The Project Specifics

The Project: Strive to be the "Best Me" that I can over the next year

The Specifics:

• Health - Lose 110 pounds through exercise, healthy eating, and stress management (although I think it is unrealistic to lose 110 pounds in a year... I want to make a healthy dent in that amount)
• Cooking - Learn to tolerate cooking by ACTUALLY cooking
• House Management - Make cleaning and organizing my house a priority

So, yes, I did watch Julie & Julia this past week, and I got inspiration from Julie Powell's blog. The problem is... I'm not much of a writer. I don't enjoy it, and I have to force myself to do it. What's ironic is that I teach language arts, which includes writing.

What prompted me to tackle this project is my reflection on 2009. I don't think I accomplished ONE of the goals I set out to last year. I even GAINED 20 pounds over the past year. I stink at managing stress, so takeout food and ice cream comfort me. After a stressful day at school, I forgo cooking to get a quick fix. That needs to stop. I need to begin cooking meals for myself so I can control my nutrition and habits. I plan to cook at least 4 dinners at home very week.

I need to get back on the exercise bandwagon... or elliptical, as it were. I have a gym membership that I've been paying for since April and I have been to the gym ZERO times in the last three months. Yep, you heard me... NO exercise at all. Unless you count shoveling the driveway every day for the last week. So I will be heading back to the gym with all the newbies and fighting for my time on the equipment. I am going to go right after school, and hopefully I will be able to beat the rush to the gym. I want to begin going at least three times a week.

I need to find a way to better manage my stress. My first reaction is to eat it. And my body gives me some wonderful stress reactions, including IBS and heart palpitations. I don't really care for either of those things, so I would like to find ways to deal with it. I've never been a "feel-like-stress-eating-go-for-a-walk" type of girl. But I need other outlets for stress. I enjoy reading and listening to music, so maybe I'll give that a shot. I'll keep you posted.

I also hate, Hate, HATE cleaning. I have even given my little dust bunnies names. And how will my little friends feel if I swept them up in a vacuum cleaner? What a betrayal. But, alas, they must go. I need to begin a cleaning regimen that I can stick to. I want my whole house to be cleaned at least every other week. I have 6 rooms, so that means.... (straining my brain trying to do the math). That means I need to clean ONE room every other day or so.

So I've laid out my plan. I know I can't accomplish everything all at once. And I know that, even though it's my intention, I wont blog every day. I'll give it a go, but I hate writing. Did I mention that?

Here is the tracking... (testing those math skills again):

• Health: 0 pounds down; 110 to go
• Cooking: 0 dinners cooked; 208 to go
• Cleaning: 0 times whole house cleaned; 26 to go

Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!