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?