New habits

Three new habits to cultivate this week (and the following weeks, hopefully!):

• sleep at least 6 hours at night - in bed by 11 pm!!!
• drink more water - 2 water bottles-worth
• do shoulder stretches every day
  

Productivity

I worked out this morning! (Stage 1 workout A from the New Rules of Lifting for Women)

And I finished a knitting project! (Cabled baby blanket by Pernille Skau Norgaard - Ravelry link)

Inspiration

A lovely crochet blanket, from un jardin de hilo.

Things I want to do this summer

Things I want to do this summer:
(now that I've finished school for the semester and hopefully won't be as busy as last summer!)

• alter my new costumes so that they are actually wearable
• start working out. I've been sporadic with it this semester (something is better than nothing, right?). I need to design a program for myself, since I now know how to do it! But do I focus on aerobic fitness or strength? concurrent training? and can I run outside without damaging my knees??
• more bellydancing!!! take some classes, practice at home, listen to more music.
• I am going to knit the hell out of this summer! (crochet too!)
• do a full spring cleaning. The house is disgusting. This starts tomorrow
• read some books - some related to school (procrastination, do I want to be a doctor?) but also some fiction just for fun
• uiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii8 (cat walking across keyboard)
• fix up some things around the house. Paint the upstairs bathroom, paint the railing, small stuff like that.
• healthy eating!
• be more creative in my life. Take walks, take photos, make things. Perhaps work through the Artist's Way again (last time I got stuck about 1/3 of the way through. Issues, I haz em.)
  

I'm sure there is more, but this is all I can think of right now - and although I have 4 months, I probably won't have time to do everything I've listed! I do have to work, and sleep.

tabata - day 1

I tried a Tabata workout today: 4 different exercises, 8 sets of each (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest), 1 minute of rest between exercises.

Tabata timer found here.
Exercises found here. There are lots of Tabata exercises on the internet.

To score, I took the set with the fewest amount of reps that I was able to complete in the 20 seconds.

• Jackknife crunch (alternating legs) - 6
  
• Push up with knee tuck - 4 This was the hardest exercise for me, by far!
• Squats with hands at ears - 12 Easiest exercise for me! I was doing more reps during the last set than the first set.
• Back row with weights - 9

Total score: 31

This workout was great because I didn't have to change into gym clothes (did it in my pj's), I didn't have to wear shoes because there wasn't any jumping. I didn't even put on a bra! LOL! It was quick and intense.

I should mention that I did a little warm up first, based on Jillian Michaels' warm up in Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism: big arm circles, twists, jogging on the spot, jumping jacks, alternating toe touches.

Phew!

le sigh

I have two jobs, plus volunteering in the lab. No weekends. A day off here and there when there is a test in the lab and I don't have to be there. So tired. (not all the time, but most of the time)

Looking at my list in the last post makes me sad! I have started to work out again, sporadically, but I have not done the other things on the list. Even shopping for socks and underwear! lol! I am knitting and crocheting a little bit, but not a lot. I was dancing more at the beginning of the summer, taking classes on Saturdays, but then my work schedule changed and I wasn't able to make the classes anymore. I have Wednesday evenings free and could possibly take a class, but I am exhausted on Wednesdays. Yesterday I napped on and off for most of the afternoon and felt like a zombie in the evening.

Enough whining! This is how things have to be right now and I have to suck it up. I just wish I had more energy!!!

brighter days ahead

When I have finished school for this semester, I am going to:

• have a lazy day and stay in my pj's all day long
• make some jewellery
• go shopping for new socks and underwear
• vacuum
• clean up the place
• DANCE!
• start running again (couch to 5K)
• workout
• read for fun
• see my friends
• go out and dance all night long
• knit
• write W. a letter, maybe send a package
• take more photos, maybe do a "photo a day" thing on Flickr
• be creative
• perhaps I will be a nice person again!

Only one more week!