Slow it Down Please

After sitting on the sidelines watching my daughter get her exercise on via our Exercise TV programming, which I'm always recommending and encouraging others to take advantage of, today I decided to get my butt in gear.

Actually, I dabbled in it a couple of days ago doing the 6min Zumba Fitness video. Since it was only 6mins, I did the video back-to-back. I just couldn't see it any other way. Anyway, today I added Yoga Sculpt to the mix and that damn instructor was going waaayyyy too fast for me. Considering I'm a novice at Yoga I couldn't keep up with the video and do the moves correctly! You know, Yoga positions are about focus and concentration. Imagine my struggle trying to focus on the pose and see what the instructor was doing next. Long story short, I made it through a solid 15mins of the 25min video, but I think that's pretty good for someone who prefers to spend her evenings watching t.v., blogging, or writing--oh yeah--and parenting.

No promises, now. Not even to myself.  But I'd like to do some Yoga or some form of body sculpting in the morning. Check in tomorrow for an update.

From the Fitness Guru Himself

Talk about nerve! My dad had the audacity to laugh at me when he learned of a recent purchase that I'd made of an inflatable punching bag. Yes, I'll admit that I got caught up in overzealous holiday shopping and bought the damn thing primarily because the popping yellow from the box was eye-catching in the conveniently placed bin containing tons of the "perfect" gifts for family and friends. Still, to be ridiculed by the fitness equipment guru of ALL TIME is inconceivable. I'm not kidding, either, about the guru status. Over my lifetime, my dad has bought just every health & fitness product available to man--juicers, vegetable steamers, fat burning products, ab lounger, ab roller, Tower 200, Total Gym, treadmill, elipticals. Need I say more. In fact, it's because of his addition to buy EVERYTHING advertised on television that I've made extra efforts not to do the same. And so far I've done pretty good for myself. To date, I've bought a stepper (back when step aerobics was IN), the bender ball, a treadmill, and a select few exercise videos. Not bad at all, considering the things I've been tempted to buy.

Out with the Old

I've been told often that I'm just like my dad in many respects. Most times I don't mind the comparisons especially when it has to do with his dedication to health & fitness. Well, at the close of 2010 I reminded myself of him with his coined phrase of, "_______ isn't making it into 2011." The blank line would be filled with whichever of his associates or friends he was cutting off in the new year. Usually a person made this list of my dads because they let him down one too many times of the current year and beyond and he was tired of it. Sometimes I admonished my father for cutting off friendships, in particular with those he'd been friends with for most of his adult life. In those situations, unless a person has done something monstrously out of line, I'd tell him he should cherish those friendships and be a little more forgiving.

On the other hand there does come a time in certain friendships or associations where it is completely justifiable to cut people off. Sometimes people show you that they are just not deserving of any form of close relations with you. I have two such people in my life--both in the workplace. One of them I was warned about when I first hired into the department. Still I called myself befriending the woman. Over the course of 4 years, the woman has caught unexplained attitudes with me, usually getting loud, calling attention to whatever the issue was, at least 4 times. With the last one, sometime in October, I was DONE. Mainly because that last time, she had gotten under my skin to the point where I was about ready to pretend that we weren't in the workplace and I don't have time jeopardizing my job for anyone. Needless to say, she and I haven't spoken sense and I have no plans of saying anything more to her than "Good Morning."

The other person has been a pretty cool person to laugh and joke around with at work. It helped the day to go by faster. Unfortunately, this person--a man--has clearly been severely affected by working in the company of so many women for some many years. He acts just like them, if not worse. First let me say that two years ago, he got mad at our little group of friends and stopped talking to all of us for months. Eventually, he came to his senses and began to talk again. Most recently, he interjected his opinion into a conversation that I was having with another coworker THEN had the nerve to catch an attitude with me when everybody involved in the conversation pounced on his opinion. The conversation occurred 3 weeks ago and he hasn't had much to say to me. Well, you know what, the last thing I have time to deal with at work, of all places, is a BI&*HY man. So as far as I'm concerned I won't be saying anything to him outside of anything related to work.

With both of these individuals, it's their loss, not mine.

Clean Sweep

Envy is a sin, I know. Still, it's the very emotion that I was guilty of often this New Year's weekend. While house hopping, each person's house I visited was absolutely beautiful, clean, and spotless.

Yes, I know that folks clean up immaculately when their expecting company, but these folks I know keep very clean homes on the regular. I know because I've been to each of their homes on more than one unplanned visit. I'm filled with envy because all to often I feel ashamed of the condition that I allow my house to be in. Dishes doen't always get washed and put away, my dresser stays in shambles with toiletries, spray bottles, mail, and a host of other things I lay atop it during the week. To my credit, I do keep the floor pretty cleared from stuff, but I can do MUCH better than what I do and I feel convicted to do so when I encounter those who do.

My fiance likes to say, "Face it, honey, you're just very domestic." WTF??? Just because organizing my house has not been my #1 priority doesn't mean I should be referred to as "not" domestic! I do clean. I just don't possess any cleaning rituals on a weekly or daily basis BUT I'll be doing so in the new year. I've got to prepare for the bigger house that I'll be blessed with this year. I've got cement regular cleaning habits into the current house before I can expect to keep my newer, bigger house clean.

As 2011 quickly approached in the last few days I was already inspired not to enter the new year with a messy house, specifically my bedroom--my biggest challenge. I'm proud to say at the conclusion of 1/1/11, my room was organized in a way that it hadn't been the entirety of 2010. All in all it probably took the entire week, but I got it done. And the plan is to keep it organized from this day forth.