A New Life's resolution - Day #1 (Physical)

Welcome back, everyone!  (I realize I'm a few days late, but bear with me, please.)

It's a new year!  It's a new decade!

Lately I've been giving this New Year's Resolution thing some thought.  I'm not generally one to make New Year's resolutions.  I'm not sure if it's the fear of failure, being stuck in a rut in my day-to-day life or a lack of interesting things to resolve to do/not do.  But maybe this year is different.

As 2010 quickly approached I thought about my (bucket) list and all the things on it I'd love to experience.  I also thought about my struggles with my weight and poor self-esteem.  These aren't new things, of course.  To say I've thought of them before would be an understatement.  In many ways they feel like the current that constantly runs through all the things that I see, say and do.  But what do I do about those strugglesthat?  How do I truly bring change to my life?  I've heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing something the same way and expecting a different result.

So, it's time to change things up.  I've tried to change my life by focusing on my weight.  I worked out incessantly and had some success, but it was short-lived and was at the expense of everything else in my life.  The same was true when I tried to focus on my career.  I passed an (actuarial) exam, but I swear I didn't see my friends for 6 months.

So, this time I'm gonna try a little balance in my life via the 6 Dimensions of Wellness.  The 6 dimensions are Physical, Occupational, Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional and Social.  (I like to remember it using POSIES.)  Each day of the week of for the next 20 weeks, I will tackle one of these dimensions.  By the time that May (summer, motorcycling weather, seeing the sun again!) rolls around, I hope that I've gained insight into myself, found a space where I can learn to be happy with in my own skin and perhaps even shed a few pounds.

I'm doing this out here in the blogosphere because I like knowing that I'm accountable to someone.  As I struggle, I'd love to hear about your struggles, insights and discoveries.  I hope that you'll encourage me to stay true to my word and stick with this journey even when there are bumps in the road.  I appreciate all of you for your words of support and the strength I get from just knowing you're out there.

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Day 1 - Physical

According to www.definitionofwellness.com, "The physical dimension of wellness encourages cardiovascular flexibility and strength and also encourages regular, physical activity. Physical development encourages knowledge about food and nutrition and discourages the use of tobacco, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption. Physical Wellness encourages consumption and activities which contribute to high level wellness, including medical self-care and appropriate use of the medical system.

I hate to admit it, but I did it.  I gave in to the January 1st, "I must join a gym" plague.  It happens every year and every year I avoid it (mostly because I already belong to a gym at that point).  But this year I kept driving past the gym near my house, seeing their advertised special and feeling my thighs expand in my seat.  So I gave in.  That's the downside.  I gave them a bunch of money and now I feel indebted to show up there.

On the upside, it gives me a chance to catch up on my step count in the comfort of a heated gym on a lovely treadmill with a TV attached to it.  A goal of 8,008,000 steps seemed a little loony in the beginning, but now that I am nearly 280,000 steps BEHIND, it seems downright crazy!  So, tonight I will dress up in my cutest workout clothes (I do love to find cute clothes to work out in!), attach my pedometer, grab my water bottle and try to get to 10,000 steps.  According to my calculations, if I am able to walk 10,000 steps every day between now and the end of my 20 week "experiment", I will be totally caught up.

Wish me luck!