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Wrap-Up: 30 Days of Exercise

February 3, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

It’s done. I did it. I managed to get some form of exercise for 30 days straight, thus knocking off another item on my life list. Final evaluation? It’s not so hard.

Let me explain.

When I put that item on my list I had no intention of trying to do hard core exercise for 30 days in a row. I just wanted to push myself to move. Admittedly, I have a fairly specific idea of what constitutes exercise and my goal was to exercise every day and not just say, “Meh, that counted.” Well, my friends, I think I had three days where I determined at the end of the day that what I had done that day was just gonna count. That’s the way life works sometimes, and I’m okay with it. (Mostly.)

Having said that, some observations:

A loose definition of exercise worked better for this than a strict one. If I had forced myself to bust my butt for 30 days in a row I probably would have psyched myself out by day four. And I didn’t push myself to do 30 minutes every day. Sometimes 20 minutes of yoga is enough. 20 minutes of Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred is definitely enough.
My determination in the beginning to focus on the goal of getting outside more — to get fresh air and just be in that moment — was one of the best parts about this. I breathed it in, and it felt damn good.
It helps to sweat. The three days that I decided I could count, but just barely, involved walking. I did some intentional walking on a few of the 30 days and really walked – I went long and far and hard. I did hills. I walked until it made me sweat. On the days I just strolled, I sort of felt like it wasn’t really enough.
I need to incorporate more yoga into my life. I knew this already and that was one of the reasons I was excited about this challenge. In the end I did more yoga than I had originally intended (which was partly due to rolling my ankle halfway through the month) but it left me in a much more calm and centred place. My flexibility is better for it too.
Variety is good. Variety is very good.
I really like a good, push-yourself, kick-your-own-ass workout. I need to do that more often. Jillian Michaels and I will continue to be friends.
I like running. I miss running. I’m incredibly annoyed that I hurt my ankle because it put me off running for a good part of the 30 days.

So there you have it. Not so hard and, in the end, really kind of beautiful.

Filed Under: Hello, Inspiration · Tagged With: #30DaysStraight, living life, running

30 Days Straight

January 2, 2013 by Farewell Stranger ·

Today is January 2nd (for a little while yet, anyway), which means yesterday was January 1st and therefore the 2nd anniversary of this blog. I didn’t have a post about that yesterday because, frankly, I always feel that if I write something on the first of the year it should be profound. And yesterday I wasn’t feeling very profound. So instead I’ll now say the usual things, like I can’t believe it’s been two years. And I‘m grateful to have this space and the people I have encountered through it. Truly – I thank all of you who read and comment and share. My life is undoubtedly richer because of you.

How’s that for a cursory celebration? I do like to acknowledge these things, but right now I’d rather just get on with living life instead of writing about how I write about living life.

The living I’m doing right now relates to my post about taking on a challenge to exercise for 30 days straight. When my friend Melissa first challenged me to tackle that item on my life list I started to regret having put that silly idea on there. But as Christmas crept past and the food kept coming and the couch kept calling I decided it was a good thing someone was willing to push me. So I began to psych myself up for it and figure out what variety of things I wanted to do over the 30 days, both so I could manage it after being less than active for the last while and so I wouldn’t get bored after a week.

And then the day came.

And I started!

I started the 30 days by going for a run yesterday. It was beautiful – I went later in the day than I had intended (entirely due to small people’s needs and not at all because of lack of motivation) but in doing so I caught the sunset. And I looked out over the roofs of the houses in our community and was treated to a gorgeous glimpse of the Rockies, which fill up my soul every day.

I ran alone, with no agenda other than completing 30 minutes. I zigged through our neighbourhood and zagged down trails just to see where they went. I passed people sledding as the sun went down and the lights in the houses behind them came on. I encountered two other solo runners with whom I exchanged The Look. The one that says, “We’re alive and we’re out here and isn’t it beautiful?”

I kept running, knowing I was taking myself father than a 30-minute out-and-back required. I turned onto one street because I hadn’t been down it before and chose another because it had pretty Christmas lights. And when my 30 minutes was up I stopped.

I ended up a little way from home, which was ultimately sort of deliberate because I figured I could use the cool down, but I so enjoyed the alone time. It was cold enough that I could feel every breath deep in my lungs, and early enough in the lateness of the day that the sky glowed.

And that’s why I put this item on my life list in the first place. Because when I get out there it’s good for me and I notice things and I feel happy.

That’s why I wanted to do it, so I’ll keep doing it. For 28 more days. And probably more.

I’m using the hash tag #30daysstraight on Twitter and Instagram if you want to follow along. As well, another friend has joined in starting today, and if you want to try this too I would love to hear about it.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: #30DaysStraight, favourite activities, Life list, living life, running

Striiver’s Log, Week 2

November 23, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

This is the second week of logging my activity with my Striiv fitness device and Coach Striiv kicked it up a notch this week. Here’s how it went down.

Wednesday

Went to Calgary for the day and had to take my Striiv off at airport security. Damn, six precious steps not counted! Then when I got to the Calgary airport there was a moving sidewalk. I love those, but Coach Striiv wouldn’t let me on it. Had to walk on my own, she said. Gotta admit it felt kind of good powering past all the people standing there gliding along on the moving sidewalk.

On my way back I had some time to kill before boarding so I decided to wander down to Starbucks. Came across this:

How did they know?!

Thursday

Coach Striiv apparently doesn’t differentiate between normal walking steps and the running-around-like-a-chicken-with-head-cut-off kind. Crazy, ridiculous day. But I got enough credits to donate a day’s worth of fresh water to a child in South America!

Starting to obsess about building things in MyLand. Got greedy and built some cool things, but only have the foundation. My Tree of Ages is in place but I need more energy credits to get it to grow. Must focus.

Getting started

Friday

Last day of work. Walked up to get a hug from Rita, who’s nearing the end of The Year of Hugging Fearlessly. Great hug that put me in a good mood, so I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a walk. I even did some challenges. Coach Striiv was impressed.

Home from work and the husband was tired. Graciously offered to take the dog for a walk so he didn’t have to. Got some energy credits and ended up at over 10,000 steps for the day. (That’s harder than I would have thought. Noted, Coach Striiv.)

Saturday

Coach Striiv put the pressure on today, so I went for a run. Ran around the bog and somehow managed to end up on a big hill right in the middle of a hard challenge. Coach Striiv pushed me on. No stopping! It worked and I got to grow my Tree of Ages and my Greek Vineyard. Nice!

After my run - enough to grow to the next stage!

Went out for dinner with friends, which turned into a bit of a bar hop. Stepped right through midnight and already had some credits toward Sunday. Partying does pay off!

Sunday

Hit the museum this morning for one last visit before we move. Some good walking but our visit was at a three-year-old’s pace so we didn’t stay too long.

Lots of packing in the afternoon, which doesn’t add up to many steps. I want credit for being on my feet all day, but Coach Striiv won’t budge. Threw in another dog walk with some challenges to get my step count up.

Striiving through fall

Monday

More packing. A little low on steps throughout the day until we started loading things into the moving container. Got energy credits and some extra for the stairs, so I guess there’s that. Then a dog walk again. Never been so motivated to walk this dog in my life.

Tuesday

Last day of the challenge. More packing (when does it end?) and some stairs. The toddler got antsy in the afternoon so I took him and the dog out for a walk. Did some challenges, even though it was pouring rain. Coach Striiv has this motivation thing down to an art.

Ended up at almost 47,000 steps by the end of the week. I donated three days’ worth of water and collected a whole bunch of trophies.

I really like this Striiv – it’s a great motivator with enough different things to keep it interesting. I love the MyLand game (similar in concept to Farmville for those who are familiar with that, though not nearly as annoying) but I really want to get far enough to unlock the next level. I guess I’m going to have to keep walking the dog!

I was not compensated for this but I would like to thank Striiv for providing the device to support our Just.Be.Enough. challenge.

Want a Striiv of your own? You have the change to win one, along with some other cool prizes, at our Twitter party on November 29th. See the Striiv wrap-up post on Just.Be.Enough. for details. You’ll also have a second chance by linking up with Be Enough Me on Monday, November 28. The prompt for this week is: What are you striving for?

Filed Under: Better world, Happy things · Tagged With: living life, running, Striiv

Striiver’s Log, Week 1

November 15, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

Nov. 9, 2011 – Day 1 (Wednesday)

Arrived home from work to find my Striiv had arrived after being, presumably, held up in customs. There was much rejoicing! Opened the box. Whoa, this thing is cool. It’s got a touch screen, settings that can be customized, and a game. And other stuff. Definitely as cool as it seemed in the video.

Later that day: Hmm, the Striiv appears not to be magic. I tried to use it to entice the small, screaming boy to pee before bed and he wasn’t interested. He didn’t even want to help me build stuff in MyLand with the few coins I had earned already. Ah well, I’m going to chalk it up to exhaustion and be glad he’s not going to try to steal my precious Striiv.

My Striiv in its Lego nest.

Nov. 10, 2011 – Day 2 (Thursday)

Thursday before a holiday Friday, which makes it jeans day at work. The Striiv fits perfectly into the little coin pocket. I didn’t even know it was there! It did its job though, carefully counting steps as I went for lunch with a departing colleague and then later up to the coffee shop for treats. Good thing for the social outings. Sitting at my desk didn’t earn me much, and my poor Striiv had to entertain itself for a while playing with my foam office Lego.

Nov. 11, 2011 – Day 3 (Friday)

Spent the whole day packing today. There are approximately 12 steps between the kitchen and the garage, so packed upstairs instead. More work, but more steps too. Even so, by the end of the day I didn’t have as many steps as I would have hoped so I moved some boxes while my husband sat on the couch. The Striiv noticed and I felt morally superior. This ended up being my highest-step day, so the extra work was worth it.

Nov. 12, 2011 – Day 4 (Saturday)

A whole morning of cleaning before our going-away party in the afternoon. Note to self: cleaning doesn’t involve very many steps. Best not to do it in future.

Nov. 13, 2011 – Day 5 (Sunday)

Hey, I get more credit for running than walking! (I really need to pay attention to the instruction booklet.) Escaped the house today for an afternoon walk when I got sick of packing and felt ambitious so I ran the last section. As a result of my motivational little white device, the dog was treated to an extra long walk and I got some extra lightning-bolt energy credits on my Striiv.

Nov. 14, 2011 – Day 6 (Monday)

Productive day at work, but my Striiv got bored. I made up for it by taking the dog, and the Striiv, for a walk in the evening. Hills in the moonlight – nice.

My Striiv visits the BC Parliament buildings

Nov. 15, 2011 – Day 7 (Tuesday)

Very tempted to take my car to a meeting this morning, but the Striiv was watching me. “Walk,” it whispered, so I did. Good thing too – it was beautiful and sunny and the scenery was worth it. Over lunchtime on my way back to the office, I took a little detour to enjoy the sun and take some pictures. The Striiv rewarded me handsomely.

My first official week of Striiving to Be Enough got me a total of 31,847 steps. Two observations: (1) We really do have to make an effort to get moving – the average office worker’s average day involves a lot of time sitting on one’s bum, and (2) In Striiv’s MyLand game, money does appear to grow on trees. But only if you move enough to grow and build stuff. Funny how that works.

As of this writing, I’m 130 steps away from my next trophy. Think I can get that in tonight?

***

Make sure you visit Just.Be.Enough. on Wednesday to catch up on the other challengers’ Striiv to Be Enough updates and next week the site will have information on our Striiv giveaway at the end of November as well as our very first Twitter party where yet another Striiv device will be given away, along with some other fabulous giveaways from brands that support Striiv’s mission to create a “movement around movement.” The Twitter party is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th at 8 pm. Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss it.

In case you can’t wait for the giveaway or Twitter party, Striiv is being showcased on HSN this month. They are offering a fabulous bundle: just $99.95 for the Striiv device, clip, key ring and screen protectors (normally $129.95). But if you’re feeling lucky, I might have a little giveaway of my own coming up here in a couple of weeks.

The Just.Be.Enough. team is partnering with Striiv on a month-long challenge. Striiv provided the JBE challengers with the devices and no compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

Filed Under: Better world, Happy things · Tagged With: living life, running, Striiv

Life List: The Next 15

November 10, 2011 by Farewell Stranger ·

I’ve mentioned my life list before, and I’ve posted about the things from my list I’ve completed. Since we’re moving in a couple of weeks (ack!) and I quit my job (whee!) I figure this is a good time to dust off the list and see what I might work on after we move. Here are 15 things, numbered according to their spots on the master list.

3. Volunteer again.

Since we’re going to be in a new city, it might be a good time to look at volunteering – even for a one-off event. Good way to meet people, and would also force me (and my complete lack of any sort of sense of direction) to find my way around.

6. Attend a TED talk.

I do want to attend one in person, but I just came across TEDxWomen, which is taking place on Dec. 1 in New York and LA. I really want to figure out how to attend, but if I can’t you can bet I’ll be watching the talks.

9. Get in the habit of taking more photographs.

I really need to rethink this one, because it’s difficult to define the point at which this is done. In any case, a new place is a good opportunity to take some more pictures. Plus I have a spanky new iPhone 4S. Instagram, baby!

19. Really learn how to use a graphics editing program.

I’ve been using Pixelmator and, frankly, it bugs me. Time to find an alternative and see if someone (I’m married to) might be willing to walk me through its use.

24. Write something and have it published in a magazine.

I actually did this already and forgot to post about it. I had a piece on postpartum depression published in a local parenting magazine in October, which was very exciting. But I’d love to do another, so I’m going to get some ideas going and work up the nerve to pitch something.

29. Learn how to make a cup of tea – properly.

Because we’re in for a real Canadian winter, and I’m going to need tea.

Image credit: YaZzZz on Flickr

30. Have another child.

We’ll see what we can do about that.

33. Act in a stage play again.

I totally want to do this, especially after a recent Twitter conversation. Maybe there’s someone who’d be willing to let me be a reindeer or a shepherd in a Christmas play…

44. Improve my 10K personal best.

I need to get running again. Even if I freeze my buns off doing it.

51. Get my personal email inbox to zero.

I almost got this done while we were away last week. (That’s the beauty of a long car trip and no wifi.) I’ve got the system set up but I need to finish it and then use it more consistently. I’m sick of losing emails.

52. Get some form of exercise every day for 30 days straight.

But don’t hold me to it.

54. Get a colourful streak in my hair.

I did this one already too, but I’m hoping to get the blue put back in before I go. (Stupid dye fades so damn fast.) I would like to see if there’s a way to get this done so I can keep it, though. Hair extensions, maybe? (Anyone know?)

55. Give blood 5 more times.

I’ve got one counted towards that five, but I need to go again.

58. Get a tattoo to commemorate beating PPD.

I’m planning to go with a friend, and he and I were hoping to do this before I move. Maybe we’ll do it, if I can get my act together. Aside from all the packing and stuff, I do need to commit to a design. I saw this one recently and I’m thinking of something like it:

Isn’t that cool? I don’t want the bee (wasp?) but a bird silhouette where the bee is and my words (whatever those are going to be) where the z’s are might be just the thing. Got any tattoo pics you like? I’ll add them to my Pinterest board. At this point all ideas are welcome.

59. Help someone else with their life list.

This is a relatively recent addition to the list, and I really like it. I need to find someone with a list that includes something I can do to help. (Have a list? Anything a humble Canadian girl can help you with? Link please!)

So there you have it: 15 more things I can do to embrace this change.

What are your short-term goals and dreams?

***

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

Filed Under: Happy things, Hello, Inspiration · Tagged With: Life list, lists, living life, running