One week down...

Shady...my walk home

My first working week of the year is over! Wooh! OK, so it was only two days...and I didn't have a lot to do...but I feel as if I've worked a full week. I'm still not grumpy though, just exhausted. Now for three days off. I don't have anything planned, except for movies with a friend on Sunday. Oh, and planning my goals for the year ahead. Yes, I'm planning to plan. I need to get some shit sorted this year. 

I forgot to mention in my last post that I achieved my initial no-shopping challenge: to go from 1 June to 31 December 2016 without buying shoes, clothes or accessories. Yep, I did it! Go, me! In the end, it wasn't a particularly challenging challenge, so extending it for a full year (which I decided do a month or so ago) was an obvious next step. I have a few more challenging challenges planned for this year!

The cool breeze coming through my loungeroom window is delightful. Summer has finally arrived, but I won't complain about the heat (especially because today wasn't that hot).  

The motivating minute

I went to the gym again tonight. AGAIN! As you might have guessed, I'm pretty pleased with my efforts. Usually on days when I plan to go to the gym, I think about it during the day and groan inwardly, wishing I was going straight home to my couch instead (and I often do).  But not today! I thought about it, but I was looking forward to it. Even the rain, wind and cold didn't have me thinking longingly of my comfy couch and warm flat. This is strange, but excellent. 

Setting myself the goal of running for one minute longer each visit seems to be a potent motivator - more effective than knowing I will feel and look better if I work out regularly.  It's not as if I had never aimed for continual improvement before. I've always tried to do a little bit more with each workout - a few more reps here, a slightly heavier weight there - but for some reason, running for just one extra minute every time feels far more satisfying, more tangible somehow. Maybe it's because I was fit once and I remember what an amazing feeling it is knowing your body can do what you ask of it. It's empowering. I want that feeling again.  I guess I should set myself a goal to be able to run for a set time by x date. 

Tonight after jogging for a few minutes I didn't think I'd be able to match my previous efforts, much less add an extra minute, but I kept going and got there (with the aid of my go-to jogging song, Billy Idol's To Be a Lover!). That feels good.

I even walked home despite the wintry weather and almost constant headwind, which means I did about 1.5 hours of cardio exercise today, including walking to work and home from the gym. 

I saw one jogger braving the elements on my walk home. I felt like calling out to her, "You go, sister!" but I didn't.  

It was very nice to get home and change out of my soggy clothes. Luke cooked a tasty dinner and then I had a hot bath. Now for bed. 

Cow eyes...and big plans for 2009

OK, this is a baby cow

I made eye contact with a cow today. It's not every day you get to look into the big brown eyes of a cow on the fringe of the city.

Unfortunately, the glee of the cow gaze was momentary because the cow (probably a steer actually) was crammed into the back of a truck with a lot of other cattle most likely on its way to an unpleasant fate...

I have decided I'm going to become a vegetarian next year. Not just from looking into the cow's eyes today - I've been thinking about it for some time, for numerous reasons, including animal welfare.

I would start now, but I have an allergy elimination diet to get out of the way, hopefully early in the new year. It's a damn hard diet to do without adding in the restrictions of vegetarianism.


New year, new plans

I don't now about you, but I'm kind of over 2008 now. I am, however, enjoying thinking ahead to next year and pondering the plans and projects I have in mind.

Apart from knocking over the allergy elimination diet (which will deliver better health and more energy) and becoming a vegetarian, I am also planning to -

* find a new job;

* possibly find a flatmate;

* wade back into the dating pool; and

* launch a new photo blog.

I am also in the midst of compiling a list of 101 things to do before I turn 40 (which is about 3.5 years away). I've got about 55 things on it so far, from places I want to visit, activities I want to do, things I want to learn, creative projects I want to complete, fitness and self-improvement goals, and random silly stuff, like getting purple highlights in my hair!

I have fallen in love with the idea of having projects (and the fact that the 101 things project comes in the form of a list is even better!). I'm hoping that the joy of next year's projects won't only be in crossing things off lists or achieving goals - simply having a project to think about and work on and give extra purpose to my non-working life pleases me.

What are your plans for 2009? Do you have any projects you're working on or planning?