Monthly Archives: July 2010

July 6, 2010 · 2:29 am

July Goals

Alrighty, nearly one week into July and it is time to get some goals down in writing.

Due to my illness and slow recovery my goals  this month are broader and more focused on food than exercise.  I am still feeling extremely fatigued and often sore and achy.  As the month goes on and I get healthier and stronger I will be adding back in some exercise goals.

  • Eat greens 2-3 servings a day minimum and a variety (not all salad greens, not all spinach, etc.).
  • Practice mindful eating Eat slowly. Chew, chew, and chew some more.  Be really in tune with hunger and stop eating when 70-80% full.
  • Eat berries regularly These little bits of deliciousness are high in antioxidants and great for my struggling immune system.
  • Stretch EVERYDAY at least a little bit.

I am looking forward to getting back to my abs/arms and anticipate feeling strong enough in the next day or two.  When I get back to it I will add that to my goals list also.

The last two mornings I did my yoga routine and it felt challenging and amazing.  Well, yesterday it felt amazing, this morning I struggled to stick with it.  I never quite got warmed up this morning and my body ached throughout.  I am definitely suffering some repercussions of laying in bed for 8 days.  My body is stiff and sore and out of whack.

Taking it easy was, well, easy for the first few days we were in Portland.  I was enjoying just being here and the fact that I wasn’t flat on my back all day meant I was moving more than I had been.  I am starting to get antsy though.  And frustrated with the long recovery.  Yesterday a group of us went to the Oregon coast for the afternoon.  The beach we went to is about a 1/4 mile or less walk in.  The walk felt good and it is so gorgeous out there but I had to walk REALLY slow.  Once at the beach I couldn’t go for a walk or do anything but lay on the blanket and the walk out really wore me down.  By the time we were in the car on the way home I was exhausted.  I don’t feel like this is my body. And I feel trapped in this unknown body.  My mind wants to MOVE.  And so it’s time to practice patience.   I am contently reminding myself that this patience will pay off in the end and my body will be stronger because of taking it really gentle and easy now.

So until I can run around again, I will focus on what I put into this recovering body of mine and nourish it as best I can.

Do you have any goals for July?  What area of your life does this quintessential summer month have you focusing on?

Leave a comment

Filed under food, goals, yoga

Tagged as , , , ,

July 4, 2010 · 3:14 pm

June Wrap Up

Time to take a look back at my June Goals and see how things went.

Well, first of all, my goals flew out the window for the last week of the month because the s*it really hit the fan with my health during this time.

I really enjoyed my goals this month and they felt very manageable while still occasionally a bit of a challenge.  I wasn’t looking for big changes or big challenges physically this month.  The goals were a way to help keep me on track and consistent during a really crazy travel month.

The abs/arms daily challenge worked out beautifully.  I saw increased strength and definition in both areas of my body.  I began to crave my mini workouts and stop at nothing to fit them into my day.   And fitting them in was so simple it felt silly to skip it.  I spent an average of 10 minutes daily.  The addition of the “Push Up Variation Challenge” was really fun also.   As soon as I am feeling strong enough I plan to get back to my daily abs/arms.

Next on my June Goals is to limit refined sugar.  I feel only mildly successful at this one.   As I have mentioned a hundred times, China LOVES their sugar, second only to white rice and noodles.  There were some things that I ate that I didn’t consider “sugar” items because of other beneficial properties, like yogurt.   Then there were the gray areas, like when I wanted some crackers or bread only to discover after buying that they were loaded with sugar.  There were a few times though when I really wanted some ice cream but convinced myself that I didn’t want to consume that much sugar.

The food and exercise journal was helpful and I felt I was able to remain diligent to keeping record.  There were a few times when I waited until the end of the day or even the next morning to record food and I had a harder time than expected remembering exactly what I ate.  My favorite way to food journal is to write my meal down as I sit down to eat it, when I can take a moment to really look at the quantity and quality of food I am about to eat.

My running goals went out the window as soon as they were made but I had some really great runs in the first half of the month.

June was a crazy month and all things considered I feel good about the way my goals played out.

“there’s plans and then there’s life!”

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized