Stop And Smell The Wildflowers

This morning was absolutely gorgeous. Sunny, bright blue sky, and everything is green. Vermont in the summer is like living in a child's drawing. The colors are so vibrant.

The kids are at TKD camp all week, so I took the Moon Dog for a walk after dropping them off. It was already getting hot, and he overheats quickly in the sun, so we kept it short. I love walking with him because he really loves being outside. You can see how happy he is.

The walk was beautiful. There were so many wildflowers that you could smell them in the air. It was a wonderful walk.

Even Moon Dog stopped to sniff the flowers.

I have TKD tonight. I'm really looking forward to class. I learned the rest of my pattern last week and have been trying to practice. I haven't done as much as I would have liked. Last week was kind of a crazy blur. I barely had time to eat and sleep. This week I have more time, so I want to put in more work.

Yesterday, I got my workout by moving chairs and tables for 2 hours without a break. It was kind of nice. I listened to a book and just kept working. I wasn't sure how I would fit my workout into my schedule, so that was a perfect substitute. Of course daily pool circuits with the kids continue. We have so much fun, but it definitely feels like a workout, too.

Keeping busy and enjoying summer!

Setting Up For Success

Yesterday was sort of a rest day. I did a lot of moving around, but no workouts. I had an awesome girls' night with the Bean, one of her besties, and one of mine. We went out for sushi and watched a local, high school performance of Footloose. It was a blast.

I knew I would be having sushi for dinner, so I planned the rest of my food accordingly and stayed on track. My goal was to get through the weekend on track, and I have succeeded. I know today is not quite over, but I am confident I will make it.

I set myself up for success this morning and did 12 miles (and a ton of hills) with my friend, Michelle. I love our Sunday runs. It starts the week off right, and we get a chance to talk. It's exercise and therapy.

My legs were pretty sore after, but I wasn't done. I had a choreography rehearsal today and spent two hours dancing with my cast. They were phenomenal, and we put together a fairly complicated dance in two hours - with kids starting as young as four that's pretty impressive. I love what I do.

My legs are pretty much done now. Resting, family games, and writing are the plan for tonight. My eating is on track, and I feel really great. I had to change my mindset and get back to how I used to look at life. Positivity makes everything better. It's so nice to feel this way again.

I'm hoping my legs won't be too sore tomorrow. I've got TKD. Some yoga earlier in the day is going to be necessary. I'm looking forward to it.

Life is so very, very good.

Good.

Ahhh... Life is finally getting back to normal. I've gotten some sleep. Spent some time with my family, and I've gotten in some good workouts and clean eating. I'm feeling calm and centered again. It's so nice to feel balanced.

I've had some good workouts this week. Wednesday I was not feeling 100% and slept most of the day. This always happens after a show. I put everything I had into the show, and I needed to recover. Thursday started out the same as Wednesday, but I felt better as the day went on. My friend, Michelle, and I went for a walk before TKD and had a great chat. I really needed it. It was a great warm-up for class, too. My flexibility was a lot better than normal.

TKD was great. I couldn't go for the last two weeks, and I was really missing it. I was a little nervous and expected to get my butt kicked. I was not disappointed. Class was excellent. I feel like I learn quite a bit and have a lot to work on. That's why I love TKD. There is always something new to learn and something to improve. I just got a book on TKD, and I'm excited to learn more of the history.

Friday the Artist and I did a lot of walking. We covered almost three miles during the day. It was perfect to keep myself loose after TKD.

This morning I joined a couple friends for a bike ride. It's only been a year since I started biking again, and I haven't done much. My longest ride was about four miles. Today we did twenty. It was a gorgeous morning. I saw a rainbow as I drove in to meet my friends, and it was lightly raining when we started. The sunrise was beautiful, and we enjoyed the scenery as we rode from Enosburg to Richford.

I was getting tired as we got close to the turnaround point. I forgot to bring any kind of fuel and my breakfast was gone. I was hungry and tired. Luckily, Kelee brought her fabulous Super Healthy Cookies to share with us. I felt 100% better and the ride back was pretty great.

We finished off the morning with drinks at the Flying Disc. It was a perfect start to a Saturday morning. We're planning longer trips, and I am so excited to do more biking. It was fun, relaxing, and an amazing workout. Plus, I got to hang out with some awesome ladies. It's nice to have some social time again.

In other news, my new writing project is going well. I've always wanted to write a musical, but I don't have any experience with writing music. I'm excited to work with such a talented and creative musician and even more excited to work with my friend!

Life is good.

Closer to Normal

Today I am breathing through the stress. And exercising.

I started the day with a beautiful walk with the Moon Dog. The weather is amazing today. Cool and sunny and perfect. Our walk was a moment of peace in this crazy week.

I'm giving my legs a rest today. After sprints on Tuesday and a 3.3 mile run yesterday, my hips were sore. A day off will do me good.

I did an upper body workout instead. It felt great. I love how strong lifting makes me feel.

I can't go to TKD today, which is a bummer. TKD makes me feel powerful. It gives me an hour where I don't have to think about anything else. I can focus completely and forget the stress of the rest of my life. I did some practice on my own this morning, but it's not the same. Oh well. I'll get back into it when things settle down a little.

Even with everything that's going on, I am feeling pretty good. I've been eating really well and focusing on staying positive. It makes a huge difference. I'm just trying to find balance. Right now, it's going pretty well. I'm feeling closer to normal than I have in a really long time.

Standing Still

Stasis.
noun

1. 1.

   a period or state of inactivity or equilibrium.

That's me. I've been going through the motions most of the time, but I haven't been putting much effort into exercise, my eating, or my writing. I haven't felt that bad about it, which is surprising. I just haven't had the motivation.

I feel like I'm coming out of it now. I've set some definite goals, and I am beginning to plan how to achieve them. I want to run again. I want to do a half again. Maybe more than one. I am planning on splitting the Burlington marathon next year with my friend, Michelle. She's super fast and in crazy good shape, so I want to start training now. Plus, part of me really wants to do a half this fall. It's the best time of year to run, and there are some great races in VT in autumn. 

I also want to improve at Taekwondo. I really enjoy it. I have decided to stick with it and get a black belt. (It makes me nervous to even type that.) I need to start working on it at home. My first step is to practice my pattern every day. I've been keeping track for almost a week and logging the number of times I run through it. It's a small, attainable goal, and I feel like it's helping. Even if it just helps me relax about doing it in front of people. I get really nervous and don't do as well as I could. I need to work on my focus.

I've started thinking about how to strengthen and improve myself for Taekwondo. I'm going to start working it into my home workouts. I want to not only get stronger but also improve my skills and plyometrics. I feel like I'm ready to work for it.

My only other goal is to be calm and enjoy my life. 

I feel like I'm doing pretty well with exercise lately. I've worked out and pushed myself for the last two days. This morning I got up and did a workout. It doesn't seem like much, but I have been literally doing no exercise. I need to start being active again. I feel so much better when I do.

On the other hand, food has been a crazy battle. I've been overindulging and not caring at all. Until the next day. I've slipped back into my old mentality. Just a little, but enough to scare me. I will not go back to the way I was. It doesn't feel good.

Today, I read something amazing. It brought me back to the right frame of mind. It reminded me that strength is important. I remember how empowering it feels to be strong. My love of lifting is back. That's always the first thing to come back. 

Read it here.

Life is good. I'm back on track. I've let myself slip. I accept it. I'm not thrilled that I have so much to undo, but I am ready to do it.