Just Do It

Last Sunday in church our guest preacher passed on a great idea during the sermon that someone had shared with him. A friend had suggested that this year, instead of setting specific new years resolutions, she was just going to pick a single word or phrase to focus on to lead her throughout the year. I guess it's a bit like having a theme, or a mantra that becomes the daily prayer on which you center or life. It's a wonderful idea and faith concept. From a Christian standpoint, there are so many words you could choose like "kindness," or "humility," or "gratitude." Or any number of phrases would be so profound like, "leap of faith," or "Go in peace, serve the Lord," or "Love one another, as God has loved you." It's really a very genious concept, that instead of setting a goal for your new years resolution, to make your focus be an idea. From that idea will spring forth all of your motivations, goals, and execution. It's really very powerful.

I grasped on to this idea immediately and began thinking if there was a word or phrase that would be a good focus for me. I'll be honest that in this exercise, my focus was not so Christocentric but actually leaned toward my struggle with goal setting and motivation in the classic areas of diet and exercise. Plus, I've noticed in the last couple of weeks that the winter is getting the best from me and I am starting to suffer from cabin fever which is has the tendency to spiral into complacency, boredom, and restlessness.

So I was doing some research on line tonight and looking up motivational quotes. I think I found my mantra. It seems right and perfect, and a very good challenge for me. It's a bit classic and overly simple and to the point which is what I need. It's the old Nike slogan: "Just Do It." It speaks to me in so many ways. Not the least of which is the fact that the empire which coined this phrase was born out of my hometown, Eugene, OR. But to me, this is a phrase that could truly transform my life. I'm a classic type A thinker and planner and need to have everything perfectly set up to be successful. I spend more time planning to workout, than I do actually working out. If the kitchen isn't clean, I can't make dinner. If I don't have a meal plan for the week, I can't go grocery shopping. If I've got to be somewhere in 60 minutes, I can't do a quick 30 minute workout because that won't give me enough time to shower and stretch and still get out the door without a rush. I've even noticed, that I'm about 80% more likely to get up before work in the morning to go run on my treadmill, if I have already set my laptop up and headphones out the night before so that all I have to do is jump on the treadmill and go. Seriously, how hard is it to pick up a computer and take it in the other room and plug it in?

I have spent a lot of time in the last year searching for motivation. I struggle to find some major goal which is going to drive me to overcome the numerous obstacles that get in my way. I keep thinking subject to the Biggest Loser mentality that there has to be some major motivation that is truly worth while, that is worth doing all the hard work for or I know I will give in to other simple pleasures like sleeping in and convenience. It's really hard to find that major driving force, when you are already pretty happy with your life and have the most important things well covered. Well I'm tired of searching for that earth shattering ah-ha moment that's going to totally transform me. For the rest of 2011, my mantra will be "Just Do It." It's time to retrain my brain away from all the thinking and the planning, a.k.a. procrastinating and get down to business. Thanks Nike. You may very well have single handedly provided me with that Earth Shattering life change I have been looking for.

Workout

This was a challenging workout, which included a work interruption (after hours but important call). Had a hard decision about whether or not to go back and finish it, but finish it I did. Rome wasn't built in a day. Just have to keep sticking with it one workout at a time. Here are my workout results:

Back Knee Lunge Up (Left) 8; 10; 9; 9
Back Knee Lunge Up (Right) 10/10/10/10
Plank Jumps: 5/5/6/4

2 Walking Pushups & Step Touches 6/6/5

Jump Forward, Back, Tuck 7.5/7/7/8
Side Plank & Pushup (Left) 7/6/6/6
Side Plank & Pushup (Right) 6/4/5/7

Click here for the full workout details: www.bodyrock.tv

Workout

I can feel myself getting stronger. Tonight's workout was a time challenge, but I am focusing on each end every move targeting the right muscles and keeping very good form, so speed is not my focus. Also, I was limited on time, so while I got a solid 25 minute workout in, I only made it through 2 of the 3 sets planned.

Round 1: 30 Lunges and high knees (right leg); 30 lunges and high knees (left leg); 30 upright rows (5 lb dumbells); 30 dancing crabs

Jumping Squat Intervals (8 rounds, 30 seconds each): 10, 11, 9, 8, 9, 8, 8, 9

Round 2: 30 Lunges and high knees (right leg); 30 lunges and high knees (left leg); 30 upright rows (5 lb dumbells); 30 dancing crab

Jumping Squat Intervals (8 rounds, 30 seconds each): 8, 8, 10, 8, 9, 10, 11, 10

127 Hours

I had a great evening out with friends which I have met through some meetup groups tonight. We met for a glass of wine and some lite bites and then went and saw an amazing movie called "127 Hours." The movie chornicles the real life experience of a guy who was out hiking by himself and got his arm pinned underneath a boulder and was stuck for five days before he ended up having to cut off his own arm to free himself. The actual scene was not as bad as I thought it was going to be in terms of gore, but it was pretty intense. More so, I found myself very much rooting for him. But it definitely is one of those movies that makes you think. An experience of being so close to death, and realizing all of the things that you take for granted and all of the things that you yet want to do but haven't done. It has me thinking and wondering, in the same situation, would I have been able to do the same thing? Or would I have given in to death (the permanent solution) for fear of pain (a temporary fleeting moment)? So the movie has me thinking about how we are capable of so much more than we really think we are, and how a little courage goes a long way.

And on that note, tonight's workout was 300 squats. It was tough but I'm glad I didn't give up on myself or I would have thought myself quite foolish that the burn of 300 squats tumbled me when I just watched a man have to cut off his own arm.

Workout

I had another great workout tonight full of Bad@$$ery. Oh my. I think I am starting to fall in love with this girl Zuzana. Her workouts are just phenomenal. I have had a rough week. I'm balancing exciting results in my professional life (very rewarding) but exhausted from the hard mental and physical work of it all and some late nights, while at the same time struggling through some growing pains in my personal life. It makes for one depleted Cindy who very much needed a good workout but didn't have a lot to give. I'm so thankful for Zuzana's workoutS because they are short but intense and get right to the point. As tired as I was, I knew that I could at least give it my all for a short 20 minutes before I retired for the night. It was great to have a chance to sweat it out and I feel so STRONG and PROUD of my accomplishments. The moves are challenging and although I can't do all of the moves to the full extent that Zuzana can, I'm excited about the idea that someday soon I will be able to. So I'm focusing on getting the max out of every single exercise with her, really targeting each and every movement so that I can be as efficient as possible and achieve maximum results because I CANNOT WAIT to be the powerhouse I know I can be.

Checkout www.Bodyrock.tv if you want to try this workout. My results are below:

Snow Boarder - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 7 / 10 / 8
One Leg Squat & Side Kick (left leg) - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 5 / 5 / 5
One Leg Squat & Side Kick (right leg) - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 5 / 5 / 4.5
Push Up/Lunge Combo Exercise Challenge - 8 minute count down: 14 BRUTAL SETS!
Shelf Butt Exercise - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 16 / 20 / 18
Half Pistol & One Leg Pike Press (left leg) - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 3 / 3 / 2.5
Half Pistol & One Leg Pike Press (right leg) - max. reps during each 30 second interval: 2.5 / 3 / 2.5

Workout

Today's workout was a 12 minute challenge of alternating reps of 10 Sandbag Squats and 10 Reverse Pushups. We were supposed to do as many sets as we could in 12 minutes. I found an online timer since I don't have a stop watch to help out. I was able to do 8.5 sets in 12 minutes. The reverse pushups got really difficult at the end and I wasn't able to come all the way up on some of the final reps, so I just came up as high as I could and held the position for a second. I also did a 3 mile run/walk for cardio and 5 minutes of stretching for a total calorie burn of 490.

Today's Workout

Another great workout today by Zuzana. I modified for my own activity level and it was still a push. The workout alternates 10 Squat Thrusts with 10 burpees. I could not maintain all the jumping with the burpees so I did one legged getups with a knee lift. Still an awesome manuever but with out the high impact. I did 15 rounds intermixed with treadmill running and walking for a total of 66 minutes of intense cardio workout. I followed again with 15 minutes of yoga and stretching. Total Calorie Burn was 490 calories.

Ultimate Workout Playlist

Today's workout was appropriately Titled Suicidal Sweat Workout.

Luckily, I've been putting some work into building the perfect workout Playlist to help inspire me and keep me going during these brutal workouts. I recently discovered on YouTube that you can actually create and save playlists so I've been bookmarking music videos like crazy and below is what I came up with. A 66 minute playlist that I've titled Ultimate Workout. (Thanks to all on Facebook who contributed awesome suggestions.) It's got all the important components -- warm up, cool down, up beat, strong tempo, brief rests, and inspiring lyrics.

Madonna - Ray of Light (great warm up song, bright, positive, sets the right tone)
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc (a good follow up warm up, helps you get loose and lucid, like right before a boxing match)
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart (doesn't get any more literal than this, the first power song, fast tempo, really gets your heart racing)
Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling (great beat, positive, puts you on top of the world and makes you feel like you can do anything)
Black Eyed Peas - Let's get Retarted (Now we're getting serious, starting to dig deep and push)
Aerosmith - Angel's Eyes (Heavy Guitar and sex appeal, pick the video on You Tube set to Charlie's Angels Clips)
Drowning Pool - Let the Bodies Hit the Floor (Hard, Edgy, the counting is awesome too when you're doing reps)
Destiny's Child - Survivor (Tempo slows down a bit, time to catch your breath but great lyrics to still keep you focused and on track)
Kayne West - Stronger (Another inspirational, motivational, get you moving song)
Eminem - Lose Myself (This is a great song to put towards the end of your workout when you might be tempted to slack off or give in early, this song reminds you that you might only get one shot and to not wast chances. GREAT song for digging deeper and pushing harder)
Europe - The Final Countdown (Oh Yeah, This is just pure fun, great reminder that you're almost done and give it every last thing you can)
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long (The victory song. You did it you sexy beast.)
Citizen Cope - The Son's Gonna Rise (Cool Down song #1 - yes, that was a very hard workout, but you're almost there, there's a light at the end of the tunnel)
Beyonce - Halo (Cool Down song #2 - like a breath of fresh air)
James Blunt - You're Beautiful (Cool Down song #3 - one last reminder of how terribly awesome you are)

My workout results for the day:

Warm Up - 2.09 Miles Walk/Run

Combo #1 - 15 Reps (TIME 5:52)
2 Jump Squats
1 Jump Tuck (modified two knee lifts)
2 Push ups
1 Power Up

Combo #2 - 6 Sets (TIME 3:37)
10 Kick Ups (modified no jumping)
10 Mountain Climbers

Combo # 3 - 4 Sets each Leg (TIME 4:01 left leg, timer didn't work on the right leg
10 One Leg Press Pike (modified on knees)
10 one leg jump squats (modified no jumping)

#4 20 Breakdance Push Ups (Time 3:57) - (modified on knees - this one was ridiculous and I almost skipped it but I figured knee push ups were better than nothing and would help me build my strength so I can do less modifications over time. My turnover turned into a clumsy log roll after a couple of reps but I decided to at least add two leg lifts so I would get something out of it. I'm glad I workout at home because if anybody had been watching me they would think it quite sad! But I am glad I did what I could and got some benefit rather than skipping it entirely)

Cool Down - 2/3 Mile Walk, 10 minutes of Yoga (I meant to do more yoga but my arms were too fatigued to hold the downward dog position)

Total Workout Calories Burned - 493

Workout

I did Zuzana's workout again today. Click here for the full details if you would like to give it a try. Instructional videos are included.

I had to make a few modifications due to lack of equipment and activity level.

I started with 2.25 mile run for warm up.

Then I went into Zuzana's work out. I increased the length of interval from 30 to 50 seconds and then shortened the number of rounds from 6 to 4. Also, I alternated exercises each round rather than doing all of the same exercises in a row since I knew I would be too week and thought I would get more benefit this way while I'm still building a base line of strength. My scores were as follows:

Dynamic Squats: 26, 28, 28, 27.5
Reverse Pushups: 11, 14, 12, 13 (my treadmill has the perfect handles for this exercise)
Dive Bombers: 6, 7.5, 6, 9 (these are hard, my form sucked but I'll stick with it until I get better)
Prisoner Get Up: 4, 3.5, 5, 5 (I had to use my hands to help on the last 2 rounds as I wasn't getting anywhere)

Cool Down was 30 minutes of a Yoga Flexibility DVD with Rodney Yee. I did in front of the fireplace to enhance relaxation.

Total workout calorie burn all together was 493 calories!

Getting Retarded

I've discovered a new website called http://www.bodyrock.tv/. I was searching for free exercise videos on You Tube and stumbled upon Zuzana. She posts new exercise challenges and workouts every day. I am totally in love with her site. Her challenges are insane but inspiring. And there is endless variety so you don't get bored. There are live instructional videos, and excellent photographs showing proper form and technique (not to mention super cute workout clothes and a body I would die for.) It all translates to motivation. So I have tried a couple and am fired up to keep it going. Right now, being not so much in shape, I am having to do some modifications.

Like today for instance. The challenge was to do 300 jumping lunges. Well I fatigued after 30 jumping lunges so I had to finish the last 270 as regular lunges. But did you hear what I just said? I did 300 lunges today!

I also took a little additional inspiration from the Black Eyed Peas and played their live version of "Let's Get Retarded" on You Tube. A lot of people know the song better from their more P.C. remake version called "Let's Get it Started." As I was listening to the original version, I couldn't help but think that I really truly was getting retarded because no sane person sets out to do 300 lunges just because some girl on the internet whom I've never met told me to.

I also connected with the song in a new way that never would have crossed my mind. Many people would shun the song "let's get retarded" thinking it's derogatory slang for people who are mentally challenged and therefore inappropriate and insensitive. I'm not blind to these issues and I believe in respecting the humanity and dignity of individuals with physical and mental disabilities. However, the song hit me today in the most positive way. In the song, "getting retarded" really is about letting go of conventional wisdom, dismissing societal expectations, stepping out of your box and away from your filters and just being, grooving, experiencing, and enjoying in the purest of ways as one who lives in the moment and does think about past mistakes, future obligations, pleasing others or getting ahead. Today when I stepped outside of my box, shed my filters, and embraced the insane, it felt great.


Thanks, Zuz. Looking forward to your next challenge.

4 for 4

Today was our 4th morning of our new fitness challenge. Proud to say we are right on target and it's been quite an adventure. The 6:15 wake up call is not as hard as I thought it would be. I've figured out that the biggest challenge to getting up that early (for us Early's) is the mental challenge. So basically I just don't give my brain a chance to think about it and am up at the sound of the buzzer. It's such a simple act really. Putting one foot out of bed, then the other, and then shifting your weight and standing up. Once you're up and moving, my brain usually follows within a minute or two and I'm alert enough to start the day.

The walks themselves have been quite the variety, mostly relating to weather and daylight, or lack thereof. We started with the worst of possible scenarios last Monday, rainy and stormy with quite the not-so-gentle breeze. But we aren't wicked green skinned witches and we didn't melt. Thanks to a great weather proof REI jacket handed down to me from Brie gifted when we moved back to Bellingham, I've kept both dry and warm. And I'm glad we started off with the worst because every day since then has felt like a treat.

The walk we are doing is a 2.7 mile loop that circles Lake Padden. We start off from the trail head opening at the dog park and head clockwise in a Westerly direction. (I'm pretty sure "westerly" is not a word but I like the way it sounds so I'm sticking with it.) The western side of the lake is thickly forested with moderate hills. We get that part out of the way first of course. Our halfway point is marked by a great reward - a view point that breaks open from the trees with a dock going out over the lake. Here we have a full view of the lake and open skies and get a taste of what the day was going to be like. On Monday when it poured, we barely took a moment to shine our flashlights out. Yep, dock's still there. Keep going .... But Wednesday we were rewarded for our commitment with the clearest of skies displaying the stars and slivered moon in all it's glory. Friday was dry yet again but cloudy skies. So while we couldn't see the stars, we did at least get to see just the faintest glow of lavender sunrise reflection bouncing back off the water at the very end of the hike looking back. And this morning, with the shift in daylight savings, we actually had... dah dun duhhhh.... Daylight! The water shimmered like glass as the ducks foraged and we even caught a crane privately bathing among the reeds.

So far only 1 out of 4 days have we had company. A grad student from Western joined us last Wednesday with her border collie and we had a good time chatting. But we've been garnishing interest and I think we may get some other people up and out of their beds to join us here along the way. We put a notice also in our church newsletter and have had one or two people asking about it who may join us once the holiday bazaar is over next week.

The most precious part of the walks is the hour or so afterwords where I'm up and alert and have time to use how I see fit before I actually start my work day. Having a real breakfast, time to blog, showering and sometimes even putting makeup on before I start my work day, I can't tell you how well that does for my psyche. It's easy for those of us work-from-home folks to fall into lazy patterns.

The early mornings have been harder on Don than they are on me. It goes a lot deeper against his natural body clock and his day demands a lot of personal energy. So he's still finding his way with that and some mornings he'll dip back in bed for a quick power nap and still struggle through his day in a bit of a haze. But I'm proud of him and his commitment. I hope by the end of this exercise his body will respond a bit kinder to him. I'm glad to know for the first time in our marriage, we are getting regular cardio exercise together, both for us and the dogs. We're being good to ourselves and good dog owners. I know a lot of people who have a lot more aggressive fitness goals than walking 3 miles three times a week. But this is the right goal for us, that fits the lifestyle we're trying to achieve, and I'm proud that we're doing it. Together.

Goal Achieved, On to the Next One.

I can't believe it's been 40 days since I posted the financial challenge Don and I decided to take on a little more than a month ago. The specific challenge was to not eat out for breakfast or lunch for 40 days and only very sparingly for dinner. The challenge was quite a success! We weren't 100% perfect but at least 95% which is still a strong A. The most rewarding part of the process I think was just the feeling of taking on a challenge together, both being on the same page about it and working together to accomplish it. I mainly took responsibility for making sure we had lunch options in the house, Don made a commitment to come home for lunch rather than eating out, and if ever he had a busy day we tried to plan ahead so that he could take food with him or occasionally I brought lunch down to the office. It also had a nice side effect of getting to eat lunch together almost every day and forcing both of us to take a real quality break from our hectic work schedules.

I also feel like we have truly formed a new habit where we are mindful about not wasting money and resources at lunch time but eating quality food together and taking a real break. I feel like we'll be able to go out to lunch occasionally now as a conscious choice together without overspending and not because of poor planning or wastefulness. But for the most part, we'll continue this new lifestyle of eating together at home and making use of our leftovers.

We were so pleased with results, that we decided to come up with a new challenge for ourselves. A specific commitment that we could set, stick to, and that would improve the quality of our life for the better. This time, we decided to focus on fitness which is sorely lacking in our lives on any consistent basis. We wanted to take on something in the mornings. This way we would get our day off to a good start, which would hopefully spill over to a successful and focused work day, and would leave us free to relax and enjoy our evenings. To really formalize our commitment we wanted to invite other people to be a part of it also. We figured, if we were leading a group, there's no way we would be able to skip out. So we coordinated with another Meetup Group called Bellingham Fun and Fitness and are hosting a sunrise morning walking group at Lake Padden, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6:15 a.m. Yes, I know it's a crazy time of year to start outdoor activities, but that's what weather gear is for and the colder it is the more calories we'll burn. Plus this way we can include the dogs who also need their exercise (yes, they have rain coats too). Finally, in the ever increasing spirit of good financial resourcefulness, the activity doesn't cost us any expensive gym memberships and is something multiple people can do at multiple activity levels. We start Monday, November 1st and have decided to continue this one on up to Christmas week.

I'm looking forward to connecting with my husband through exercise, a hot cup of coffee in front of the fireplace after a cold morning walk, a quality shower before I start my work day instead of rolling out of bed and starting work in my pajamas, beautiful scenes of nature in the morning such as rain drops on the lake, foggy paths, and snow covered trees if we get so lucky, how good it will feel to sleep in on Tuesdays and Thursdays as if we have earned it, meeting more people and inspiring others to exercise, and discovering what new and unexpected delights come out of this just like the serendipitous surprises that came out of our last challenge together.

Lake Padden

Can you believe we live here? Lake Padden is only about a mile from our house. We headed out with the dogs on Sunday for some much needed sun and some much needed exercise. This is why we moved here. Be still my heart.