Random Thoughts Thursday XXXVII
By kilax, March 21, 2013 6:23 am
- One of the most enjoyable parts of prepping to teach strength class (besides coming up with the torturous sets of exercises) is developing the playlist for class. I am not a music buff in ANY way, but, I think music is important for a strength workout! So I try to make a different playlist each week, to mix things up. Then I send it to Bobbi and my dad to review. Ha ha. Any specific recommendations for songs for teaching my strength class?
- Goal-setting does not work very well for me. Nor does sharing goals (in the case that I do set one). I think that is why I have been successful this year with losing weight and setting two 5K PRs – I just haven’t focused on them too much. When I focus on things too much, I get all caught up in them. It’s all I can think about, and I start to self-sabotage. I know this is incredibly odd. Is anyone else mostly private about their goals… or an odd ball in not making too many? Is anyone else all about the self-sabotage? Sigh.
Age group medal from Saturday’s 5K
- Not that I think anyone should, but how long do you think you could go without eating processed sweets (candy, cookies, all the nomz)? I did this once for 40 days (I bet you can’t guess the reason)… I am a HUGE believer in not depriving and having a small treat each day. But lately, that small treat has been spiraling out of control for me! Of course. I won’t make a goal of it, as I said in bullet #2 above… that won’t help.
- Katie at Live Half Full started a new “Take Time Tuesday” as a reminder to list out all the things we are grateful for once a week. Check out the post and link back! This week, I am grateful for freedom of speech (and the friends that put up with me). Because I sure have been cranky this week.
- Speaking of cranky, here’s something I cannot stand – meetings scheduled at noon. COME. ON. I know people are on different eating schedules, but can we just assume that noon should be off limits? Do I have to go back to marking that time as “busy” in my calendar? Sigh. Okay, okay. I will make an exception if participants are in different time zones. Not sure why that bothers me so much. What do you think is the best time of day to hold a meeting?
- This upcoming weekend is my “free” weekend! I purposefully did not make any plans, so I can stay home and help Steven with Fake Meats stuff and get my studying on. Because… see the second bullet above. Yeah. Making the very broad goal of taking the ACE Personal Trainer exam in May is not making me study anymore. NEED. TO. FOCUS. Do you ever purposefully schedule a plan-free weekend? It may become habitual. I think we have something going on almost EVERY weekend until mid-July. It’s becoming impossible for me to schedule things!
- And one more oddball question. Do you ever have to convince yourself NOT to exercise? That’s been me lately. My alarm goes off really early, and I tell myself “No, Kim, stay in bed. You can use the rest [sleeping, not rest for my body].”
Other Random Thoughts Thursday Posts: XXXVI, XXXV, XXXIV, XXXIII, XXXII, XXXI, XXX, XXIX, XVIII, XXVII, XXVI, XXV, XXIV, XXIII, XXII, XXI, XX, XIX, XVIII, XVII, XVI, XV, XIV, XIII, XII, XI, X, IX, VIII, VII, VI, V, IV, III, II, I.
Themocracy
Goal setting is an interesting topic. In many ways, I am very goal oriented and do better if I set specific goals but I have lines too between motivating and self-sabotaging. It would be hard for me to give up all processed sugar but something I’ve been thinking about as well!
I would love to hear more about your struggles with the self-sabotaging! RELATE TO ME! Ha ha ha.
I am finishing up week three of no processed sugar. It’s HARD. But mostly because there is sugar in EVERYTHING. Admittedly I can’t say I’ve given it up 100% because I just haven’t been diligent enough to check every single label, but the cookies and chocolates have at least been off the table. If someone is a person who can just have a little nibble a day (like my Mom), I support that. But if you’re someone (like me and my Dad), who can’t stop at 3 cookies and just keep going, it has to be an all or nothing situation. I’ll let myself have a treat for my birthday, but at this point I am too scared to eat anything sweet for fear I won’t be able to stop again. And I really, really have had so much more energy (and drink far less caffeine!).
Worse than 12pm meetings? 7 am meetings. I’ve had three scheduled this week. BLAGH.
Can your mom write a guest post for me on how she does that?! LOL. I am more like you and your dad. The sugar kicks in that “need to eat more” feeling. I bet you will be able to stop after a few sweet things, since it will be so intense, but it will be easy to build back up to eating too much again. Stupid processed yummy goodies! (Just kidding, not stupid, I <3 them).
That is great you have more energy though!
See! That is why I had to ask! I start work at 6:30 so I like the early meetings!
If we had 7am meetings, only two people would be there (myself included).
I always have to convince myself not to exercise! I forgot my body needs rest sometimes bc exercising is just a part of my routine. I’m going home this weekend for 3 days and I’m purposely not bringing home any workout clothes so I can get some much needed rest 🙂
I love that you take time to switch up your playlist. I always did the same thing when I was teaching b/c I know, as a participant, I wouldn’t go back to an instructor if he or she played the same songs every time! I need fresh music to keep me motivated! 🙂
I am not good with playlists. I have had my ipod for a year and a half and I’ve made exactly 1 playlist. I really need to get new music and make some more but I’m lazy.
I keep a lot of my goals private or just tell a few close friends. I try not to get too hung up on them though, especially when they are running related, because it makes me nervous and usually causes digestive/stomach issues that ultimately mess up my ability to reach those goals. I’m not much of a goal setter in other parts of my life.
A noon meeting sounds like the worst! I’d have to eat prior to the meeting for sure. I was annoyed when they scheduled a mandatory training from 9:30-12:30 because I knew I’d get super hungry during it. I opted for the afternoon session instead.
I often have plan-free weekends and they are often the best!
Meetings at noon are mean. And I will tell anyone I have to. I workout, which means I need to eat. Frequently.
I did no sugar/sweeteners between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it was a really good experience. Cravings subsided, I felt in control and finally kicked the Diet Coke habit. Christmas came and I just went nuts. I’ve tried to go back to limited sugar (I was inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live”) but to no avail. I decided last night, though, that if I’m serious about WI that I have to get serious about diet (this was after orange poppy seed coffee cake, processed cookie thins and a homemade cookie bar). I wrote down goals for the day last night, and I’m hoping that focusing on it for 24 hours at a time rather than a big span might be manageable.
I also have been battling the alarm, as I think of caving in to taper but last night, I also wrote the goal of running x miles, which gave me a good kick in the pajama pants.
I think that is what I need to do to feel my best for my HM in April too. Not cut it out, but limit it. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO ONLY EAT ONE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?!
I’m definitely a self-sabotager. I like to set goals but more as an “if this happens in the sometime near future I’ll be really happy” kind of way. If I’m too strict with myself or push myself too much in any way, I react in the opposite way. It’s better for me to not focus on goals too much and then be surprised when I reach my “goals”.
I try to schedule a rest day every week (it’s on my google calendar) so I don’t have to convince myself not to work out one day but I’m awful about taking one on an unplanned rest day even if I need more sleep. After Boston I plan on taking a few weeks easy and catching up on some muuuch needed rest though!
Hey, No Meat Athlete on Twitter (I know you’re not on there) mentioned your site back on the 8th of March to his followers!
Thanks for letting me know!
Convincing myself not to exercise is very difficult. Also, convincing myself not to overdo it during a workout is also difficult. I tend to treat every workout as a competition, when only ~25% of them should be above average difficulty. Most of the time, when I make a goal public, I end up screwing up and getting injured, so maybe I need to be a little more private about them! 🙂
I don’t mind noon meetings so much…my biggest pet peeve is meetings after 3 pm. Seriously, I leave at 3:30, so that’s just not gonna work unless its A big damn emergency
YES! My day ends at 4:00, so I have an appt in my calendar every day that says I am busy then, in the hopes that someone will actually look at it when scheduling an appt, in case they do not realize that is a crappy time of day to have one!
One of the reasons that I like a particular spin instructor is because of his playlists – he’ll randomly include 80’s music and doesn’t just play the same stuff over and over. He will throw in the random Beastie Boys’ song. I’m not a fan, but it’s good stuff for working out!
And I get you on the goal-sharing. I do NOT publish goals before a race. I don’t consider myself a supersticious person, but I feel that putting my goals out there (for all of 2 people to read – ha) would jinx me.
As for meetings – Friday afternoon meetings are the kiss of death.
Hmmm….some top 40 fun? I don’t know like half the songs on your playlist lol oops :/
I have mixed in top 40s the past two weeks! LOL! I think my class may like this stuff because they are all older than me. Shhh 😉 ha ahahah
Ha, I never have to convince myself not to exercise. Nope, not a problem here!
That’s interesting about your goal-setting. I sometimes think of myself as very goal-oriented, but only in certain areas. Like, when I read about people who are really set on losing five pounds and are super-diligent about not eating sweets, I definitely don’t identify with them at all! (I’m not saying this is good or bad.) Maybe I’m not that great at goal-setting after all. I’m also really good at quitting something once I decide that the goal is no longer relevant or important to me.
And yeah, I have a Friday meeting at 3pm, which I hate. And I also make a habit of avoiding any class that starts at noon because I get really hangry during it.
I think we need to coin this concept of selective goal setting. And the concept of knowing when to abandon a goal. I think that is 100+% ok 🙂
I know that if I don’t buy peach rings I wont eat them. That’s the only way for me to stay away from processed candy. Otherwise I have to hide it in cupboards cause if its out and close by ill just eat it. But if its all the way in the kitchen then I am lazy and usually can keep self control and keep myself from eating too much.
The inclusion of “Last Train to Clarksville” in your playlist made me laugh – I’ve definitely never heard the Monkees during a work-out! I like any playlist that really reflects what the teacher likes, not just your standard work-out music. Also, I like to not feel like I’m at the halftime show of an NBA game when I work out. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. My Thursday class is always a trip back to the 90’s, which I find pretty awesome.
My problem with goals is that I tend to just give up or forget about them (see: grad school, knitting, working on a career, keeping my apartment semi-clean, etc). That’s why I’m kind of amazed I’ve stuck with this health/fitness thing for so long. So I’m trying to be a little more accountable in hopes that I can actually accomplish something.
And I TOTES HATE noon meetings! Every time I get an invite for one, which is more often than I’d like (clearly), I sigh and let out a huge “WTF lunch meeting?!?!” It’s just not cool. Don’t people know I need to go to the gym at lunch so that I can come back full of endorphins and not yell at them for whatever stupid thing they’re doing that’s ruining my week?
HA HA HA HA. I think they NEED to know that is why you cannot make their lunch meeting so that they stop scheduling and you can come back to work ready to deal with them 🙂
I love that you schedule plan-free weekends. I do that, and it drives Rich crazy. He says “you cannot plan to be spontaneous.” Um, yes you can… LOL
Ha ha ha! Yes! I am planning to be spontaneous! LOL!
I’m weird about sharing my goals. I share monthly goals on my blog but they are usually smaller goals and I don’t usually share my big goals. I think because they scare me and don’t want others to know if I fail.
I’ve given up candy and sweets before and did fairly well, but as soon as the ban is lifted I go right back to my old habits. I know I need to just not buy that kind of stuff but I still do. I wish I could just eat a little and stop, but I have yet to figure that out.
I did that for 40 days once as well. Haven’t done it since but really should again.
Your playlist is killing me save for the Queen and Van Halen tracks. And, seriously, there are far more motivating songs from INXS than “Need You Tonight.” It’s a great song, but too slow for a workout. Try “This Time” or, better yet, “Good Times” featuring Jimmy Barnes.
Nice playlist!! I’m totes stealing some of them!!
I’m not really private about my goals. Although the only time I post goals are on my blog, and as far as I know you and Pam are basically the only ones that read it! HA 🙂 No one I work with is active, so I don’t bore them with my workouts.
I can go 8 hours without eating anything sweet, that’s how long I sleep. HAHAHA!!!!! Seriously.
Most of my weekends are not planned. With the hubby and myself both in school, it’s nearly impossible to get us to leave unless we need a study break!!
Nice playlist! I would add Steppenwolf- “born to be wild” to fit in with the rock genre. I also added “scream n shout” – by will I am/brittney spears, and “middle distance runner” forget who sings that- but would not be a good edition to your list 🙂
Meetings at 12!?! WTH! 12-2pm is off limits for meetings at my work.
Goals. Ah. Whether or not I post them I still have them firmly ingrained in my head. I’m going to be obsessed with a BQ until I do it, then I will go after my dads best time. It will never end and is a vicious cycle!! It’s so easy to lose focus (and realize you’re not a pro runner) and keep pissing off family members with all the training and obsessive crazy talk. But it’s fun right? 🙂
Nice AG medal! I’m totes jelly! Hehe
Yes! Born to Be Wild! I had Scream & Shout and some newer stuff for the first class – I should bring it back 🙂
I love that you have your dad’s goals to chase. I wish someone in my family ran. Okay, my blood family. My BIL runs. Some times. And it is all fun with our crazy obsessive talk! MUAHAHAHHHAHAHSDKL:AJSDLKJASDJ
Perfect meeting time? 10 and 2. Or 9 and 1. NOT NOON!
I too have a hard time moderating sweets. I’m an all or nothing girl in that respect. That said, until last night when I baked brownie cupcakes, I was sugar free for 6 weeks. Hello sugar rush!
I’m a shitty goal setter too. No resolutions. I sort of ease into things. Cranky here too. I think it’s the weather not living up to my expectations. Happy weekend!
Define “processed sweets.” Haha. I’ve been dessert free since Ash Wednesday and did the same thing for Lent last year, and honestly, it’s usually not that challenging…but that’s probably because #1: when I’m fasting from dessert for Lent, I don’t buy cookies/candy/brownies/baked goods, nor do I make them, and not having them available makes it pretty darn easy to not eat them and #2: I dessert substitute like it’s going out of STYLE. Last year it was granola + yogurt or graham crackers, and this year it’s been ALL THE CEREAL. (Or, more specifically, Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cinnamon Crumble. OMG.). So if you count cereal as processed sweets, than I don’t think I could go very long without any processed sweets haha. I don’t know…I guess for some people, eating all that sweet cereal may seem like cheating of my dessert fast, but under normal circumstances I would NEVER eat cereal for dessert. As a snack, maybe, but never as dessert. It also keeps me turning my fast into a diet, which is something I really, really try to avoid. Interestingly enough, I haven’t noticed any real changes in my body or myself in eliminating cookies/candy/brownies/cake/pie/baked goods in general from my diet. My clothes fit the same, my body more or less feels and looks the same (actually, I think my acne has gotten worse since Lent started…hmmm)…I guess the only real difference is that I don’t binge on chocolate whenever I get the opportunity since I’m, you know, not eating chocolate. Haha. Actually, the more I think about all of this, the more I think this kind of lines up with the whole goal thing. I guess people know my over-arching goal of not eating sweets of all of Lent, but I’m not super vocal about what I count as sweets and what I don’t count. Ultimately, what counts and what doesn’t is a decision I make for myself and isn’t something I need to advertise, if that makes any sense.
Yes, this does make sense. I gave up sweets for Lent once and people were giving me crap – “Well, what about that Luna bar, Kim?” Sigh. I so admire you for how you are doing it and what it means to you (since it was so not that way for me – I shamefully admit). Do you think you will do a follow-up post?
I love your playlist! It screams TOUGH! 🙂
And I used to set lots of goals, and then I’d get injured, or something else would get in the way, and I’d really be hard on myself for not meeting them. I think the older I get, the more I realize that I am just happy to run healthy. If I PR, etc – that’s awesome. But if not, I am ok with that too:)
YESSS! Gosh, yet ANOTHER thing we relate on. What a surprise 😉 PRing is fun, but I would take healthy ANY day.
We get meetings scheduled at noon all the time since we have our VP of IT in Massachusetts, where it’s 2pm. So much bothersome and so little thought that there’s a 2 hr time difference between sites.
Meetings at noon are rude unless it’s a meeting where they are providing lunch. That’s the only time it is acceptable. Otherwise I want my meetings at 2:30 PM. It takes me forever to get into the groove at work so I want meetings in the afternoon so I can have all morning to prep for them 🙂
I don’t always tell people my goals because I’d rather work on them in private. I don’t self-sabotage but I’m more afraid of failing at them if I broadcast them.