Seeking Balance
I'm still fat. I've gotten less sleep now than I did a few weeks ago when I decided I'd get more sleep. My life is slightly more off balance. And I haven't done a lick of yoga. My road to wellness is the road less travelled, because it's run over with debris, rocks and overgrown foliage.
Zen and the Art of Losing My Hard Drive
My road to wellness this summer included a long road trip to the Northeast. It was a remarkable, relaxing almost-two-week budget vacation—that ended with my laptop hard drive crashing on the last day in New York. Oh, and my online backup system failed, too (or we had failed on it by not renewing it when it ran out unbeknownst to me). Talk about a Zen test. Yes, I cried several times. More than that, I felt discombobulated in a way I never really had. Suddenly, it felt like my life was adrift. And it kinda was.
The Road to Wellness Will Not Be Traveled By Car
As my car coasted into the JFP parking lot two weeks ago, I thought I had ran out of gas. It actually turns out that I need a new car engine, which means I'm out of a car for the time being. The good news? This means I have exceeded my goal of biking to work three times a week. However, it makes getting to the gym more of a challenge. It also makes everything else more of a challenge--from getting to the grocery store to finding ways not to arrive places pouring with sweat.
Wellness Project: Week 4
Last night, I thought that I would start decorating my prayer book with the expensive set of markers I bought for school. Well, it turns out that the ink won't adhere because the "pleather" surface is too slick. I sanded the cover, but to no avail. I thought about acrylic paint, but I am sure it will eventually flake off and make a mess. Then, I thought about making a book cover — you know, the kind you made in elementary school to cover your textbooks? I won't use a brown paper bag, though. I have some rag paper left over from a previously drawing class, and I think I'll use that since I like the texture of it. I may throw in some watercolors, too.
Developing a Wellness Habit
They say it takes 21 days to develop a habit, and that's been my wellness goal since returning from vacation -- I want to develop the habit of getting to the gym everyday and doing at least 30 minutes of exercise, whatever it is. So far I'm mostly spending time on the elliptical (that's where the TV is, after all) but even that feels like a nice accomplishment -- 3-4 miles of workout that doesn't get me so sore that I'm not up for going back the next day.
Week 3: King Cake, Tamales, and Water Oh My
Getting to the gym has proven to be hard work. I am eating much better, though my best friend did make a King Cake yesterday. Also spent a good bit of time at the Ink Spot Farewell party, I will miss those guys and gal (shout out to Walker's Drive-In for the fantastic Tamale casserole). This summer is much more hectic than I expected and I'm trying to manage my time better than I have in the past. I'm hoping for some suggestions or tips on that (anyone?). Drinking water is getting harder, I've been thinking about getting the Crystal Lite drink mix but I feel like that's cheating.
Mii Fit?
Last time I blogged on here, I mentioned my vacation-oriented Food Court diet disgust and the intense need to buy a Wii Fit. After that went up I went poking online and found a pretty good deal on the Wii Fit setup and ordered it immediately.
Wellness Project: Week 3
Last week, I said that I wanted a fancy, colorful book to write my prayers in, but then I realized that I could decorate my own book. I have paint and a 100-piece marker set, so why can't I? I already have a journal that I have hardly used, and the fabric cover should be able to receive paint or ink well. I'll draw some curlicues, some flowers and maybe throw in some abstract elements. Since I know what I want, it should be easier for me to customize a book than to go out and buy one. I would save a few bucks, too.
Water Water Everywhere
It was still daylight on a nice afternoon last April. I was busy, hungry and tired when my emotions got the better of me, and I drove into a fast food restaurant to eat before going home. The sandwich tasted a little odd, but I decided it was my imagination—probably just the spices.
No I didn't…Wait, yes i did.
I'm sitting at my desk right now chanting ROAD to Wellness, Road TO Wellness, Road to WELLNESS while visions of a large vanilla malt from Brent's are distracting me. I keep saying this over and over to myself hoping it will spark that "Aha" moment and make this road a smooth one, paved with great intentions and all green lights. So far, things are alright.
Rocky Road to Wellness
(And that's not rocky road ice cream.) Someone once told me that the minute we humans decide on a course of action and make a commitment, the next thing that invariably happens is that all the reasons show up why we can't keep our commitments. "It's not a good time," "I don't have the money," "Whose idea was this anyway?" are among my favorites, regardless of the actual commitment. Hmmm... talk about a pattern of behavior.
Food Court Wellness
I just got back from an extended weekend in Dallas with thousands of my closest friends at Project A-Kon, the longest running anime convention in North America. I have been attending this event for about a decade now (seriously? Sheesh!) and I always look forward to it as my big vacation of the year. There are so many things that pull me back each year, and seeing all my out of state (and some international) friends for one long weekend of pure chaos is just part of that attraction. Something is happening nearly 24 hours a day from Thursday though Sunday. How do you keep up with that AND stay healthy?
Milkshakes and French fries on this road? Probably not, huh?
The JFP Road to Wellness came at a wacky time for Todd and me. It started the week we were closing the new BOOM Jackson, as well as the summer arts preview issue. And we were preparing for a long road trip for our bargain vacation. He and I have long suffered from workaholism—we don't go home soon enough, we eat late, we're often too tired to exercise by the time we leave the office. We are fortunate that years ago, we chose a more healthy lifestyle by going vegetarian (no meat, but we have dairy and some eggs), by converting to mostly organic choices, and by starting to walk, meditate and actually take weekend days off (I take off more than he does, but he's trying). So we have a good base for wellness. But it's our workaholism that tends to hurt us. When we do leave the office by 7, it's usually to attend an event around town -- many that we too often have what I call "little blocks of cheese" for dinner as we graze the party snacks.
Wellness Project: Week 2
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Well, I'm starting to remember to stretch in the morning, but unfortunately I only remembered twice last week. I'm going to put a ginormous "STRETCH" sign on my mirror to remind myself to do it. Also, I still haven't gotten a journal to write my prayers in yet. I don't want to use one I've already written in. I want a nice, fresh one with pretty colors to make it special. Why do I want to write my prayers? You see, when a person has a history of anxiety and/or depression, focusing is more of a challenge. I tend to go off track while praying due to racing thoughts in my head. A typical prayer for me is like this:
You Gotta Have Heart
This information should not be used as a substitute for a doctor's care. Please consult with your doctor before changing or adding any therapies.