A New Life's resolution - Day #8 (Physical)

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Day 8 - 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.

So last week I did not do so well on my the "physical" goal I had set for myself.  I did walk a little over 42,000 steps.  That's an average of just over 6,000 steps per day.  MAYBE that's why I'm 280,000+ steps behind, huh?  GULP!  So after a dismal failure like that, there's nothing to do but get back on the horse!
Just before the start of the new year, I joined a gym.  My friend, Rachael, was there, so I'm gonna have to say she was an enabler in this stunning decision!  Even better?  I paid in advance so I "saved" some money.  Now I better get my money's worth!

So, this week, my goal is to make it to that gym and work out for at least 1 hour 5 times this week.  Seemingly that shouldn't be that difficult since before I met Troy, I went to 6 days a week and worked out for about 2 hours each of those days!  A big bonus is that because I got the "elite" membership (or something like that), I get to take a guest with me for no charge EVERY time I go!  It's almost like a buy-one-get-one-free deal.  Sweet!

So, wish me luck and perhaps you could set a wake up call for me.  I've heard it's actually better to work out in the evening, but sometimes it's mentally better for me to get in there in the morning.  If I do, 1) I'm barely awake so I don't feel as much pain and 2) I don't have to mentally kick myself for the rest of the day.

What works to get you moving to workout or make it into the gym?  I'd love some ideas for getting my butt in gear!

A New Life's resolution - Day #6 (Social)

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Day 6 - Social

According to http://www.definitionofwellness.com/, "The social dimension of wellness encourages contributing to one's human and physical environment to the common welfare of one's community. Social Wellness emphasizes the interdependence with others and nature. It includes the pursuit of harmony in one's family. As you travel a wellness path, you'll become more aware of your importance in society as well as the impact you have on nature and your community. You'll take an active part in improving our world by encouraging a healthy living environment and initiating better communication with those around you. You'll actively seek ways to preserve the beauty and balance of nature along the pathway."

I like people.  Really I do.  Well, at least I do in small doses.  There are some people that I can't get enough of.  There are others I would prefer to never have to interact with again.  But I'm true this is the case for most every person we each meet.

When I was in high school I was pretty good at mixing with just about any group and even as an adult, I think I can make friends with most anyone and try to find the best in most people I meet.  Because of this, I'm going to have to find ways to stretch my Social muscles, as it were.

But for today, I started off small.  After being the liturgist in church this morning, I made sure to stay around and talk to a few people during the fellowship time.  I only see many of the people from church on Sundays, so it's good to spend a few extra minutes with them.  Perhaps as a real way of stretching myself socially, I should actually JOIN the church as a member.  After all, I've been going there for 6 years.  I'm on the finance committee.  I'm a liturgist and usher.

hmmm....maybe I have some committment issues I should be working on.

A New Life's resolution - Day #5 (Emotional)

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Day 5 - Emotional

According to www.definitionofwellness.com, "The emotional dimension of wellness emphasizes an awareness and acceptance of one's feelings. Emotional wellness includes the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about oneself and life. It includes the capacity to manage one's feelings and related behaviors including the realistic assessment of one's limitations, development of autonomy, and ability to cope effectively with stress. The emotionally well person maintains satisfying relationships with others."

In order to TRULY get the most of my day of Emotional wellness, I spent 8 ...count them 8....hours watching sappy movies on Lifetime.  Usually I tune in to the History Channel, TruTV (Not reality....ACTUALITY! - I take a lot of teasing about that one from Troy) or one of the many episodes of Law and Order that can be found at all hours of the day.  While the first few hours were fun in a novel sort of way, I do have to admit that after 8 hours, I was totally ready to turn the channel!  It was most definitely an emotional indulgence though.

A New Life's resolution - Day #4 (Intellectual)

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Day 3 - Intellectual

According to www.definitionofwellness.com, "The intellectual dimension of wellness encourages creative, stimulating mental activities. An intellectually well person uses the resources available to expand one's knowledge in improved skills along with expanding potential for sharing with others. An intellectually well person uses the intellectual and cultural activities in the classroom and beyond the classroom combined with the human resources and learning resources available within the university community and the larger community."

In many ways, the intellectual portion of the dimensions of wellness may be one of the easiest for me.  When I was younger, I did very well in school with very little effort.  Then as I aged, I think the combination of being rewarded for my intellectual pursuits as well as feeling like it was something I did well and that came easily to me, I kept up the pursuit of knowledge.  I love going to museums and watching "quiz" shows like Jeopardy.  The History Channel and Discovery Channel are always turned on at my house.  I LOVE factory tours and seeing how things are made.  (If you get a chance, check out how a combine works.  It's amazing!)

So, given that I try to immerse myself in intellectual pursuits on a daily basis, finding just one to concentrate on is a bit of challenge for me today.

Fortunately for me, that's where my list comes in!  One of the items on my list is to donate 1,000,000 grains of rice via http://www.freerice.com/.  It's a site where you get to donate 10 grains of rice (through their sponsors) for each vocabulary word that you get right.  For a while I was doing very well and right on track (I need to donate 1,000 grains per day).  Unfortunately, I feel off the wagon a while back and I'm currently about 55,000 grains behind.  So over the next week, I'm gonna try to catch up.  I may not make it all the way by next week at this time, but hopefully I'll at least have gotten that deficit down 25,000 or so.  Wish me luck and give it a try for yourself.  It's really easy and doesn't cost you a thing but a few moments of your time.

A New Life's resolution - Day #3 (Spiritual)

If you're just joining us, check out the explanation of my "New Life Resolution"

Day 3 - Spiritual

According to http://www.definitionofwellness.com/, "The spiritual dimension of wellness involves seeking meaning and purpose in human existence. It includes the development of a deep appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe."

When I originally came up with the idea of trying to change my life by using the 6 dimensions of wellness, the super-organized part of me wanted to make sure that I had everything planned out.  I knew that because I was using the memory device POSIES (Physical, Occupational, Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, Social), the third day would have to be one of the S's.  It only made sense to me that the S I should use for the third day (this was supposed to be on Wednesday, but we'll ignore that fact for this week) would be Spiritual.  My formative years were spent attending parochial schools and every Wednesday we went to a chapel service.  It seems a perfect fit.

Fortunately or unfortunately, as I grew up, the spirituality that was often taught in my parochial school felt hollow to me.  The message of a connection to a greater good/being/power never seemed real to me.  Maybe it was because I felt there was a disconnect between what the people in the church said and what they did.  Maybe it was because no time was ever devoted to questioning our existence rather than simply spewing bible verses from memory.  Whatever the reason was, I feel like as I have grown into a thinking, caring, emotionally complex women, the idea of spirituality takes on a different meaning for me.

For me, spirituality is trying to maintain a connection to all the people, events, beings and emotions that swirl around me on any given day.  So, today, as my attempt to strengthen that spiritual connection to the universe, I intend to take a walk outside in the newly fallen snow for as long as my soul needs.  I will enjoy the hush that comes over my neighborhood when the trees, houses and sidewalks are covered with snow.  I will listen to the sound of my breath.  I will feel the cold on my cheeks.  I will try to be quiet and see if I can hear the voice of God whispering in my heart.

A New Life's resolution - Day #2 (Occupational)

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Day 2 - Occupational

According to http://www.definitionofwellness.com/, "The occupational dimension of wellness is involved in preparing for work in which one will gain personal satisfaction and find enrichment in one's life through work. Occupational development is related to one's attitude about one's work.' Traveling a path toward your occupational wellness, you'll contribute your unique gifts, skills and talents to work that is personally meaningful and rewarding. You'll convey your values through your involvement in both paid and unpaid volunteer activities that are gratifying for you. You'll know when you're on the correct path for career wellness, when your work and hobbies become exciting."

I'm not sure if I've ever shared this on here before, but I am an actuary.  After a "career awareness" seminar in high school where an actuary spoke about what she did for a living, I decided that that sounded like a great career for me.  So after graduating from high school, I got a very good degree from Ball State in Actuarial Science.  I've been working as a "student actuary" since then.  I'm a "student" actuary because there are a series of (ever-changing) exams that must be passed in order to be a full-fledged actuary.  Unfortunately, the combination of failing a few exams(not to worry, nearly EVERYONE does at least once PER exam) and taking some time off from studying for a few years has left me a bit behind the curve.  Hence, I am still a "student".  Ugh.

Even though I haven't succeeded as much as I would have liked in my chosen field, I really do enjoy being an actuary.  It fills a need that I have to have a mathematical challenge in my life on a daily basis.  I know that seems like an odd thing to say, but after having just one semester in high school where I didn't take any math classes, I knew I'd go crazy without that kind of daily stimulus.

While the field of Actuarial Science is a competetive one, it's also one of the worst in terms of equality in pay between men and women.  While women have made significant strides in other fields, the average pay for female actuaries is generally around 70% of their male counterparts.  When I read this a few years ago, I decided to do whatever I could to make sure I was paid equally.  A few years ago I took the bull by the horns and, armed with information to back up my claim, I asked for a raise.  Whether that was a foolish or courageous thing to do in a declining economy is left to the each person to judge for themselves.  For me, it was the right thing to do.  As a consequence, I was given the raise I was looking for as well as more opportunities for advancement that had been closed to me up until then.

But I wasn't about to stop there.  Every January, each person on staff at our firm gets our annual performance review and pay raise.  I know this is coming up soon and I want to be prepared.  As part of my Occupational wellness, today I gathered information about my productivity during this last year as well as updating my knowledge of what average salaries in my field are.  Now when my supervisor calls me into his office in a few weeks I'll be prepared to have an educated and honest discussion with him regarding both of our expectations for the upcoming year.  I'm very fortunate to be at a firm where this is not only accepted practice, but welcomed.

So, what is it that you'll do to value yourself and your skills more today?

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!