Resolutions Still Going Strong?

We didn’t talk about our 2013 Resolutions this year. In the past, I’ve shared some of my resolutions with you, although it looks like I haven’t done that in a couple of years (including this year). But here it is, almost the end of January, and I’m wondering how you’re doing so far in 2013? One of my continuing resolutions is to walk several times a week. I got a Fitbit late last spring, and it really has kept me on track. Mostly. (Any days “not on track” are completely my fault. Not the Fitbit’s fault.)

I would like to do my one-hour morning walks 5-6 days a week. I end up averaging about 4 days a week. I’m working on that. Part of the problem is that I hate getting up when it’s dark outside. And it’s especially a bugger when it’s dark AND cold out there. (The treadmill in the basement is just too boring. I tried.) The upside to getting up and going outside when it’s still dark is that I get to see some beautiful sunrises.

And one day last week, I found a heart on the street. That was fun.

Of course it’s always a big plus that I get to see mountains on my walk. I never get tired of that.

So that’s how my walking resolution is going. I also make sure that I write down a few resolutions that might not be such a stretch. Included in that for 2013:

1. Buy more pretty yarn.
2. Never have just one project going at a time.
3. Get a new knitting bag (or three) this year.

I’m happy to report that those three resolutions are going amazingly well. Success!

Did you make resolutions? And are you still successfully working on them at the end of January?

Sheri whowilltryforwalks5daysaweekinFebruary

P.S. I see that if you click to make the photos bigger on Safari it works fine, but if you click to make them bigger on Firefox, they turn upside down. Oh well!

Early Mornings and a CONTEST

This is what it looks like in our back yard at 6 am. The sun isn’t quite up yet, but it’s on its way. How do I know this? Because I’ve finally decided that there is hardly ever going to be a time when I feel like exercising after I get home from work at night. I tried fooling myself into thinking that after work was the best time for me to do it (since I am so not a morning person), but it just meant that I’d come home, not exercise, and feel slightly guilty the rest of the evening.

So, I heard about the Fitbit and thought maybe that would help. If someone says I’m supposed to walk 10,000 steps a day and do 10 flights of stairs, then those are the numbers I try to hit. And since I started getting up early in the morning to walk for an hour, it has been working. I do like getting it out of the way before work. And I get to see pretty scenes like this (finally – the sun is up above the horizon.):

 

And this (I love seeing mountains first thing every morning.):

 

These things have helped me stick to this routine for a couple of months now:

1. Personally, I need to do it every single day of the week. I do take Saturdays and Sundays off, but I’m just about ready to throw at least Saturday into the mix, too. Mondays are a bugger when 6 am rolls around again.
2. I listen to audiobooks. It makes the hour of walking pass by really quickly.
3. I fool my brain. I tell myself that I’m going to walk for 30 minutes (in one direction, away from my house) and then I’ll just walk home. That equals an hour, but the last part of it is just “walking home”. 🙂

The downside? I am tired too early in the evening. It’s affecting my knitting, FPS. Somehow I need to learn to be a morning person AND a night person. Is that possible?? I need to finish my Camp Loopy Project Three this weekend. (I’m making a Derecho out of the Loopy Solid Series. So many fun colors to choose from.)

Today’s blog contest question: Are you a night person or a morning person? (And while we’re at it, do you have any tips about sticking to an exercise routine?) Leave a comment below and I’ll draw names for two more skeins of Wollmeise Lace next week.

We do have winners from last week’s blog contest! I’m sending a skein of Wollmeise Lace to Linda in IL and Amber in IN. Congratulations to you two!

Sheri 9162stepssofarfortoday.
Mustwalkbackandforthintheshopafewmoretimes….