exercise

July 26, 2018July 23, 2018

Editing My Life

I’m not sure where the first half of 2018 has gone. It seems like only yesterday I was writing down my new year’s resolutions – some of which I’ve actually managed to maintain. Others were abandoned/forgotten.

July feels like a good time to re-evaluate my progress.

I’m healthier. I made walking/hiking part of my life. I started strength training and while I need to be more consistent, my body is stronger. I feel better than I have in years. I’ve lost weight – not as much as I had hoped but I still have 6 months to go.

One of the things I wanted to work on that still needs improvement is utilizing my “down-time.” I’ve spent time on my photography but there’s other things I enjoy. So in this next half of the year, I’m going to finish the baby blanket I started crocheting. I have a beautiful puzzle that needs to be put together. After working all day, it’ll feel good to engage my mind on something I enjoy.

During June, I spent a lot of time staining my deck – never realized how many pickets we had on that sucker. I thought my hand was permanently stuck in the “holding the brush” position. While the work was time-consuming, the pay-off has been so rewarding. Most evenings I’m out on my hammock, torches burning, crickets singing, frogs croaking and me – doing my best to unwind. I think the alone time has helped with my stress.

Life goes by so quickly. It wasn’t that long ago that I was at ballgames cheering for my boys. Now, two of them have children. It’s quite challenging to build a new life (in a matter of speaking) when your world has changed. I want to make sure that I’m living the best life I can. I don’t want to look back with regret. So that’s what July 2018 is for – editing my life and evaluating my progress.

Overall:

I’m proud of my successes but there’s room for improvement.

How about you? How’s things going with your resolutions/goals?

-Deb

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018

Hiking – As Good As It Gets

It’s Friday and all I can say is – FINALLY! I’m one of those folks who lives for the weekend. And when the weekend comes, I try to make the most of it.

Last weekend, my brother and I went hiking. Hiking has become one of my favorite activities. After being cooped up in an office all week, being out on the trails is quite restorative.

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Being 51 years old, I can remember the time before cellphones and the internet. I gotta say – those were some good days. We didn’t have crap being shoved in our faces 24/7. Living in a rural area, we had an antenna for our television. We could count on ABC, CBS and NBC and when the weather was good, we might get PBS. We knew our neighbors and we looked out for each other.

I spent my childhood playing in the woods, floating on inner-tubes in the river and hanging out at the fish house where I got my first “job” heading shrimp. I was in second grade. That job gave me spending money and later helped buy my school clothes. It taught me the value of honest work.

I look at the world now and realize that we (my generation) were the lucky ones. Our parents weren’t hovering over us every moment. Seriously, it never occurred to my folks that it might not be safe for my sister and I to be floating on inner-tubes in a river by ourselves. They told us where we could float and they expected us to listen. And we did.

I see kids now – still in elementary school carrying cellphones. Their little faces glued to the screens. I can’t help but wish that I could wave a magic wand and drop them in the middle of 1976. No cellphones or video games to occupy their time/mind. Instead, they’d have the opportunity to explore the world around them, to build forts, walk the woods, catch clams and chew on sour weed.

The world wasn’t perfect then. It’s not perfect now. But for a kid – growing up “unplugged” was about as perfect as we could get.

Maybe that’s why I like hiking so much. For a few hours, I’m on an adventure, exploring new paths with no unwanted interruptions. I’m unplugged and I’m lucky.

April 2, 2018April 1, 2018

Putting a Little More Life in my Daily Living

This past month has been a busy one. I turned fifty-one. Somehow, I thought it would take longer to reach middle age than what it has. I celebrated my last day being 50 by target shooting and going for a 5 mile hike. All in all – it was a good day!

My spare time has been spent playing with my camera. I’ve given light painting a try and I’ve found it to be a fun, creative outlet for ridding myself of the day’s stress. Below are a couple of the photos I’ve taken.

lightpaintingtam5-3890ps — Loved the reptilian feel of this one. Is it me or can you see a snake too?

crystalballwaveslr-3655ps — Light painting with a crystal ball

Back in January, I started an exercise program through work. Tomorrow begins week 13 of the 14 week challenge. At the beginning of the program, I had to choose some motivational quotes that would inspire me along my journey. One of the motivational quotes I chose was:

Three months from now, you will thank yourself.

(I looked but couldn’t find the author of the quote.)

It’s been 3 months – and I’m so thankful for the changes in my life. Life is so much more fulfilling when you are taking advantage of your time instead of letting it drift away.

There’s more hiking, target practice and camera time on the calendar and much less time in front of the television.

Here’s wishing you lots of living! Have a great week!

-Deb

P.S. Less television also means more reading time. I’m a huge fan of YA novels. Recently finished John Mantooth’s – The Year of the Storm. It’s got a bit of a Southern Gothic feel. A little different from my usual reads but really good.

February 12, 2018February 11, 2018

My Little Victory

I came across this quote the other day:

The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.

-Bill Phillips

I’ve adopted this as my mantra.

When I turned 50, I promised myself that I’d make an effort to get in shape, to be a healthier me. Only, the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and 2017 became 2018. I could see my fifty-first year on the horizon and I was quite disappointed with myself. After all, I have a goal of living to be at least 103 years old. But, poor health choices were sending me down an entirely different road.

Today begins week six of the health and wellness challenge that I promised myself I would complete. After five weeks of making healthier food choices and doing some strength and cardio training, I’m happy to say that I’m on my way to becoming the person I want to be. I’ve lost weight and inches and have more energy.

Making progress feels so much better than making excuses.

So – this is me having a little victory moment!

victory dance