Last Week of Perfect 10 Challenge

Week #10  for My Goals for the First 10 Weeks of 2010

It's the end of Steve's Perfect 10 Challenge, which was a 10 week challenge to make progress on 10 goals.
The Perfect 10 guidelines include updating every Friday on how you're doing. I had plans to end the last week really strong. . . but it didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped. It was a busy busy week at work--working mostly 11 hour days. That makes fitting in the rest of life a bit challenging.

1. Plan out my weekly menu in advance and preferably use it to grocery shop (weekly menu comes from new Eating Well Diet cookbook or site, SparkPeople, Weight Watchers, or other healthy meals); meals should equal ~1500 calories a day
• How I did: I planned it, but didn't stick with it. I feel like I'm no more practiced at this really than I was at the start of the year Sigh..
2. Use one weekend day (or an weekday evening night) to cook ahead--soups for lunches, veggies for the week, and perhaps 1 dinner entree.
• How I did: Bombed! Did not do this. . . worked Sun afternoon and just didn't get ahead.
3. Plan 2 nights a week where dinner is easy--like hummus & veggies, a vegggie burger or other quick sandwich
• How I did: Sadly. If I don't do this on Sundays, it basically doesn't happen and I have kind of a bad attitude about giving my weekends over to this. . . still needs work even after 10 weeks (though even as  I write, I have a chicken cooking to make chicken potato soup and to use for a mexican casserole).
4. Pack my lunches most days and eat the lunch I packed.
• How I did: I brought my lunch 3 days and ate out 2 days because I didn't plan ahead well. This was the worst week I've had all year in terms of just not having the meals under control. I feel like I've made strides toward this since the first of the year. I prefer my packed lunches AND my packed snacks.
5. Get up 4-6 days a week with Hubby to swim at the gym, and keep increasing the intensity each week. [Modified week 2 to be get up to do cardio--but not necessarily swim]
• How I did: VERY WELL! Only swam two times--Sat. and Tuesday, did other workouts. My swimming lesson on Friday got cancelled. But I did buy myself a kick board and learned some new ways to practice. Am really proud of how we've stuck with swimming and about adding in a swimming coach!
6. Learn the breast stroke.
• How I did: Still just working on my freestyle with a swim coach. But I'm looking forward to some tips on this.
7. Work out with Hubby & trainer two times a week
• How I did: BETTER THAN GOAL! For our 6th week, we did 3 sessions with Trainer Ray: Monday, Thursday, Friday. This has been a great success for us this year so far and we're signed up for the rest of the year. . . so it's looking good.
8. Ride the recumbant bike at least 2x a week and increase time at least every two weeks
• How I did: I rode the recumbant bike on one of our cardio days and even did about 5 minutes on the upright stationary just to see what it felt like. Not bad. It's getting to be bike season. . .more goals to come here.
9. Start going to church with Hubby and actively look for friends
• How I did: Went for the 2nd week in a row. .. Hubby isn't loving the atmosphere. . .we'll see. Feel like church hasn't panned out well, but I have my eye on a few people to try to make more connnection with.
10. Make a point to be aware of and challenge negative thinking
• How I did: Had an OK week mood wise. Just very very busy at work. My mom finally came home after 5 weeks of being with my aunt in hospice. (My aunt died.)

Another Thrilling Secret About Me
I'm such an open book that it's hard to think of things. . . I had surgery on my knees when I was about 4 years old. I was "one-third club footed"--pigeon toed. The surgery they did was state of the art then but considered barbaric now. They basically turned my knee caps around and I had a body cast from my toes to my chest for 6 weeks. I had to learn to walk again. Supposedly, they put pins in my knees that were supposed to move up my thigh with age, but I've had several X-rays and there are no signs of pins. . . in fact doctors say except for the scars on my legs, they can't tell from X-rays that I ever had any kind of surgery. . . .weird, huh?

No Longer Trespassing?

So Hubby and I had a very interesting experience this morning. We checked out the another world. The World of Fit people. We did this by venturing into a Sports Authority.

It's not like I've never been in a sports store. I buy things at one occasionally--like my favorite expensive socks--Thorlos. And in the past, I've sometimes needed a single something or other that lead me in and directly to the item.

And sometimes at Christmas I've been known to venture in for baseball shirts for my brother-in-law, or a bat for my nephew, or a football for my grandson.

But today, today was different. It was a new day.

We went in and stopped first at the golf clubs. Amazingly lightweight, these new clubs. I told Hubby, sure I'd consider hitting a few buckets of balls with him this spring. . .

An employee sped by us, calling out, "Finding everything you need?" I asked where swimming things were and Hubby caught me by surprise by saying, "And we're just looking around at some other stuff."

We moved on to swimming gear. I picked up a kickboard and a new pair of goggles since my were leaking. These are what I came in for.

But nearby were basketballs. . . sometimes Trainer Ray takes us into the basketball court at the gym for part of our workout. Usually we walk around it, occasionally jog, do some freeweights in there. He & Hubby sometimes shoot baskets. I joined in for the first time last week. Yesterday, he had us throw the basketball at the wall, have it bounce and then catch it. Pretty basic, huh?

OK, so at the risk of you finding out that, yes, I have been under some kind of recreational rock, this little exercise was exciting and motivational for me. I threw the ball at the wall, it came back and bounced, but I had to step back to catch it. Or step left. Or step right. Or step back two times. I looked over at Hubby and the woman working out with us to see how they were doing. Their balls were hitting the wall and coming down perfectly with one bounce so it basically tossed itself directly back into their hands. Hmmmmmm

So I make an adjustment, a kind of unconscious adjustment. And now my ball is coming right back to me too. It made me feel in control. In telling Hubby this later (yes, he is wonderful to listen to these banal self-aggrandizing monologues), I realized that I just threw the ball a little lower on the wall and with a little less force. Recognizing what I had done made me feel powerful.

When we started walking, I held onto my ball and dribbled and walked. . .

Today in Sports Authority. I picked up several balls and experimented with dribbling. Like unruly kids, Hubby & I dribbled and then tossed balls to each other, sometimes bouncing sometimes not. We picked up a standard indoor/outdoor basketball. . . there are courts in our neighborhood, we could play horse, try shooting some baskets.  I am not to throw the ball against the house, Hubby tells me. But, hey, there is the driveway. . .

We moved on to look at rackets for racketball. . . there are courts in the gym. Hubby says it could be fun. But then he decided one tnew hing at a time would be a good idea. So I didn't suggest to him that we also buy mitts and a softball; you know I've never caught a ball in a glove. . . but one thing at a time, let's get the basketball separated from its packaging. . . let it see the sunlight. . . meet the pavement. . .

We're still aliens, but I think we're on our way to not be visitors in this new land any longer. . .

Week #9 of Perfect 10- Challenge

Week #9  for My Goals for the First 10 Weeks of 2010

It's the end of week 9 of Steve's Perfect 10 Challenge, which is a 10 week challenge to make progress on 10 goals.
The Perfect 10 guidelines include updating every Friday on how you're doing.

1. Plan out my weekly menu in advance and preferably use it to grocery shop (weekly menu comes from new Eating Well Diet cookbook or site, SparkPeople, Weight Watchers, or other healthy meals); meals should equal ~1500 calories a day
• How I did: Very well! .planned the menu and studk to it every night for dinner (except for the night the fish smelled too fishy. . . ) I didn't plan snacks though, and it really showed in my snack choices. . .
2. Use one weekend day (or an weekday evening night) to cook ahead--soups for lunches, veggies for the week, and perhaps 1 dinner entree.
• How I did: Redeemed from last week! I cooked a tuna casserole recipe use Shiritake noodles (my first take with them.) and I made some Asian Chicken Soup.
3. Plan 2 nights a week where dinner is easy--like hummus & veggies, a vegggie burger or other quick sandwich
• How I did: SUCCESS! One night we ate the above mentioned soup with some frozen chicken poststickers. Another night we ate whole sheat fettacine with jarred spagahettii sauce, with some mushrooms added.
4. Pack my lunches most days and eat the lunch I packed.
• How I did: I stayed at home todays and those days sometimes eat up more loose instead of controllled. . . go figure. Then on my first day back, I let an employee talk me into eating out. . . chose a salad,, but we share d a bit of calamari first. I did well with eathing what I packed the other 2 days. . . but missed planning & eating my snacks. Succumbed to the mini Baby Ruths in the candy dishes (some jerk placed a new bowl near the printer!)
5. Get up 4-6 days a week with Hubby to swim at the gym, and keep increasing the intensity each week. [Modified week 2 to be get up to do cardio--but not necessarily swim]
• How I did: BEAUTIFULLY! We swam on Sat. I swam by myself on Sun. We swam on Weds. AM after our training session. And I had my 2nd swimming lesson on Friday night.
6. Learn the breast stroke.
• How I did: Well . . . .I didn't practic this because I'm working on my freestyle with a swim coach.
7. Work out with Hubby & trainer two times a week
• How I did: BETTER THAN GOAL! For our 5th week, we did 3 sessions with Trainer Ray: Monday, Thursday, Friday.
8. Ride the recumbant bike at least 2x a week and increase time at least every two weeks
• How I did: As I've mentioned before, I've adapted this goal for just regular cardio training.
  I did ride the rumbant bike for 20-25 minutes on Monday--mostly out of wanting to avoid the treadmill.
9. Start going to church with Hubby and actively look for friends
• How I did: AHA! FINALLY! With only one more week to go in the challenge I accompanied Hubby to church! Several people introduced themselves, we went to an after-service meeting for folks new to the church, and we stayed for Humanist group meeting.
10. Make a point to be aware of and challenge negative thinking
• How I did: I gave myeslf some time off this week to recoop, regroup, and revitalize. I stayed home from work and shopped and got caught up on laundry and cook and thought about compromising on vacations and continuining being active. It was very helpful, PhD approved (after the fact), and really helped me feel upbeat and energized nd reinvigorated. Maybe this is what they mean  by self care.
  

Another Thrilling Secret About Me
I am rather uninformed about current events. Compared to my core, original family (Mom, Dad, sister), I'm probably the best informed. . .but that isn't a bragworthy claim to fame. I didn't grow up watching the news or reading the paper, and I'm still not big on it now. I watch the Today show as I get ready for work, but that clearly fails big time in terms of  leraning about things like who's running for office or what's happening in Mexico. Sometimes the things Hubby says amaze me, and I'll say in bewillderment, "How do you know these things?!" And he says back flatly: "I read the paper."

But then we moved to Atlana. The AJC sucks. (Sorry) I read Dear Abby and my horoscope. . . and you know sometiems one of them actually does allow me to contribute to a conversation in an entertaining or thought-provoking way!

I do like NPR alot. But I leave too late to hear the news in the AM and I really hate hearing about the individual battles in Iraq or Afganistan. It makes me feel hopeless. But I do liike hearing about and would like to be more informed about the real issues and steps being taken in health care and education. It's amazing to me how many people can burst out with such opinions or ideas with really no true knowledge or facts at all. . . and these are the people who seem to always make it to the polls, no?