The clutter/fitness connection (guest post).
By MizFit | March 11, 2010
Please to welcome Susan & her new blog.
I enjoy them both & know you will as well.
I’m certainly not the first person to point out the many connections between weight loss/fitness and decluttering/organizing, but it’s been hitting me on such a personal level lately.
A year ago, I was diagnosed with type2 Diabetes and made the decision to lose weight and get fit and healthy. I’ve come a long way and feel good about that (you can read about it all on my blog ).
But then I woke up, all fit and healthy, and looked around my house. I was aghast! At all the clutter and piles and MESS.
I was determined to tackle this issue with the same determination that I did with my health. I started a new blog, http://www.clutterbrained.wordpress.com, in the hopes of finding a decluttering community.
It took me a very long while for my healthy bodily habits to become ingrained and “automatic.” And I am suspecting it will take an equally long while (if not longer) to become an “automatically” organized person. If ever.
Here are a few things I’ve observed that are true in both cases.
Procrastination is the devil.
How many times did I used to say, “I’ll go to the Farmers’ Market… later,” or “I’ll go to the gym… later,” or whatever? And “later” stretched into never. I realize that I am the same way about picking up random crap in my house.
I always tell myself, “I’ll do it LATER.” But later, the pile always grows, it always gets bigger, stuff gets lost more easily, and it’s just a hundred times more awful and messy to deal with it later. Same with being overweight. The longer you wait, the more there is to deal with.
Under/overestimating messes us up.
They say that people consistently overestimate the amount of activity/exercise they do, and they consistently underestimate the amount of food they eat. No surprise!
And the same is true with clutter, especially the invisible kind of clutter (time). When I didn’t “count” what Weight Watchers calls BLTs (”bites, licks and tastes”), I was surprised when I gained weight. When I don’t put down EVERYthing on my calendar/planner, I am constantly shocked when I run out of time to do the things I want to. I used to keep a calendar with daily appointments, and a To-Do list on the side, but (duh) I NEVER scheduled TIME to DO those things on the list. So I was constantly dismayed when they didn’t get done. Because I was going to do them on some parallel plane, right?
Magical thinking is dangerous.
With both weight loss and decluttering, it is so easy to say “I wish…” without a plan. But without a real plan, and some sense of accountability, you’re doomed to have your wishes evaporate like a wisp of smoke.
Doing too much too fast leads to burnout.
Just like with crash dieting, crash decluttering can lead to burnout.
I had a great time organizing my office on New Years’ Day. I felt so accomplished! I could see the floor! Before I was finished, the dining room table caught my eye and I leaped over there. But I didn’t finish that either. Then I attacked this huge pile of paper on the kitchen counter. I ended up feeling exhausted and frustrated because I didn’t complete any ONE project. I would have been so much better off if I’d worked on, say, ONE drawer, or one small corner, or a shelf, and not three entire rooms.
I was doomed because I took on so much. So much the same with people who immediately want to “cleanse” their system so they stop eating food. Or they sign up for a marathon when they can’t even run a mile.
Baby steps, people! Baby steps! I know it’s so easy to feel impatient when you finally DECIDE to do something good for yourself. You want it to happen overnight. I know I do.
Buddies help. A LOT.
I am amazed at how true this is with both weight/health endeavors AND with decluttering, how much better/easier/more fun/motivating it is to do with friends. But how counterintuitive that can be at first, because the initial behavior is so embarrassing we don’t want to tell anyone about it. We’re ashamed at how we got so overweight/disorganized in the first place, we don’t want to share it.
But that’s been my new revelation this year with FoodFoodBodyBody. The more I wrote about the things that deeply pained me, the more friends came to support and rally around me. I am hoping the same will be true for my Clutterbrained efforts.
I already have a RL buddy who is blogging with me. We go to each others’ homes. We’ve taken each other on the Tour of Shame.
I can’t tell you how big this was, to open up my closet and to look at someone else’s. It’s big. But I think it’s the thing that’s going to get us where we want to be.
Topics: Uncategorized | 20 Comments »
What I learned during my first half marathon.
By MizFit | March 10, 2010
Subtitle: All in bullets as that’s how my brain is working right now.
Maria, Lisa & me after the race. Three tired princesses.
*There is 100 % a fineline between stress & excitement. We don’t call it stresscitement around herre for nothing. On the plane I was excited. I was terrified. I fantasized about half-marathon running totally becoming my passion and wondered when & where I could run my next race. I had visions of being loaded on to the PrincessWhoLostTheirSparklesVan (my name) because I ran so slowly the park was ready to open.
I was a full-on stresscited mess.
*Running is nothing like a bodybuilding show. While that statement is *seemingly* an obvious one (this past weekend required no selftanner, no glued on posing suits & no posing routine) it only struck me on the day before the race that there’s one other *huge* difference.
With bodybuilding I was done on show day & merely needed to display the fruits of my (cardio lifting dieting pose-practicing) labors.
When running a race the work is in the training and there’s still work to be done on competition day. (See above stresscitement & cross-reference under exacerbated on Saturday)
(It seems this makes me officially a non-runner but YES the race did feel like work.)
*Dont always be a nerdy rule follower Lordy I learned this one the hard way and, upon post-race reflection do think that it could be about 88.329847% of the reason why race day felt like work. I read the “ipods are discouraged” message as “dont bring an ipod.”
13.1 miles later I was ruing my decision and regretting being such a hardcore rule follower. Not only did I lack tunes to propel me onward there were so few others running sans-tunes I had no one to chat with.
In short, it sucked. At least on the treadmill I had Patty to hang with!
*In running, as in life, always ask for what you need. Above lament aside, I did see a few women who were running without buds firmly in ears. At one point (mile 11ish) I felt my motivation waning. There was no way I was walking (100% because I wanted to git the musicfreerun DONE!) but I longed for some encouragement.
I jogged next to a total strangerprincess, looked her dead in the eye, and said to her: please tell me I ROCK & that I can do this!
To my surprise she did. I returned the favor and we never spoke again.
Seriously, in running as in life it *so* pays off to just ask for what you need.
*I do practice what I preach! Ive talked here about how Im not a fan of the scale. I rarely weigh myself outside of doctors visits because I know how my clothes should fit and, when they dont, thats information enough!
I also yammer to my IRL friends about how I never check my blog stats. For me it’s the same as the scale: why let a number dictate my self-worth!
As a result it only struck me hours after the race that I had no clue how fast or slow Id run it! I never looked at my watch once nor did I check my stats upon race completion. I finished. I succeeded. ’nuff said!
*I do think Id run another…the more I forget the OUCH! of this one. I can say Id never run the Disney Princess half again (ok, maybe not. see? Im already caving!). I didnt mind the fact that we were up at the CRACK of dawn only to wait hours and hours for the race to begin—what killed me was the cold. Id not anticipated how frickin freezing Id be in the wee hours of a Florida morning. A fricking freezing which lasted, for me, till almost mile six.
Another half? In a warmer early morning clime? Who can say…
So that’s me.
A few days post half-running and nary a clue if I’ll hang up the Asics forever or consult my calendar and schedule another race.
And you?
How do you typically feel after you accomplish your goal?
Do you immediately find a new one or, like I am, do you simply bask a while in the glow of accomplishment and *wait* to make any new plans or decisions?
Regardless, even if I never ever run again, I decided I am indeed the tee-shirt below (it’s hard to read, I know. You may need to click on it):
and yeah.
It feels pretty damn great.
Topics: Uncategorized | 93 Comments »
Living not blogging.
By MizFit | March 9, 2010
As of last night Im back here:
Hmmm. I guess the pic isnt all that obvious. It’s the Austin airport.
And, since Ren. Man & the Tornado were unable to come to Disney with me (*cue no confetti & nothing shaped like the three of us frolicking arm in arm through the magic castle*), today Im living not blogging.
Today Im hanging with my own personal princess:
Today Im spending time on uber-serious endeavors like whether or not we can fashion a realistic looking pizza out of playdough & getting a spring-is-coming new!look! makeover (if by ‘makeover’ you mean Im letting her do my hair & make-up —-which I do).
Today I’m PLAYingout not WORKingout…
and only doing things where the Tornado can join in.
Today Im just living not blogging about life.
Topics: Uncategorized | 47 Comments »
Princess half-marathon musings…
By MizFit | March 8, 2010
(As in really really post-race. Pre-shower.)
My initial thoughts about yesterday’s runtastic experience.
And yes, perhaps to your chagrin, a longer post is coming later Im sure.
For today Im off to play grownup in Disney (which is, indeed, an oxymoron).
Topics: Uncategorized | 65 Comments »
It’s RACE DAY (video post from crack of dawn)
By MizFit | March 7, 2010
Topics: Uncategorized | 40 Comments »
Disney Dizclaimer…
By MizFit | March 6, 2010
for the FTC.
Im here:
I arrived to much celebration and fanfare:
I want to STOP and thank Disney for having me and for generously funding/sponsoring the entire terrifying adventure which lies ahead.
The ramblings, muzings, tweets and pathetic running which may come as a result of this experience, however, are entirely honest and all my own.
Topics: Uncategorized | 43 Comments »
I’m off and…
By MizFit | March 5, 2010
traveling.
Have a great Friday & I’ll be checking in (*gasp*) from DISNEY!
As you all kindly clarified for me last week ANYONE can read my tweet/see the pics & video in my stream simply by clicking HERE.
Ive still nary a clue what my Disney Media Mixer duties entail but if you will be in Orlando PLEASE let me know! MizFit08 at yahoo dot com or @ me on Twitter.
And thanks to Zazzle for making me a new shirt quickfastandinahurry:
Yes, this photo was snapped pre-running. Post? Not so happylooking up in herre.
(Edited to say if you arent *already* sick of my MizFitarse Im over HERE today being interviewed as Athlete of the Week!)
Topics: Uncategorized | 36 Comments »
One final half-marathon training tip:
By MizFit | March 4, 2010
It never hurts to drag complete & total strangers into your CHEERINGcorner.
They may get a smile out of it and you definitely will.
Im heading to Florida tomorrow, People.
I cant believe it…
Topics: Uncategorized | 69 Comments »
Wordless Wednesday (brought to you by Zazzle’s error).
By MizFit | March 3, 2010
Subtitle: Alas, Zazzle sent me the wrong sized shirt. Much to the Tornado’s chagrin, anyway…
Topics: Uncategorized | 66 Comments »
Earth Footwear 30 Day Challenge (video post).
By MizFit | March 2, 2010
Please to enjoy the video below.
Id beg your forgiveness for the fact that it’s thisclose to being too long, but since Im answering your questions you’ve no one to blame but yourselves.
In the clip I address the pressing queries of:
- How comfy are the Earth Footwear Exer-Walk shoes? May we get a close-up of the shoes? What is the sizing like?
- How expensive are the shoes & are they worth the money?
- Have I noticed any physical changes so far in general & specifically in my core/glutes area?
- Am I running in the Exer-Walk shoes? Am I lifting weights in them?
- What do I not like about the shoes? (oooh cue suspense…)
(Please to also enjoy my socks. The dramatic yanking off of the shoe was entirely unplanned, yet oh so timely since GUESS WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS TODAY? We’re celebrating up in herre.)
Topics: Uncategorized | 31 Comments »
« Previous Entries