2014 has come and gone in a flash -- isn't that always the way? Like Gretchen Rubin says, "The days are long but the years are short". So true.

2014 was a good year.  Sure, there are definitely some goals that I didn't hit, but overall it's been a fun year. I feel like I'm settling more into being true to myself and overall I'm FAR less concerned about what people think of who that person is.  I've taken a few awesome trips, discovered the joy of learning how to balance on a slackline and even started teaching myself a few things about web design -- a few of the many things accomplished during 2014 and only a fraction of things for which I am grateful.

And what's on the docket for 2015?  You'll notice that anything weight/fitness related is conspicuously absent from the list -- it's easy enough to say that I want to lose weight and get into shape, but I'm still not positive what form that will take, so I've decided to just leave my options open. But, that's not going to stop me from making my annual list.  I mean, what would January 1st be without resolutions?

2015:  The Year of Growth

Meditate every day  I know.  I know!  I’m a little afraid to commit this idea to (virtual) paper, but it’s now been 17 days that I’ve done it (going through the program at headspace.com) and I’m strangely enjoying it.  I still don’t know exactly what benefit I’m getting out of the practice, but somewhere deep inside, I feel like this might be key to something important. If nothing else, it gives me a block of time to be mindful and relaxed and grateful.

Read 50 books  Upping my last year’s goal by 150% and would like to split it about evenly between fiction and non-fiction. Along with this -- recording each book read on Goodreads.  I really love to be able to see exactly what books I’ve read and what I thought of them.

Go through all classes on codecademy.com  I just never make enough time for this but I really do want to learn these skills.  This is one of those hobbies that once I start doing it, time just flies. There’s something about creating and coding that gives me a confidence and pleasure that I don’t get in many other places.

Keep journaling daily -- and read through the corresponding entry from a year ago  This is a continuation from last year; definitely something worth doing.

Teach old dogs new tricks  Gotta keep the dogs stimulated and mentally sharp, Clarke especially.  Belle gets a fair amount of physical exercise (we play fetch where I stand on the main floor of the house and throw the ball up to the 2nd floor loft), but Clarke is a lazy butt (and also seems to spend a lot of time all gimped up) and so learning new tricks is a great way to tire him out and keep him learning new stuff.

Digitize my life as much as possible  Bills, photos, any type of paperwork -- it's all about getting organized and removing clutter.  And can't forget to also implement a backup scheme!

Complete the 30 Days of Writing online  Sarah Peck is starting a One Month of Writing Prompts -- 750 words a day for a month -- and I’m all signed up.  It’s free and I’m hoping that it gets me back into the habit of writing every day.  I avoid writing sometimes just because it’s hard … but I know (full well) that the more often I do it, the easier it becomes.  Funny how so many things in life are like this.

Focus on self-care -- whole foods, good sleep, good sweat and practicing gratitude on a daily basis  I need to give more importance to my physical and emotional well-being.  If I can’t keep my eyes open, if I’m not getting fresh food and I’m not paying attention to the moments that happen every day to be thankful for, then I’m not being kind to the most important person in my life.

Down the stretch

It's the last quarter of 2014 -- hard to believe, isn't it?  October always seems to spring up on me like it was waiting around a corner to pounce when I wasn't looking.

Now, remember all those months back?  At the beginning of the year?  You know, when the Midwest was in the middle of The Never-Ending Winter?  I made a bunch of resolutions and I think it might be time to check in on them -- see what work I need to fit in during the last 3 months of the year so I feel all successful and everything.  So, here goes nothing:

A three-quarters-of-the-way-there review of my 2014 goals ... 

• Focus on the last 6 months of Lean Eating. Well, round two of Lean Eating is going reasonably well, though I need to buckle down and really follow the habits.  Just like last time, once the habits became food-related (5 servings of vegetables, lean protein with every meal, etc) I kind of fall off the wagon because it's inconvenient to eat that way.  Of course, the point of this program is to not only make good food convenient, but do it in such a way that it's somehow even more convenient than shoving a Poptart down my throat.
• Start posting on my blog daily again. Um, yea. This hasn't happened (obviously!), but at least I'm posting here sporadically. Right?
• Attend at least two Lean Eating Google Hangouts a month. I'm participating more than last time, but I've also tapered off a bit and need to throw myself back into the game.
• Schedule at least one call with Coach Veronica Jen. I've been emailing Coach Jen about every other week or so.  I probably need to up that to once a week, though, and really start asking for help.
• Read 20 books. Done! 56 books read so far this year!  And, I'm proud to say that I've also been reading a fair amount of non-fiction, too, which has been a good thing. I think I feel smarter.  Do I sound smarter?
• Do more dog training. This is ongoing and the dogs, after a rough patch, are doing well again. Next in line is training Belle that Clarke is allowed anywhere in the house, even if she considers it "her spot".  Because, really, all the spots are MINE, right? I'm in charge, right? Until she starts working and bringing in money, she doesn't own anything (someone just needs to convince her of this fact...).
• Journal, follow progress of goals and write just a little about each day. Still at this, though not on a daily basis.
• 5k steps on weekdays, 10k steps on weekend. Over the summer I started walking a whole lot as a precursor to starting running again and that's really improved my step count.  Most weeks I'll hit the 55k mark, which makes me happy.
• TV can go on no earlier than 6pm on weekdays. I don't really pay attention to this much anymore, but I'm doing better at not watching as much TV on the whole, though. Without full-blown cable service anymore, I don't have many mindless go-to shows/sports to put on.
• Do a month of not falling asleep to the TV as an experiment. Yea, I tried this a few times and while it isn't awful to not have the TV on, I find that I seem to fall asleep faster when compared to listening to music or having nothing on.
• More music! Need to get back to this, but am finding it more difficult to find the time.  In the car I'm usually listening to a book and when I run I've been listening to podcasts.  I do blast the music when I'm strength training, though, and I've also been putting the headphones in at work sometimes as well.  All's not lost!

One of Belle's many spots

So, not too bad, actually.  And for the rest of the year?  More of the same, really. Keep on keepin' on.

Resolutions: revisited and revised

Way, way back in the days when this blog didn't gather quite as much dust, I made some resolutions for 2014. Remember?  Even knowing the glaringly awful statistics about how many people actually keep their resolutions doesn't stop me from doing it every year.  I figure that even if I don't follow it, at least it's a roadmap to refer to as the months roll on by.

And - I actually haven't done too badly:  

• Lean Eating stuff?  Could have been better, but I made a bunch of progress.  
• Reading?  I've read almost twice as many books in about half the time. Whew! It's been awesome and I hadn't realized how much I missed it.  And a PSA -- support your local public library! The services they offer are beyond compare.
• Dog Training?  Well, we'll say that perhaps my dogs still rule the roost, but they let me delude myself into thinking I'm in charge more than they used to.
• More steps?  I'm moving so much more than I used to!  I think starting up using Gym Pact has really pushed me in the right direction.
• Journaling?  Man, I was so good for awhile but that's slipped off.  On the other hand, I've started digital photo journaling, which has put me on a search for the best app out there to do it (I love Project365 on the iOS side, but need the Android equivalent ... any suggestions?).
• More music and less TV?  I cut the cord on full-blown cable right after March Madness and I can't say that I've missed it too much.  My brother -- saint that he is -- has given me a log in to his service so that I can catch the occasional sporting event that I no longer can see on my TV.  And with the music, I'm crushin' pretty hard on Songza these days ... love the curated lists and the huge variety of music. You should check it out.

So, what goals am I'm going to tweak for the rest of the year?

Not too much, actually.  Keep the Lean Eating goals -- put in the work, attend the video chats, keep in close touch with my coach.  I need support and I need to ask for it.

Keep enjoying the outdoors.  After this past winter, I've been trying to get outside as often as possible for walks both with and without the dogs. Especially on days when I strength train, I try to get out for a long walk in the evening and I'm really loving the time it gives me to catch up on some of the podcasts that I love listening to.

Keep on with the less TV.  I've got a list of shows that I actually enjoy watching (American Ninja Warrior, anyone?? I'm addicted! And did you see Kacy Catanzaro kill it out there the other night?? Talk about inspirational!) but beyond that and watching the news, I have better things to do other than vegetating on the couch.

And something new:  I want to pick up a new tech skill.  I found a free course on how to write Android apps, which looks totally interesting.  Or - perhaps something in the way of learning about web design and programming.  But - something.  I learn a ton of stuff at my job, but I want to learn something fun (and perhaps even marketable).

Encompassing all this was the straightforward goal:  be me, be happy.  And I have to say, I think I'm hitting this pretty well.  I feel like it's been a long time since I've felt this content and excited about what's in my life.  It's not dramatic or perhaps even exciting in the traditional sense, but it's what makes me smile. What I'm trying to say: things are good.

Carrots

I've decided that a little external motivation might be just what I need. As I've mentioned the last few times I've been around these parts, my workouts have fluctuated between utterly inconsistent to utterly non-existent, and while I'm feeling better about getting back on track, I thought that dangling a carrot in front of me might do the trick (a metaphorical carrot, of course ... though, if you tossed in some hummus, I'd be okay with literal carrots, too).

So, here's the deal:  if I complete a month's worth of LE workouts, I get to splurge and get the dual monitor setup for my laptop that I've really been lusting after (but I don't need, so I haven't been able to justify the cost).

The rules I'm following are pretty straightforward:

1. A week of LE workouts = 3 strength training, 2 interval, 1 active recovery.
2. Specific LE strength training workout requirement can be met with a trainer beatdown session.
3. A month = 4 weeks.
4. I'm allowed to double-up workouts, i.e. I can do a strength and interval workout on the same day to cover two days of workouts (but I can't do two strength training workouts or two interval workouts in the same day).
5. If Sunday passes and I haven't completed the 6 workouts, the whole thing starts over again at square one.

I started yesterday, and so far I'm on schedule -- two for two on the workouts. WOOT!  Yesterday I kicked my own ass in the basement torture workout room and today I went out and enjoyed the 49* windy day and did my intervals in the middle of running a few miles. The plan is that by April 13th I'll have my workouts down to an unthinking habit and that two monitors will be hurtling their way towards my house.

Oh, and yes -- I'm already sore.  But it's an "I'm getting dual monitors!" kind of sore, so it's all good.

I missed New Habit Monday

Of course, for awhile now it hasn't really been "new" habit Monday -- it's been a rehash of habits from the days of yore. This week it's all about being smart with carb intake -- both amount and type, with an emphasis on honing in on what really works for me as an individual.

This is easy for me; I figured out awhile ago that I don't do well on a typical low-carb diet. When I have a dinner of only vegetables and lean protein, about 45 minutes later all I want to do is eat eat eat (and not vegetables and lean protein, either). By tossing some quinoa, a sweet potato or wild rice into the mix, I find that I'm far more satiated than I otherwise would have been. The issue for me is not overdoing it -- I don't need heaping portions of it, just enough to take the edge off, ya know?

On another note entirely, one of my friends today posted on Facebook on how she had looked back at her BT log on this same day the past few years (beginnertriathlete.com ... remember, that's my virtual hangout despite the fact that I don't actually do triathlons anymore) .  This got me to thinking, and so I took a trip through the way-back machine as well (I love that I've had an online home now for about 9 years ... all that history...also makes me appreciate how I can write on and on about myself).

And you know what? Not last year, but every year before that I was working out and in shape and so utterly unappreciative of the motivation I had to get things done. I took it as a matter of fact that I would be running or biking or strength training or doing something active for an hour or more most days of the week -- being lazy never involved not working out for a full week, it was more like taking 2 days off. Now that I'm out of shape and fighting injury, I realize how much I took for granted. It's going to take me a long while to work my way back there -- and it's made me regret (even more - still - again) getting to the point where I am now. 

And this was an easy workout for a Saturday
because I was racing the next day. That's something
else I used to do -- I used to race. I miss that.

Reading about the nonchalant "went out and did an easy 6.5 miles today" or "up before work to get a quick bike spin out of the way" makes me want to be that person again (I still have no desire to swim, though - that will never change, I don't think! Brrr... cold water... hate it...). I feel like somehow I've lost part of my identity the last year or so and I really need to get it back.

And I know how to do it. One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. The hardest part is starting ... after that, it's simply moving forward just a little bit every day. Reading about my recent-past escapades drove home how much I like myself when I'm able to take working out for granted.

Oops

Boy, not even 2 days into my whole New Year's Resolution thing to post daily and I didn't get anything written for yesterday!  I wish it had at least taken a bit longer for this to happen, but what can I say -- my day got away from me.  Until I got home around 8:40pm, I hadn't done anything more than stop in twice, not sitting down long enough to do anything, much less post here.  I know -- excuses, excuses...

Other than the slip-up yesterday, I've been doing well on the resolutions.  I'm excited about them; instead of being wholesale changes to the way I do things, they're just extensions of what I've been doing since I started this LE thing and it's got me all amped up to have put them down in writing and start holding myself accountable.  I know it's still early in my resolutionist year, but I think I set things up right this time around.

One resolution that I thought would be easy that's proving challenging is keeping the TV off more often.  Take today for example:  I was up early, got my run in, showered, did all my LE measurements and photos, walked the dogs, went grocery shopping, started laundry, made bacon and eggs for breakfast, had my skinfold measurements done AND had a training session (whew!).  So now -- early afternoon -- when I sit down on the couch?  I feel like I deserve to watch some college basketball (which is what I would normally do).  I worked hard today!  Of course, I still had this blog post to write and I want to read a chunk of my book -- both things that would be ignored in favor of watching sports.  So this has been taking more conscious effort, but it's been good (though I think my dogs miss college basketball... perhaps I should turn it on for them...).

How are your resolutions coming along?  Did you make any this year?