Happy New Year!

photo via:veer.com

Isnt' that a delightfully tacky new years crown?

I know it's a little early to talk about the New Year...but I've already been thinking about resolutions....

Is anyone good at keeping their New Year’s Resolutions? I’m not. In fact, I usually forget what they were by um…February. But, I always think about them…what would I like to do better, what would I like to accomplish, etc.

Well this year, I am giving myself 2 New Year’s resolutions.
1) Become as much of a locovore as possible. How do you even spell that word? Localvore? Locavore? Anyway. I would like to buy, eat, recreate, etc as locally as possible. Now, we all know the dilemma about fresh produce in the winter, and let’s face it, while I live in a hugely agricultural valley…we don’t really produce much in the winter. But California does….and hey, that is only two states over…so that is better than Mexico right? Anyway, this resolution also extends to patronizing small local businesses and restaurants, instead of chains. Now…this won’t always be possible, like when my Inlaws want to eat at Red Robin for my father-in-law’s bday. I’ve also been thinking about my gym membership, which has been sorely under utilized since I started doing morning walks with the dog, as well as using the employee workout room, but when my “contract” is up in July, not continuing and joining the small, locally owned gym that is 1 block from my subdivision. Then I could walk there! How much more local can you get? Plus….it’s 13 dollars a month cheaper!
2) The second is to read 3 books per month. This is actually quite easy for me. I am a voracious reader, but I let me self read fluff books. It’s not that I WANT to read text books or anything, but now that I’m out of school…I’ve decided that while I am going to read 3 books a month, 1 of them has to be non fiction.
3) Ok, I lied 3 resolutions. My third resolution is that I am going to make a mini set of resolutions each month. Little things that I want to accomplish or do. I got the idea from Kim over at www.elasticwaist.com and I actually started doing it in October.

I didn’t share about my mini resolutions, because…given my track record with resolutions, I didn’t want to fail miserably semi-publicly, on my blog. I would say that I’ve been about 60% successful with my monthly resolutions. I write them down on little index cards and keep them at my office.

Do you want to know what I’m working on this month? It was sort of a back to basics month for me.
1) read 2 non fiction books (Which is where I got the idea for my 2009 resolution)
2) Drink 2 nalgene bottles of water a day at work.( I was really good about this, but got in the bad habit of not drinking enough H20.)
3) Check blogs/internet at designated times throughout my work day. (for example 8am for 10 mins, 11 am for 10 mins, and 3pm for 10 mins. )
4) Do a lunchtime “sweat break” 4x a week. 2 cardio, 2 toning.

I’m doing really well on 1-3. As far as my “sweat break” I’ve done pretty well. Last week the weather was just too nice to not go outside on my lunch hour, so I took 30 minute walks that week…..

I’m going to wait to reveal my January resolutions till the new year….ooh the suspense...I can’t take it! J Stay warm.

I wasn’t going to post about the Oprah thing. But then Everyone did twice.

It’s funny, because I first read about this on Elasticwaist yesterday, and my knee jerk reaction was eye rolling…follow by an internal monologue of “puuhleeeze…200 pounds! If Oprah is a fat cow at 200 lbs, then I am a beached whale, blah blah blah blah blah, self righteousness blah blah blah, she has every tool in the world to be “thin”blah blah blah... she should be happy to be 200 lbs."

Then I started reading peoples comments on blog entries and I thought a little more about it.

Oprah is allowed to feel however she wants about her weight and her body, whether I think it is ridiculous or not. She is allowed to think she is a fat cow at 200 pounds, just like I am allowed to think that I am healthy and fit at 239. and people are allowed to disagree with us. It’s the beauty of free will. And..I disagree with Oprah by the way.

Now..do I think she should be “embarrassed” by gaining weight back? No.

Do I think it is extremely self deprecating and little ridiculous to create a tabloid like cover for your own magazine pointing out your failure? Yes. But clearly, the publicity worked, or the blogosphere wouldn’t be writing up a storm about it.

Alot of commenters have said they admire Oprah’s honesty. I don’t really feel one way or the other about her honesty. I also, for the record, have not read the full article, because her site is blocked at work.

When I read it, I’m really hoping it says something to the effect of , “ I am a successful, affluent, influential, self-made, powerful woman. And I realize that I don’t have to yo-yo Diet anymore. That being 200lbs doesn’t make me less of a person. I am going to strive to be the healthiest I can, at any size I can, because people look up to me and take what I say as gospel.” Only, you know…typed into a coherent, well written article.
But … maybe I am just chasing unicorns

push up

So, I was browsing elastic waist the other day, ok I do it everyday, but that isn't the point. One of the posters put a post up about a training program that trains you to do 100 consecutive pushups. HA!~ 100? Consecutive push ups? Ha!
But then I looked at the program, ok I only looked at the home page, and week 1 of the training program (it's six weeks long) but it seemed doable.

So I did my intial test, and I did 8 push ups (not on my knees, true push ups) consecutively before I lost form. The next day, I did day one of the program. It was tough to eek out those last couple of push-ups, but I made it. Today my arms a little sore, but my abs are killing me.

I don't know why I really really want to do this. I think it would be quite the accomplishment to get 35 in a row. Anyway....I'm going to do this program. Anyone with me?