One month

I’m noticing that my weakness in terms of diet and exercise isn’t motivation or ability.  It’s organization and forethought.  I fall off the wagon when I haven’t gone grocery shopping and when I haven’t done the dishes.  So–I should go grocery shopping more often, and I should make a point of washing my dishes every night so I can cook up my meats, fish, vegetables, lentils, and fruits.

But, while my dieting hasn’t been going well, my exercise has been going brilliantly.  I *adore* running. I adore being outside in my park and meeting my neighbors (and their dogs).

Yesterday was my one-month un-niversary with The Man Who Dumped Me. I still think about him constantly–I even dream about him.  On the other hand, I’m seeing three men–Grimmy, Mr. Surrealist, and The Doctor (more on him later!), I’m dressing better, and I’m plowing through finals and school.

So it’s not all bad. Not at all.

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Running triumph

I have committed an act of AWESOMENESS! This morning, I ran MORE than I walked. Yes indeedy, that I did.  I ran for five minutes. I walked for three.  I repeated this pattern until thirty minutes had hurried by, and I am VICTORIOUS!

***

Exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

32 push-ups and 72 crunches completed. Thirty minute jog/walk completed.

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Befuddled food

Yesterday, I kid you not, I ate a bowl of lentils and drank two cups of coffee with Cool Whip. This is not part of my diet plan, I tell you what.  I was busy composing and never stopped for food.  Today, today I will eat but good.

I will do better today.

***

Diet and exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

21 oblique crunches (on either side) completed.  21 glute bridges completed. 21 tricep dips.  Drank a cup of coffee with Cool Whip (because I learn, I learn, I tell you!).

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A Wrathful Milestone

Today marks the first day that I will run as much as I walk! I shall run for five minutes and then walk for five minutes, repeating this pattern until thirty minutes have elapsed.  I am so ready for this!

Yesterday’s note from The Man Who Dumped Me dove me into a tailspin of mopy-ness that sapped my energy and woke me up early this morning, but I’m hoping that the run/walk and the rest of my day will buoy me to acceptable levels of assertiveness.

In other news, I need to be smacked upside the head.  Yesterday and the day before, I was besieged with body dissatisfaction.  Whenever I looked in the mirror, I saw broadness and unshapliness.  I am not particularly prone to this sort of body moping–usually I’m vain enough to focus on the good and mask the bad and get on with life.  Why now? I’ve lost ten pounds. I’m active and eating well. I’m doing well–why should my ugly censors activate now rather than before? What a problem.  I’mahafta fix this one, and soon.

Also! Tonight I get to see Grimmy!

***

Diet and exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

31 push-ups and 71 crunches completed. A bonus walk to go fetch my cat from a neighbor’s yard. Thirty-minute run/walk completed (yippee!).

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He thought of me.

The Man Who Dumped Me sent me a note today.  We talk every day, but today he ended with “just a note because this made me think of you.” And ah, yikes. I’m not ready for poignant friendship. I don’t want to suddenly have a case of the “I wish he’d take me backs.” I want to feel stronger, more confident, and more lovely. I want to smack him across the face with my awesomeness and make *him* all yearny, not me. But I am. All yearny that is.

So! If I needed motivation to get in a second workout today, this was it. I’m going out for a damned walk. Hurgh! Damnit, I’m going to heal, and I’m going to heal into something better than I was before. Yikes, yikes, yikesity.

(Also, I *love* my Listerine tooth-whitening rinse.  Mr. Surrealist and I took some pictures together, and I love how white my teeth look in them.)

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Refining my vengeful plans

My quest for revenge has led me to become an even more ingenius mastermind.  In my search to crush my ex’s soul with my bad-assedry, I have honed my plans to even more excellent proportions.

This plan will have alternate days: Day 1 and Day 2.

Day 1: run/walk, push-ups, crunches, (and swimming, yoga, or hiking)

Day 2: walk, oblique crunches, glute bridges, and tricep dips (which are oh, so difficult) (and swimming, yoga, or hiking)

What makes this plan so very cunning is that it gives me a day to rest up from the high-impactedness of the running, and it gives one set of muscles a chance to rest while I work on the others.

I will continue to eat only meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and water or tea, and I’ve added small amounts of dark chocolate to the permission list.

Also! I have just read Andy Paige’s “Style on a Shoestring”, and I *adore* it. I want to follow every bit of advice in there.  What she has to say about the fit of a garment and the colors you choose to wear is incredibly smart.  I’ve been applying her ideas.

I culled my wardrobe and got rid of everything that didn’t fit my body according to her standards.  I bought a pair of cute shoes. I started wearing bling and putting my hair back.

Wouldn’t you know it? Yesterday and the day before I got stormed with compliments. SO, say I. SO, SO.  I will be putting together a binder of checklists based on her recommendations and will take it shopping with me wherever I go. Ooh, ooh, ooh.  This is exciting. And vengeful.  When The Man Who Dumped Me sees me next, with my new sense of style and my whiter teeth and my healthier body, he will be oh, so sorry.

***

Diet and exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

Twenty oblique crunches, twenty glute bridges, and twenty tricep dips completed. Thirty minute walk completed. Ate a mini-chicken pie and a tiny vanilla cupcake. Breast of chicken, lentils, and a square of dark chocolate.

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Spiteful, vengeful squeeing

I visited Mr. Surrealist in his city on Saturday and Sunday.  We walked in Japanese gardens and ate a four course meal at a fondue restaurant. I didn’t mind at all.  I ran on Saturday morning, and walked about his neighborhood on Sunday morning.  The weekend was a total loss, diet-wise, but pleasant and productive enough exercise-wise.

This morning I jog/walked at a different ratio: three minutes of jogging to five minutes of walking, and I managed that with a sufficient degree of success.  My shins are beginning to decry my treatment of them, so I’ll only be running every other day now, but I’m developing cross-training plans and have been given a gift card for some excellent shoes.

Now I owe myself some crunches and push-ups; so…

***

Diet and exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

Thirty-minute jog/walk completed (three minutes of jogging to five minutes of walking).

Avocado and an orange for breakfast. Lunch! A grapefruit, some beef jerky, spring carrots, celery, and a few bites of steak.  A cup of tea. A square of dark chocolate.  Thirty push-ups and seventy crunches completed. Dinner was another avocado, a grapefruit, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.

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Scornful rest

Yesterday I took my first rest day—and holy cow! For the first time, I was sore. I was especially pleased to note that my butt was sore; I’d like to earn myself a nice butt, please.

A friend of mine gave me a $100 gift certificate to a sporting goods store, so I plan to get me some shoes! I’ll be in as soon as I can to try on shoes and squee like a spoiled teenager over my good fortune.

This morning I’m running again with my friend the rebel librarian. I also have a new MP3 player and will be listening to music as I run.

I purchased a book called “Running for Mortals”, and will be incorporating some its advice about stride today; I’m hoping that the combination of a better stride, better shoe, and more rest days will ease the aching in my shins.

My vegetable box arrived today! I have zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, new potatoes, oranges, grapefruits, and strawberries! I don’t mind one bit.

–Ven

***

Diet and exercise (to be updated throughout the day):

Twenty-eight crunches and sixty-eight push-ups completed.  Thirty minute jog/walk completed (run for one minute, walk for five).

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The world halts sometimes.

She was thirty-two. She was an astro-physicist turned librarian. Last night, she died of a blood infection, after successfully fighting off lymphoma. Please think a good thought or two today for my cousin Sheryl.

Today, I will do yoga and eat lunch at Cafe Gratitude, and my gratitude today will be for the life and sweet character of the cousin who was also my friend.

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The dread hill

On the other end of town, the world opens up into the countryside, and there, there there is a hill.  I call it the dread hill.  The trail up this hill goes straight up, with no respite, no levelling off, and no mercy. It marches unwaveringly forth for about a mile.  Today, my ass, my feet, and my new bit of sumpin’ walked up that hill together.

It kicked me in my non-existant gnads, I tell you what. I had to stop often. I walked backwards. I huffed, puffed, and took breaks.

This means a new goal: first, I will walk up the dread hill without stopping.

Then I will run up it.

New bit of sumpin’! I’m going to call him “Grimmy” here. Grimmy is lovely. Now, betwixt Mr. Surrealist and Grimmy, I’m feeling a lot of affection in the air.  This, this is good for me.

I have to, a bit petulantly, I admit, remark that while Mr. Surrealist and Grimmy are fabulous and self-esteem bolstering and kind and all, like, courting me and stuff, there’s a part of me that (1. really wants The Man Who Dumped Me back, and (2. would really like for him to see me getting all of this attention. My wiser self is prevailing however; there’s no point in flaunting or flouncing or yearning.  There is a point to running, eating well, and doing my damned makeup.

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