MegaPICTURE!

Hmm, I have a few seconds to myself right now so I guess I can think a bit about the MegaPICTURE. I want to be a happy, healthy, active, social, green, spiritual, giving, loving, intellectual, orderly, considerate girl. I want to pack life full. I know that many people talk about a rich life of simplicity, truly less being more. However, I feel as if many of those people spent their youth chasing after something that was imposed on them and living up to other people's ideas of success. Then they had their mid-life crisis and realized that they didn't need the kind of success that they had been sold on. I don't think that this holds true for me--I am not trying to win the rat race and I'm aware of how commercialism influences my wants. I want a life full of experiences and knowledge and people, the types of things that make life rich.

I am still sticking with my email plan (considerate + orderly), drinking water (healthy), and reading my devotions (spiritual). In a minute, I am going to do chores that I have been putting off, so I will work on being orderly. Tomorrow I am volunteering with a local historic preservation group, which will be a giving activity. For a while, my motto was: Do it now! And that helped a great deal with keeping up with housework. Maybe I should re-adopt it.

Chh-ch-anges

I'm not sure how well this veggie eating shindig is working out. Well, actually I do know. Not so well. Still no grocery shopping. Also, I've been eating lunches out so that's making it hard to get anything besides potatoes for lunch.

Plus, besides the healthy living big picture, I would like to work on other things to help me not stress out. I am doing some of those things and I think they should be included here on my blog. This week I have been spending a few minutes reading a devotional and the scripture that goes along with it every morning as well as the email changes. I think that these are good habits. They're small and yet they help me move toward my overall goals. When I have a spare minute, I will try to write out what my mega-picture is--all the big pictures.

For now, I think that I will change from trying to eat a specified amount of veggies a day to just trying to make the best choices for myself that I can when I eat.

Email Fiend

Something new that I'm trying to do is deal with email immediately. So when I check my email, I reply to everything that needs a response, write down anything that needs to go on my calendar, and if there is something interesting that I want to keep up with, I just write it down in a document--like "Books to Read." Then I can delete the email and keep it from cluttering up my inbox. Also, I have gotten into the bad habit of not replying to emails even though I mean to. Which is incredibly irritating! I hate it when people don't reply to my emails and I need to stop being so inconsiderate.

I've been doing really well today. I'm not focusing on this because I'm doing health right now, but it is one of those things that I'm working on along the way.

As for the things that I am focusing on, the veggies part is difficult because I didn't take into account that I would need to go to the grocery store to support that mini-goal!! As soon as I have time to do that, then I will feel as if that is off and running. I have been drinking plenty of water this week, so I think that's going well.

1st Weigh-in

Height: 5'5'', almost

Weight: 159
Measurements: 41-34.5-40.5

These are just observations, like my food journal on fitday. Just setting up some structures to start shaping this part of my life. I haven't been to the grocery store in a while, so it's hard to start my challenge!

First Steps

There are many ways that I could begin this journey, but the first steps that I will take will be toward better health. I've been lurking on several sites that are weight loss and health-oriented and they've given me lots of ideas. Setting and working towards better health is a great place to start, since no matter how much I acheive I will be doing something good for myself.

Hmmm. Good goals. . . .
Let's think of the big picture first. Where would I like to be?

• I would like to eat a healthy diet.
• I would like to be strong, fit, and flexible.
• I would like to have good coping strategies for stressful situations.
• I would like to build a strong and fulfilling relationship with my husband, family, and friends.
• I would like to lose about 30 pounds.

Kind of a big picture, I guess. Some of these are inter-connected so work on one will be double the fun. I know that the biggest problem I will have is creating small habits that work towards these big goals. First of all, I think that I will ignore the 30 pounds goal. I hope that will be the result of the first three, but if not I'll still be doing pretty good. I think that the easiest thing to start with will be the healthy diet and after all, I'm going to be eating something even if I don't do anything else! So, I guess I'll need to break that one down into baby steps.


STEP 1: A Healthy Diet.

I guess what I mean by a healthy diet is one that looks more like the new food pyramid, more whole grains, fruits, veggies. I put my stats into the mypyramid.gov website and it suggests that my diet contain: 3 oz of generic grains, 3 oz of whole grains, 2.5 cups of veggies, 1.5 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk, 5 oz. of meat, and 5 tsp of oils. I'm ignoring the discretionary calories because it confuses me a bit, time for that later. I would also like to drink the equivalent of eight glasses of water a day--64 oz.

I don't think I've hit a baby step yet! hah!

Actually, drinking 64 oz. of water a day is kind of a mini-goal and one that I know I can do! On the other hand, eating veggies is hard for me; I just don't do it and we've been so busy that we haven't been eating at home. It's so hard to find good veggies out. I guess that's where I'll start. These two mini-goals are the beginning!

To acheive these mini-goals I will: bring my water bottle to school with me and drink one glass with each meal; either bring my lunch with one cup of veggies or have at least one cup of veggies; plan on more dinners at home with at least one cup of veggies.

I'll try to do this for two weeks before I add any more changes. If I'm successful at this, then I'll add another mini-goal. All the while, I'm going to keep doing my usual things: exercising a few times a week, eating generally well, and studying. I'm going to try and make some charts or graphics.

Also, I added a link to Renee's site. I really like her challenges and goals for herself as well as the inspirational quotes she posts.

Numero Uno!

Welcome to my blog!! I'm glad you've stopped by.

I hope this will be a record of my journey to a more self-disciplined and structured life. There is so much that I want to experience and be a part of, but right now my life is in a bit of disarray. Just the usual procrastination and lack of motivation, but I'm tired of that!! There's too much to do--both that I have to do and what I want to do!! I am 26, a graduate student with a little over a year left in my program; I'm married; am involved in community projects. I would love to travel more and be more politically active as well as in better health and more active in general, also I wish I had more time to spend meeting new people, reading new books, seeing new films, etc. In addition to those things, I need to pay more attention to the job-seeking part of life. I want a life that is just overflowing with ideas and people and experiences!