April goals progress

I'm a little late with this post, but that just reflects what April was like for me. I think my brain needed a break and there was a lot going on, so I failed on a lot of goals for the month.

1. I didn't work on my novel. At all.
2. I intended to do Script Frenzy, but only added about 1 page. I just wasn't feeling inspired to write.
3. I didn't finish a single book all month. I slacked off reading. I even skipped book club since I hadn't read the book. Although I started reading Street Gang toward the end of the month and have been enjoying it.
4. We didn't see a single show at the IU Cinema. We have more than made up for that this week, with 2 shows last night (3D Student Showcase and Made in Bloomington program 1) and 2 more (Student Showcase program 1 and Made in Bloomington program 2) tonight. 
5. No state park in April. Yep, we really slacked off.
6. Now this is the only goal that I made progress on. After a month of plateauing around .75 miles, I blew past that to 1.15 miles on 4/29. My breathing has been getting easier each time, so I know I've been getting better. But my shins have been the limiting factor. I used to frequently get shin splints in high school, so when my shins start hurting, I stop running. Then Sunday happened. And I hit my usual limit and felt fine. I reached our house and felt fine so I kept going. And jogged another block before my legs hurt. 

I hope taking the month off has reset me. I really want to report progress at the end of May.

March goals progress

Back in January I set some goals. It's now the end of March and time to check in on my progress.

1. My novel isn't finished. I didn't expect to be done in March, but I've slacked off. I still love my story, but I need a break. 
2. Which leads to our screenplay. I am taking the month of April to participate in Script Frenzy and work on the screenplay. I probably won't reach the 100 page goal, but that's ok. I don't think this script is a feature length story. My personal goal is just to finish the script, however long it ends up. My guess is 20 or so pages. 
3. For the Goodreads challenge, I have read 12 of the 40 books I am aiming to read this year. According to their statistics, I am 3 ahead of where I need to be. 
4. By the end of today, we will have seen 2 shows at the IU Cinema this month. Earlier this month we saw The King's Speech (Chris's first time, my second) and today we will see Young Frankenstein (a classic!).
5. While we didn't hike at a state park, we had a picnic at Paynetown SRA over spring break. It was a gorgeous day, with temperatures in the 80s.
6. A new goal! I want to be able to run a mile again. Speed isn't important, which is good because I'm slow. But I am already up to .75 miles and it's getting easier. My breathing wasn't as labored on my 4th run as it was on my first. Plus I have now made it up the hill that my route takes me to ~.7 miles in. 

Overall, not a bad month. I need to get back in gear with my writing, but otherwise I'm pretty happy. I even added a new goal.

Running a mile

I've always been more of a mathlete than an athlete. I was a nerd, a band geek, and yes, I actually did do a mathathon to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital once upon a time.

The last time I ran was 19 years ago... in high school... when we had to run a mile for the President's Physical Fitness Challenge.

But now I'm 37 and need to get in shape.

I started doing a 4-minute workout a couple of weeks ago. It kicked my butt when I started, but is getting easier.

Last week I started jogging. Yep, jogging.

I'm built for distance, not speed. I can walk for miles and often have. Jogging? Well, that's another story.

I've mapped out a route in our neighborhood that is 1 mile round trip back to my driveway. My first run I jogged .7 miles, walking the last .3 miles home. I was gasping for breath after 3 houses. My second run I jogged .72 miles, walking the rest. I even made it halfway up the hill (the one that I hit .7 miles in) before my legs and lungs gave out.

Today I took my third run. I made it up the hill, jogging .75 miles. I even managed the whole first block before I was breathing heavy.

It's small progress, but progress none-the-less. My goal is to be able to jog the whole 1 mile. Once I get there, well, then I can find a new goal. Like adding another loop of the neighborhood.

Walking for the homeless

I've signed up to do the Homeward Bound 5K walk again this year. Chris and I did it last year for the first time and had a good time. We didn't raise much since we signed up a week before the walk, but it was good to do it.

This year, my moms' group is forming a team and walking together. If you would like to support the 10 local agencies who benefit from the walk, you can donate to our team page or my individual page.

The 10 agencies are Amethyst House, Centerstone, Community Kitchen of Monroe County, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Martha's House, Middle Way House, Monroe County United Ministries, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, Shalom Community Center, Stepping Stones, and Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County.

Stretch time

Chris and I have really decided to lose weight and get in better shape. My plan for this year fell through: I was going to work out while both boys were in school, but since Sam is not going to school, I needed to find an alternative. I'd still like to go to the gym, but that will take planning and coordination to find someone to watch the boys.

On to plan B. We started using an app on our iPhones to keep track of calories and help us pay attention to what we are eating. The app is LoseIt! and I really like that you enter what you eat and exercise you do. It's a tool to raise awareness - I can eat anything, but it shows me how much of my daily calorie budget I've used (a budget set by my weight loss goals). And it really reinforces that if I want to eat more, I need to exercise more. Yep, the key to weight loss isn't some fancy diet; it's consuming fewer calories than you expend.

I also downloaded a couple of apps to help me exercise. I found 2 yoga ones. While I haven't used them much (I just downloaded them yesterday), they have some nice workouts that I can do. And I found a 5-minute ab workout and the Sprint GPS app for when I walk. I haven't tried the ab workout, but 5 minutes sounds about right. I started using the GPS app today; it uses GPS to track how far and fast I walk.

I'm really motivated to make this work. Especially after doing part of a yoga routine today. I made it through about 30 minutes and realized how not limber I am. It has been a number of years since I did yoga regularly and it shows.

Walk a mile - or two or three

I've been trying to walk a lot lately. It's a form of exercise I can do with the boys (put them in the stroller or wagon and go), plus I hate running and 'working out'. And adding exercise is good for me because it improves my health plus it has the added benefit of possibly losing a little weight or at least toning and slimming so my clothes fit better. I'm not very good at dieting - and that only works on half the issue anyway. Plus, I like food.

I push it when I can, trying to make my walks actually work even if I'm going slow. Thursday I walked to Petco to pick up cat litter. It's about 1.5 miles from home and I was pulling about 50 pounds of toddler in the wagon. Add the 40 pounds of litter on the walk home and the sore muscles are understandable.

Here's the thing: after that walk, I put on a bra and realized it was way too loose. I know that walk alone didn't do it, but it was gratifying to realize that I'm losing some of the fat around my ribcage. (For the record, I lost the girth not the cup size.) I also have dropped 1/2 pound. If this keeps up, I'm well on my way to hopefully having more energy and being healthier.

I'm tired of being tired and I really don't want to have to take daily medication any sooner than I need to, so losing a little weight and trying to be fit is a good way to get there. I should be able to walk 3 or 4 miles easily. I want to get to where my hips, knees and/or back don't hurt at the end of the day.

Aging is inevitable, but I can do it in a better way. I can minimize the damage and hopefully one day become a crusty old broad full of spirit rather than fade away. Yes, there is much more I could do. I could eat better (I'm trying, but I will never be a vegetarian or be able to give up pizza and chocolate.) We try to control portion size so we can eat what we want, just in moderation. I try to eat a lot of fiber (raisin bran is a great source and the boys love it too.) I try to be somewhat aware without being completely paranoid.

I want to LIVE, not just endure. And enjoying a good meal is part of that. So is feeling good and being able to do rather than just watch.