New Month, New Blog, New Attitude!!

I am giving myself a new beginning. I am wiping my failure slate clean and starting anew with the month of March. And, so, tomorrow is the kickoff of my participation in the Arkansas Fitness Challenge! It's a virtual "race" around the state of Arkansas lasting until May. I have joined Team Walk It Out here at Arkansas Children's Hospital in competition with another hospital, St. Vincent's. For every 30 minutes of aerobic activity, my virtual runner moves one city checkpoint on the web site's map. There are 30 city checkpoints on our virtual "tour" of the state. If you complete the tour before the 12 weeks is up, just start again!! I am so excited! It looks like tons of fun.

I have also committed to another month in the Make yourself a Priority in 2007 Challenge. I am officially announcing my goal here: I plan to walk for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week during the month of March. I will also attend 4 circuit training sessions at my gym during the month. I think that these are more than reasonable and highly attainable goals.

I have changed my blog as you can see, too. You may have noticed the turtle theme to the previous one and there was always a reason for that. It is how I chose to symbolize myself when I started this blog. I identified with them as you can read here. I have officially upgraded myself from a turtle to a robin. I have left my shell behind and I am planning to fly through this weight loss journey from here on in. The robin is my favorite bird because it is so prevalent in Arkansas and they are visual year round. There are a little overlooked with their more drabness than some of it's more colorful relatives. It has that lovely, warm red chest that seems to me to be it's secret beauty; it's tiny, treasured vanity. It doesn't have an outstanding singing voice but it is usually heard. Robins are family oriented and great parents that seem to have a bit of common sense. They are the bird that typically nests closer to the ground (those nests you find in your bushes around your home or see sneaking behind the signs in front of business are usually those of the robin). They are tenacious and will all but ignore humans most of the time, even in close proximity. See, I am a robin!!

So here's to making it matter in March!!!

Wednesday Wisdom

Samuel Johnson: The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.

Unfortunately, I have already started to feel those chains of habit. And not just in my attempts at weight loss, in my life in general. They are suffocating the success I've had, my marriage, my job, my thought processes even!! Someone toss me a hacksaw, QUICK!!!

Well, it's an issue to continue working on. In the meantime, my schedule lends little time for update, but I find it may also be emphasizing those restraints lately as well. There has also been a bittersweet moment this week as the Children's Hospital lost a young cancer patient on Monday. Alex was so sweet and strong, but I am thankful that he is no longer in pain. It weighs on my mind alot. I never even met him personally; I just kept up with the brief journal entries that his mother made daily on his website. He touched me and I am grateful for it. His photos defied his illness as they portrayed a child with brilliant eyes and a shining smile even when he was so frail. I am blessed to have "known" him. He is finally free of his chains.

Funny Friday

No, I haven't been whacked; it's just been insane during this first week of February. Bad weather kept me home on the 1st and 2nd. February 3rd was the Pirate Party we hosted for a few friends (more on that later with the photos!). Of course, the Super Bowl Party on Sunday the 4th. Then, there was the household illness for the three days that followed which had us all laid out. A small vehicle accident, a day of serious catch-up at my office, a dead pedometer battery that I have yet to replace, and here I am back online and trying to catch up on some of the many wonderful blogs that I usually read! Next week may be pretty tough as well with 4 traveling days for work, a holiday, and band trip....UGH!! Life goes on!!! I send more out later!!! ;)