Simple Math

I posted about this on my SparkPeople blog, but I thought if I post it here, too, I might be held accountable for it by the lovely Tiffany. I never realized just how stressful the unemployment thing is for me, but it basically sent me underground re: the eating healthy and exercising thing. I really hate not having work because it makes me feel devalued -- I know other people don't feel that way and I don't feel that way about other people who are unemployed, but for me, that's how it works.

I also crave the structure of a day to day grind. Of course I want a job that is varied and interesting, but leaving the house at the same time every day, getting home at the same time every day, having the same amount of money in my bank account every two weeks - those are the things I thrive on. I have all this extra time now that I am not employed and it's easy for the computer to suck 4-6 (OR MORE) hours out of me per day. I don't think I'll ever again reach the high school quota I held during grades 9-11: 8-10 hours every SCHOOL DAY. Lack of sleep, lack of motivation, major depression - escaping to my little internet empire I had built for myself with friends, and lots and lots of drama. I might, however, do 8-10 hours on the weekend days... meep!

Anyways, this is some simple math I came up with last night on my SparkPeople blog. I still have to work on getting the sleeping right - if I stay up too late, I still wake up early in the morning, whether my body is ready for it or not.

I was thinking today that I need to do some simple math in order for this all to work.

I DESERVE an hour a day to "improve" myself physically.

I DESERVE 30 minutes a day to "improve" myself emotionally via meditation or journaling.

I DESERVE the extra maybe 30 minutes on top of regular prep time to prepare myself healthier food.

That's TWO HOURS out of 24. Minus EIGHT for my required sleep. I'm still giving over half of my day to someone/something else!

So I have been doing a Leslie Sansome (sp?) Walk Away The Pounds 15 minute mile for three days now (almost missed last night but got off my butt @ 11pm to do it anyways!)... I would ride but the weather is quite ick today, so I may do that and pilates today. I love the 15 minute mile - and I hate working out, generally, but it goes by really quickly, and it's EASY. It's not a constant burning like I feel when I am doing work on gym equipment. I don't need ANYTHING, and it's the "For Abs" version so while I don't have the resistence belt, I use my 5lb dumbells and REALLY feel the burn in my arms. I honestly feel like I am getting more toned up already.

I am shopping for rowing machines now, lol! I honestly don't know, though, it's a piece of equipment I am unfamiliar with and I don't want to drop $200 on something that, in all likelihood, will come home and I will just abandon. I don't want to try one at a gym because I know they'll have like the $1200 version and I will be disappointed in buying something lesser. I want one but I don't want to have the same thing happen to it that happened to my Tony Little Gazelle Crosstrainer -- I got it home a couple of years ago and used it semi religiously for a while, then completely abandoned it. I would say, in the last calendar year, I have used it a grand total of 5 times. Anyone want to borrow or buy it?!

Anyways, have to go milk and then I think I am off to do slave labor @ LS for mom for a while. 40 slings in a couple of hours, hopefully, because the roads are going to get gross supposedly.