Taking Stock

My job as an office manager and bookkeeper means that at the end of the year you will find me throwing things out, filing things away, making new files for the upcoming year and preparing for the onslaught of duties that will come with January.  I go through my accounting program searching for any errors I might have made that I haven't already caught, I do a test run of my 1099's, I get on the IRS website to see what's new with them, and I print off a checklist of year-end duties and dates. 

I find that over the years the rhythm of this cycle has begun to spill over into my "real" life as well.  It's a good time to look back on the year to see what you have accomplished, as well as what you wish you had accomplished, so that you can prepare for the year to come. 

Where do you find yourself as 2010 comes to a close?  Where do you want to be in a year?  I feel pretty good about 2010.  I set some attainable goals for myself and they have come to pass.  I wanted to complete a half-marathon.  I wanted to get more involved at church.  I wanted to build some new friendships and rebuild some old ones.  Opportunities for all of these goals came into my life this year and I was able to accomplish them. 

It's not quite time for New Year's resolutions yet, but it's a good time to start thinking about where you would like to see yourself this time next year.  What was good about this year?  What are some good changes that you could try to make happen in your life in the coming year?  How can you make yourself a happier, healthier person in the next twelve months? 

More Tunes

I finally took a few minutes (okay, it was longer than that) to look at my iPod and find some more suggestions for good cardio workout music.  See what you think.

1. Sweet Child of Mine - Guns and Roses
2. Mirror in the Bathroom - The English Beat
3. Black Tongue or Tick or Zero or pretty much anything by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4. Butterfly - Crazy Town
5. Feel Good or 19-2000 - the Gorillaz
6. We Care a Lot - Faith No More
7. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
8. One Way or Another - Blondie
9. Tribute - Tenacious D
10. On Mercury - Red Hot Chili Peppers
11. Hit the Road, Jack - Ray Charles
12. Somebody More Like You or Helena - Nickel Creek
13. Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf (sorry but I dare you not to sing along)
14. Rocket Science - The Pimps
15. Crazy - Gnarles Barkley
16. The Other Side or pretty much anything by Aerosmith
17. The House is Rockin' - Stevie Ray Vaughn
18. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty
19. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
20. Walkin' on the Sun - Smashmouth
21. Anything upbeat by the Beatles - my favorite is When I'm 64 - it doesn't especially rock but I love it
22. Steppin' Out With My Baby - Tony Bennett
23. Let's Spend the Night Together - Rolling Stones
24. Men in Black - Will Smith
25. Big Black Horse - K. T. Tunstall

So that's my work in progress.  Any suggestions?

Nudges

Sometimes after Becky and I lift, I would just like to slide on out the door and go home. But before I can do that, Becky will say something like, “You’re going to do some cardio, aren’t you?” It's more of a statement than a question. But then I think, why not? I'll go over and get on the elliptical and work up quite a little sweat! I always feel great afterwards. So why don't I do that on my own?

That is why it is so great to have someone in your corner who will push you a little bit. Or, as in Becky’s case, someone who will push you a lot.


Here are some other reasons why you really need to find a compatible workout partner:

• You’re less likely to blow off a workout if you know someone’s waiting for you to show up.

• Even if you are tired, you will finish the workout rather than stopping halfway through like you might do on your own.

• You encourage each other to try harder – by golly, if your partner can lift 5 more pounds than so can you!

• It’s more entertaining than your iPod.

• You can brag to your partner about your accomplishments and no one thinks you’re being cocky, because your partner can brag to you too.

• You can complain to your partner and no one thinks you’re being a whiner, because your partner can complain too.

• Your partner will appreciate all the small steps and progress you make.

• It expands your circle of acquaintances in the gym.

• It makes it more fun!

Find someone who will nudge you - and be sure to return the favor!

GO LAURA!

Here's a shout-out to our friend Laura, who is running a marathon in Memphis this weekend.  We're sending you good thoughts and wishing you good luck!  We're so proud of you.  Not many grandmas can run a marathon, nor can they look so good doing it!

Having a Breakdown

Wednesday Becky and I were doing a series of breakdowns. Breakdowns are when you do one set with either your usual weight or a little more weight than usual, then immediately take a little weight off and do a second set, then immediately take a little weight off and do a third set – no breaks between sets. That third set is really hard, even though it is less weight than you usually lift!


When we came to the lat pull down machine, Becky started on her first set and I realized she had set the weight at 87.5 pounds. 87.5 pounds! The most we ever start with is 75. So what flies out of my mouth? “OH MY GOSH, BECKY, ARE YOU SERIOUS???” She looked at me in complete innocence, then looked at the weight and said, “Oh, I thought it felt heavy!”

Becky’s determination always amazes me. I would have stopped right then and lowered the weight. But did she stop? No. She completed 8 reps. Who knows what might have happened if I had kept my mouth shut? So much of this is about what you think you can do. Becky thinks she can, so she does.

This was a really good lesson for me (but I still did not think I could do 87.5 pounds, so although I was quite impressed with Becky’s achievement, I did not try to compete. You can call me a wuss if you want. I won’t mind).

Advice from the Cat

There is a new cat at our house, kind of by default.  We didn't go looking for her, but she insisted she was ours.  One night, a while back, we heard loud meowing on the patio outside our bedroom.  We looked out and saw an orange cat, just standing there and meowing in the general direction of the house.  Well, we live way out in the country.  Cats come along and then they head home.  So other than the fact that she meowed outside on the patio all night, we didn't think much more about it.

The next night while I was fixing dinner I heard meowing again.  I opened the kitchen door and there she stood on the back step.  She meowed at me like, "Let me in.  I live here."  I told her to go on home.

The following day my son confessed that he had slipped her a piece of bread because "she looked hungry," and she had devoured the bread in a matter of seconds.  So the next time I saw her, I gave her a little cat food.  Soon we were keeping a bowl in the garage for her.  And a heated pet bed.

You know where this story is going, don't you?  After calling all the neighbors and finding no one who claimed her, and after taking her to the vet for a clean and very expensive bill of health, Annie has now moved in to the house.

She's a really sweet cat.  She just has a bit of an issue with food.  I guess those days of going hungry made her think the best modus operandi was to eat every bite of food she ever passed (kind of how I used to be).  When she was still outside and I put food in her bowl, she would eat all of it, no matter how much I gave her.

But when she moved in we had a new problem.  We have always used a self-feeder for our other cat.  We just fill it up every week and she nibbles on it as needed.  She has always remained very svelte and eats just what she needs.  When Annie first came in the house, she could not walk by that bowl without stopping for a little nosh.  What really cracked us up was that she would lie down while she ate.  Like it was just too much work to stand up and chew at the same time. 

She finally seems to be getting the hang of the self-feeder.  But in the meantime, here's what has happened:

I think we need a kitty cat treadmill.

So while you're trying to navigate yourself through all the parties and family get-togethers in the next few weeks, keep Annie in mind and remember:

• It's not your last meal.
• Grazing is probably not a good idea.
• Whatever you do, don't lie down while you eat.

We're Back!

OK, so we took a week off from the blog to enjoy the beginning of the holiday season.  But that does not mean you are off the hook for December.  Below you will find a calendar of some extra little things you can add each day to your regular workout routine to keep you on track and healthy during this most challenging of seasons.  I hang mine on the fridge to remind me to do them every day.  You will be so glad you stuck with your exercise and healthy eating choices when the new year rolls around and you don't have to make a resolution that includes getting in shape or losing that holiday weight.

I tried really, really hard to make this into a calendar format, but finally admitted my computer abilities left something to be desired.  Please feel free to write this on your own calendar or just print it off as is.

December 1:    Perform a random act of kindness
December 2:    Walk 30 minutes after dinner
December 3:    Do 25 push-ups and 50 crunches
December 4:    Do 2 sets of 15 jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches and lunges
December 5:    Walk an extra 15 minutes or try a new class at the gym
December 6:    Walk the stairs for 5 minutes
December 7:    Do an extra 20 push-ups and 30 second plank
December 8:    Walk an extra 15 minutes
December 9:    Do an extra 20 push-ups and 20 crunches
December 10:  Do this circuit twice for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, jump rope, wall sit, lunges
December 11:  Do an extra 50 crunches and 25 push-ups
December 12:  Walk an extra 20 minutes
December 13:  Take an extra 5 minutes to talk to a friend
December 14:  Walk an extra 15 minutes and do 15 push-ups
December 15:  Do an extra 15 minutes of cardio - your choice
December 16:  Walk an extra 15 minutes
December 17:  Do 25 push-ups and 25 crunches
December 18:  Spend 15 minutes sitting quietly
December 19:  Walk an extra 30 minutes
December 20:  Do something unexpected
December 21:  Do this circuit three times for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, grapevine, skip in place
December 22:  Walk an extra 15 minutes
December 23:  Spend 15 minutes sitting quietly
December 24:  Walk an extra 10 minutes.  Do 50 crunches and 25 push-ups
December 25:  Rejoice - Reflect - Relax
December 26:  Walk an extra 30 minutes
December 27:  Spend 15 minutes in quiet time
December 28:  Do an extra 25 crunches, push-ups and lunges
December 29:  Walk an extra 15 minutes
December 30:  Walk an extra 15 minutes, do 15 dips and 15 push-ups
December 31:  Do 25 push-ups, dips, crunches and lunges
January 1:        Resolve to make this your healthiest, happiest year ever!