Adjusting My Energy

May 22, 2012 by

For quite a few years now I’ve been having some problems with pain in my hips and lower back. I’ve been told by several doctors it’s part of getting older — the diagnosis is arthritis — but accepting the pain and succumbing to it isn’t really my style.

After the doctor prescribed treatments failed to give me much relief, I turned to a better diet and joined a gym. I also hired a trainer in hopes of strengthening.  As with a lot of journeys, this hasn’t been a straight road, there’s been some twists and turns and ups and downs.  A few months ago one of those twists led to me starting to work with the Pilates instructor.

I wasn’t too far into my first session when it became crystal clear this was going to help me gain strength and flexibility. But there was a piece of the core principle that took me some time to really come to understand and that was the connection between mind, body and energy.

When I was told to access my energy or work my energy, I didn’t quite know how to do that. I wasn’t sure where to dig for that. It wasn’t tangible in the same way “access your abdominal is.

In today’s session began to click. On the reformer, we were working through some ab exercises when my hands and arms began to tremble. I pointed it out and asked why I was feeling the stress there, when they weren’t the muscles I was working.

“That’s your energy!” was the response I got.

I’m still having a hard time pinpointing how to access that, but in a strange way it gave me some perspective on how to write how the fairies in Fairyproof relate to their power.

That is something that is mystical, and hard to identify, but for them anyway, it is real. It is there. And it’s something that affects them because it is a part of them. So in future sessions, I hope to not only be strengthening my core or learning to access my energy, but discovering a new way to write my characters.

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

New Year: 2011 Reflections and 2012 Goals

January 3, 2012 by

It’s a new year, and I’m still here. That’s always something to be thankful for.

As usual, I’m going to use my first post of the year to examine the goals I set last year, and lay out some new goals for the year ahead:  goals for my writing, goals for my personal life, and goals for this blog.

Last year: writing

  • Continue submitting Resurrecting Harry.
  • Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch.
  • Submit The Ultimate Catch.
  • Draft a new project.

How did I do?

 Submitting Resurrecting Harry

Throughout the year, I continued submitting the manuscript to agents and a couple of publishers. I received some constructive and helpful feedback while pitching the project in NY. That advice combined with advice received from others, led me to a decision about this project. (See new goals.)

Finish drafting The Ultimate Catch

I did accomplish this goal and finished a first draft of this project. I’ve also started a second pass on UC.

Submit The Ultimate Catch

I have not completed my self-editing and revisions on this project yet, so I have not submitted it. I did, however, get the chance to talk to an industry professional about it and RWA conference last year and received very positive feedback on the project.

Draft a new project

I did start a new paranormal novel. It’s almost two-thirds drafted.

I’m happy with what I accomplished. I had a couple of “close but no cigar” goals, but for the most part I moved forward and achieved what I wanted. Given the personal setbacks I faced, I’m very happy with that.

My writing goals for 2012

  • Complete Ultimate Catch and submit
  • Complete Shifted and submit
  • Write a novella targeted for the e-markets

Also: because of the advice received on “Harry” mentioned above, I have hired a professional editor to go over the project. When I get the notes, I hope to be able to break down some doors.

Personal goals, in review and looking forward

I had one personal goal for 2011: to continue working out with my trainer and on my own to get healthy. I have met this goal. In the latter half of the year, I slacked off some. I didn’t work as hard as I did in the first half of the year and I let my diet slip.

Looking forward: This year I want to get back on track and stay committed. I want to work out five days a week and pay close attention to how I fuel the tank. I do have a magic scale number that I want to hit, even though I know we’re suppose to ignore that evil machine.

Blog Goals

I didn’t set goals for the blog last year, but have decided to do so this year. Because Monday and Friday are busy days for me at the day job, I’m changing my posting schedule to Tuesday, Thursday plus an occasional weekend post. I want to keep to my schedule as much as possible only taking one week off in July and the last two weeks of the year. I also plan to continue with my “What I Watched/Read” series (though not on weekly).

I hope that you, reader, will stick with me for another year and enjoy what I write here. I also hope that you have a wonderful year in which you reach all your goals!

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , ,

Bustin’ Out of the Comfort Zone

October 3, 2011 by

If you’re anything like me, you hear your friends and family say all the time, “I need to bust out of my comfort zone.” Especially in today’s fast paced life, it’s so easy to get complacent, to except what each day brings, fall into routines, and just let life happen.

I’m particularly guilty of this. I love my routines and my expectations and changes to a well-laid plan can really set me off. Not the typical personality you expect for someone who claims to be creative, hu?

Last week, my comfort zone was given a jolt. For almost a year now I’ve been working with a trainer to get healthy and get a handle on some chronic pain.

It was a scary move for me at first. I had to open up the doors and windows to my mind and heart that are usually boarded shut and share my eating and exercising habits with a virtual stranger. Over the course of the year, however, we developed common ground. As an advisor he’s helped me manage the obstacles in the road. As the relationship became less scary, I became more comfortable.

Last week my trainer informed me he’d taken a new job. I was being reassigned to another one in the facility.

The announcement wasn’t unexpected; I’d known for several months that he was contemplating and working toward a career change. Somehow, though, I hadn’t let myself think too much about those changes would alter my little comfort zone.

After an initial freak out and some quiet moments talking myself in from the ledge, I’ve come to realized that I’d become almost too comfortable in the zone I was in. Almost complacent. A shake up is probably just what I need, and a new approach to a similar task is rarely bad — it’s just different.

So, today I leap. When I go into what has become a comfortable place for me, i will be meeting someone new. This someone will be looking though all those secrets I had a hard time sharing, and again I’ll have to let a stranger peak in my windows. But I have a feeling it’s going to be good.

How do you handle shake-ups to the comfort zone?

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness Tagged With: , , ,

Tense Positivity

September 28, 2011 by

“ The greater the tension, the greater is the potential. ” — Carl Jung (1875–1961)

I have a secret. I’m worry. A LOT! I never really thought it was a secret, though. I thought I wore my insecurities on my sleeve.

I started to realize I wasn’t as transparent as I thought a few weeks ago, when friends and commentors here at the blog and on other social media outlets continually remarked about how positive I was. I buried the instinct to come back with remark like “Positive this isn’t going to work out either…”

Since Spring nothing has been like it was before. A lot of things including my time to write were stolen from me.

Last fall, I’d begun a journey to eat better and exercise more to counteract some health issues and had made a lot of progress, but when my life exploded the blast took-out a lot of my desire.

Over the past week or so I came to a realization and a decision. I was playing a victim and I wasn’t going to do it anymore. If I need more writing time, I’m going to get up early or stay up late. And I wasn’t taking any more excuses about my diet and my exercise. So Monday, before my appointment with my trainer, I logged into the gym’s website and scheduled an extra appointment with him this week and next (I had some extra ones from the times in the last few months that I’d blown it off.) and then headed to the gym determined to have a no-excuses workout.

After the intense strength-training, I set out to walk two miles on the track. At the halfway point, I grabbed my water, and sat down to catch my breath before completing mile two. My head resting in my hand, I didn’t even see someone approaching me until his hand brushed my shoulder.  I looked up and he said, “You look like your ready. Let’s run a mile together. Right now.”

I jumped to my feet and said, “Okay. Let’s go.”

I have a second secret. I’m a big smart-ass. Okay, maybe that’s not such a big secret.

He, too, was drenched in sweat and was obviously done with his workout. So, I felt pretty confident that he wouldn’t follow through when I accepted his offer. He laughed and said it wasn’t the reaction he expected from me, but then added, “I love your positive attitude, though.”

Positive attitude. His words hit me hard, as I took back to the track to finish my walk. Part of me wanted to shake off that image. Remove the mask and scream, No, really, I’m not positive, I’m obnoxious. Instead, I came to a different conclusion: I’m going to do my best to embrace it. Instead of using a positive attitude as a disguise, I’m going to give being positive a real shot.

Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen to my brain.

 

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , , , ,

It’s Early, but I’m Already Late

March 30, 2011 by

Three days into my new schedule, and I’m already late with a blog post. Hmmm….makes me wonder if this is going to be a losing battle.

Even though my writer genes often make me jump to the worst case scenario, I don’t want to focus on the negative. Yes, it’s hard and I’m pushing forward on little-to-no sleep, but I knew this first week would be.

I spent about an hour working on my edits for Harry, and that’s all the time I’ve been able to log in a week. But I have accomplished so much more.

Lets just look at today.

The alarm went off at 4:00 am because I had a 5:00 am appointment with my trainer. One of my top priorities with this transition is to stick with my fitness plan. Since transitioning began the end of last week, I only missed one intended workout session and physical and mental exhaustion was the cause. Something to feel positive about

I hit the gym, came home and hit the showers, dressed (with hair and makeup done) and was in the office by 7:00 am. Our warehouse and office are just that. We don’t have a showroom and it’s rare I physically greet customers, but I decided to adopt a philosophy I heard at a writer’s conference once (and I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the source.) “Just because we can work in our PJs, doesn’t mean we always should.” Taking the time to put myself together, even if I’ll be alone for most of the day, makes me feel better. Feeling better is the first step to pushing through hard times.

I had a clean to-do list by noon. (Self-explanatory)

Beat the afternoon rush, hit the grocery store, made it home, and have now put up the late blog post.

Am I getting it all done? No. But as a commenter pointed out Monday, Wonder Woman is mythical. I’m accomplishing enough to be happy with myself…and being late isn’t the worst crime in the book…

Looking at the positives, isn’t the easiest thing for me to do, but taking the time to be realistic in my self-evaluation is more productive than fretting over what I didn’t get done. Celebrate baby steps!

Are you a glass half full or a ‘I cut my lip on the broken glass’ kinda person?

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Something to Believe In

January 28, 2011 by

Today I’m blogging over the shiny, new MVRWA Blog about why reading romance is important to me. Here’s an excerpt, but you have to head over there to read the whole post.

It didn’t take me too long, however, to realize I had a connection to this stranger that went beyond the early morning workout. We were both more interested in starting our day with a smile than letting the bad news of the day set the tone. I’m not saying I turn a blind eye to what’s going on in this big world, but I do choose to not let it affect my mood. And sometimes that means turning it off. (Continue Reading)

In the same vein: Here’s a Friday “song of the day.”

Something to Believe In – Poison

Filed Under: Life, MVRWA, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

Staying Positive…Positively Hard

January 10, 2011 by

There’s one item on my new year to-do list that is giving me trouble: Always work to see the positive side of things.

I’ve said it here before. I’m the person who will always jump to worst-case-scenario.  If someone is fifteen minutes late, I’m contemplating calls to local hospitals because they must have got in an accident. A horrible accident where blood was most definitely spilled.

Do you know how hard it is to turn off those negative voices? But I think we creative people must learn how to at least quiet them a little bit. They may be the voices that help us think of dark and dastardly things to do our heroes and heroines, but they are also the same voices that whisper “You’re not good enough” and “You’re wasting your time.”

So, how do we put a positive spin on negative feelings?

I’ve been trying a new mantra this year. Granted, we’re only ten days in, but it’s starting to work for me.

“Today I start again.”

What does this do or mean? It means each day is a new slate. I can’t spend a new morning worrying about everything I either did or didn’t do yesterday. If I didn’t make my writing goal or I did indulge in a piece of chocolate, there is nothing I can do today to negate yesterday’s actions.

“Today I start again.”

What this doesn’t mean is I can slack off on my obligations because I can start over tomorrow. And it also does not mean I allow myself to run a muck because today’s actions will be erased with the next sunrise. No. The saying is more about letting go of the guilt that can be crippling.

Is it easy? No. Do I find myself falling into the bad habit of thinking negatively? Of course. But the good news is when I feel it happening I can remind myself that the only actions I still have control of are the one’s that are ahead of me.

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , ,

Hard Work Leads to Positive Changes

January 7, 2011 by

More than a new year’s resolution, I began a commitment to better nutrition and fitness the last quarter of last year to combat some arthritis-related, pain issues.  Though pain management was the top priority, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was aware of other health and body image issues directly related to my increased weight.

Because of the weight loss standards (no more than two pounds a week if you expect to keep the weight off), I convinced myself this was going to be a long-term, slow process. And even though I know I’ll only see long lasting results if I think of it as not only long-term, but a life-long change, I was pleasantly surprised by how fast changes actually came about.

*  Within a few weeks I was able to significantly increase the amount of time spent doing cardio.
*  Withing a few weeks I saw a significant decrease in the pain in my back and hips. (The trouble spots that pushed me into the gym.)
*  I’d dropped a clothing size in the first month (and another in the next).

But the biggest change, and one that is most welcomed, is I’ve been able to decrease my medications for my blood pressure.  Sure I was hoping that this would happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen so fast. I’d thought to myself, when I’m closer to my weight loss goal (because we’ve only begun this journey) I may be able to cut back. However, the doctor indicated yesterday at the rate I’m going I may be able to go off them all together–and sooner than I first anticipated.

I think  there’s a more universal point to be taken from my little life lesson, though and that is hard work pays off…and sometimes quickly. You know the adage “Slow and steady wins the race?” Well, I’ve learned again just how true that is and plan to apply that to all areas of my life.

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: ,

Prioritizing Life

November 12, 2010 by

As I begin this post, I fully acknowledge I’ve spent a lot of time on the subject of time management this year.  i guess that’s a pretty good clue to how important it is to me. Since this is a Friday post, and they’re supposed to be about my journey to fitness, this one has a little different spin.

When I had that epiphany a little over a month ago that I needed to make a change in my life, I was already stretched way too thin with my time. My support roles of wife and mother and obligations I’d chosen to be responsible for were eating up most waking hours of my day. I knew that if I was really going to get serious about getting healthy, it would require a chunk of time out of my day–A large chunk of time out of my day.

The logical thing to do would be to trim some fat (I mean in the schedule!) right? I really needed to eliminate some unnecessary obligations to find those two or more hours a day I now needed to devote to my physical health.

I know I’m not the only one out there with this specific issue. It’s commonplace for woman to juggle several hats, these days. So, I don’t need to tell you, that a jam-packed schedule doesn’t mean there are extras to be trimmed. I keep my appointments on an electronic calendar, so I thought if I set my schedule visually that I’d see some ways to make up the time. Mapping it out on paper with little colored boxes to mark the time something else held my hostage only made me want to go to bed for a week.

Not a viable option.

So, what’s a person to do? Or better yet, what did I do?

Prioritize. Yes, no surprise to you that read this blog regularly, I set loose the obsessive list maker inside me.

Everyday I look at what absolutely needs to be done–making sure there is time for the wants as well as the needs and I make a game plan. That doesn’t necessarily mean things get done in the order of importance.  Picking up a gallon of milk might be high on the need list, but if I do it when I drive the kid to a class that is in the same part of town as the store I like to shop at, it saves time.

If when I make dinner tonight, I cut up enough vegetables to make three days worth of salad, I’m saving a little time the next two night. (Word of warning: I’ve found prepping vegetables for further out than three days, actually wastes time as by that fourth day they’re not as enticing as they were fresh.)

So, is it working for me?

Generally: Yes. Sure I have days when I want to pull my hair out, and other days when I’m nodding off in the chair at about 8:30.

How do you trim the excess and make time for what’s really important in your life?

Filed Under: Life, Road to Fitness, Writing Life Tagged With: , , , ,

Music Makes it Easier

October 29, 2010 by

This is Friday, and for the foreseeable future, Friday posts are about lessons learned through my attempts to be healthier.

Anyone who knows me knows that music is a big deal to me. Even in my writing, when I’m trying to get inside a character’s head, I will create a play list of their favorite music. It helps me to understand who they are and how they will react to given situations.  But this week I was reminded how music can effect how we endure a work out.

The gym where I’ve been working out is relatively new and each piece of  cardio equipment has its own TV. So for the first few weeks I used the bike time to catch up on the news, but that did little to push me through an extra few minutes when the muscles started screaming uncle.

Than I remembered how, on previous attempts, music helped me set a pace and while saying “just do three more minutes” seemed impossible, working through one more song isn’t so bad.  A mental trick? Yes, but whatever works, right?

So, last week and this week I experimented with different play lists and albums to try and find the one that worked the best. I’ve also been reading Late, Late at Night (The Rick Springfield Biography) and while reading the section where he discussed the Shock Denial Anger Acceptance album, I remembered how much I liked the driving beat of that album and used it three days last week. Those were the days I was able to endure the longest.

Over the weekend I want to try to create some play lists with a variety of songs that would give me 45 minuets of a driving beat with one or two songs to warm up/cool down to on either side.

Any suggestions?

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