Daily check-in thread for August 23, 2007

I'm signing in for August 23.

Goal: Wake up at 5:00
Done. Even 10 minutes early as my son began to cry. I'm 23-23 for August.
But I didn't want to wake up yet...I would prefer to be in bed now :(

God, I'm bad on all fronts, staying up too late, no exercise, and not getting up on time. Okay, I've got a rotten cold, but that's no excuse for staying up late. Lack of sleep won't help me get better any time soon. So early to bed tonight and tomorrow, so I can be up on time on Saturday, ready for a good long three day weekend of writing!

Stats
16 for 17

Today's Comment
Still goin strong. Really feeling good stamina with this habit. The proof... someone asking me what time I get up in the morning. 15 days ago, I would answer 8:30, but there would be anxious qualifications going on internally and perhaps externally as well--I couldn't confidently say that I would/could be up at that time. Now, I say 8:30 without any trepidation whatsoever. Feels good!

Start Date: 08/07/2007
In shower every morning at 9am

I come into August 23 with {20 of 22 for August}.

Promise:

#1 Fitness: Row 300 strokes, 3m pushing, 3m alt.pushing, 8 leg lifts.

#2 Get out: 45m yard work around the front walk

#3 Organize: 60m more flattening accounts and bills

-"orcmid"

#1 and #3 are complete. I got going early and am now working on some other projects early enough to be fresh and energetic with them. I will get into the yard, then run some errands later in the day when I need a break from the software work.

I've been so busy I haven't posted but I've stuck to my morning routine except for one day when I was completely caught off guard by the sudden thirty degree change in weather. I severely overslept despite keeping two alarms and even the cat didn't wake me up as she usually does when it's time for her breakfast.

I still find that I don't have enough time to write or perhaps I'm not making enough time so I've decided to create an afternoon routine. This will cover at least the 2 or 3 hours after I get home and before I go to bed. Maybe this will help me better manage my free time before it's time to get ready to retire for the evening.

goals all done
prayed
walked 5 mi
wrote down my food
not eating after 8pm
checked in
another very good day :D

Done for today. :)

PS. The avatar loading mechanism is working! Hooray, I can put my picture up. :D

I feel excellent today, I finished my lecture early, completed an assignment and all before 10.30 on Thursday. The sun was shining, I had a great lunch and relaxed followed by one of the best sleeps I've had in a long time.

I'll use this as fuel to be productive on the weekend.

TGIF! :)

I come into August 23 with {20 of 22 for August}.

Promise:

#1 Fitness: Row 300 strokes, 3m pushing, 3m alt.pushing, 8 leg lifts.

#2 Get out: 45m yard work around the front walk

#3 Organize: 60m more flattening accounts and bills

-"orcmid"

#1 and #3 are complete. I got going early and am now working on some other projects early enough to be fresh and energetic with them. I will get into the yard, then run some errands later in the day when I need a break from the software work.

-"orcmid"

#2 is complete. The weather was great for yard work. I edged the front sidewalk, sank some bricks where I park my hose reel, added a flagstone to the walk along the side of the house, and moved some sedums from the front steps to the rockery.

I am now {21 of 23 for August}.

Goal: to do something everyday to advance my career.
Log: I am way, waaaay of course. Haven't worked on this at all since last Saturday. A recent turn for the better at work made me less eager to realize this goal. Still, I looked at jobs today, and even found one I would be interested in - if it weren't a 7 month contract :(

I'm now at 13 out of 24 :(

Stretch/yoga 5 min: Nope. (17/23)

Lose 1#/week through calorie max of 1800/day: 2640 total (3040 food less 400 exercise). Had cake last night. What a bum. (7/23)

The good thing about tracking all my calories and poundage over these months of challenges, besides losing a few pounds and keeping it off, is that I have data. I just looked at all my data since I started in late May and my overall calorie average (food less exercise) is about 2,000 since the beginning. That's a good starting point. A few years ago, I had kept this kind of data through a weight loss and a number of years of keeping it off, and it's helpful in this post-industrial era of fatitude. (I deleted my data when I changed computers and systems.)

My goal is to lower this calorie average and see how that works--determine the point at which I keep losing weight gradually--I suspect between 1800 and 1900-- and then what's the maintenance point--probably around 2,000. At least I'm keeping those few pounds off and halted that trend of gaining and I am determined to get the rest off, no matter how long it takes. I just have to work through a few knots along the way, like emotional eating and upping my already substantial weekly exercise with more cardio. Also, this data is certainly imprecise, since it doesn't capture the days that are just routinely more active because I'm not at work and those more sedentary days when I'm chained to my desk, except for the few minutes and hours when I'm exercising or walking.

So, the real solution is that I need to quit this office routine and get a job as a cowhand or seaweed gatherer or something more active...