How About Those New Year's Resolutions?

     
        Last year I said, I wasn't going to make any New Year's Resolutions. I didn't. I tried to be a better person throughout the year. I believe I was successful. My resolution was to make a series of small goals throughout the year and keep them. Did I do that? Did I keep them? Well there is always room for improvement.

      There is something magical with the thought, that tonight at Midnight. Everything is erased and we get a brand new book to write our stories in. Let's think of life this way. Instead of once a year. Every night at midnight, no matter what we did the previous day. We get a brand new blank page to write our stories in.

      Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a brand new day with no mistakes in it? ~Lucy Maude Montgomery

      That quote is somewhere in one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables. Anne had gotten her bestest friend in the whole entire world, Diana drunk. She mistook the port wine for strawberry cordial. Or did she mistake the strawberry cordial for port wine? Well that is not important. What is important, she made a big mistake and was able to rebound from it. The mistake had consequences. Diana's mother thought she was an evil trouble maker bent on destroying her daughter. For a long time Diana was forbidden from having any contact with Anne. You see, even when we make mistakes there are consequences. When it isn't a mistake and we choose to do something willingly. There are consequences. The good news is that we are able to learn from mistakes or choices and turn our lives around.
 
      We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to choose the consequences. ~Stephen R. Covey

      In life and everything else choose wisely.

      I am not going to make resolutions. That is so intangible and seems so unworkable. I am going to choose to make small goals. Whether you choose to make small goals or resolutions. If you slip up, try again. If you don't give up. Even if you have a few set backs. You are still working at your goals. Even if you are running slowly, you're still lapping everyone on the couch.

      It also helps if you think of your resolutions, or small goals. If your resolution is to lose weight and exercise. That is rather vague. It seems insurmountable. Break it down into small and doable goals. I will talk to my doctor. Find an exercise plan that he or she approves. Then I will work on losing five pounds. And then I will work on losing five more pounds, and then five more pounds, etc.

     If your goal is to lose weight and exercise. I highly recommend Spark People. I will no longer recommend that other weight loss plan with two W's in their name.

     My small goals, in 2016
      ~ Run, actually run, in three 5ks
      ~ Start training for a half marathon
      ~ Make better food choices everyday of the week

 Make 2016 your year! And be Fabulous!

Vintage Schwinn exercise bicycle. My best and worst friend!
 

PS. I rung in New Years 2014 watching Downton Abbey. I rung in New Years 2015 watching Downton Abbey. Guess what I am going to do New Years 2016? Watch NCIS, well maybe a little. There is a marathon on the USA Network. I guess I will also watch Downton Abbey

I Think That my Stationary (or is it Stationery) Bicycle Hates Me!

               I also am beginning to think this blog hates me. As I have tried to write this blog three times and had to delete it because the blog decides it wants to put the pictures in left field literally. Or edits the blog on it's own. Or loses my captions or pictures. I am going to blame it on my phone. Yeah the phone did it!

               So as I say with clenched teeth. Let's try this again.

               I have this vintage exercise bicycle. It is from the late 70's. I love it, but I think it hates me. The seat is kind of rusted and so it slides forward without warning. Causing my knee to crash into the console, dashboard, knee bruising thingamabobble of doom.

              Even though it does that it is still a wonderful exercise machine. And still works, even though it came from the era of bell bottoms and shag carpet. I would have shown you a picture of my knee, but my knees look weird. And they definitely aren't my best feature. One reason I always wear knee length skirts. And then there is that whole modesty thing, which is very important to me.

               I have another piece of exercise equipment that I also love and it is also vintage. It is a mid nineties Total Gym. Best thing that we ever purchased. Even though it is almost 20 years old. It is still going strong. And a huge contributor to my lovely after pictures.

             And I am in Week Five of my exercise goals! Even though I haven't managed to get up at the crack of dawn to exercise. I have managed to exercise, five days a week for at least thirty minutes. And last week when I had a wrench thrown into my plans. I still exercised. A while ago, I would have used that as an excuse to not exercise. And I do believe that is fabulous!

(Update) So I find out the hard way that I should not delete pictures off of my phone when I have used them in my blog. I thought once you put something out on the internet. It was there forever. Apparently not in all cases.

The Lovely vintage Bicycle that hates me

The instrument panel or the thingamabobble of doom

The seat in cahoots with the instrument panel

**Note: Don't began any exercise or diet program. Or make any health goals without first consulting your doctor.