Not a New Slate, but an Opportunity

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Nerd alert!  I had my first class of the fall semester last night and it felt so nice to be back on campus.  Yes, I’m one of those people.  I’m a full-fledged nerd!   My happy-go-lucky attitude was further heightened by a run-in with both a friend and professor I had in my class last semester. The mood was dimmed a bit, however, by the reality brought to light by my professor of the night’s class.  Because of California’s budget cuts, the CSU system was deeply impacted.  Student fees have been increased, while professor salaries have been cut.  There are mandatory furlough days and “campus shut down” days.  The syllabus of the class has been shortened and books have been cut from the reading lists. As students, we are essentially paying more and getting less.  It’s a sad reality.  All told by a professor who was obviously emotionally troubled by it all.

I know a lot of us are feeling disillusioned, disenchanted, disheartened and whole lot of other “dis” words.  I could ask “how has the economy affected you?” but I fear I will be so saddened by the comments that, for the sake of preserving what little sanity I have left, I’m refraining!  I’m sorry to be so selfish, but it’s a mode of survival.  Just ask Darwin.  Wanna hear something funny though (at my expense, of course)?  My iPod randomly started playing “Love Game” by Lady Gaga during class and the volume was so loud that it could be heard through the ear phones. Very classy song choice, Annabel! And great first impression might I add!

New Beginnings and Opportunities

I can’t control the economy, but there are lots of other things I can control and, this being the first of a new month, it’s the perfect time to set the tone with one of victory!  It’s a new beginning full of opportunities and easy ways to track progress since it is, after all, the first of a new month.  Looking back at my giant calendar, I can see that August was a wash in terms of making any progress towards my health goals.  I practiced too much binge-like behavior, did not exercise enough, and, looking back on my blog posts, had too many days riddled with guilt, disappointment and apathy.  That ain’t right!  While I can’t wipe the slate clean, I can certainly move on and forward.

Health-Related Goals for September

• Read the ingredients of everything I put into my mouth.  If you don’t know what something is, look it up.  Inspired by Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I want to be fully conscious of what I’m eating and where it came from.  I will also be checking the stickers of my fruits and vegetables to see if they were local or shipped. I’m not making any demands on myself to act on this knowledge yet, but simply to arm myself with the knowledge and create the habit of thinking before consuming.
• Increase number of push-ups without stopping to 25.  Right now I can do 10-15 before needing a little break.
• Increase number of chin-ups without stopping to 15.  Right now I can do 6-11 before needing a little break.
• Increase number of sit-ups without stopping to 80.  Right now I can do 50-65 before needing a little break.
• Do strength training 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
• Do cardio at least 5 times a week for at least 45 minutes.
• Stop any mindless eating or any binge-like behavior.
• Take time every day to be thankful, remember how far you’ve come, and recall who and what is motivating you.

I will be holding myself accountable by checking in every Monday with my progress. I really don’t like doing this because, honestly, I don’t really care for it when other bloggers post all the exercise they’ve done as it can be rather intimidating to read, especially if you are, erhem, going through a slump, BUT, it worked well for me to check in when I did the final 10 challenge with Jen, so here’s to hoping it’ll work again!

In the News

• New York Times‘, “The Expense of Eating with Celiac Disease” (8/15/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Psychological Link Between ‘Weight’ And ‘Importance’” (8/31/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Surprising Effect Of Economic Recessions On Population Health” (8/31/09) here
• New York Times‘, “New Targets in the Fat Fight: Soda and Juice” (8/31/09) here
• Science Daily‘s, “Weight-loss Surgery Can Break A Family’s Cycle Of Obesity” (9/1/09) here — Super interesting
• Science Daily‘s, “Impact of Positive Parenting Can Last for Generations” (9/1/09) here — Super interesting

Give-Away Round Up

• Win a Reebok bag, flax crackers, protein bars, and more, here
• Win Me & Goji Anniversary Mix cereal if you participate in a video contest here

Anyone else come up with some goals for September, be they health-related or not?  Anyone wanna join me in checking in on Mondays with our progress?

<3, The Cranky One

Tags: fitness challenges, health goals, the omnivore's dilemma, work-outs