Resolutions 2016

In 2016, my largest goal is to regain control of my life. I do a lot of things, and in doing those things, I'm almost always frazzled, forgetting something, stressed out, late, not finishing what I need to finish because I overbooked, etc.

I have no sense of calm.

None.

That's the main goal this year. Get it together, me. Be that whole, calm, successful, ambitious person you want to be. Happy and hardworking, but not scattered, rushing around putting out fires I started with disorganization and too much on my plate.


With that in mind, my ten resolutions for this year:

10) Drink four glasses of water a day.

I get headaches frequently, and am often tired and just not feeling well. It's because I do not drink any water at all. I sometimes actually feel like I don't deserve water. That ends this year.

9) Do some form of exercise every day.

Things happen and I won't be able to make it to the gym every day or even three times a week, I'm sure. I won't always have a kid-free 45 minutes to run. So, even if I get in ten sit-ups or push-ups a day, or stretching for a half hour before bed, that will be enough. Just some form of extra exercise (meaning I can't count my walk to school with the kids) each day.

8) Read and journal every day.

Same goes for this as exercise. Even if I read one sentence and write one sentence in my journal, that will count. Just do it. And no internet reading. Book reading. I can find time for a sentence. And hopefully time for more than that.

7) Take care of myself in some way every day.

As with the water, I often skip meals, or showers, or allow my nails to get gnarly. I'll be too tired to even brush my teeth, and this morning was the first time I'd washed my face in I don't want to tell you how long. This year, I still may not shower every day (who has the time?!), but I will perform basic upkeep to ensure my body is being taken care of to at least its basic necessary level.

6) Stop smoking.

I have to really do this.

5) Stop biting my nails.

Same. Enough is enough.

4) Make $40,000 this year.

I don't care how this happens. If I cobble it together with my freelancing, or manage a book thingie, or through teaching jobs, or if I get a full-time thing. Just, do this.

3) Publish 100 pieces.

I made it to 80 this year. I can do 100.

2) Get some sort of big project off the ground.

Could it be the stalled book? One of the novels I have kicking around in my head? Another big thing I've not thought of? Something big and different. Something I have to allow myself to be open to in order to achieve it. Something outside of my comfort zone.

1) Save $5,000 for each of my kids to start the college fund.

I don't know if that is possible. Let's try.




And I make five resolutions specifically with regard to my children each year. This year, I resolve the following:

5) To keep with the scheduling and strike system.

This is a system that helps me keep my emotions out of parenting. It works on a set of strikes and stars and seems to work, when I can put the time in and follow through.

4) Help them study.

I have trouble keeping up with what they are being tested on, and they don't really tell me all that well. Sometimes, as a result, they'll bring home Cs instead of As because we didn't know there was a test. I don't want them to get used to that.

3) Have them read every day.

This year, including weekends.

2) Get them to stop competing and fighting so viciously.

I have no idea how to achieve this, but it is my biggest battle each day.

1) Play a game with them every day.

Some days this will have to be I-spy in the car as we shuttle from activity to activity. But some days, let's really try for board games, puzzles or imagination games at home. We can do this.

Couch to 5K Spotlight: Tiffiny Rossi

When Cassie Walling mentioned doing a Couch to 5K project to me, I agreed because it's a great idea! Little did I know how many of you were Couch to 5K professionals, or even marathon runners! The response has been astounding, and this week, for our member spotlight, we chose Tiffiny Rossi, who not only runs marathons, but just had a baby! She's kicking off her Couch to 5K with us, and here's what she had to say!

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With two marathons and a half marathon, plus years of running for fun behind me, it should be relatively easy to pick up and start running again. The problem with a six-week-old baby and two other kids is that I can't seem to find enough time to get out there.

I feel a bit doughy 'round the middle from the weight I gained during pregnancy, which partly explains my itch to hit the trails again. But what's eating at me more than a few extra kilos is that my lungs feel out of shape. Likewise, my heart races when I climb the stairs in my home. I feel sluggish – like a ball of lead being tossed around inside a duffle bag full of mud. So when I saw that Darlena (parentwin.com) was putting together a couch-to-5K/running event, I figured this was a good time to get my arse in gear again. I'd hope to just make some time to do some 5 K runs at this point, but even better if I could get back under a 30-minute 5 K.

Anyway, Darlena sent over a few questions for me about my experiences with running. So here's what I've got:

1) What does running mean to you / what is your relationship with running?

Running is more than just an exercise I do to stay in shape. It's a journey inside my head, bringing me to experiences I've had before, experiences I'll have in the future, and experiences that may only play out as fantasies. Running is my time to visit old memories, plan my future, practice real life scenarios and confrontations, or to cook up stories I may later write or just act out as I run. Sometimes my thoughts drift toward lofty and aspirational, like the prospect of running two marathons at age 40. Other times I focus on the mundane – the little details like what decorations and food we'll have at my son's naming ceremony. Sure, I can contemplate these things without running. But when I'm out letting my feet fly, the endorphins produced by my body give me a boost of clarity and an extremely positive outlook on life.

2) What has been your typical training experience?

I've put myself through various training scenarios depending on my goal, for example: 30 minutes straight without walking, 5K, marathon, half-marathon, running in minimal shoes, and running a 5K under 30 minutes, to name a few. My experiences have been overwhelmingly positive and I've always been able to achieve my goal whenever I put my mind to it. And that's the important part. Once I've convinced myself, "I can do this," the physical training part is quite easy. That's not to say I haven't seen challenges along the way. When I do, I rely upon running communities on the internet and inspirational books about running to see me through.

3) Any tips or words of wisdom for those wanting to try this out?

• If you're just starting out, try setting a time goal rather than a distance goal. For example, set a 20-30 minutes goal at first, and...
• Alternate short spurts of running with periods of walking until you make your full time goal. In your first week, try to run for 30-60 seconds straight, then walk until you catch your breath again, then do another 30-60 second burst of running, and continue on until you make your 20-30 minute time goal.
• Build your running burst up slowly each week. After several weeks, you'll be running the whole 20-30 minute block.
• Take any negative thoughts during your run, acknowledge them, and turn them into something more aspirational. Don't block the feelings out, just invite them to come with you on the run. You'll notice the challenges will bother you a whole let less. For example, if you hate hills, say to yourself, "Hello hill, come run with me." If you feel a side cramp, say "Hello pain, come run with me."
• When you feel like things are going tough in any training program you're following, here's a good tip I learned. Tell yourself to TRY EASIER. That's right, don't buckle down and tell yourself what a wimp you are and try harder – lighten up on yourself a bit and relax instead. If you don't feel like taking a run one day, tell yourself it's ok and that you'll skip this one today, but be back on track the following day. Or mix things up a bit. Say you don't feel up to running one day, but you feel like maybe a walk or a swim or some work out in the garden would be acceptable. Do the "easier" or other activity you want to do instead of your run, and again, remember to tell yourself you'll be on track the next day.
• Read this book, even if you never want to run a marathon: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. It has so many great tips and inspirational stories that just might want to make you run a marathon in the end.

Best of luck to you whatever your running goals are!

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Thanks Tiffiny! Check out her blog, The copyverse!

If you want to run with your little ones in tow, make sure you check out these options!

If you are doing the Couch to 5K and would be interested in being highlighted, leave a comment here or on our Facebook page and we'll check you out, too!

 

Fitness Corner Kickoff!

Before I let her introduce herself, I just have to say that Cassie is one of the most driven and inspiring people I know. That is all. We're in good hands with her.
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Hello.

I'm Cassie. Darlena has graciously invited me to head up the Fitness Corner section of her blog. I'm honored to be here. And while I don't necessarily feel qualified to be considered an expert, I definitely have a lot of experience with the losing (and gaining) of weight and starting at the bottom to reach fitness goals.

Today something happened in my life that inspired me. At work we were discussing goals and living with intention. That actual discussion is fairly irrelevant but what came of the discussion is that I live my live and set goals with intention. When I set a goal, I mean to achieve it.

So, let's talk about fitness goals. The key to achieving fitness goals is to setting realistic ones.

For example, it is totally unrealistic for me to set a goal to lose 100lbs in a month without losing a limb or two. It is also totally unrealistic for me to believe I can go outside and run a marathon today if I haven't been training properly.

These are unrealistic goals. It certainly would be nice if I could plan to be 100lbs by May (my goodness, I would LOVE to!). A more reasonable goal is to decide I want to lose 5% of my weight and a realistic timeline is 1-2lbs per week. There are some truly wonderful free online resources to help with setting and attaining those goals. My favorites happen to be:

www.myfitnesspal.com
www.sparkpeople.com


These are online resources to help set caloric and fitness goals. All for free! They use social networking to aid in motivation. They have access to workout ideas and options. If you're not familiar with these site and looking into setting some physical goals, I highly recommend checking them out!

And what about those fitness goals? I happen to be a big believer in maintaining balance. One cannot expect to merely depend on a scale for health goals. Health is a many faceted subject.

I've been a bigger gal my whole life. Running days in PE used to be panic-inducing but in 2007 I discovered running. I started with a program called Couch to 5k. It took me through many 5ks and on up to half marathons. Running is my meditation. It can be the thing that keeps me going, the thing that keeps me proud of myself. In 2007 it took me nine weeks to go from a completely sedentary lifestyle to regularly participating in races. Even if you don't think running is your thing, I encourage you to look into the program and give it a try.

And if running truly isn't your thing? Why not set a goal for pushups?  The One Hundred Push Up plan takes you from one pushup to being able to do 100 pushups in just seven weeks!

Craving more? How about Two Hundred Situps?

I've found that using the plans on the sites listed above give me a sense of camaraderie and motivation when I need it the most. And when that isn't enough? Bloggers. The internet is full of inspirational people who have BEEN THERE and want to spread the word on how YOU CAN TOO.

Back to Her Roots and Runs For Cookies happen to be my personal favorites. These are ladies who are down in the trenches and know exactly how hard it can be but have also shown that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.


(I'm in no way affiliated with and of the websites listed in this post. They are just sites I've found helpful during my own journey).

Bio:

Cassie works for a small performing arts non-profit organization full time, is a mother, a wife, a friend,
and just trying to be the best she can be. Hard of hearing (working with musicians) and obese (loves
running), her life is a contradiction. She focuses on weight loss, fitness, goals and trying to obtain
balance in one's life. Cassie's hobbies are community involvement, enjoying the outdoors, horseback
riding, running, reading, and music.