A Month in Review

Time flies doesn't it!

Highlights:
Trip to Norway
Finishing 3 audio books
A lot of gym time
Many changes to our plans

Norway - We went to Tromso Norway for a week to chase the Northern Lights. Wonderful opportunites and we were very lucky to see the lights. I'm stilll editing the pictures but links will be posted soon.

Gym Time - Within the last month I finally received a TENS Unit. It is a device that sends little electic shocks that disrupt nerve communication. For me it stops pain messages and allows me to be much more active. Thank goodness. There are pros and cans but I am happy for the technology.

Plans - As you may know, January DH was offered a transfer to New Jersey. No, not Snooki's territory, the pretty part. We dedabted and have decided to take the transfer! Preparing for the transfer has been, and will continue to be an adventure. It's a really good thing Heavenly Father is the one leading the way.

An Update

Quick Review -
Emotional - have not done journaling, need to
Mental - I was able to practice Italian in Norway but have not done so since
Physical - Gone to the gym twice already this week
Social - Joined a writer's group, found a workout buddy and called several family members
Spirtual - Reading scriptures is going well, need to beef up service

SO all in all still a work in progress. :)

Get Back to Where I Want to belong

An ongoing battle for me is consistency. Knowing me, you know this. Reading my blog, you know this. The question is what am I going to do about it? 

Break it down into smaller sections and try to work on it in small ways. I've broken life down into a five different sections into which just about everything can fall. Not in order they are: Emotional, Mental, Physical Social and Spiritual.

I'm working on a simple consistency goal(s) for each of them. Now it's time for the scary part, telling you what they are and updating you on how things progress. 

Emotional - Journaling at least twice a week. 

Mental - Study and practice italian. 2 hours each week.   

Physical - Get at least 5000 steps in a day. One hour of moderate activity five days a week. Also when accessible, go to gym 5 times a week, focusing on strength training.   

Social - I am very much a people person but it is so much easier for me to stay in my shell! My goal is to seek out social opportunities and use them. This could be calling, talking, skyping with friends or family. Getting to know new people or going to group activities. 

Spiritual - Keep reading scriptures everyday. Temple attendance or service once a week. 

 

Looking at these goals I am daunted. I just have to remember to get the big things in first. As life in the next 6 months is going to be full of changes, consistency is going to be an increasingly uphill battle. 

Time to get moving!  

Rough Day

So I trying this blog again. For me to keep a record. We'll see how it goes.

Today was a rough day. Yeah I know, I have sooo much to complain about.

Depression and pain reared their ugly heads fiercely today. I lost the battle most of the day. When I did make it to the gym, the first hour and a half seemed to go very well. Suddenly, I had intense double over and cry kind of pain. Hoping it would pass, I did my best to relax and tried assuage the pain. Didn't work so well. It was so bad I texted my husband saying he would need to come pick me up from the gym.

Eventually the pain calmed down and I was able to drive home. Ibuprofen and a nice Epsom salt soak helped. On a side note, the Bath and Body Works aromatherapy Warm Milk and Honey scent is nice and relaxing. It has a citrus like note to it too.

Time to prepare for tomorrow.

Chi Vuole Cotto, Chi Vuole Crudo

It basically means to each their own.

I was reading an article about one woman's views on what she is happy to pay full price for. I agreed with some of her points. Then, with others, I would think I would never spend the extra money on that. e.g. designer handbag. It got me thinking because everyone has a different set of acceptable splurges. Here are a few of mine -


Athletic shoes - Quality is important and if you take care of your feet, they'll take care of you. Not just any pricey pair is going to do the trick. A person needs to understand how they run/walk and what their needs are. This guide is a good starting point.




Wardrobe Staples - Sensible shoes, pant suit, slacks, jeans, etc. These need to fit well, and be of good quality. Not to sale that these can't or shouldn't be bought on sale or on clearance, just stick with quality.

It's easy to change things up with an inexpensive tops or accessories. Personally, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, JC Penny's and Goodwill have been great places to find fillers.
Bras are another thing worth the price. Again, I try to wait for sales, but women just need good bras. I think if a woman is a C cup or above the cheap bras sadly just don't cut it.




Insurance/Safety - Car, home, health, dental, renter's, etc. After my experiences NEVER skimp on insurance. There are many types of insurance and what each person needs depends on their life situation. It's so important to evaluate and make sure there is enough coverage AND it's being used. If you're not using your flex spending, why have it? Which leads to another problem of having too much insurance. It's all about looking at individual situations and figuring out what's best. Agents can help and there are many articles online to read as well.
Safety is huge! Not everything can be prevented but let's do what we can. It's worth it to invest in a good helmet, reflectors, hydration method, and gloves if someone is getting series about cycling. It doesn't guarantee anything but it does reduce risks.



Home/Personal Care - 
Good Vacuum - clean floors, keeps carpets in better conditions, so many reasons
Razors - it's just not worth the nicks, and I've learned the men's razors are so much better than women's
DO - Yes we all need some DO for our BO. It's important to buy what works for a person.

Soaps - Some soaps. This is all relative. We buy the inexpensive hand soap that works well. I also learned to make homemade liquid laundry soap that is super cheap and works really well. Though I've found that some lower cost body soaps don't do as well.


These are some of my thoughts. What about you?? I'm so curious.

Please post on what's important to you and why - even if you disagree with me.

Circuits, treadmills and weights, Oh my!!!

Working part time has meant an increase in my gym time! When my work ends, I have a few hours before I can pick up Hubby. I could goof around but mostly I end up at a branch of my gym down the street from work.

It’s given me more time to work out - at my body’s pace. Even now I can’t say my pace because I don’t want to own it. (I can’t/don’t to admit to being that slow and weak!)

To stave off boredom, I've found/developed different circuit and weight routines online. Another must is switching machines. (As much as I love the sliptical.) I tried having a 'rule' that I couldn't use the same cardio machine two days in a row. The unraveling of this rule came from only having three options: treadmill, elipitical and recline bike. I settled into a pattern very quickly, which isn't good for my cardio workouts right now.

I'm back to the drawing board for cardio workout 'rules'. Have any good ones you care to share?

It’s an uphill path but I am happy to say I can say, I feel I am making some very, very small bits of progress. I can use the machines for a little bit longer and on some weight lifting exercises I can do another set.

It feels like I spend a large part of my day at the gym but it will be worth the effort.

At least that's what I'm hoping for.

En-ie min-ie mine-ie mo, to which gym shall we go?

New place is GREAT. It doesn’t come with a gym room, so we had to search for somewhere else to work out.

Yes, I did try the work out at home. It doesn’t work for me. One video yes that’s fine but to really get the workout I need, I need the social atmosphere and pressure. My hubby would be just fine working out at home but is being encouraging by coming to the gym with me after work.

There was a lengthy search and comparison of local gyms. Here’s a few of the options we found.

Option A – 45 $ a month per person year long contract

Pros - Shiny new facility, lap pool, classes, racquet ball courts, decent amount of weights and cardio, clean locker rooms, kind of close to home and even has a Jacuzzi.

Cons – 90 $ a month on the gym, are you kidding me!? Oh and you’re not going to waive the pricey start up fees?!

Plus they didn’t have personal tvs on each cardio machine. Not required just nice. Lets take a look around. Hmmm most of the people, I mean almost all men, doing weights look like they live there or were juicing.

Option B – 10 $ a month no start up fee month to month

Really cheap, only ten dollars a month. Now we know for only ten dollars a month we would not be getting all the extras but that's fine, we don't need racquet ball courts or jacuzzis.

Online it looked like it had everything we needed. The real world experience was made me want to take a shower. The stale smell of gym socks and latent sweat assaulted us when we walked in the ‘gym’.

It was a converted warehouse which lacked ventilation and had a women’s locker room straight from a creepy slasher movie. The machines were old and in disrepair. We got out of there as fast as we could because it was clear that was not the gym for us.

Option C – 20 $ a month, 30 $ start up fee, yr long contract, 40 $ yearly fee

Pros – 1 person can by the pass and always bring a guest, in fact the gym encourages it. Use of multiple gyms. One is on the way home for us, another is down the street from my work. Personal TV’s on cardio machines. Clean gyms and locker rooms.

Cons – No classes, year long contract, yearly maintenance fee and no pool.

Option D – 10 or 15 $ each, yr long contract, 30 $ start up fee

An ok gym with 2 branches. It had classes but they wouldn’t work with our schedule or we would have to pay even more for them. It had personal TV’s but wasn’t well ventilated, had below par locker rooms, no pool and was out of our way on the way home. It was pretty cheap but overall not worth it.

In the end we went with Option C. I can work out after work because I work part time and we stop into the gym right on our way home. Also the gym by my work was waiving the start up fee, so we saved 30 dollars. We’ve had the membership for almost three weeks and we’re happy with our choice. It’s been worth our money and time.