CurvyJones on: (Don’t Call it) A Comeback
Life is good, blog. Really good. The sun is shining. I’m in a great mood. Got a good job, a nice place to live, food in the fridge (figuratively speaking), clothes on my back (unstylish though I may be, I’m wearing clothes). I have all these material things that society has decided I should be happy about. I might be inclined to agree– I can’t really complain, and for October, that’s good for me.
But sometimes, blog, life isn’t good. Or at least it isn’t as good as it should be. It’s at those times, those low times, those bored out of my mind times, those times when I lay in bed and cry for no reason, that I start to think about the things I wish I had, or things I’m working to get and don’t yet have, or just….things. When life isn’t good is when I wish for change, lots of it, and NOW.
We’re in a new quarter, and today begins a new month, and it seems like the word CHANGE is in the air, stronger than it has ever been before. People are changing, the world is changing, I am changing. A lot of people wait until the beginning of the year to overhaul their lives, instill sweeping and massive change, and then by February or March, they’ve fizzled and those people are back to the same old THEM.
Me? I like to enact change whenever I darn well please. I’m a MAVERICK, okay? I’m going ROGUE with some CHANGE. So, I’ve decided I’m bored with me and my life and I need to shake some things up.
Long ago, I worked for company that taught me some great lessons about setting goals. We all know about SMART Goals (Small, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Trackable) but what do you do after you set them? After you’ve planned the heck out of everything—now what? It’s called Life After Planning. It’s taking it a step further and setting strategies for achieving your goals. Not just WHAT you’re going to do. HOW you’re going to do it.
I’ve set some Goals for myself for this Quarter (October- December). Like to hear ‘em? Here they go:
I. Combat S.A.D. symptoms early!
II. Lose 20 lbs
III. Get in touch with ME
I don’t know about you, but I’m saying to myself. “Curvy, those seem awfully broad, and non-specific. And there’s only three of them!” Yeah I did that on purpose, because loading myself with even 5 goals to achieve is a lot. 3 is manageable and I am less likely to get bored and/or frustrated and drop the entire thing. And so. How does Curvy Jones plan to do these three things? Funny you should ask. My strategies, if you please:
Combat S.A.D. symptoms early– Like many sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder, the crisp air and changing leaves and decadent smells and foods of fall also bring with it a feeling of melancholy, of sadness and depression and general ‘winter blues’. For me, this starts as early as September (as soon as the air starts changing) and goes through winter, and on into March. It finally eases up around the end of March, depending on what’s going on. There are a few things I can do to combat the symptoms– usually I just succumb to them, lay down and cry and hole up in my house until Spring. No can do, this year! My strategies for fighting it this year include
- Taking St. John’s Wort everyday.
- Making myself get out of the house a few times a week. I joined two groups at Meetup: a book club and a social activities group. Both should keep me active and moving throughout the winter.
- Letting the sunshine in! Sunlight is essential to SAD Sufferers. Lots of natural light, whenever possible, helps chase away the doldrums.
Lose 20lbs
- Of course, this is the big ‘un. And of course I have more than 20 lbs to lose. And of course I’ve tried this before, with every variation, in every way, shape or form. I have failed in every way, shape or form. However… it doesn’t mean I should give up. I should just try a different way, shape, or form. So, not sure, exactly what the plan is here, but it’s coming together. My first goal is to get active, and for me joining a gym is not it. I don’t have fun, and I hate every second, so I stop going. I broke up with LA Fitness and I am not going back to that relationship. What I AM doing instead, is trying to find fun ways to move my body. Tonight I’m trying my first belly dance fitness class. It seems like fun, and maybe I’ll learn some Shakira-like moves for the dance floor. Yeah.
- Get back on the eating plan and back to my rules that work! We all know what makes us fat. We do. We just don’t listen to ourselves, and we are bad, bad bad, for that! I know that for me, as a borderline diabetic, sugar isn’t something I need to be having. Ever, really, but I find it hard to say I’m never going to have a cookie or a piece of cake or some candy. What I have to commit to, is cutting it drastically. I usually do pretty good with sugar– I’m not big on desserts, really. I like them, but I like FOOD better. So the other half of that is watching my starches and white flours, and also my caffeine. Diet Coke can stall a weight loss like you wouldn’t believe.
- SO CAN LATE EATING! For the SLO-METABO crew, you know what I mean! Late eating can ruin an entire day of good! It just sits there, and doesn’t go anywhere. It doesn’t get burned. It doesn’t get used. It turns into fat. Yay. Stop it. For me, no eating after 8. Really, 7, but it depends on how late I stay up. I don’t want to be HUNGRY when I go to bed, but I cannot go to bed full. I sleep way better as well when I’m not stuff to the rim.
Get in Touch with Me
- Short and sweet, there are things I enjoy that I am not doing. That I should be doing. Going for walks in the park. Reading. Writing. Blogging. Discovering things about myself. Listening to music. Hate to sound so selfish and self absorbed but I’m the one that’s got to live with me, so I need to make sure that I am happy. Otherwise, I’m a pretty miserable person to live with, and be friends with, and to have work for you, and to know.
So really, I’m helping everyone out!
Sorry to blog and run, but I’m going to be late for Belly Dance if I don’t cut this off, now. Have to stop at the ATM and get there in time to wander around looking lost. :-) It’s been great blogging (talking about myself) with you. I hope you’ve been inspired to enact some CHANGE in your own life!
Make it a great one,
Filed in: Daily Grind · Dreams & Visions · Personal · Self Renovation| Renewal
[...] Original post by The Diary of Curvy Jones [...]
GIRL! Love it. What a great philosophy to follow. One I should work on myself.
Ohhh belly dancing! That sounds fun and way to go with the goal setting and life planning :-)
Tex In The City´s last blog ..The Jazz Hands Are Back!
Yeah….I really really want to be proactive on The SAD front this year. I think the exercise will help.