Time for a fresh start

It's always important to remember that when you start the journey again, the distance to the end is not as far as when you began the first time.  It's 2011 and I'm making some new starts.  New job - one that will come with it's own challenges but very much challenges I'm looking forward to aaaaannnndddd.... I'm starting to focus on myself again. No, I'm not spending hours gazing at myself in ponds a la narcissus but I have been spending some time working out what my goals for the year are re my physical and mental health.

I got in over my head a bit last year towards the end.  I got it done but there were costs and those costs involved the loss of routines that were good for me.

Time to reestablish those positive routines and reap the benefits from them.  Time to make the best choice I can make for me at the time, not the easiest choice.

I'm doing it in phases, experience having taught me that if I try to change everything at once it becomes too much and it all falls in a heap.

Step one:  With start of the new job, start riding to work again.  (As stupid as it sounds, I lost my garage pass for a couple of months and as my bike lives in the garage, I didn't ride.  Found pass, am riding again).

Step two: Get back to gym.  I love going to the gym, I love how it makes me feel and I love the amazing community that the girls at Fernwood Canberra City help create and maintain.  It's a simple fact that I'm happiest when I'm exercising regularly.

Step three:  Get Foxy!  The spring challenge at the gym kicks off in a couple of weeks and I can't wait. It's very structured and that appeals to my brain in managing it as a part of my lifestyle.  Plus my competitive nature kicks in.  This is also the time to start setting some better eating patterns in place.  I know the rules, I just have to create a way of following that works for me.

Step four: Maintain it!   This is the tricky one.  I need to ensure that I can maintain the patterns I create.

I've found that doing a bit of journalling helps me clarify my thoughts so expect me to witter on everynow and then.

Day 9 - Gah

Wow, did anyone get the number of the mountain that fell on me? Woke up when the alarm went off, attempted to roll over and realised that while the spirit was willing the body was using very strong language to suggest more sleep. I'd been meaning to get to Group Slim at 7 and to do a quick bike ride but I think the thing I'm understanding better this challenge is that I need to respect what my body is telling me.  I roll over and sleep for another hour and a half and still feel like a mountain fell on me but it's a slightly smaller mountain.  Less Mt Everest, more Mount Snowdon.  Have some breakfast and struggle to the office.


I'm using slim cheese slices as a snack.  I love my cheese.  It's probably my greatest food passion.  I need to balance that love of it with eating sensibly and denial is not the strategy to use.  So I'm using the slices as an everyday option and keeping the really good quality cheese for special occasions.  If people can social smokers, why can't I be a social cheese eater?  


I'm finding that prioritising my exercise is having benefits for my work day as well.  By making sure I take my breaks, I'm being more productive in the time that I'm in the office.   Take today for example, we have a CEO update scheduled over lunch (they cater but I'm not sure what they'll cater so I bring my own lunch).  It's done by 1.30 so I head off to the gym for half hour bike ride. 


Start to feel like I'm making some really good progress with the project I'm currently working on.  Is a good sense of achievement and I celebrate with a fruit snack tub. Apricots today!.


Back to the gym, I'm feeling fairly good as I settle in for bike ride number 2 of the day.  I'm knocking off about 20km a day on the bike at a min setting of 6 and feeling pretty good about it.  I finish up and dash into Combat.  I can't speak highly enough about how much I enjoy this class.  Did I feel like a right idiot the first couple of times? Yes. Did this stop me from enjoying the class and getting better? Not at all.  Combat is a combination of martial arts (karate, muy thai, kung fu), tai chi and boxing.  Such a rush.  I'm sweating like a sweating thing when I stagger home.  The stairs on exit out of the gym seem particularly cruel tonight.


Collapse on the couch and thank heavens for leftovers, my curry tastes even better today than it did yesterday, the eggplant has gotten to the exact consistency I love. Mmmm.  Am planning to make cycle in the morning.  Will see how I go, am very weary.  Looks like I'm going to make my plan for an early night primarily as I'm really struggling to keep my eyes open.  Night all...