Quarterly Goals and Reports - First Quarter Report

Well it’s April 1!  So that means yesterday was the last day of the first quarter of my challenge.  And how did I do?  Well, I’m eating the recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables, and I certainly notice when I go a day without.  I’m cooking at home more as well, which helps with eating more fruits and veggies.

But (as you can see above) I failed at the other goal, at least partially.  I regularly and consistently go to the gym, but not four times per week.  I’m currently at two to three days per week, and for the time being, I am happy with that.  The reason for that health goal was to lead a less sedentary life, and I have definitely succeeded in that.

And now on to the goals for my second quarter.  I have decided to make a Health Goal (yes, again), and a Hobbies Goal.

Health Goal

By June 30, 2012, I would like to be swimming once a week.  I was speaking with my dental hygienist yesterday (well as much as you can speak to one) and I was reminded that at one time I was a pretty good swimmer.  So good, in fact, that I had gone up to the highest level in lessons before you would become a lifeguard.  I stopped because at that point I was too young to become a lifeguard, and by the time I was old enough I was more interested in other things.  It has been more than 15 years since I swam laps, so I need to keep that in mind while setting this goal.  Swimming once a week could mean any number of laps, and any type of stroke, so I should set some parameters.  In order to qualify as having gone swimming, I must do at least 5 laps, and I must do the front-stroke (properly, head in water), the backstroke, or the breaststroke (again, properly, head in water).

Swimming uses a whole other set of muscles and technique, so that is why I’m starting out small with 5 laps.  And its still exercise!

Hobbies Goal

Some of you already know that I got my Reiki Level II last year.  I haven't done much of anything with it.  I'm not even using it for self-care either.

By June 30, 2012, I would like to be using this gift at least twice a week.  Ideally, I'd like to be doing Reiki every day, but I just don't give myself the time for that right now.  Hopefully by using Reiki a couple times a week, I will get more into a habit of using my talents daily.  Only good things can come of it!

Quarterly Goals and Reports - The First Chapter

Here they are, my First Quarterly Goals!  I have decided that for the first 3 months of 2012, I would like to focus on 2 Health goals.

Health Goal No. 1

By March 31, 2012, I would like to be going to the gym 4 days a week on a regular and consistent basis.  My plan to get there is to start small and gradually work up to it.  It is not about inches; it is not about pounds.  It is about the fact that I currently lead a very sedentary lifestyle.  I work a desk job (even though I am not sitting all day, there is still the threat of gaining a secretary's ass), and as soon as I get home, all I want to do (and end up doing) is sitting in front of the television until its time to peel myself off the couch and go to bed.

I also think that getting active, even if its just walking on a treadmill for half an hour, is a good stepping stone and basis to gradually making lifestyle changes.  I used to work out on a regular basis and even had a trainer, and the energy I got from working out was awesome, and made me WANT to eat healthier.

Health Goal No. 2

I want to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into my poor diet.  I eat little to no fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, so by March 31, 2012, I would like to be consistently eating the recommended 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.

One of the biggest issues I know I will encounter in this goal is that I can be picky.  I absolutely hate bananas, even though once in a while I crave them.  The easiest fruits to eat, meaning the most portable and easiest to prepare, are my least favourite.  But its not about eating what suits my mood - its about making lifestyle changes.

Well, there they are, laid out in front of me.  Challenge accepted.

Aack!!

Well…I certainly am not the greatest blogger, now am I? Leaving you all hanging for 5 months – shame on me!

Given this fact and the fact that I don’t make resolutions at the beginning of each year, I’m going to try something new. Something that will hopefully still hold me accountable to myself and the people who love me. I am going to start quarterly goals and reports. I’ll still blog when interesting things happen (please, no more birds in my apartment though), and I’ll make goals every three months and check in to see where I am at with those goals.

BUT! (and this is what I am hoping will keep me successful at my goals) I am only going to make a goal for each quarter at the beginning of that particular quarter. I am not going to try and make all my goals for the year right now.


The Rules:

1. Be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for automatic failure by setting goals that are unattainable in the timeframe of 3 months.

2. Try. Don’t give up after a week.

3. Set a goal for 2 life categories (for lack of a better word): Health, Relationships, Hobbies, or Finances.

4. Allow yourself to be imperfect. Oh, there will be bumps and blips in the road ahead, but if you give yourself permission to make the odd mistake, you’re better off than riddling yourself with guilt every time.

5. Your goal must be set by the beginning of each quarter and met by the end of each quarter, with a grace period of 3 days on either end.

First Quarter – January 1, 2012 – March 31, 2012
Second Quarter – April 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012
Third Quarter – July 1, 2012 – September 30, 2012
Fourth Quarter – October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

Now, on to setting some goals for the first quarter.

Soooo...a bird flew into my apartment.

So yesterday after work, I decided I just wanted a chill night after such a busy weekend with friends from out of town being here. I told my bf to vamoose and that I would see him today, and he did. So I'm chillin', watching Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny (I PVRed it a couple weeks ago), I have my patio door open (no screens because a former tenant took them at some point before I moved in), and suddenly this bird kamikazes into my apartment, straight into the wall in my kitchen. Thud. No movement.

I'm sitting there in utter shock and disbelief. I know exactly where it has landed on my pantry/shelf. I call Russel (the boyfriend) and tell him there is a bird in my apartment. He doesn't understand what I'm saying at first, and then I say it again. There. Is. A. Bird. In. My. Apartment. He says he'll be right there. Ten minutes later, the bird comes too, and there is some flapping and then stillness and still no Russel, so I call my parents.

First my mom can't stop laughing as I am in hysterics about this bird. My sister is in the background saying "Charge it rent, that'll get him out", and my dad is trying to tell me how to deal with it. So my dad gets on the phone and tells me to put on sunglasses and a hat so that it can't peck my eyes out and won't get tangled in my hair. I'm telling him there is no way I am going near that thing because I am absolutely certain it will attack me. Finally, another 15 minutes passes and Russel gets there - turns out he had been long-boarding in Stanley Park and he got there as fast as he could. He's giggling a bit as he sees me waiting in my hallway. So I let him in, and tell him where the bird is. Then I stand in my hallway and watch as he turns on all the lights and he sees a little finch sitting there, among my canned goods. He slowly reaches for it, and it goes beserk, sending it up towards the ceiling in my direction. So I run into the bathroom shrieking and close the door. As I'm in there, I hear rustling and my venetian blinds moving and then I hear water running, so I go out. Russel has the bird in his hand (he wrapped a plastic bag around his hand first), and he's letting it drink water. Then he took it out the balcony and set it free.And that was my supposed-to-be-uneventful Tuesday night.

20

If you could only have one thing to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Pizza, as long as I could change the toppings daily to suit my cravings.

Where is the furthest place from home that you've travelled to?  I googled it - Rio de Janeiro is only 508.86 km farther away from Vancouver than Tel Aviv is.  So Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. :-D

What is your favourite sound?  The sound of his hands wrapping around my waist.

List three things in the nearest proximity to you right now.  A phone, a computer and a mirror.

What are the first three things you would do after finding out you won the lottery?  I would pay off the rest of my credit line, give my family money, buy land in 3 different countries to develop my homes/vacation homes, and develop said homes.

What was the last thing someone said to you that you'll remember forever?  "I love you"

Do you wish upon a star?  I haven't in a long time...maybe I'll start again!

What is your favourite day of the week?  Saturday

What is/was your favourite 80s sitcom?  Golden Girls

Do you think moustaches are sexy?  Nope.  Not at all.

Do you like talking raunchy, or being spoken to in a raunchy manner during sex?  This question is kind of out of left field.  The answer is no.

What do you find the most disgusting?  Questions like the one above!!  Kidding, I'm not THAT much of a prude.  I find a lot of things disgusting...

If you could have anything, absolutely anything right now, what would it be?  $3,567,230.25, tax free.

What are your three favourite smells?  Vanilla, fresh cut grass, the smell of coffee brewing while I'm still under the covers half asleep.  I know my answers are pretty pedestrian.  You're welcome.

If you could push one person off the edge of a cliff, and get away with it, would you do it?  Noooooo!!

If so, who would it be?  TOTALLY not going there!!!!

Have you heard any rumours about me lately (Alli Bell, Linds Carstens)?  Yes, I've heard you're both pregnant. (kidding)

Can we get together and make a cake?  Why the hell not?!

Have we kissed each other?  Yes, I've probably given you both a peck on the cheek at one time or another.

Have you ever snooped around someone else's house?  Yes, but not much.  I like looking at family photos that are all on display.

Can you curl your tongue?  Yes!!

This time, its gonna be different!!!

In September 2009, I completed a 30 day fitness challenge.  I didn't work out for 30 days straight, but I did pretty good and probably only missed a few days.  On the last day I finished the challenge with a rigorous work out with my trainer, in which we did some kick boxing (one of my favourite cardio activities).  Soon after that day, I couldn't walk properly; I had pulled my SI-joint (its hyper-mobile).  I'm still going to physio for it a year and a half later, but have returned to the gym (a few times...) since then.

There seem to be too many of these starts and stops though.  Why do I get all gung-ho about it for a few weeks and then just quit?  Is it all excuses, or are some of these reasons valid?  I feel like I've ALWAYS been like this...is it normal?  How do some people develop great will-power and motivation, and others don't?

This time its different.  This time I feel like I've got not only the physical motivation to get moving, but also the mental and emotional.  I've seen the benefit of exercising regularly and eating well - you start feeling like a super star, you have more energy, you sleep better, your clothes fit better, and ... other aspects seem to improve as well. ;-)

I'm ready to quit being a self-centered, un-motivated brat with no will power, and start being a self-centered, MOTIVATED brat WITH will power!  I work full time and a second job 3 evenings a week, so scheduling is going to be difficult until my body is used to the routine.  Some people are going to try to convince me to go out with them in the middle of the week.  Please don't get me wrong, I love spending time with each and every one of you (and you know who you are), but the lifestyle I am currently living is not conducive to a good and healthy body, outlook, attitude and life.  So until I get my body used to all the changes, I am going to be hiding under a rock for a while, sometimes even on weekends.

Last week I went to bed at 11pm almost every night, which is early in my world.  But I woke up feeling like I actually slept (except for nights where I have sleep-stared, but that's a whole other story, and I'll save that for another post).  I LIKE feeling like that in the morning!!

I'm not completely naive.  I know I'm not going to change all my bad habits overnight.  Baby steps!  But those baby steps are going to start with a couple morning work-outs per week.  My gym is 2 minutes (LITERALLY) from my house, so I can stumble out of bed, brush my teeth, put a hat over my bed head, and get moving!

I want to start running eventually.  I've tried to before, and I got all the way up to running for 5 minutes without stopping (I know, to most of you that doesn't seem like much, but to me, it felt like I had conquered a HUGE hurtle).  I did a 5K walk/run in 45 minutes in December 2009 - that was fun!

This week's plan:

• Walk for 45 minutes on at least 2 of my lunch breaks;
•  Go to the gym before work at least once; and
•  Cut out coffee after 1:00pm.

Three challenges for 1 week, and they seem quite reasonable.  Lets see how many of them I can check off as of next week's post.

This'll be a nice, refreshing, tall glass of lemonade...

We all know the old adage.  When life hands you lemons you look at life, look down at the lemons, look at life again, look down at the lemons and look and life and say "Seriously?!"  Then you pull up your boot straps, take out your juicer and have at 'er!

 The past little bit has been a little rough and tumultuous, but thankfully I have had some really great people by my side through it.  And they remind me every day that I have made the right decision.  I quit one of my jobs.  I don't want to get into details because I am not really a fan of bashing in any form, and especially via the Internet.

 I have been at my new full time position for just over a month now, and its awesome.  The professionalism is by far the best I've encountered.  There are no cliques, everyone does the work they are asked un-begrudgingly.  There has been a little bit of a learning curve, but thankfully (so far) not much of one.  I've been doing this for 10 years so all there is to really learn is just how this business does things versus the way others did it.

And I feel another challenge coming on...