2 week challenge

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  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    It's not the "organization of my schedule" that's driving me crazy....I actually want to "introduce" activities that I might like (say, volunteering for something!) INTO my schedule, while removing things that I don't like (say, other volunteer activities....)

    More "philosophical" - kind of the "what colour is your parachute?" approach - although that is so 2003, I'm not sure I want to revisit IT!

    We are going away in February - which I cannot even PLAN until January (due to $$), but that will be a BREAK FROM REALITY, for sure!
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Abi- Day planners are my favorite things ever and that reminds me, I need to get a new one for 2014!

    Beeps - if you find a good resource, be sure to share!
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    I haven't had a day palnner since college...... I do everything from Outlook. It syns to my work computer, my iPad, my phone, and I can log on remotely to my work station from my home laptop. I'm a bit of a techie.....

    I guess it is time to start planning for 2014. I'm pretty happy with where I am right, except I need to cut back on the drinking. This coming after 2 nights of parties...... Ugh. I think if Eric and I would just committ to less, that would help a lot with less drinking and having more down time. My thing is, if we have down time, which typically involves just sitting around watching movies or TV, I make myself feel guilty about it. Like I should be doing something. Maybe in 2014, my goal will actually be to do less. And get my daughter off the binkie. :smile:

    I've done OK this week. I've worked out every day and have eaten OK. Never ate a ton, but my meals the last 2 nights were out so..... But I drank too much wine at both my parties. I'm liking my treadmill pretty well, so that's exciting.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    Here's what has been suggested to me, so far:

    http://marthabeck.com/2013/03/the-labyrinth-of-life/

    http://marthabeck.com/2010/12/what-not-to-do-during-the-holidays/

    I'm also thinking of doing fiveoclockclub.com with some online friends (on another forum)

    I'm completely satisfied that I have my fitness/nutrition "under control" - so my 2014 goals aren't going to be centred around that. But, personal pursuits (i.e. do I want to join a volleyball recreation league or not?? do I want to quit some volunteer boards, or not??) AND career pursuits DEFINITELY NEED ATTENTION!
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
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    Abi- I just bought an old school planner too! I have an outlook planner and a planner on my phone but I really miss my paper planner so I am bringing it back. When I do my school lesson plans, I always write it on a monthly calendar first, then transfer it to a formal lesson plan on the computer.

    Beeps- I don't think it's 2003...we had to do that for work a few years ago, so more like 2009!

    I have recently started some Oprah style notebooks to try to help curb my stress. I miss Oprah. Monthly goals, weekly goals, daily what I am grateful for. Feels good. Did I tell you all I quit my second job around Thanksgiving? It feels amazing but I want to stay on top of my finances, my mental and spiritual health, and be an AMAZING mama. I am very excited for 2014.
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
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    oh, and it is Friday...and I have 1 week until WINTER BREAK!!!! 2 weeks off. Life is good.
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
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    Hi all! Sorry I've been MIA, since the baby came I'm been doing most of my MFP stuff on the apps on my phone so I haven't been following the forums as closely, but I'm finally caught up on this thread. I'm way too far behind to comment on everything, but I want to send out huge hugs to Amy, Rogie, and Jen for all you've been going through. My heart is breaking for you! But I was glad to see Shannon's good news, congrats on the engagement!

    I'm back to logging. After the baby my weight settled in around 5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight, but then it started to creep back up since I hadn't really cut back on the desserts and I reintroduced booze once the baby started going long enough between feedings at night. Since I've been logging again it's dropped back down--just knowing I have to log everything has made me restrain myself. As of today I was three pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, so I'm very happy with that! My goal right now is just to maintain, but I wouldn't mind dropping those last three pounds.

    I'm back to running and lifting weights at home, but I'm still trying to figure out how to make time for them during the week when I'm home alone with the baby (who doesn't sleep very well in his bassinet during the day for some reason). So my goals for now are still pretty modest: (1) log everything, (2) workout at least a little every day, even if it's just a walk, and (3) run and lift at least once a week each, but work on increasing these to twice a week.

    Have a great weekend everyone!
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    Great to hear form you Ris! Sounds like you're doing fantastic!

    My weekend was decent. I drank too much Wednesday and Thursday but behaved the rest of the weekend. I didn't have a single drink on Friday night. That is rare. I squeezed in a 2 mile run Saturday between coffee, errands, gift wrapping, and a birthday party. I had planned on lifting yesterday, but I just wasn't feeling it. We went to church (this happens about once a moth typically), got Christmas stuff up finally, and cleaned up a bit around the house. Other than that, I laid around most of the day and it was nice. But I did get up and lift this morning and glad I did!

    This week I have 3 social events so just plan on eating moderately those nights and trying to keep my drinking in check. Next week my parents will be in town for almost a week which means I'll probalby eat more than usual and drink more than usual. Good thing though, they'll watch Daphne if I want to go downstairs and work out.

    Have a great week ladies!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    kclynch....lol, re: What Colour is your Parachute - I have the book. It's dated 2003. Not that it isn't 'valuable'....but, I could just rummage through and find my old worksheets and see that, in the last 10 years, I've come NO closer to "finding my passion" than when I really worked through that book! That would likely KILL MY SOUL.

    :(

    Ris - I like the update on the baby report! You got back to your pre-pregnancy weight VERY FAST! So, congratulations to you on that - I know that is not easy. Your goals are totally manageable, respectable, doable.

    Hi Better!

    I'm going to do 4 work-outs this week....because next week I'll only get 1 in for sure. So, this week, it's kind of nice to do 4 - means that i don't have to KNOCK anything outta the ball park. Just medium weights with medium effort. I CAN DO THAT!
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Good morning ladies!

    Ris - so good to hear from you. I'm really impressed you were back to your pre-pregnancy weight so quickly! Good for you.

    Better - My weekend sounds similar to yours. Moderation is also my goal this week.

    Beeps - good goals for the week!

    I managed to get in 4 gym/workout days last week - not my goal of 5, but I'll take it. I got sick AGAIN this weekend (2nd time in 2 weeks). Really wondering what that's all about. I have been working out, eating well and in general taking very good care of myself and I get sick... twice in two weeks. I was talking to a girlfriend who went to a naturalist a few years ago when she was trying to avoid getting strep (she would have had to have had surgery if she got it again), who told her that while she wasn't celiac, she certainly had an aversion to gluten (which I know I do too) and that a lot of times your immune system is so busy fighting off the gluten, that it doesn't have enough energy to fight off the germs that are floating around in our everyday lives. I am planning on doing a bit of research into that theory in the next few days. Does anyone else have problems tolerating gluten?

    My goals for this week are:

    - workout at least 4 times, 3 days lifting/a little cardio and one day longer cardio. I would really like to get back to the point where I can run 5 miles at a time without dying.
    - keep drinking water
    - eat/drink in moderation during my after work activities this week

    Have a good one ladies!
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
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    1 week check in- I am rockin it! Well, better than before. Today, I actually WANTED to get up and workout. I bought T25 a LONG time ago and I have only done a few of the workouts. This morning, I did the ab workout and I LOVED it. It was tough and i had to do a lot of modifications, but it was way more fun than most core workouts that I have done.

    I skipped my upper body workout last week so I will have to get on it this week.

    My eating is not perfect, but I am doing better. Last night, I had late night munchies and caved for a cheese tortilla. Oh, Sat, I was out shopping until 7 and had told my Hubby to get a pizza from the girls and him. When I got home, I cooked up soem chicken and veggies. SCORE!

    Ris- You are pretty much amazing. I weight like 12 pounds more then before my second baby - and, sadly, 22 pounds more then my first. I doubt I will ever be 110 again though!

    Beeps- My former principal may have behind the times. I hope you find your passion. Once upon a time, my job was my passion. Now, I don't know....

    Ashley- You are a busy, busy girl!
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    ramalem - frankly, I think this "gluten-intolerance" seems to be growing at an INTOLERABLE rate!! For peeps who TRULY have a gluten-inolerance, or are celiac, then I'm really glad there are all sorts of "more choices" out there - for them. For the rest of the population (myself included), it's okay to eat wheat!!

    kclynch - I really like my clients and I really like the work they bring me - but THIS employer is NOT my "passion" for sure. I remember, when I was 5 years at the bar, and I had a DREAM JOB! (It didn't last because the company got bought out and I lost my job...) - so I *know* what it feels like to LOVE my work and my job and be COMPLETELY passionate about it.

    I've been chasing THAT high for 15 years since!! Maybe 2014 is the time to REALLY figure out how to find my passion, work-wise, and find a job that I love as much as I did THAT one! Who knows?!?!?!?

    My 2-week-challenge goals:

    1. keep calorie deficit slight everyday with 1 eat-up day per week. (Lately, it's been 2, which explains why I am MAINTAINING and not slightly LOSING.)
    2. get work-outs in.
    3. drink more water.
    4. get supplements in (I started L-Glutamine in the mornings....this is new for me and trying to make sure it becomes a HABIT!)
    5. brush teeth after supper. Period.
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Beeps- I hear ya. Lot's of people claiming to do it for health reasons... I hate to break it to them, if they are eating gluten free bread, it's still carbs :)

    Has anyone gone to see a naturalist?
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    I have not gone to see a naturalist.

    The friends I have who did go see naturalists were usually looking to "clear up their skin" or something like that. And, yes, removing food items has worked for those friends (in "clearing up their skin" or whatever problem it was they were searching for help on).

    I think gluten is often blamed for stuff that it isn't "causing" - there really isn't a 'cause-and-effect' relationship.

    I also think dairy (i.e. lactose) is often blamed for stuff that it isn't "causing" - there really isn't a 'cause-and-effect' relationship.

    BUT, if peeps think that it is "working for them", I guess that doesn't really matter!! The "relief" from the problem is reason enough....which also is kind of hard to argue with.
  • Better_Balance_2011
    Better_Balance_2011 Posts: 3,711 Member
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    I don't know if I have intolerances or just a selective system, but some foods definitely tend to bloat me and make me feel like crap. Problem is, I can't pinpoint which ones. The last food I ate that made me feel icky that I could blame with almost 100% certainty (since I hadn't eaten much else that day) was a can of beef vegetable soup. I rarely eat highly processed stuff out of the can, so maybe it's my body's way of saying, "ewwww....". Generally if I am eating clean-ish, I feel ok. Of course there are exceptions with beans, cabbage and the like.

    I have days when I go to work and I think, "Gee, I'd rather be doing soething else with all my days than going to an office and drawing in AutoCAD......" And then I remember that my dad told me once, "they don't call it work for nothing." I read an article once about Generation Y'ers (I am right on the cuspe as I was born in 1980) and how many of them are jobless out of college because they right away want to find their passion instead of getting in entry level and working their way up. I don't hate my job, but I don't wake up excited to come each day. I do like my company quite well. I get to use my creative brain a litte. I do some design work, even if it often is parking lot layout. And my boss and coworkers are pretty awesome. And I don't have to be on time to work really. Plus they let me work 4 days a week. So I guess I'd take my flexible job with good people over some high end design firm doing totally cool *kitten* but working 60 hours a week. Since having a baby, I have found my priorities in career have shifted significantly......
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    "They don't call it work for nuthin'..."

    Hmmm, I'll have to think on that!

    I've always presumed there are 2 kinds of people in the world:

    1. people who choose work that is "fulfilling" - meaning, they're gonna be there 8+ hours of the day, has to be something that fuels their soul; and

    2. people who choose work that is a "means-to-an-end" - meaning, it pays the bills, plus some extra and that "extra" is what they spend on their goods/experiences OUTSIDE of the office - and THOSE "outside office" pursuits are what fuels their soul.

    #1'ers don't HAVE to make a lot of $$, because they are already having soul-fulfillment, nearly everyday, through their work pursuits (I clump artists, musicians, fitness folks, etc., into category 1...)

    #2'ers DO HAVE to make a lot of $$, because their soul is DYING EVERYDAY at the office, and they need SOME extra $$ to go buy stuff (if that's how they receive "pleasure") or go DO stuff (if that's how they receive pleasure) outside of work hours.

    I'm a #2'er....but I've always WANTED to be a #1'er....and, for 1 year in my life, I was BOTH a #2'er and a #1'er AT THE SAME TIME!!

    Because of that 1 year....I've been CHASING THAT DREAM ever since. Because I KNOW it is "possible" to have BOTH 1 and 2, at the same time, I TOTALLY WANT THAT.

    Sooooooooooooo elusive, though! Even when I had it, before, it was total dumb luck!! Not "planned" that way - it wasn't an "engineered" result....it was a job in a newspaper ad that I applied for and I got it!!

    Anyway, 15 years later and I still DREAM about that year!!
  • abigail1977
    abigail1977 Posts: 544 Member
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    Beeps - I hope you are able to find what you are looking for in 2014. I feel like I get the best of both worlds as I like my job, but since it is part time and I set my own schedule I also get to pursue other activities which I find fulfilling - fitness, music & dance

    Kc - welcome back, that's good news that you were able to ditch the second job - I am down to one job as well and loving it. Although, I did get a call about a very part time bookkeeping position from someone I know who just became president of the condo association in the industrial park where his business is. It's easy and pays decent so I may do it on the side more as a favor, we'll see.

    Ris - thanks for the update, that's amazing that you have dropped the baby weight in such a short time

    Better - I have noticed less bloat from dropping wheat products such as bread, crackers & pasta but that's probably more due to less carbs than a wheat problem.

    Ramalem - I have a friend who went "gluten free" and all she does is replace her bread, pretzels, etc with the gluten free alternative. It's still got all the carbs, sugars and calories in it & she has gained a ton of weight. She also talks about how her ice cream has no high fructose corn syrup in it - hello!
  • ramalem
    ramalem Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Yeah the gluten free alternatives are no bueno - it's almost worse for you with all the chemicals in it anyway. When I have gone gluten free in the past, I've usually just cut it all out and replaced things with rice, beans etc. I don't even try to eat gluten free pasta so perhaps you are right, that it's just the carbs. Who knows. Just have some ongoing body issues and I'm not sure what to attribute them to I guess :)
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 11,988 Member
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    gluten-free is also AWFULLY EXPENSIVE! Yes, there is WAY MORE CHOICE, today, if you are "gluten-free", but crap, paying $4 for a loaf of bread instead of $1?? Believe me, THAT ADDS UP!

    Anyway, we are not a celiac family and there isn't anyone in my family with a gluten-sensitivity.
  • KellyBgetsfit
    KellyBgetsfit Posts: 1,713 Member
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    There are people in my extended family-not blood-with celiacs. One little girl about a year younger then my daughter. She was so tiny and pale until they diagnosed her. Now she is much taller and healthier. I think it is great how any products there are now - if you need them. If not, you are probably hurting yourself. Gluten free products tend to have higher glycemic index and can raise your insulin significantly.

    I am # 1 but sometimes a #3 - make no money AND loathe my job. But usually I am a #. i have 2 more days until winter break and then I have a Lovely 2 weeks off. I do wish we had more money to do things, like travel, especially because I have a lot of time off. I could take my kids out of things like dance to travel, but I would rather have them in activities.

    I am off to make brownies. Oh, and today, my secret Santa brought me a mocha peppermint latte and cinnamon swirl thing from Starbucks. I ate it. It was amazing.