Exercising is like Paying Bills

I was having lunch with my friend Audrey on Monday and we were chatting about my blog and the progress of my goals (see prior posting), specifically weight loss and exercise.  I made an analogy about exercise, "Exercising is like paying bills.  I hate doing it, but it must be done and I feel better once it's compete".  As soon as I said it I knew it would be the topic for my next posting.
It's true.  I never look forward to exercising....I procrastinate as long as I can.  Why is that?  I like the results, I like to sweat (because its an indication that my workout was effective)....I don't like being out of breath, and I absolutely hate running.  I suspect that part of this issue is that I don't think of exercising being a necessary routine...it's not a habit.  Also, I get bored easily.  Doing the same DVD, treadmill, walking path everyday would not appeal to me, so I need to switch it up.
So, starting Friday I am going to do a different activity everyday and blog about my thoughts on it.  Maybe this way I will find something I really like and it will become routine.  Hopefully I will insipre my readers to try something different in their workout routine.  Just to clarify....I will not do the same activity on consecutinve days, but I might to the same activities more than once during the week.  I have some Biggest Loser DVDs that I'm intimidated by, so this would be a good way to get my butt moving and conquer my fear of Jillian Michaels.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions...I would love to hear them!

Thanks for reading.
Rebecca

My Eye is on the Wrong Ball at the Right Time

Yesterday's sermon at Zion Lutheran Church was about 'Keeping Your Eye on the Prize' (which in this context is Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father).  It inspired me to look at my earthly goals and do a little self examination on where I'm at.  Although I've made progress since first establishing my goal, lately I've been sort of sedentary.  My weight loss has hovered around 10 pounds for the last three weeks, which is why I added 'Exercise' to my goals (to get the pounds moving south again).  I haven't made any progress on my credit cards or digging into my credit report (and taking action on old accounts).  I got my first check from Arbonne!  It was $68....a far cry from $500, but it's better than nothing.
So, before I started beating myself up I dug into what is truly going on.  Am I afraid of my goals?  Are they too ambitious?  Are they really 'my goals', or are they goals that are expected of me?
What I found is that it's none of the above.  It's time and priorities....which can easily turn into excuses, so I'm treading lightly here.  The truth is that it's summer!!  And for the last two weeks (and this upcoming week) I have had a baseball game or softball game every night....really.  I'm finding that when you are a single parent you don't have the luxury of skipping a game by sending the other spouse in your absence.  So I attend each and every game, cheering my two favorite athletes on, taking pictures, socializing with the parents, and making quick suppers as we head out the door, or when we return around 8:30 pm.  What does this have to do with my stale goals?
First, meal planning has been difficult....when I'm on the road and out of the house for 3-4 hours a night I tend to eat convenient food (which usually isn't good for my body).   Second, my typical exercise time is between 6-8 pm in my basement (where I hop on the treadmill or do my Wii Active), obviously if I'm not in the house during those hours, I'm not exercising.  Third, I'm not working on my credit report and bills when I'm not home!
So what?  Even though accomplishing my goals is very important to me, nothing is more important than 'being present' for my kids....because baseball & softball season will  be over soon, and 4 years from now I won't have the opportunity to spend my evenings with Dakota.   So, even though my eye is not on the prize right now, it is focused in the right direction at the moment.

Having said that....there are adjustments I need to make.  I can plan better for 'transportable' meals to grab and go from my fridge on game days.  I may need to adjust my workout schedule a bit by taking Stella for a walk after the game, or getting up earlier in the morning to work out (yuck!).  I could carve out more time on the weekends to work on finances.  If you have any ideas for me please comment!  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!
Rebecca

Tomorrow's a New Day

I had a bad 'Weight Watchers' week last week and it all started with my little trip to Candy Land.  Why did I go to Candy Land?  Not sure....I was either board or stressed.  Because of that trip, I was scared to log the candy I ate in my food log because it's depressing to find that one little cave-in can cost you a whole day's worth of points....and it was down hill from there.  I didn't exercise all week (too many activities after work), ate crappy food, and two pieces of cake on Father's day...none of which I logged on weightwatchers.com.

To my surprise, on weigh in day, I didn't gain any weight.  I didn't loose any weight either...but that's OK.  So, on Monday I put the past week behind me and go myself in the frame of mind I was the first week I joined WW.  As a result, I have logged my food everyday (even the bad stuff) and walked on my treadmill two days.  So far I'm still at the same weight, but my official weigh-in is Monday.  So I'll let you know on Monday if I had a successful week.

The moral of my blog is that no matter how bad you feel you are doing on you goals, don't let it defeat you to the point of wiping out all the progress you've made.  Recognize your mistakes, put them behind you and move ahead....otherwise your dreams will never come true.

Thanks for reading!

Why Arbonne?

Six weeks ago I joined an Arbonne team as an Independent Consultant.  People have asked me "Why Arbonne?  Don't  you have enough on your plate already?".  Why yes, I do have enough on my plate already (sometimes too much).  Refer to my first blog post.  Six weeks ago I had a breakthrough and decided it was up to me to change what I don't link in my life....and that's when I decided that I needed to bring in more income somehow.  I thought about being a Barista, or working at a gift shop somewhere.  The problem with these jobs is that they require me to be away from my house and kids.  I already feel like I spend too much time away from my kids.
I was familiar with Arbonne and knew the products (loved them) and how the business works.  When my friend Laura suggested I look at the business again, it all came together for me.  I knew that I could make this work.  Joining Arbonne is helping me work towards three of my goal (see side bar).  First, bringing in an extra $500 per month.  Second, living greener (Arbonne's products are 100% botanical and not tested on animals.  Third, go on a vacation.
In addition to reaching my goals, Arbonne has both a skin care line and cosmetics line.  I love make up, skin creams and all that goes with it.  You know that question people ask to get to know you better...."If you were independently wealthy but you had to hold a job, what would you do?".  My answer is and always has been to work at a cosmetics counter (MAC, Smashbox, Bobbie Brown, etc).  I love playing with makeup, learning about  makeup and I think it would be great to make a career out of making women feel better about themselves just by applying a little makeup....but that's just  me.

Thanks for reading!

Showing Restraint on a Hula Hoop

Today I went to the Stone Arch Bridge Art Fair.   Arts and crafts are my financial weakness.  Partially because I want to own pieces that inspire me and partially because I can't get past the fact that I can't buy it later...it's now or never.  Plus, I had  Grace along and she wants EVERYTHING!  So, today I was really tested.
I drooled over several paintings/prints ($55+), picked up a sculpture perfect for my dad (and tomorrow's Father's Day!!) ($78), and a super-fun hula hoop that promises to whittle away my waist while having fun ($40).  It was hard to walk away empty handed...but I did it!  This is a big step for me because making impulsive purchases has oven got me in trouble in the past....and I know I can't continue to do that if I'm going to improve my financial stability.  My mom was with me and she is really good with money, so that helped as I knew if I bought something she would disapprove if it was too expensive or not a necessity.
I seriously wanted that hula hoop though....maybe I will buy it later for my birthday.  :)

Thanks for reading!

How to Kill Your Calves

I thought it might be fun to see what it's like to walk down 24 flights of stairs yesterday.  The elevators take forever in the building I'm in....I was on the 28 floor and wanted to go to the 4th floor for a treat.....so I took the stairs. 
Going up stairs I can not make it past 4 flights without wanting to pass out in my own pool of sweat.  But how hard can going down stairs be?  As it turns out....not too hard.  Actually, I flew down the stairs....I think I might have even beat the elevator I would have waited for.  Once I got to the 4th floor I decided against the treat and got an expresso instead.

The pain actually sets in the NEXT DAY.  I jumped out of bed this morning and had to sit back down....my calves were so tight and sore.  But I didn't complain....I just thought about what a great little workout for my legs that was.....so I took the stairs again today.  I was slower today since I immediately felt the burn in me calves and quads (front thighs).....then I went to Candy Land.  Bad Girl!

Thanks for reading!

Healing my Credit Score

Last week I attended an "Improving Your Credit Score" seminar at Target and learned that once your credit balance goes over 50% of your credit limit it adversely effects your credit score.

18 months ago I had brought all my credit card balances to zero (with the exception of two interest free cards, Dell and Sears which I purchased a laptop and treadmill, respectively).  My credit score was the highest it's ever been (between 750-780).  A great accomplishment considering I was one of those college students in the 90's who accepted every credit card offer sent....and managed to max them out one-by-one on clothing, gifts, textbooks, shoes, etc.

Unfortunately, in my new single-income lifestyle, I started using my card again to buy school clothes (Gap), furnishings for my new home (Home Depot, Ikea & Target), work clothes for my ever expanding body (Lane Bryant).  On top of that, credit card issuers started decreasing limits in response to the new Consumer Credit Bill President Obama signed earlier this year.  So, I went from being just under the 50% ratio to now being almost at the max limit for all my cards.  Needless to say, my credit score is in the tank.

So, the first thing I am doing to work towards my goal of 'Improving my Credit Score' is getting a copy of my Credit Report to make sure there are no inaccuracies and close accounts that haven't been used in a while.  The second thing I am doing is working towards getting three cards to a zero balance and closing them.  The plan is to tackle my Lane Bryant card (once I lose weight I will have no use for this card anyway), Gap (the discounts aren't worth the interest they are currently charging me) and my Dell card.

I will post my findings and progress on these two action items in the coming weeks.  Thanks for reading!

Low Point Breakfast for Bagle-Lovers

In the world of Weight Watchers I only get 24 points to eat per day.  Divide that by 3 and it's exactly 8 points per meal....but since I like to have a snack now and then I need to keep my breakfast low pointed.  So, the first time I had a whole wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese and later found out that it's a 7 point breakfast...I stopped eating bagels to save the points.  Sad because I love the taste of bagels and cream cheese.
As of today, bagels are back on the menu!  I found Bagel Thins by Thomas....they are only ONE POINT!  Add 2 Tbsp. Light cream cheese and that's a three point breakfast.  I'm so happy....it's the little things that make my day.

Welcome to my first post!!

A few weeks ago I had a breakthrough.  I realized that I have power.

Those of you who know me well know that the last 18 months of my life have been out of control and full of changes.  Many of the changes have been liberating!  Some have been frustrating and down-right depressing.  All this change and added responsibility put me in a mental zone of 'just get by' or 'take one day at a time'.  Good advice at one point, but eventually you need to look beyond the day-to-day and take inventory of how are you "improving your life and those around you".  I struggled with my weight, finances and time management.  I gave myself permission to let things slide because I was going through a divorce, a breakup, a bad month, etc.  But a few weeks ago I heard a quote by Albert Einstein (this wasn't the first time I heard the quote, but it was the first time I owned the message within the quote)...."Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".  I was doing the same thing, eating the same things, sitting on the same couch for 4 hours every night, living paycheck to paycheck, making excuses....and I was slowly going INSANE....which is when I had my breakthrough.  I need to own the changes I want to see in my own life.

So I started with one goal: Lose weight.  I joined Weight Watchers and started doing the 30 Day Challenge on my Wii Active.  I have lost 10 pounds so far.

My goals are posted on the right side-bar of this blog.  I will keep you posted on what I am doing every day to get inspired or to accomplish my goals....Thanks for reading!