Dreaming vs doing

Where did the week go? I love a long holiday weekend, but it is hard not to feel a little bit behind for the rest of the week. I've had some blog-related thoughts this week, but the actual writing just didn't happen. Bad blogger.

This week had me thinking about dreaming and doing, I've figured out I'm very good at one of these things...can you guess which one? Yeah, I'm a dreamer (but I'm not the only one...) Hence my constant posts about goals and plans and life lists. I really like the planning process. I like plotting, envisioning myself in new ways and new places; I like color-coded spreadsheets and pretty lists and doodle-covered maps. I love letting it all swirl around in my head and seeing what develops.

Sweet. But not really accurate...you'll see later when I get to the part about
having 4 alarm clocks.
Image source

But when it comes to actually following the plans, doing the work, taking the actions, sometimes I stumble. What is they say about mice and men? Add peacocks to that list. I often find myself astray. But I don't give up!

This week I decided my workout needed a little chart, so I made myself a pretty Excel sheet:

Gridlines, wherefore art thou?

I've since filled in specific daily/weekly goals and I made it my computer's wallpaper so I have to look at it all the time. I think the success/failure color-coding is my favorite part. I want to see a lot of pink!

So I started things off in my usual way. Day 1 -- success! It was the 4th of July, so I wanted to squeeze in a quick few miles. Then Day 2 -- fail. Could not get out of bed. Many snooze buttons were hit. Day 3 -- same. And while I was annoyed at myself, I really hated having to color in the blue box each day. My failure was staring me in the face, mocking me. Grrrr.

I wanted things to go differently yesterday morning, so I went to bed a little earlier, set my 4 alarm clocks (sorry neighbors!), and tried to psych myself up mentally.

Mine are scattered all over my apartment, and still I manage to oversleep. Really, it's pretty impressive.

The alarms went off, and I shut them off. I buried my head in my pillow. So tired. More sleep, more sleep! I dozed a little, and woke up again 20 minutes later. Not too late to squeeze in a workout, but getting close. I don't want to do it. My eyelids are so heavy, how am I going to lift my feet? But then...

I promised myself I would do it -- get up! I'll get a pink box! I'll feel fine once I start...just get out of bed!

This went on for a few minutes. I checked my email on my phone. I made lists in my head. The angel and devil on my shoulder really went at it. But much to my surprise: the angel won!

I got up and got out and logged a couple of sweaty miles. And it was fine. I'm definitely not a morning person, so I felt like it took a little while to get into a grove, but I got there. I didn't let my foggy head bother me. I also did my best to ignore stinky garbage truck that insisted on following me (that was a little tougher). And I made a pretty pink mark in the box.

Do you use any special tricks to keep yourself accountable? Do your plans ever go astray...and how do you get back on track?

Oh, and some exciting news to share: my first guest blog post is up today! The lovely Andrea over at Run, Eat, Date, Sleep allowed me a little space to write about one of my favorite subjects, Give Kids the World. This won't be totally new info if you've read my previous posts, but you should definitely pop over and see what's going on. It's a must-read blog if you like running, Disney, Criminal Minds, or awesome people ;)

Mapping it all out

"You can always change your plan, but only if you have one."
-Randy Pausch

Last week I launched fully into goal-setting and life-planning mode, which I have found to be lots of fun and super energizing. There was even more of that this weekend. Things are starting to take shape!

Saturday morning I slept in, headed out for a 3 mile walk/run, showered, and was sipping on a yummy protein shake before the morning was through. Since I felt I'd been pretty productive, I decided to do a couple of things that would help me continue with figuring out my goals and plotting out a course for the next few years of my life.

First, I re-watched Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture".

Change of plans

I think it is time to regroup. I have had a few nights lying awake feeling more than a little stressed about the progress of my training (or lack thereof) and my impending planned races.

Super cute, but no help at all these days...

When the clock struck 2011, I had sketched out a rough plan for training and the races I wanted to tackle. Looked something like this:

Alison's Reasons Why Not

First, can I say once again how grateful I am for all of the brilliant and inspirational bloggers out there? Love you to pieces, I learn something (or many somethings) new every single day!

I have been thinking about a great post by Elle, one of the genius contributors at Prior Fat Girl, that I read a few weeks ago. She shared one of her strategies for fortifying her willpower in the face of the many, many temptations that cross out paths every day.

I feel like I am fighting this battle constantly. I know that eventually (once I am in the zone) I will be much better at saying no... but for right now, when temptation comes along I am susceptible. When I saw that box of delicious pastries in the office last week (provided in honor of a departing co-worker, who is actually diabetic -- yes, I work with geniuses), my brain convinced my hand that it was a very good idea to grab one (or two, or...) and indulge.

Elle's strategy is to think about your bigger goals and have a list of those goals at the ready so you can really determine if that treat is worth it. What do you want more, a cookie or a new wardrobe/more energy/a teeny bikini? And she says it even more eloquently than that! Check it out for yourself HERE.

In the spirit of Elle, I present to you my list of things more important than that very tempting (fill in the blank) -- otherwise known as:

Alison's Reasons Why Not

1. I want to run a marathon
2. I want to be able to BRAG to people I ran a marathon
3. I miss my 2005-era wardrobe, which fits a smaller, fitter girl. It is really lovely, and contains things like this little DVF number:

So much better in person. Also, remind me to tell you the story behind this dress -- an old-fashioned NYC shopping triumph. It was fated to be mine!

4. I want to comfortably fit in the small seats on the subway -- I ride a crowded train and I HATE passing on a seat because it is too squishy
5. I want to live for a long, long time -- long enough to be a sassy grandma who wears fabulous, funky jewelry and that crazy bright pink lipstick
6. I want to ride a zip line through the jungles of Costa Rica (and other adventure-ish type stuff)
7. I want to wear skinny jeans and tall boots (and leggings! God, those look comfy)
8. I want glowy skin and tons of energy
9. I want to be a good example

and finally, my immediate source of motivation...

10. I am spending a week at the Beach Club Resort in WDW this summer, and I want to feel more comfortable splashing around Stormalong Bay in my bathing suit

Wish I was here....

Tomorrow is a new day, and I know there will be times when I don't want to fight, when it will be easier to skip the workout and eat things I don't need. But hopefully now I'll remember to ask myself an important question: How important are my goals -- do I want to get closer to them, or do I want to push them even further out of reach?

In the Zone

"I'm up against the speaker, tryin' to take on the music
It's like a competition, me against the beat
I wanna get in the zone, I wanna get in the zone"
-Britney Spears


Sing it, Britney!  


This is where I am right now, trying my hardest to get in the zone. You know what I mean: when making all of the right choices comes naturally and you're just cruising. You're chugging your protein shake with a pep in your step on the way to the subway (or however you get to work --car, bike, pogo stick); you have energy to tackle your vigorous workouts and even MORE energy when you're done; you're able to anticipate and sidestep those sneaky saboteurs to healthy living (endless office birthdays, client dinners, well-meaning-but-pushy relatives). It is almost effortless, and it feels GREAT.


It has been a while since I've been in the zone, and it feels like I am going to have to fight and claw my way back there. Where I am now: no time and no energy for my workouts; bad meal planning; eagerness to indulge in any and every treat that makes its way into the office. 

Mmm...donuts. I'm a sucker for the pretty pink ones.

But I've done it before and I can do it again. Here are the steps I'm taking to get back in the zone and get my healthy mojo back:

1. Admit that I'm not perfect, and that's OK


What? No, never!!! Type A personality in the house! OK, moving on...


2. Make the time


"I don't have time" is the oldest, most cliche excuse in the world, and I am no cliche. I'm going to work hard over the next month to make time for a daily 30 minute workout (at least) and a weekly grocery shop/meal prep session. 

I kick it old school -- I actually still use a paper planner. LOVE this cute one from Whomi (you can find it on Amazon). The color coding helps keep track of different projects, different family members, etc. I use one of the colors to keep track of my training.

I need to break my bad habits and make some new good ones, and I need to pencil even the simplest tasks into my schedule until they become second nature.


3. Find Inspiration!


Really, there is nothing more inspirational than reading the great healthy living blogs out there (check out my blog roll for some of my faves). Thank you, ladies! So many of you are in zone hard core, and it is really amazing to read about all of the races being run and goals being achieved while women just like me kick-ass at their jobs, plan weddings (everyone is engaged! I hope it is contagious ;)), raise kids, etc. Again and again I am reminded that if you do the work, you get the results. I'm going to get there, too!


4. Remember my goals


I want to run a marathon. I want to be a runner. I want to look great in my clothes. I want to have tons of energy.

(Insert Peacock Here)

5. Turn off the TV


A little weird, but let me explain. I am a bit of a TV junkie, I could sit and watch the pretty moving pictures for hours. But recently I have come to realize two things:


-The quality of the programming I choose is, um, not good
-It is a total time suck! Even when I try to turn it on for some "background noise", I find that I end up on parked on the couch wasting precious minutes (...or hours...or weekends).
Basically, I am overindulging on TV junk food: too much crap, too often. It isn't good for my body, and it is doing nothing for my brain. I am going to rely on my trusty DVR to record the shows that are worth my time (The Daily Show, Glee, Judge Judy), I'm going to Netflix the good shows that I have missed out on (please don't tell me to watch The Wire -- I know!) and use my old TV time to take Audrey to the park, go for a run, or read one of the million books I am dying to crack open.
(No joke: as I am writing this, the TV is on. I don't remember what I was watching before, but I looked up to find some random show about RV travel on my screen. Ugh. Turning off the TV now.)


I'm getting revved up just writing about this, so with that I am headed out for an evening walk...and a little Britney on my iPod to keep me going!