Reckoning/Updates

Obviously, it's been a while since the last post. 

Nonetheless:

1. I ran!  I ran a whole 5K!  I beat my personal best by some distance, too.  It was amazing.  My knee held up pretty well, too.  The last month, due to absurdly emotionally and administratively intense work, has seen me neglect my running somewhat.  I ran on Monday (more on that later), but my knee came close to locking for the first time in a very long time.  Potential explanations:  a) we went too fast; and b) the yoga.  Oh, the yoga.  We'd started doing some yoga again, and I was hoping that my knee would be able to deal with both yoga and running.  Nonetheless, it seems likely not.  Yoga involves just too much kneeling which, for my left knee, is often accompanied by an ominous crunch and shifting of... stuff in my knee.  So maybe it's time to give up on the yoga.  At least the kneeling postures.  
2. Press ups.  Well... I'm starting again this week!

September Reckoning

1. Physical:  Body brushing.  I did actually do it most days, albeit not a few of them where I was so sweaty from a morning workout that it was weird and grim. And I think it did add a certain firmness of texture to touch, if not view, and that made me feel good - which is the point, I think, as I have kept it up since. 
2. Accounting: Didn't really do spending.  So see next month's objectives...
3. Cultural:  I have indeed been watching things from the Netflix queue, albeit things that are tv series.  Well, basically, I finished watching Scandal and have started watching The IT Crowd.  But that's more than I was doing before, and I'm enjoying it.  So I think I'd like to keep this up, and it seems vaguely likely, too.

May Reckoning

May sped by.  And, possibly, had the highest fulfillment of objectives!

1. Physical - The May Challenge.  Other than the last week's bonus workout, I managed all of these - an average of over 10,000 steps a day, and the four workouts.  Pretty sweet.  Of course, I've eaten like an absolute monster during that period - NOM! - so it's not exactly resulted in too much firming, but the other half noticed that I am MUCH fitter than I was, and that's definitely down to doing two HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training - runs a week.  And I would not have done those without the May challenge.  Yay!
2. Cultural - this I've done a lot - I've just sat at home, reading.  It's been great.  But I still have a lot to catch up - the first week of June has been less effective in reading, it has to be said.

April Reckoning

April - not so springlike, after all.  Still, the objectives...

1. Gastronomical - we were supposed to try out a new one each week.  Didn't really happen - weeknights were busy, and we were away for a weekend, and so, really, it just didn't work.  Bummer.  But we did two new ones, which were pretty good - and one of them, at least, I intend to visit again (Puerto Viejo) on a highly regular basis - Dominican breakfasts = fab.
2. Environmental - Well, I haven't done something every day, but I (and the significant other) are being far better at going out and weeding regularly - every few days.  I've been properly using the composting, too - we used a lot of compost for turning over our soil and enhancing the soil before planting some herbs, tomatoes, that sort of thing, and giving a new lease of life to the plants already there (I hope!).  Additionally, I've been regularly attacking the evil Japanese Knotweed that's in the back garden, and our trees have been savaged by a proper arborist, who has given us back sunlight!
3. Cultural - Well, I failed to learn to use Adobe LightRoom.  Hmm.  Maybe that's a summer thing.

 

March Reckoning

So, March: How was it for you?

1. Physical: Plan (and carry out) workouts for the week. Well, since the update, I've not done any of that, mostly because I have been on holiday and it was absolutely amazing. I did do a lot of walking, we did yoga on the beach two mornings, and I went tubing (lots of arm work! and arm sunburn, too, but that's another story). So unplanned.
   
   This was, I have to say, not a great success as a resolution. But I think it is worth thinking about what I can do, exercise-wise, during the week and making sure there is a balance - some strength work, some cardio, some stretchy stuff. And this week, that's happening, for example - I've already done a Pilates session and have a beginners' vinyasa thing today (stretchy), have cardio on Sunday (football), and so should do a strength session Thursday morning. Bosh! Anything else is a bonus.
   
   
2. Cultural: Whenever I have a seat on the subway, I have to read my book.  Again, the holiday interfered with this somewhat, but I read a LOT while on holiday - and it was good.  And I do think the sitting down rule should work. Except yesterday, when I was catching up with podcasts. Ahem.
   
3. Apparent: Wear earrings every day. I've definitely been doing this more, and I do need to find a few more pairs for everyday wear. Overall, though, it's been fun.

February Reckoning

Well, here's the February reckoning.

NBIF - this was pretty straightforward, actually. Other than one or two weak moments, it's been good - I've managed to go out to restaurants, hang out with friends on cold, damp nights that screamed for a spicy red wine (that was consumed by others), and go to a Super Bowl and Oscars party without much stress or envy. 

Physical - BIKRAM. Oh, Bikram. Well, I've been twice, which is not quite the eight attempts. I've had a lot of early mornings this month - far more than normal - and you'd have thought that would mean that I'm good at getting up - three mornings a week, why not four? But I love my lie-ins, I need my sleep, and it just proved too much. But I've been, and it was definitely The Monthly Project goals that got me there. So I'm going to hopefully keep it up once a week, because I have felt great afterward. So I'm hoping for once a week. Hoping.

Cultural - I've been doing it!  I've managed to choose loooooong articles, accidentally, but that's what interested me. But I've also been able to read more in general. We also went through our old magazines, got rid of loads that I'm never going to read, and going to make this a regular activity.

Environmental -The January Cure has been up and running. I have a much more beautiful bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and closets, albeit each with a bit more work to be done. Seriously, my bathroom shelves are unrecognizable. I've particularly enjoyed buying flowers for the house each week - the different colours, smells, and arrangements have been invigorating and made me feel both far more grown-up than usual, but also generally happier - as if I have indeed invested in our home, as Apartment Therapy suggested I would. Damn you, lifestyle bloggers, for being right!  [Fist being shaken]

Achievement!  (and if you think they don't look good, remember the befores... Seriously)

January Reckoning

JANUARY'S GOALS:

As you may remember, January's goals were:

1. FITNESS:  Do four weeks of the 100 Push Up Challenge. 
2. CULTURAL: Go to the Met, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney. 

The reckoning:

1. FITNESS:  This morning I did Week 4 Day 1 of the 100 Push Ups Challenge.  It was, frankly, awful.  I'm clearly a wuss.  But did it I did, for a total of 97 push ups, and on we will continue, as far as possible.  So it's not completing four weeks, but the goal is what made my significant other force me to do it - as a stick/carrot, it worked!
2. CULTURAL: Well, we went to the Met and the Guggenheim.  The Met was overcrowded and a bit too much, but the exhibitions we saw were beautiful.  The Picasso at the Guggenheim was the inspiration for this goal, and was one of the most amazing exhibitions I've ever seen (I'm a sucker for the big old horndog, what can I say?).  While we didn't make it to the Whitney, the motivation for going there was an exhibition that it turns out is on all year.  Let's hope we actually make it... but in the meantime, we have made use of both our Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Museum memberships this month, so pretty good.

So not a raging success, but a success nonetheless - more museums than I've managed in a while, and far more push ups!  Roll on February.