Friday, July 6, 2012

A different project I've been working on

Holy cow, friends.  It's been over 3 months since I posted.  My 52 week project got a little derailed by a different project that I started working on in January.  A 40 week project to be exact - growing a baby!  My beloved and I are expecting our first baby at the end of October and couldn't be more excited.  So my weekly goals have mostly been centered around that since we found out in February.  I am still trying to be a more well rounded, healthy person - exercising when I can, eating healthier, making good choices and trying to be a good wife/friend/daughter and now mom (weird).  I've been spending a lot of time this summer reading, swimming and getting ready for the baby.  So I do apologize for falling off the wagon with the blog and the big project but life happens.  Literally.  Hope you are all doing well and enjoying yourselves!!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

All aboard the health train!!!

It's time to get back on that train.  The health train.

Hi guys.  I met my goal this week and only ate out three times!  Three glorious times.  I also made it to the gym twice.  So things are looking up, I just have to really get back on the train.  No more waiting at the station for the next train.  It's time.  I have a bad habit of letting the eating out, bad food and no exercising add up and snowball but I am putting a stop to it.  Hopefully.  I have talked with my dear friend, K, and she is going to help me get to the gym more this week.  My plan is to make it there 3 times.  Getting off my lazy butt this week!  Woohoo!  Train, I'm a comin for ya!

In other exciting news, my sweet love turns 37 this week!  He's awesome.  I adore him and look forward to celebrating at least 37 more birthdays with him.  If you know him, give him some birthday love this week!!

In other other news, my all time favorite basketball team is in the final four and I am totally loving the tournament.  College basketball has always been one of my favorite things.  I was born in Lexington and come from a family of die hard University of Kentucky fans.  I love how quickly the pool is cut down from (now) 68 teams to only 1, in just three weeks.  Each game counts and some are just so exciting.  My cats are so much fun to watch this year, playing like a team that is cohesive and energized.  I just love it. 

Which train are you on or trying to catch?

xoxo

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Hello again!!

So maybe I meant 5 or 6 weeks instead...

Well, it is still March so at least there's that.  I will say that traveling abroad, while amazing and romantic and wonderful, put a major dent in my advancements towards balance in normal life.  But check out this picture of the Eiffel Tower lighting up at night.  Magical.

 Since returning I haven't been exercising, eating well, reading and keeping on top of things in general.  In fact I have been sleeping a lot, eating out a lot and being lazy.  But I am hoping to get back on the road to balance and wellness.  This is not a failure, just a small detour.

So here we are, week 12 of the blog.

My goal this week is to only eat out for three meals this week, all other meals should be homemade and mindful of being healthy.  I would love to make it less than three. 

Yay for getting back on the road!!

How have you guys been?

xoxo

Monday, February 6, 2012

Taking some time

I know the name of the blog is 52 weeks but I am going to take about 3 weeks off to do some honeymooning, travel, relax and work on my class play.   So my goals are these:  relax, don't get stressed, be romantic, have the best time ever, enjoy new surroundings, be happy.  

Keep setting goals and let us all know about them and how you are doing with them.  I will be back with new exercise and food goals, especially after all of the chocolate croissants and cheese that is in my future.  

See you in March.
 
xoxo

p.s. my class play is a version of Alice in Wonderland called "The A Twins in Wonderland".  30 cute children between the ages of 6 and 9 performing and singing.  So amazing.  It warms my heart.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Clean up, clean up

"Clean up, clean up,
everybody everywhere.
Clean up, clean up,
everybody do your share"

This is the song I sing in my class sometimes during clean up time.  I need someone to sing it to me at home so that I actually have a clean up time.  I am not organized at home and make lots of piles and I hate to clean.  Woo, that feels good to get that out there.  My house is not hoarders style but it isn't pristine by any stretch.  There are piles of things around the house that haven't been looked at forever and they keep growing.  I don't love sweeping.  I don't love cleaning the bathroom.  I don't know many people who do love these things but I tend to avoid them.  So this week's goal is...

take 15 minutes everyday to do some cleaning and spend 1 hour going through a pile and throw things away.

The problem is that I tend to wait too long and get overwhelmed by all that needs to be done.  The most logical way to handle that is obviously to avoid it completely.  Perhaps taking 15 minutes everyday, a small amount of time, will be manageable and by the end of the week it will be clean(er)!!

It always feels good to have a clean house and to get rid of things that we don't need.  So that's the goal.

How do you guys do with cleaning?

I didn't get an overwhelming response (or really any response at all) to last week's goal but I really loved it.  I played my guitar, did some French, watched the State of the Union, read about Greece online, read every single day and loved learning some new things.  Did anyone else learn some new things?

Hope you guys are doing well out there!  I love hearing from you.

xoxo
em a

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Nerding out

Happy end of week 4, friends!!

So many great ideas for getting more fruits and vegetables into our diets this week.  I did some juicing, which was delicious (well, actually it was super bitter but still good) but only did it once because it is a real pain to clean up.  I did try to add a fruit to my breakfast, usually an apple or strawberries and that worked out really well.  I made a smoothie with some frozen berries a few mornings which were delicious.  I also made some quinoa with beans and veggies for lunch that lasted a few days.  I ate it with arugula and a little oil and vinegar.  Yum.  HL just suggested making large amounts of roasted veggies at the start of the week and eating them in various ways (sandwiches, snacks, etc) throughout the week.  I am going to try this for sure.  I love roasted veggies.  My beautiful Aunt P also suggested making a big ol salad without dressing at the beginning of the week and reaching for that.  Did any of you try some new ways to get more fruits and veggies in?  Do share!

Week 4 was a tough one at work but ended really well with my greatest friend, EP and her fiance (1 month engaged!!!) visiting here in SF.  The weather was in our favor with a break in the rain providing a beautiful sunny day to wander all around the city, eating good food, seeing beautiful things and just enjoying being together.  It was the best.  It's amazing how friends and family can totally lift you up and make things so happy. 

I am excited for week 5!  The goal is one that I have been thinking of for a while.  So without further ado, week 5...

Spend 20 minutes everyday learning something new.

Yes!  I am a total nerd about this one.  I can learn a new song on the piano or guitar, work in my French workbook, relearn (for the 100th time) how to cast on a new knitting project, take 20 minutes to learn about a new country or person or event - the options are limitless!  Nerd out friends.  I love learning new things.

I am thinking of changing the format a bit by writing down a bunch of goal ideas and picking them out of a hat so there is a little more of an element of surprise.  My friend, AJ, the inspiration for this whole thing, does it that way and she gets so excited before hand to find out what the goal will be.  We could all use a little excitement like that in our lives, yeah?  If you have any goal ideas - send them my way or put them in the comments.  I was even thinking of doing goals that aren't necessarily everyday things but more of something that could be done over a week like try a new recipe this week or take a new class at the gym.  I'll let you know what I come up with.

Hope you guys have a totally nerdy week 5!

xoxo
ea

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Finding it a challenge to keep up with challenges

I am going to try and write this from a forgiving and loving place...I am going to try and write this from a forgiving and loving place...I am going to try and write this from a forgiving and loving place....

This is one of those things that drives me absolutely CRAZY about myself and I want to change it but never have.  I don't keep up with things.  EVER!!  It really is so frustrating.  Here I am blogging about challenging myself every week and making weekly challenges so I will be able to keep up with it and I don't keep up with it.  Gar.  Come on, me!!  Pull it together!!  Two weeks in a row of not doing what I said I would do.  BUT on that same note, I did do some great things otherwise.  So there.  Some love.  Good job, me.

I did keep up with exercise and enjoyed playing more tennis, running, doing Comcast videos, going to the gym and doing Zumba.  So that is great.

We are having a lovely weekend - watching movies, visiting with some friends and just enjoying being together.  I really do love just hanging out with that guy, my husband.  He is so much fun.

I also wrote a few letters.  I wrote three thank you notes, a happy new home card and a happy engagement card.  I still need to write three more thank you notes and a new pan pal friend letter!  (thank for the letter, new pen pal friend, MS!!!)

So remember that at the beginning of this whole thing I told you about the inspiration coming from a friend who was picking a challenge each week?  Well the challenge she picked last week was to eat 8 servings of fruits and vegetables every day and drink 90 ounces of water.  She rocked it.  I am doing a modified version of that this week. 

Here it is, week 4's challenge:
eat a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal, including snacks

Now you wouldn't think this would be much of a challenge, right, but I have been finding that I don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should! We eat a ton of vegetables for dinner and lunch but I need to get in more fruit.  So I am looking forward to buying a bunch of produce at the grocery tomorrow and going for it.  Do any of you find this as a challenge too?  Any good ideas for me?  My friend HL is a rockstar at eating lots of veggies and fresh foods all the time, especially kale.  I should check out her blog for more ideas.

How is everyone out there doing?  How is your 2012 so far?

xoxoxo