Planning for success

Planning does not come naturally to me. Some people seem to thrive on planning. I try, but it's definitely something I have to work at.

I tend to set big goals. Goals like "I'm going to get in better shape." That's a good goal, but it's not specific. At work, my team makes communications plans when we start a project. So we figure out what the goal is and write it down. Then we decide how that's going to happen, make a list of the attached projects, who needs to be involved and then work out timelines. We also include how to measure our success.

So for the RDWC (Roller Derby Workout Challenge), I've tried my hand at planning. My goal at this point is to finish and see an improvement in overall fitness. But finishing is important. This week, I've mapped out the eating plan in a spreadsheet and I've planned my meals and exercise for the next week.

It's a start.

Challenge is a noun and sometimes is a verb

Tomorrow, I embark on the Roller Derby Workout Challenge. The Heart Attacks, a roller derby team out of L.A., created this marvellous DVD and have an accompanying challenge, including an eating plan. Structure! Just what I need. Many of my fellow fresh meat are taking up the challenge, too. Support! Just what I need.

Roller derby has been such a gift. My first roller skating session was March 3, 2011. Since then, I've challenged myself in many ways to improve at this sport. I'm much stronger than at this time last year. My legs are starting to get definition I haven't seen in years. And while I adore a taut calf muscle, the true benefits have been beyond physical fitness. For all that it has reputation for girl drama, my derby experience so far has been mostly very positive.

The group is made up of women ranging in age from early 20s to mid 40s. We are public servants, engineers, students, stay-at-home moms, nurses and so many other things. Some are natural athletes, moving with ease and grace. Others are fighting hard for every bit of improvement. All inspire me to be better.

Today, I am prepping my house for the challenge. I am also prepping my mind and heart.

Blog I love: Already Pretty

I love this blog: Already Pretty.

Sally McGraw, the author, is a "blogger, freelance journalist, communications professional, style and body-image expert." Her posts are not only full of beautiful clothes, but her wonderfully sane advice about body-image. It's a fashion site that inspires rather than depresses. She celebrates wearing what flatters you, what expresses your personality and what makes you happy. She encourages readers to take pleasure in their bodies.

A recent post, Change Your Style, Change Your Life, talks about how small changes, like a new style of shoe, can be a beginning to more profound changes in your life. As Sally writes:

After years of attempting to change my body through crash diets, I finally realized that my body was what it was and I might as well work with it. My exploration of personal style made me more aware of my body and my health, showed me that there isn’t a single type of gorgeous body, provided me with a previously untapped outlet for artistic and creative expression, led me to blog which rekindled my love of writing, introduced me to a huge new world of stylistic thinkers and influencers, provided me with several new streams of income, unlocked untold amounts of personal confidence, and connected me to YOU.

In the past, I didn't change for me, I changed for others. When I was in my teens, I saw diet and exercise as a way to make my body more acceptable. Happiness was thinness. But even when I was thin and fit, I couldn't enjoy it. I felt incomplete. Now, I wish I could shake that kid who could bike for hours and who had tight abs and tell her, "Enjoy it! In a few years, your body will start betraying you. You will feel pain that you can't imagine. Fatigue that you never thought possible. You are healthy and beautiful." Hindsight is 20-20. I was into fashion then, but again, it was about making myself palatable to other people, not to celebrate how dressing well made me feel.

Now, I'm coming to eating right, exercising and dressing well from a different place. I want my body to be  strong because I need the strength to fight. I want to eat right because I feel good when I do. If my pants get looser, well, that's a side benefit.  I only want to lose weight to take a burden off my joints, heart and lungs. And I'm having fun with clothes. It's a way to express myself creatively.

Already Pretty came along at a great time for me. I can't even remember how I found it, but it's the main blog I read. Sal has created a snark-free oasis in a world that gets a little snarkier every day.  I'll still read my celebrity gossip, but I'm more reflective about the destructive messages I see online every day.