Sunday, January 13, 2013

One Step at a Time

If you read my last post then you saw that one of my top goals for this year is to start on a healthier path and another is to post more frequently on here. Well here I am posting (Yay!) and I wanted to share a major step I made in my path to being healthier. 

Since about October I've been trying to get in the habit of waking up early and going for a morning walk to at least get myself up and moving. That was a struggle until my dad went in the hospital and his doctors told him he couldn't drive until after his foot is completely healed (which it still isn't, but it's close), and I had to get up every morning to drive my mom to work. Now that I actually have a responsibility, I am much less tempted to hit snooze in the morning. 

Actually choosing to get moving in the morning was my first step to being healthy and even though it was only a small choice, I feel empowered by it. Choosing to get moving in the morning has shown me that I can make better choices for myself if I really want to. I always feel better about my day after I've been up and moving about. Another thing I've gained from these walks is personal time. For those 30-40 minutes every morning I get to be lost in my music and not worry about the stuff that brings me down. It's peaceful.

Over the past few months I've expanded my walking route to keep it interesting but also to add more challenge to my walking. For awhile I was trying to figure out how I could change up my workout without just adding more distance and one option that kept coming back to me was start running but I do not like running at all. I'm sure I would if I was skinnier but I'm definitely not so I'm not a fan. I know though that running is a better workout than just walking and eventually I would get to that point I just didn't know when. I think part of me was scared, although I'm not sure why, but I finally broke out of that fear. About a week ago I started adding portions of running to my routine; not running the whole thing but two small sections for now. 

Eventually I would like to get to the point where I can run the whole distance but for now it's a small victory to be able to run at all. Yes I have to push myself to finish and when I finish them I feel like my lungs are going to die but I know that I'm achieving a small victory. Just the fact that I'm running at all is getting me one step closer to my goal and I couldn't be happier. It may be uncomfortable for a while but I know if I keep it up I will be happy with the result. 

One more thing I want to share before I wrap this up is an app I really love to use while I'm walking/running. The app is called Charity Miles and it allows you to use the time you are running, walking, or biking to raise money for charity. Once you download the app to your smart phone all you have to do is select your activity and the charity you would like to donate for and tap start. The best part of it is you pay nothing! All the money comes from corporations. I love this app because I feel like while I'm trying to do better for myself, I can also help others and that adds to the esteem boost I get from working out. When you're done all you do is hit stop and it tells you what your workout is worth to the organization you chose. You can even post to Facebook and Twitter to share what an awesome person you are for working out and helping others. Who ever came up with this app is amazing and I thank them for sharing it with us. I think everyone who workout with a smart phone or iPod touch should use this app.  

I just want to end this by saying to anyone who might be struggling mentally or physically with getting up the to nerve to start working out that it's totally worth it. No matter how much it hurts it is completely worth it. You know your body's limits and how far it can be pushed but don't be afraid to push outside of your own comfort zone because you'll never get where you want to be without taking that step out of the familiar. Only you can make the choice to get up and move. You don't have to start out running a marathon because even the smallest step can be the beginning of the greatest change of your life. So from one big girl to another I just want to say you can do it and I'm cheering for you just like I hope you're cheering for me. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Tops of 2012

This is inspired by a post my bestie posted on her blog and I decided to do the same. Also I haven't blogged in awhile which I hope to change in this new year.

Well here it is! The end of a year and the start of another. Glad to see we all made it through the "End of the World." I for one did not buy into that but it's funny to joke about. A lot has happened this year, in general and personally, and it's nice to look back on it all. This is some of my top tens of the year, not in any particular order.

Personally:
1. Moving back home in May.
2. Figuring out just how tough job hunting is.
3. Becoming completely enraptured into the Hunger Games. (I'm a Tribute!)
4. Getting our new puppy Sammy in July.
5. Doing a mini overhaul of our house while trying to figure out where to put all my stuff after moving home.
6. Becoming a 100% Directioner! (Fan of One Direction)
7. Derek graduating high school.
8. Getting to go to Waco to see Sam Houston play Baylor and Derek march in the Baylor band.
9. Being the maid of honor in Shannon's wedding in August.
10. Having a whole year to relax without any obligations.

I know there are many other things I'm missing but it's been a long year I honestly can't remember everything that happened but it was great. Now I'm gonna talk about some others top tens of mine this year. You may not agree but I also don't always think like everyone else lol.

Movies:
10. Pitch Perfect
9. The Lorax
8. Brave
7. The Vow
6. The Lucky One
5. Katy Perry: Part of Me
4. The Avengers
3. The Dark Knight Rises
2. Breaking Dawn Part 2
1. The Hunger Games
I would include The Hobbit and Les Miserables but I haven't seen them. I know I'm going to like them though.





TV:
10. Scrubs (I know it's off the air but I started buying the DVDs lol)
9. Glee
8. The Office
7. Doctor Who
6. How I Met Your Mother
5. The X-Factor
4. CSI
3. Big Bang Theory
2. Criminal Minds
1. Once Upon a Time





Music:
10. Nicki Minaj
9. The Wanted
8. Justin Bieber
7. Demi Lovato
6. Kelly Clarkson
5. Katy Perry
4. Taylor Swift
3. P!nk
2. Ed Sheeran
1. One Direction
I won't do my top songs cause they would pretty much be all One Direction but these artists had some of my favorite songs of the year.


So those are a few of the things that kept me entertained this year while I didn't do a darn thing. I guess that's what happens when you finish school and can't find a job.

In 2013 I hope to:

  1. Find a Job!
  2. Lose weight, or rather start myself on a healthy path to losing weight.
  3. Spend more time with the friends who I have close and stay in contact with those who aren't. (geographically close)
  4. Stop procrastinating on things and do them when I think about them. 
  5. Do at least one productive thing a day.
  6. Blog more frequently.
  7. Be less negative. (I don't want to say be more positive because that makes me sound like I'm not very positive to begin with lol)
  8. Read more! (I have so many books to read sitting on my shelves!)
  9. Continue helping my parents get our house under control. (I swear we are on the verge of being on hoarders. Ok, maybe not that bad but if we don't stop it now we will be)
  10. Continue to be me but perfect the areas that need a little polishing.
I guess that's kinda my new years resolution right there, but it's more so things I've already started on and just want to continue to improve on. Well Happy New Year and lets all keep making ourselves better and better and help others be better too.