I enjoy watching at the gym - not because they motivate me but because they entertain me - are the gym bunnies.  We all know them - the girls who come to the gym with their hair done, make-up on, wearing perfume who get on the treadmill and lightly jog for 5-10 min and then get off before they break too much of a sweat and cause their mascara to run.  These ladies are pure entertainment to me - and believe me when I am getting the super unattractive sweat on that I do at the gym - I need it!  If anything it passes 5-10 min of my workout where I am not watching the clock wondering when the current interval I'm on will end - but I appreciate them for coming out and entertaining me just the same.

As promised in an earlier post - I have started to attend Zumba classes at the gym.  For those of you who don't know what Zumba is it is a super fun workout based on Latin and international music and dance moves.  I honestly can't think of a more fun way to workout.  It combines 2 of my favorite things:  club beats and dance and gets my exercise in - what's not to love.  I will say that I started my first class with 2 left feet - even though I have spent hours watching Shakira, Enrique, Ricky, and several other pop stars do these moves actually doing them is another story.  But for anyone who hasn't tried it yet - get out there and give it a go - if you love to dance then this is a workout you will definitely appreciate!

So I know it's been 10 days since I last posted in my blog - I promise to be better about updating it.  In the Latin spirit of Zumba I leave you with this quote from one Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine......."Come on shake your body baby do that Conga!"

Ciao

Daily Motivation

Most people who know me know that I am a pretty direct person and I value honesty and transparency.  I came across a quote yesterday that I think is really powerful and it has been on my mind since I read it.  "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got".  It's seems like such a simple statement but I can't even describe the impact it has had on me.  I know in the past this statement has been made to me in some shape or form from many people in my life - to my brother and sister who I know are reading this and saying....I told you that a long time ago....I get it now.  It's not that I didn't want to take your advice when you said it to me the first time in whatever way you said it to me - I think I just needed to hear it/read it from someone who I didn't have an emotional connection to.  It also helps that I am making a conscious effort to take charge and steer my life in the direction I want it to go.

Ok....enough of the deep stuff!  I received a funny email from a friend not too long ago and I thought you would all enjoy it so here it is:

"Dear God, my prayer for 2011 is for a fat bank account & a thin body.  Please don't mix these up like you did last year"  AMEN!

Blazing a Trail

Well I did it!  I made it through 2 hot yoga classes without any major incidents.  I'm sure at some point in the past I probably thought that yoga was just a bunch of light stretching.....not so I have found!  Hot yoga is a pretty intense workout......it's like doing an intense stretch while standing in the middle of a tropical rain forest at high noon!  More than once I had to take a knee but after 90 minutes I have to say I felt really good (and really sweaty).  I'm not sure I'm going to become a die hard yoga follower but I am going to incorporate yoga (hot or mainstream) into my life.  For those of you reading this and thinking of giving hot yoga a try I will offer some tips:

1. It's really hot in there - when they say dress like you are going to the beach they mean it!
2. Freeze your water bottle - the room is about 40 degrees and by the end of your 90 minute session your water is about the same temperature.  I froze my water bottle the second time and my water was nice and cool throughout the class.
3. Don't forget your towel - you are gonna sweat like you have never  sweat before.
4. Get there early and try to score a spot in one of the back 2 rows near the door - anytime the door is opened during class you get a short burst of cool air over you that is heavenly

Those are all of the tips I have been able to get so far in my short time doing hot yoga.  My next adventure is Zumba.  We will see if I have the coordination and stamina to make it work.  Take care everyone and have a beautiful day........Namaste

Getting Started

Most people make New Years Resolutions and hit them hard on January 1st, 2nd or 3rd.....by about this time of the month they are either fully committed to their resolutions or are starting to fizzle out.  The LOA Challenge has given me the motivation to forge ahead with my plan for wellness but it has also enabled me to be more thoughtful than I have been in the past.

Instead of saying - I'm going to lose weight this year - I'm coming at it from a different angle.  This year I'm going to focus on my life and on being the healthiest, happiest and best person I can.  Now I know that may sound a bit trite but hey what I have done in the past hasn't really been all that effective so it's time to take a different approach.  I'm making a conscious effort to put my life in the direction I want it to be in and to do that I have realized that I have to make me the priority this year.  And that's exactly what I am doing. 

So how does one do this you may ask.....well the first thing I have done and it's probably been the most challenging for me since I have been very career focused to date - I'm leaving work at work.  I'm turning off the blackberry when I get home and making a concerted effort not to check emails or voicemail until I return to work the next day.  It's been a good thing for me and I am finding I have time in the evenings now to focus on myself.  I'm delving into some self-help books (watch for my book reviews as I finish them).  I started taking piano lessons (and I kick myself for quitting lessons when I was younger).  I'm also taking some photography classes - it's something that I really enjoy and honestly would do for a living if I wasn't a nurse.  I'm trying new workouts....my first hot yoga class is tomorrow - here's hoping I don't pass out in the class.  I'm certain that there will be bumps and snags along the way but that's why they call it a challenge and if I have learned one thing about myself over the years.....I'm not one to shy away from a challenge!

It's going to be an exciting year I think and I'm really excited to see where the journey takes me.  Stay tuned.....