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My 2021 Word of the Year, Finally
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” ~ Sylvia Plath Sylvia knew. Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission from purchases made via qualifying links. Words This year, it has taken me exactly a month to find my 2021 word of the year. Why? Well, I wasn’t convinced I’d bother to choose a word of the year. Wasn’t it a ridiculous assumption to make that a year would bend to meet the shape of a word. I mean after 2020, haven’t we all seen that life is nothing if…
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The Simple Art of Walking
Or How I Don’t Want Your Pity Walk Became Let Me Get a Sweater and My Shoes) With gyms closed for much of the past year, I have discovered the value of the simple art of walking. We walk in all the weather, sometimes alone but often together. That’s been a highlight of this year actually. Walking. Discovering the art of walking has been an unexpected positive in a year too full of negatives. The Art of Walking It started as a way to get the kids moving and a means for me to get my steps in for the day. Way back in March, when the pandemic was new…
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Getting My Gym Legs Back – Returning to the YMCA
After seven months of working out in my basement, I am moving on. This was the month that I found my gym legs again returning to the gym in person. Here’s how I found my gym legs again and here’s how it’s going so far… Deciding to Leave the Basement The decision to return to the YMCA near my home was not without a whole lot of introspection, hand ringing and anxiety. In fact, it kind of surprised me that I had anxiety returning at all, but after seven months of basement workouts, there it was. Nerves. Let’s face it the nerves were not unwarranted. I mean look around and…
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Free Online Fitness Classes To Try While Stuck at Home
My friends and family members know I am all about the fitness classes. I structure every work day around the gym. Before the Pandemic, I worked out a minimum of five days a week at the YMCA. Suddenly, I was hunting for online fitness classes to fill the gap. My morning and lunchtime workouts at the YMCA are necessary for me to maintain flexibility, strength, energy and balance. I have Crohn’s Disease and my joints tend to get very sore and stiff unless I move frequently. So, for me movement isn’t optional. When the Coronavirus started was distant news seemingly contained in Wuhan Province, I was working out. We were…
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How Did I Move More in 2018?
So how did I move more in 2018? Early this year I did that typical exercise you will see all over the Internet in January in which you chose a phrase or word to guide the year. My word of the year is a personal philosophy and also a goal to aspire to for the 365 days of the year. This is important for me every single January, because it helps give me some focus and provides a challenge as well. Looking back over these word of the year commitments that I have chosen consistently since 2014 I realized they all have something in common. Each of my words of…
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How My Word of The Year Became a Matter of Life or Death
“I wish Dad was younger,” my daughter said driving home from a play rehearsal the other night. “If you think about it he could be 70 when I am in my 20s.” Math is not usually our conversation on the drive home. Neither is life or death. But here we are. Often I have to wonder how their minds work. “I wish you were younger too. I mean if you think about it you could both be dead before I’m 40.” Oh my god my head hurts some days keeping up with this kid. But I get it. It’s a fear of dying and every child has that to a…
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My Word of The Year Check in – March Progress
Time for my March Progress Word of the Year checkin. Every year I pick a word or phrase to help guide my personal goals. I find this activity helpful for my own health and wellness throughout the year. This year you might recall my word of the year is MOVE. I am working on monthly checkins here to keep myself accountable to all of you. It’s technically three months into the year. Quarter one is done. So how did March progress? Am I making my personal goals this year? Have my fitness goals evolved or changed or slipped by the wayside? What have the challenges been? Have I been sticking…
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My Word of The Year Checkup – February
January was a hot mess. Actually maybe not even a HOT mess. Just a mess. But back at the start of January I wrote a post about my word of the year. My word this year is MOVE. So I thought it worthwhile to do a quick word of the year checkup to keep myself accountable to all of you. So here that is – my word of the year checkup. Month one. I am generally good about keeping personal goals. 2017 and mindfulness was the exception to that one. And if you know me at all then you know that I work out a lot and I am pretty…
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A Guide to Sick Day Workouts
This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label. Guide to Sick Day Workouts One of the worst parts of being sick for me is the interruption to your fitness routine. Sometimes it’s ok (or even better for you!) to maintain your workouts even when you’re not feeling your best. For me, working out is not negotiable. I feel better and have more energy when I work out regularly, even when feeling under the weather. How do you know if it’s ok to workout? Generally speaking, if you have enough energy to get moving and your symptoms are…
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Tips for Beating the Winter Blahs #ad
This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label. Beating the Winter Blahs this time of year can take a bit of extra work. After the excitement and buzz of the holiday and New Year’s celebrations, it’s easy to start feeling the blahs. Short days and dreadful cold weather can really zap your energy. Everyone has their own way of uplifting themselves. Here are some things I do: Tips For Beating the Winter Blahs: Don’t forget the importance of nutrition. Staying healthy is so important to staying well. It is hard to stay energized if your body is not…
