15,000 Minutes

I can still make the 15,000 minutes for the year and I won't have to exercise for an hour a day!!!

So I took a break, that's an understatement, but over the past couple weeks I've been walking here and there. I woke up on Saturday morning doing hard math to see if I can get to 15,000 minutes for the year. I thought I only had 5,000. I figured I would have to do about an hour a day for the rest of the year to make it up, but that's doable.

Today, I went walking for an hour. When I got on the computer this morning, I proudly punched in 60 minutes for today and 180 minutes for the 4 walks (I did more) that I did in the last month.

Turns out that I have 5650 minutes so far this year. So, that means that I can do about an hour 6 days a week for the rest of the year. That is even more doable.

I love to walk. I really do. I love how my body feels when I walk. I love to be able to have that time to myself to muse about life. I love waking up with the sounds of life waking up. I love knowing that I did something good for me for the day. I love not only how my body feels when I walk (lean, slim, fit), I also love feeling my body. I love being aware of my body when I walk.

The other thing I love to do. I love eating fruit in the morning. Sometimes I feel like I need something heavier. Sometimes I want a little bacon or some meat. Most times though, I like eating fruit. I feel clean and healthy when I eat fruit. And, once again, I like the feeling of doing something good for me. My body practically explodes with joy when I walk in the morning and eat fruit. It is so happy, it oozes out into my day. That is, perhaps, the best side effect.

Less Than 750 Minutes To Go

B2B W10: 330/250, *****, 12 stairs

I am soooooooooo excited. I feel so psyched just for meeting this goal. I didn't really think I was capable of meeting goals anymore. Shocking and sad to say, but I actually felt that way. Now I'm almost 80% to my first goal of the year.

Wow!

Food is still healthy and wholesome. I'm liking the 2 fruit in the morning. By the time I leave work, I've had 6 servings of fruit and veggies. I have 2 in the morning, 2 for lunch, and 2 for a mid-afternoon snacks. You would think I would have the mentality of oh, it's done. I won't lie. I partially do, but mostly, I want more healthy food!!!!

Exercise is great. I am pushing my intensity on the elliptical. I think of the Anti-Jared and Brandi and Lyn and KK and Diana and Jared and Pasta Queen and all the other wonderful, supportive bloggers. I imagine that the row of ellipticals and bikes and treadmills are filled with us. I think that I could be peddling alongside any one of you and I want to give my all. I also set mini-targets and I get psyched to hit them. Today I ellipticalled at 4 mph on 10/4/4/4 intervals. I burned 555 calories. Next week I want to try intervals at resistance 5. The machine automatically programs the level 10 at resistance 8. One day I will be able to do that.

This Monday I had lunch with a friend of mine and I realized that I view my life as one obligation after another. No matter how beneficial, or enjoyable the activity is at the moment, I tend to view it as an obligation. That goes for my job, my food choices, exercise, church, cooking, and so on. Everything, all of a sudden, has become a chore, rather than a joy. When I had the realization, I decided to change my perspective. And in that moment, just like that I switched. My life is filled with joy. JOY-FILLED!!!

Goals, Goals, Goals

B2B W7: 165/250, ****, 8 stairs

Last night I was an evaluator at my Toastmaster's club after being away for over 6 months. As the meeting proceeded, I kept thinking to myself, "Why don't I do more of this?"

On Monday I met with a friend for lunch and we were discussing what I'm going to do with my life. She asked me what happened to my blog (Balanced Life Center). I said I stopped writing over 6 months ago. She asked why, and for the life of me all I could conjure was the pitiful, "I don't have time" excuse.

Every morning when I go to the gym I come home feeling exhilarated and infused with energy. For about a year I walked to work and back, a 1 hour round trip. I loved it. Why did I stop?

I could blame the relationship that I started with amazing DBF around the time of the pauses. Or I could blame it on the continuing education classes that I'm taking in preparation for ministerial school. I can blame it on my job. In the end though, what it boils down to are my priorities.

A few years ago, I broke myself out of the habit of saying that I don't have enough time or money. What I changed it to was that at this time I choose not to spend my time/money that way? It was a very empowering switch. It caused me to examine what I was choosing to spend my time/money on, and in many cases I simply stopped doing what was not beneficial and started doing what was. I also started to do high yielding activities.

For example, I started walking to work instead of carving out time to "exercise" because I wanted to get active in general. I wanted activity to be a part of my life. I also reaped tremendous mental capacity and wellness from walking to and from work. I felt like I owned the city. I became more extraverted. And I got the bonus of exercise.

I can manage a lot if I leverage my time and do the things that I enjoy. Instead of feeling drained and exhausted by mindless, tasking activities, I feel refreshed when I do the things that I love. I dedicated this year to working on my body, almost to the exclusion of everything else because I recognize that it takes focus. However, I won't put my life on hold for one aspect of it. There are a few things I need to accomplish in the next few years and even more that I want to accomplish.

Things I Want to Achieve by December 2010

1. Develop a healthy, lean, flexible, svelt body that weighs 135 lbs
2. Run a half marathon
   
3. Complete SEE classes
   
4. Achieve Toastmaster's Advanced Communicator Bronze
   
5. Achieve Toastmaster's Competent Leader
   
6. Generate 30,000 pageviews/month on Balanced Life Center
   
7. Maintain zero balances on credit cards
   
8. Save $10,000
   
9. Visit 2 US cities that I've not yet visited
   
10. Visit one country I've not yet visited
    
11. Go to Trinidad for Carnival
    
12. Become a US citizen
    

In addition to the above list of goals, I would like to:

• Express and experience more God
  
• Teach one spiritual education class per quarter
  
• Enjoy authentic, loving, soulful relationships
  
• Attend a New Thought or BlogHer conference
• Fix my teeth
  

What does all of this have to do with weight loss? Well, in short, I am getting clearer on the direction I'd like my life to take. I have found in the past that as my body shrinks, my life gets bigger. I gain confidence and assuredness (not certain that's a word). I become steadfast. As I am able to meet any commitment that I make to myself, whether it be eating healthy, or exercising, or meditating daily, I begin to trust myself to make bigger and bigger commitments. My life opens up. This is a wonderful side effect of the year of the body.

1000 Minutes!!!

B2B W4: 235/250, *****, 15 stairs/0 left

One thousand tirty five to be exact. Seventeen and one quarter hours. Fifty one and three quarter miles.

I did it!!!

I crossed the 1000 minute mark today sweating it out on the elliptical machine. I did intervals today for the ENTIRE workout. 4/1 and 10/4 intervals. It is a triumph for my mind, moreso than my body. It means I CAN do it.