Another day, Another hike

Great hike today!! I went out to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and hiked the Liberty Bell Arch trail. The first portion of the hike was forged by water, and the rest by fire. I love this contrast! The trail starts in a wash and just as it enters a slot canyon, there's a turn off to the arch. The path to the arch winds through and over an amazing volcanic landscape with rocks of all colors! There's even a mine shaft with abandoned WWII era equipment. 

Liberty Bell Arch

 

Abandoned mine equipment

Bridge at the Hoover Dam

Awesome freaking cactus!

The mountains in this landscape rise up like cathedrals. Looking out over these vistas was awe-inspiring. 

All in all, a good day. Got some exercise. Got some additional information on more hikes from the Visitor Center. Actually, that was pretty cool. The woman I spoke with recommended another slot canyon hike and told me about a hike to a ghost town that was flooded when Lake Mead was formed. 

Today's Challenges:

• the day's to-do list was not completed

Today's Wins:

• I'm on my way to fitting exercise into my days
• hiked about 5.5 miles today
• my Christmas tree was taken out and recycled
• have my alarm set super early to get to the gym in the morning

First Day Hike

2021 is here and First Day came and went...It seems I'm starting a new tradition of going on a First Day Hike. This is year 2 of the new tradition. You can check out a description of this year's hike of the Camp Beal Loop trail here. 

Knowing that I'm about to embark on a new weight-loss journey in just a few days, I've been "shaping the path" (thanks Brothers Heath!) to make incorporating exercise into my day that much easier. Some of this is just as simple as getting a little bit of exercise - going for a hike for example. I've also started a squat and abs challenge. I'm only 2 days into that. We'll see how that one goes. And, of course, I re-joined my gym. 

When it comes to food, I have some items I need to remove from the house. I've slowly started doing this. Very slowly. This one is more difficult. It's called Environmental Control, or EC. Basically, I've got to get the snacky foods out of the house. I also realized that I'll need ice and to make room in my freezer. I've reorganized and have trays full of ice. Tomorrow is my day to make a shopping list. I'll need frozen fruit to make smoothies out of the shakes and plenty of vegetables! 

Clearly, I've had a bunch of to-do items buzzing through my head. I'm basically breaking it down into small bites and doing a little bit each day. 

Today's Challenges:

• completing all the cleaning items I wanted to do 
• dealing with the parade of to-do items running through my mind

Today's Wins:

• planned a hike for tomorrow!
• chatted with a friend in the laundry room
• successfully packed and re-organized the Christmas decorations

A step toward exercise progress

Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly...

It may not seem so, but I made important progress toward my weight-loss goal today. The program I joined focuses on both calories in and calories out. Calories in is pretty easy. At least, they make it easy and basically provide a formula to follow. Calories out is more difficult. It's exercise. I like exercise. So why's it so difficult? Well, it's always harder to start than it is to keep going. It's a good thing that another focus of the program is planning for challenges. 

2020 brought so many challenges, and exercise was only one. My gym closed for a bit last spring. Turns out, when they re-opened, they did not automatically reinstate everyone. Not a problem, because I wasn't ready to go anyway. Well, I rejoined today! And guess what. They purposely schedule the high impact classes outside and offer classes by zoom! The woman who reinstated my membership also said that very few people attend first thing in the morning, so it would be a good time if my schedule permits. 

Just getting this part done and picking up a schedule feels like a big action step and like I have a bit more momentum. I'm getting excited to start thinking about getting back into exercise! I think I'll spend some time this weekend figuring out how to use my tv as a monitor for my laptop to take zoom gym classes...

Today's Challenges

• need to do more planning...my head is actually abuzz with this one

Today's Wins:

• re-joined the gym!
• accomplished everything on my to-do list for the day
• saying a final "fuck you" to 2020

Moonrise

Let's face it. 2020 has just sucked. But I took a step to make a strong start to 2021. I rejoined the weight management program I did in Boston. I wish I could blame my weight gain on the pandemic. Sure, it was a contributing factor, but the majority of it is from eating too much and not exercising consistently since moving to Arizona. So, I did something about it. 

Yesterday, I joined the weight management program, attended my first class, and ordered new batteries for my scale. Today, I walked for transportation instead of driving. And, best of all, I saw this gorgeous moonrise that I would have missed if I drove!

Upcoming Challenges:

• getting a minimum of 2000 calories of exercise per week

Today's Gratitude:

• seeing an amazing moonrise 
• walking for transportation

Shift of Thought

Horizon

I can't even pretend to be on track with all of my goals for 2019. Life gets in the way and other things take priority. Instead of getting down on myself, I own my choices and make some adjustments to get back on track.

If I am to own up to my shortcomings, I also need to own my successes. One area where I have remained on track has been with increasing my reading for pleasure. I completed Bill Bryson's Home and am currently reading B. A. Shapiro's The Muralist. Not every night, but I try to devote at least 30 minutes before bed each night to reading. It's not much, but it is what I feel I can do right now. Perhaps my next goal should be to cut down on Netflix time??

I've also kept up with engaging in my community. Granted, most weeks this one is a given...my volunteer position in the Democratic party guarantees participation. Some weeks though, there just aren't meetings or big events. Like this past week. Instead, I attended my town's First Friday event. This involved visiting local businesses, talking to local artists, and making a donation of soda cans for a local recycling drive that will benefit the lunch programs at local elementary schools.

Areas where I have not kept up include personal writing and artistic endeavors. My exercise and healthy eating have been spotty, but they're in the mix. I'm finding that engaging in writing and creative endeavors is tougher than I thought it would be. It's not that I don't want to. I find that I have a number of excuses, but really it's that I end up prioritizing something else or think of my daily schedule in a way that doesn't support these activities. And by that I mean, that I think of writing as something to do at the end of the day. Why? I enjoy slow, quiet weekend mornings. Why can't that be time for introspection and writing?

This is some of the work I need to do - shift my thinking. Just a small shift can lead to some amazing results! Just a small shift can lead to a path where I can accomplish each goal I set for myself. And, in keeping with re-thinking how I spend my time, I used time differently this weekend. Instead of watching Netflix on Saturday night, I broke out the easel and the paints. Instead of watching the news on Sunday morning, I turned on the computer for some writing. It's a start, it's a kernel of what could be.

The How...

I've taken a few days to consider the goals laid out in my last post:

•          Read more books, at least one per month
•          Exercise at least 4 times per week
•          Lose weight
•          Begin writing again, at least once per week
•          Participate in some creative endeavor at least once per week
•          Actively engage in the community

I've realized a couple of things though.

1. These are NOT resolutions
2. Setting a goal means nothing without making a plan
3. I need the support of others
4. I really hate the timing of my start

Thanks to The Google, I know that a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. The only problem with a decision is that it doesn't contain the actions needed to achieve it. You have to take action based on that decision or it doesn't work. And to take action, a plan is necessary. So. I've made a plan. My plan will evolve as progress happens and my needs change.

The colors of this calendar attracted me.

To help with my planning, I found a 2019 calendar that I found visually appealing. I like both a weekly and a monthly view. I also like that this one has a hard-ish plastic cover to protect it throughout the year.

Record keeping is key for me.

Because I am prioritizing weight loss and exercise, this is where my tracking has begun. I weigh myself each morning and I record it. That measure is private...but progress will be shared. I write down when I will exercise and what I will do. 

I use the weekly view to track all the normal things, like my To Do list, but also what I eat, my weight, and the type/amount of exercise I do for the day. The format and layout may change if I find something that works better for me. This tracking all will help me see progress, but I can also look back and see the work it took to achieve that progress. There are no simple solutions, I need to be able to look back and see the work.

My goals of reading and writing are moving forward. This post is proof of writing. And I've been purposely reading before bed each night, even if it's only for 15 minutes. I try to set aside at least 30 though. Right now, I'm working towards finishing a book that I started ages ago. While it's not planned out yet, I will make time for something creative this weekend...most likely on Sunday. 

Last for tonight, my goal of actively engaging in the community. I attended a local women's group this week and in November I was elected Secretary of the Mohave County Democratic Central Committee. Keeping up with those responsibilities will take time and planning. I look forward to becoming more actively involved in the Party and my community.

Welcome to 2019

Good morning, 2019, and welcome to the world!

It’s been some time since I’ve written…

Some days, I feel like my life since my last post has been purposeful and moving towards a goal. Other days, I feel as though I’ve floated along without direction, without a specified purpose. Some days it feels as though I’ve lost myself. It’s not that I want to find myself, it’s more like I want to discover who I’ve become.

The past two years have been exhilarating, adventurous, difficult, and eye-opening. I’ve tried like hell to say yes to new experiences and to meet new people. I’ve succeeded in many ways. In other ways, I still have work today. I’d like make year three of living in the desert a purposeful one. I’d like to make it a year and a place where I continue having adventures and getting ‘out there’. Yet, I also have a yearning to make it a year where I get back to a practice of engaging in more thoughtful and introspective practices.

I seek to make 2019 a year of thought AND deed. I seek to make 2019 a year in which I care for my mind and my body. To do that, I must be purposeful in my choice of activities. I need to act with intention, and I need to find a discipline within myself to begin. To some extent, I need to function with a No Excuses mentality. And I need to set goals.

There are some things I know I’d like to accomplish…others, I anticipate finding along the way. Among those that I know:

•          Read more books, at least one per month
•          Exercise at least 4 times per week
•          Lose weight
•          Begin writing again, at least once per week
•          Participate in some creative endeavor at least once per week
•          Actively engage in the community

For me, the personal goals of exercise and weight loss are top priority. My work towards some of these goals will be public, others will be private. I will use this blog, in part, to focus on attaining these goals. But it will also be the work of getting back to writing.

I know I will face challenges. I also know that the biggest challenge will be to overcome my own inertia. I don’t know how to overcome that except to purposefully create a habit and use the planning skills I have developed over the years to problem solve. I purchased a 2019 planner a few weeks ago that I’ll use to help plan and track. I will spend time at the gym later today, and I will engage in a (modified) green smoothie cleanse to get started. I hope that you will join me in my journey.