March: Get fit(ter).

March

Get fit(ter).

- Work out at least five times a week.

- Incorporate more cardio.

- Vary between biking, running, and swimming.

- Monitor weight fluctuation.

- Keep tabs on personal records.

Okay okay, so this month will be an easy one for me. I love working out. I love getting sweaty, walking around the sweaty gym, staring at all the sweaty people on their sweaty machines, etc.

A few years ago I got into crossfit because a friend of mine had his certification to instruct. So I went. I spent an hour learning how to throw a kettlebell around, squatting as they say people in third world countries do naturally during every day activities, and participating in my very first miniature WOD (workout of the day). I walked away from that building with a desire to be fit.

Skipping all the other things that led me into a life of fitness, since I'm saving that speech for when I complete my first marathon (this December), I will say that the path I've traversed has been a fun one. Living in Hawaii taught me appreciation for things like hiking and surfing, while my last relationship found me participating in cycling and running events. These days I'm much more into free weights and Olympic lifting, and I just set a PR for my deadlift at #245... My fitness world is varied.

Since I started cutting out wheat products last June and dedicating more time to consistent workouts, I've lost roughly 15lbs and stay around that weight normally. However, recently I've begun slipping from that controlled 'diet,' and the workouts are no longer as intense as before.

Not this month! I will not promise to workout every day, because I've already broken that, and sometimes a girl just needs some rest. But I do promise to make my absolute best effort in working out at least five, if not six times a week. These workouts will be intense some days and light on others. I just really need to get back into that dedication and hard work frame of mind.

Plus, I'm going to Australia at the end of the month to visit a friend.

I need to look fit.

Oh, and I signed up for that silly marathon at the end of the year... should probably really get into running shape.

-Jamie

Weekend of hearts.

Tara Simmons.

Ooookay. First time skipping a whole week, but I’ve been busy. Not a big deal.

I’ve meditated every evening, I’ve contemplated if psychology is really the field I want, I’ve stopped biting my nails (for the millionth time), I’ve consciously done something for someone almost every day, and the list goes on.

But something was off last week. I stopped working out as religiously as I had been and stopped eating as healthily as usual, because I felt down. Other than this being obviously related to female monthly blues, I knew something was up.

Then it hit me.

For my birthday last year, a friend of mine gave me the book Into the Wild. He knew I liked the movie, but I hadn’t read the book. Inside the book, though, he wrote a note that essentially said, “Remember, happiness is best when shared.” (I say essentially because I don’t have the book with me right now.)

That’s it. The whole thing. The whole project. It comes down to people. I’m happiest around people, I’m happiest in the moments shared with another person.

Turns out, all I’ve really learned from re-focusing is that happiness for me simply means being social.

This month has at least shown me that. From here out, I’m going to not just focus on fixing myself by looking inward. When I spend my month working on getting fit, I’ll share that with another person. When I focus on getting smarter every day, I’ll bring someone else into the learn-vest. When I disconnect from electronics, it’ll be to spend time with human beings that I genuinely enjoy being around and meeting new people.

I was dumped by someone who valued being alone to solve problems more than being with someone else. I’m not like that, and I never will be.

I’m too social.

-Jamie

February: Refocus.

February

Refocus.

- Get back into morning routines.

- Stop silly bad habits… again.

- Contemplate ideal career path.

- Consciously do something for someone else, every day.

- Dedicate time to myself every day.

Alright! Another month down, only five more to go.

This project has kind of wandered about, not taking root like I had intended. However, I’m not discouraged. I set out to obtain a healthier outlook and gain insight on things I really needed in my life. I pretty much knocked that off the list after the second or third month, but I kept going because I knew there would be much more to learn from it in the end. After seven months of picking different parts of my life to focus on, I can honestly say that I’m doing a lot of good things now that I would not have done without the project (not going to list them now).

Originally, I had February as ‘contemplate careers,’ but I’ve more or less figured that out since starting this. So instead, I will take February to catch up and refocus on what I might have been slacking on for a while now. The plan is to get back into my morning routine of push-ups and sit-ups, stop biting my nails (for the millionth time), amp up the positive talk towards others and myself, consciously make the effort to help someone else every day, and actually set time aside to focus on my personal needs.

The word February is frustrating to say. I try saying Feb-roo-airy, but it sounds weird. I could say Feb-yoo-airy like most of the population, but it feels wrong.

I really wish I knew how to spice up these silly notes. Every night, I write in a journal, so all of my witty comments just go to myself.

Whatever. There you go. This will be Feb-yoo-airy.

-Jamie

1957.

Music by Milo Greene.

Oooookay. I skipped writing one last weekend because there's really been nothing new. I've still avoided going out to eat, I've still spent most of my time at work or the gym, and I still have money invested.

That sums up January for you.

Actually, to really get into January, I've changed a lot of things about myself and have started focusing very hard on areas of my life I haven't put so much focus on before. It's kind of exhilarating.

But that update will come with February.
-Jamie

Acetate.

Music by Volcano Choir.

Phew, this month is blowing right by. So many great things have been happening! First, the idea to stop going out to eat all the time has been what I needed for a while. I have more time for just me. Second, with time for me, I've been focusing on my online college adventure as well as working out every day. The college bit is a money saving practice, because I'm using tuition assistance through the military. Taking these classes is free for me up to a certain amount each semester. Not a lot is better than free education. As for working out, I never feel better about myself than I do right after a killer workout. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it's not terribly far off.

In short, throw free education on top of released endorphins on top of home cooked meals on top of a pile of money... and you'll have the positivity I'm experiencing.

But that's silly, because you've got your own life. You may really dislike two of the four of those. So...
Go live your own life. And make it as good as, no better!, than mine feels right this second.
-Jamie

Our time.

Music by Wolf Saga.

Hold the phone!! Everyone, don't freak out, but... it's official. I am an investor.

When I read the Happiness Project, the author mentioned that every month, whatever she was focusing on was brought up externally (i.e. casually by a friend, coworker, the universe, etc.). Well it just so happens that that... happened. To me!

This month is all about finances and saving money, but finance is a topic avoided in most conversations. Imagine my surprise when the subject came up organically with a friend I've known for a few years. We often joke about her 'savings account' being money stashed under the mattress, but it turns out her sister's husband got her to invest this past year. And she's doing well. Thankfully, she was feeling generous enough to pass on her knowledge. I gave it a few days of thought before taking the leap of faith, but so far I'm happy with the results. I decided on a relatively low risk/low reward investment situation. Instead of investing in a single company, since I know almost nothing about this industry, I threw a chunk or two of change into accounts that are spread to the kind of middle-of-the-road companies. This theoretically gives me a more solid chance for healthy long-term growth.


Soooo excited right now. I feel like an adult... with real-live investments!
What is happening?!
-Jamie

Moneymoneymoooney.

This month so far has been fantastic... okay okay, it's only been five days, but still- fantastic.

What makes this month so fantastic is that it's easy to keep track of money. The failures or successes are obvious. The progress is quantitative. That's what I've been missing the past few months; it's hard tracking progress on concepts like spirituality and patience. With money and saving it, I just have to make a conscious effort to, well, save it. Duh.

Also helpful about saving money is that I have an excuse to not go out to dinner with the crew after a flight. That cuts down on the crap I'm putting in my body, since I'm forced to cook those meals with my own choice foods. I love a good home cooked meal. (I would love even more if someone home-cooked it for me, buuut I'm short a personal chef right this second. Or girlfriend.)

This all helps fuel my 'new' obsession with going to the gym. Now after flights, I don't get dragged into drinking or going out with friends, I drag myself to the gym. It's been great.



Alright. Off to not spend money.
Though it is kind of an addiction... impulse buying is a hard habit to kick.
-Jamie