Taking Baby Steps

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Lao-tzu

Yesterday I took the first step in what hopefully will be a year of change by starting this blog. While deciding what I wanted my "goals" to be and planning the separate pages, I realized that several of them overlap--which is like everything in life--interconnected. You can't do something without affecting something else.

I also realized that I can't achieve every goal every day. Some days accomplishing one thing will be an achievement and a step forward. Yesterday I was full of enthusiasm and planned to tackle several projects/goals. As it turned out, scrubbing the downstairs bathroom from top to bottom was my greatest achievement--and a task that I had been putting off for quite a while.

I exercised for 10 minutes, but didn't get around to starting a food journal. I ate three pieces of candy, which I probably wouldn't have if I had started the journal. Writing down what you eat is a good way of controlling how much you eat because it lets you see how much and what you are consuming.

I bought a hula hoop as an Easter present to myself. I was planning to use it when I begin my interval training. However, I haven't been able to get the hang of it. I had a hula hoop when I was a child, but I guess it isn't like riding a bike--something that you can relearn quickly. Every day I spend a few minutes trying to rediscover the technique of hula hooping, but so far it has eluded me. I will not give up!

An article in the newspaper today discussed a study that showed women who walk 30 minutes/day decrease their chances of having a stroke by 30%, which is another reason why I should begin walking again. On days when the weather prevents me from walking, I will try to make an effort to use my son's elliptical machine. Upon reflection, my goals seem small, but having a small goal every day and accomplishing that goal is better than undertaking too much and setting yourself up for failure. Five minutes of doing something adds up to many minutes over time.

Let the day begin!
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