Fabulous February
Posted by: cmathur84 on: February 6, 2010
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It’s the second month of the year. Meaning all new-year resolutions have either found fruition or gone down the tubes. I’m in the first category. I’ve actually done quite well with the goals I had set for myself for January, and this month, I’m tacking some more on.
I have an amazing calendar from sparkpeople. Each day has four boxes, one for water, one for exercises, and two for ‘other goals’.
January Goals
1. Drink 8 glasses of water everyday
2. Complete morning ritual of yoga exercises
3. Complete morning ritual of breathing exercises and prayers
4. Complete 3 strength training and six cardio sessions throughout the week
February Goals
1. All in one – yoga & breathing exercises, morning prayers and visualizations of the future.
2. Write everyday for ten minutes. Doesn’t matter what I write, the point is to be in practice.
3. Practice guitar 5 minutes each day. Again, I’m no pro but I hear practice makes you better!
4. Along with working out consistently, continue to drink my water and eat healthy, nutritious foods.
My goal weight for July 2010 is the same. I am confident even if I come close to it (within 5 pounds!) my body will be lean, toned, strong and energized.
Other goal updates, from my ‘about me’ page:
Knitting – Still languishing at beginner level. My blue and brown checkered blanket has about 48 squares to do, I think I have knitted four!
Learning to play Guitar – halfway through my guitar lessons. This week we learned chords. Practice, practice, practice.
Writing a novel – First-time winner of Nanowrimo ‘09. Wrote 50,000 words in 29 days. Visit www.nanowrimo.org for more information. As of Feb 5/10 I am now in the stage of editing my first draft and creating a readable second draft. Soon other eyes will be able to see my work!
Teaching English Abroad – researching options
Europe trip + Canada trip – Canada trip to Vancouver and possibly Edmonton happening this July!
5K walk (maybe this will become a run) – Participating in a 5k walk to help raise funds to build a high school residence for girls in Tanzania. Starting training Feb 8, 2010. Because of the distance and conditions from their home to school, they are not able to attend. Building this high school will mean they can go to school!
Ice Climbing – scheduled for Feb 20, 2010
Skating – to do
Vocal Lessons – to do
Something old, something new
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 13, 2009
Spent some great time this weekend with friends and family. I have to say I’m becoming a little social bug (at least in December!). My journey has begun with hardly any fanfare. I’ve been bad this week, I have to say that. I only practiced guitar once, last Sunday. Today I spent some time knitting, my new blanket/throw project is hardly progressing. But today I did make some headway and am more confident that it will turn on spectacularly.
Something new would be my new wardrobe (one top and some accessories – sparkly headbands, earrings, a bracelet that is classic and will last forever), my new digital scale, and new frames/book stands that I bought from a huge sale today. Something old, friends. We re-did our five-year predictions and even have some bets riding on how much we think our friends will accomplish. No better way to push yourself than to put some good ol money on it!
Portion control, drinking water, and never leaving the house on an empty stomach are three strategies that will likely help me in the next few weeks. Here’s to fun times for all!
This is it
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 9, 2009
Eek! I was stuck in my car to drive 10km for 2 hours. Can you believe that. We had our first winter storm, with about 15cm or so of snow. Now it is raining and everything is turning to slush. Hopefully it warms up and my car doesn’t get stuck again.
I am so very, very excited today. I watched the Biggest Loser Finale yesterday and loved the results that the participants had. If you can believe it, there were three women who weighed less than my current weight. That was a kick in the pants. That was it. These women could be fitter than me? No way!
So my new goal, along with everything else on my plate:
Remove 25 pounds of unwanted weight, turn some of it into sexy and toned muscle by July 11, 2010 (my birthday!). I have exactly seven months starting December 11, 2009. It is a good time-frame. If I lose an average of 3.6 pounds per month, I will be at my goal weight.
I will be tracking in addition to my weight (weekly), all of these measurements (monthly): bust, neck, thighs, waist, knees. This will help me to keep track of the inches coming off! I plan to have a multi-faceted workout plan that allows me to choose randomly from my favourite workouts. That way I will have variety and never be bored. Additionally, I will have rewards setup on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. I’m still in the planning stages, I have two days to plan. And from there, the workout plane takes off! I’ll update the blog with my rewards and my workout plans.
I’m going to also do before and after pictures, hopefully this time I will look drastically different! Woot woot! Here’s to a sexy 25th year in 2010.
The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph! – Marvin Phillips
New seasons
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 7, 2009
Today seemed like the first day of winter. We had flurries and are expected to have a storm of 10 centimetres on Wednesday. I am totally looking forward to this. At the same time, I realize I’m still dressed like fall has just started. Sometimes I’ll pull on gloves with my wool coat, sometimes not. It’s time to buckle down and get all my gear and stay warm! The nights are definitely getting more chilly. I can’t wait to go out and make my first snowman or to go tobagganing. I am looking forward to burning all the extra calories. Today on Jeopardy, there was a question asking what snowflakes are made of. They are made of good ol H20! I am looking forward to the sound of snow crunching underneath my boots. Can’t wait!
On the weekend, I watched a very interesting documentary about shoplifting in Canada and USA. The stats are something like 50% of theft/shrink in stores is done by their own employees. The other half is done by organized crime (people called boosters) or people who thrive off of stealing and are addicted. It was amazing to learn about the underground network that is setup and where the products go. Most of the goods goes to flea markets or smaller stores where you can clearly see there are steeply discounted prices. The police works backwards and goes from those stores to finding the suppliers of their products. There was an incident of a man walking into a store, grabbing a bike and walking up to the cash register. When the cashier asked for a receipt, the man claimed not to have it and literally walked out of the store with a $900 bike. Isn’t it about time stores had more vigilant or committed employees watching their floors? I understand they are not hired as ‘security’, but their eyes and ears are what keep the store in order. They should do their jobs better.
I did some research today on the mass production of things like dairy, eggs, and meat. It is not pretty. Just reading the studies made me feel sick. I am a lacto-vegetarian, meaning I do not eat meat, eggs or fish, but I do have dairy. Kind of like vegan plus dairy 
I am extremely happy with my choice that was, I have to say, made for me by birth. Being born into a family that has this kind of diet leads you down the same path. I have never been tempted or wanted to try out anything of the foods I am supposedly missing out on. But just reading about what happens to the animals, even cows when they are milked, is horrendous. I guess there is a point after which you have to give up and realize that you must live in this society. In order to do that, you have to let a little bit slide by and ask for forgiveness from the higher powers above.
On another note, I’m really looking forward to the holiday season with plenty of food, family and friends. No time like the present to catch up and show people how much you love them!
There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won’t, and that’s a wife who can’t cook and will. ~Robert Frost
Tuning her strings
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 5, 2009
Here’s my baby #3 – Robson Acoustic Guitar with maple and rosewood. She’s a starter guitar for this novice and I promise to treat her well. She’s going to stick by my side as I strum her and play awful tunes for the first little while. Today was my first time tuning ANYTHING, and I used a combination of the built-in tuner and the cd that came with the pack. It’s quite amazing to see how loosening or tightening a string can bring such clarity in sound. I think I was pretty patient. It will be much easier to learn the chords once I have the instrument tuned right. I’ve already told everyone living in my house that they may need earplugs.
I went shopping to look for Secret Santa gifts, and I came upon an Acoustic guitar pack. That had to happen right? As soon as I buy mine and open it up, I see another one. But this one was $40 more, though it did come complete with a guitar stand which I don’t have yet. Another customer picked up the guitar and started strumming it, it sounded divine. I just hung around to talk to him and found about a new website that has tabs and songs and everything guitar. I guess I’m part of this new group now of musicians and guitarists and struggling artists. Though I am just struggling to learn, not struggling to make a living off of it. I leave that to my creative mind
I met up with some old friends last night and we talked into the wee hours of the night. It was really nice catching up. I realized that having goals, pursuing them, and being busy in life is not a guarantee of happiness or a feeling of moving forward. Some people still feel stuck or stagnant. I’m finding this concept very hard to get my mind around. For me, it seems each thing I accomplish, and everything I learn, its a dynamic new part of my personality and I feel the growth, learning and joy that it brings. I feel like I am a ever-expanding, growing, hub of energy with each goal met that I add to my roster.
And the biggest news of the day, I watched Twilight Saga: New Moon! The movie was amazing!!!!!!!!! I laughed so much, I have a really loud laugh, sometimes embarassing to others, but I didn’t care! I had a blast. I wanted the next movie to start right away, didn’t want to leave the theatre. The cinematography and makeup and everything was much better than the first one, they had a bigger budget. Robert Pattinson, no matter what he’s like in real life, is dreamy in this role. But I do admit that Bella’s character needs to have more of a spine. If I was her, I would have slapped up a man if he left me for a year. I wouldn’t just go into his embrace and give him a kiss! That got to me, but otherwise, amazing amazing story. Can’t get enough of it. I’m willing to go watch it for a second time with other friends.
Twilight Quote:
Edward Cullen: That’s what you dream about? Being a monster?
Isabella Swan: I dream about being with you forever.
Lovely Edward
Getting back to my routine
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 4, 2009
Tonight, four days after finishing my marathon novel-writing competition, I feel sleepy at 11:30pm. I was staying up till as late as 1:30 (I was sleepy then too, but pushed through it!). That evening tiredness is hitting me. I feel so sluggish and want to sleep. I guess this is what they mean by catching up on your sleep!
Today was a day of decorating. Put up a tree at work (pics coming soon!) and decorated around my workstation. I have to say it is very meticulous work, especially opening up the branches and separating each node, requires much patience. It is good practice for me, one who is going to have to learn to play the guitar. It’s weird, yesterday I opened up the books and looked at things I didn’t understand. I’ve tried to do things when I was younger that I didn’t understand (music was one of them even then), but I never had the passion to back it up. This time I have the passion and the will. I will take it slow. I found a quote from Zig Ziglar, I know nothing about the man, but his quote is amazing: You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. So that is it, that will be my guitar mantra, that I have to persevere. I’m close to finding the “song” that I am going to learn how to play. I will take my friends’ advice and choose a song that actually has guitar beats in the tunes, not a piano or other instrument. I need to know exactly what the guitar should sound like.
My lonely stationary bike calls for me. I pass by it longingly, wondering when I will next jump on. No time for excuses, right? The holidays are coming up, and that means tons of food. The only way to be ready is to have an action plan. Better yet, never leave your house on an empty stomach. That should do it.
When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
~Author Unknown
A daunting task, rather two
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 2, 2009
Two daunting tasks:
Learn how to play the guitar, which includes things I don’t understand and make me feel uneducated like reading notes, chords, and figuring out how to tune the guitar. I brought a dvd and three books from the library tonight. I opened up one and started reading. All these words like note, half note, quarter note, treble clef and strum are making me nervous! But that’s okay right? Slow and steady. I could learn how to knit and when I was younger, I learnt how to bike, swim, read, talk, walk, eat, get potty-trained, I can do this! I think I need to keep my thinking like this, I control the guitar, the guitar does not control me. For some reason when I look at pictures of the one I’ve ordered (or any guitar for that matter) I feel that the guitar is staring me down and laughing at me menacingly, saying, “Hey you girl, you can’t possibly play me. I am way too advanced for you.” I just freeze up and become nervous. But then I hear the guitar in a song and I melt all over. I imagine singing along and playing my favourite songs for me. I imagine spending countless hours practicing and having people walk by and tell me how good I sound. Anywhere I go in the world, anything that I do, any people that I meet, playing the guitar will be a part of me. The fitness freak, novel-writing, guitar playing girl. There will be a new dimension to me. I must keep this excitement going.
Permanently removing weight that has found refuge on my body. This is going to take a multi-faceted approach that includes a mix of food, fitness and friends. I say permanent, because that is what my mission is all about. I do not believe in any sort of diet, to me the word diet simply means ‘what you eat’ or put into your mouth and stomach. I believe in making lifestyle changes, and at that, ones that can last. This goal requires much support and people to back me up in this. I do not believe or want to try diets or fads, or quick weight loss methods. I would much rather appreciate and truly love my body and ask for it to work alongside me in this journey. Our bodies are beautiful things, just think of all the things that you can do everyday that you take for granted. Even just being able to type for hours a day without (too much) pain is an amazing feat.
I will remain accountable to myself and to everyone out there. I would like to set an example and find out if a sustainable, healthy lifestyle can give me the life I want and help me to accomplish all the other goals I have.
Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year. - Franklin P. Adams
I DID IT!
Posted by: cmathur84 on: December 2, 2009
My word count ticker shows something special, I did Nanowrimo 2009! I am officially a winner, I wrote 50,000 words. Finished on Nov 29th at 11:53pm. An entire day before deadline. It felt good to set my own deadline and stick to it. Since then I have been on a high, have gotten accustomed to staying up late and looking so tired in the mornings! I’m adding new things to my list now. I put in an order today for my new guitar! I’m psyched!!
From the Get Rich Slowly blog, “I know that if I don’t try the things I’m scared of — if I don’t risk failure — I’ll never succeed.” This rung true with me. Honestly, completing Nanowrimo, I can now say I know how it feels to be a winner and accomplish something that was put off for ‘some day’. That some day is today. That is why I am making things happen now and living out loud. I wouldn’t say that success is ALWAYS preceded by failure, but now how many people learnt to ride a bike on the first try? In the same way, I am completely terrified of learning how to play the guitar. The fact that I may very well do horribly at it stares me in the face everytime I get excited about it. I have such exhilirating, mixed emotions about it. But isn’t that what every worthwhile venture comes with? Some passion, ambition, guts, sheer luck, and hopefully success!
I will not wait until closer to January to make ‘resolutions’. Rather what I do is make short-term, three to five year goals that are attainable and are things I am passionate about. If halfway through, I decide I do not want to pursue a goal anymore, I simply scrap it and think of something else to take it’s place or how to achieve a different goal I have set. Having visual motivation boards has helped me immensely. Every day when I am in my room, I see my goals and my dreams. They are very much alive within me. We all need things to strive for. There is something inside you that you have always wanted to do or to challenge yourself to. Why wait? Pull out a nice notebook and pen, or a dry-erase board and get cracking! Your dreams await you.
I just love this quote. It makes me want to jump up and around and scream and shout and get started on everything I’ve wanted to do for so long, but haven’t gotten around to. I hope you’ll join me in this journey of self-discovery.
Mark Twain: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
The joys of working well under pressure
Posted by: cmathur84 on: November 27, 2009
As if I won’t already have enough things I want to do and time I want to spend with family, a friend and I are starting our own little novel challenge, just between the two of us. My friend believes they can easily outwin me. The terms of the contract so far state 20,000 words to be written in a ten day period. This time around its not quantity, but a focus on quality. Not sure why we are doing this, but why not? Should be interesting. Today while I was wandering around I came upon my idea for my novel. I feel like I have these ‘jolts of inspiration’. An idea or story route appears in my mind. The same goes for my nano novel. I’m sitting there and suddenly I go “AHHH, oh my god”. I get a crazed look on my face and whoever is nearby gets to hear my latest idea. I’m really starting to like these flashes of inspiration, I truly hope they continue well after this month is over.
I received my sparkpeople gear in the mail today! I am uber excited. I have the monthly calendar and a sparkpeople mug, all courtesy of the $20 gift certificate I received for pre-ordering The Spark by Chris Downie. Wow, how weird. Two of the things I love the most in the world were started by men with the name Chris. And I realized the other day that three of my really close friends names also start with the letter C. Maybe there is something to it, I will have to investigate.
Okay so I admit I am not 100% happy with my body. What woman is? Even though I try to think positive and feel grateful for everything my body allows me to do, I just can’t shake the memory of three years ago when I weighed 20 pounds less and felt amazing. I want that again. The only thing is I don’t know if that’s the best for my body. Just as my body is changing, so is my hair. It used to be relatively straight to wavy. Now it is all out curly again. I haven’t had hair like this for at least four to five years, maybe longer. But it was a welcome change, not as much styling required when damp hair will take its own shape and form in the morning.
Alright I am off to get cracking on Word. I think my fingers are going to give up soon, ah that feeling of pain must be nanoing!! My technique today has been to set a time limit and a word count that I must reach. It really helps to have someone tell you that you MUST do it or that there will be a consequence of not meeting this mini-goal. Next time you see me (tomorrow) I will be well past 40k. And then the finish line is so close. I would truly like to finish the competition by November 28, 2009. Nothing like finishing early!
Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek. - Mario Andretti
The Insanity Begins
Posted by: cmathur84 on: November 25, 2009
It begins in many ways: thanksgiving, finding veggie options while eating out with co-workers, and the final dash to finishing this monstrous task of writing 18,000 more words. IN FIVE DAYS.
So USA’s Thanksgiving. Or Canadian Thanksgiving for that matter, even though we celebrated weeks ago. Why is it such a big deal? I understand the sentiment behind it, and that it is a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate. But why is it always “I have to cook for four people, or I have to cook for ten people, or I’m having people at my house.” These statements just make me want to laugh, scoff at said person and give them a look of wonder. Honestly, I come from a family and background where having thirty people over for dinner once every two to three months is normal. We all pitch in and make seven to eight dishes. Do you see anyone here breaking a sweat? I just cannot understand why Americans or those who consider themselves purely American or Canadian have such hard time grasping this. Ok, maybe they are not used to entertaining on a regular basis, but come on. Suck it up! I have no sympathies for you, sorry!
And now we come to food. Namely the kind of food I eat, it’s easier to say what I don’t eat. No meat, fish, eggs. That includes any type of fish, any type of broth that isn’t vegetable based and has beef or chicken broth, and any kind of salad that has bacon bits or caesar dressing in it. I went out for lunch today with co-workers to a Vietnamese restaurant. They wanted to try something different than the usual sushi or big box restaurant. I was game and they had checked in advance to see that there were a few veggie dishes. Upon reaching the restaurant, we find out everything we thought was veggie (or fit my criteria) had things in it that made it uneatable for me. So we politely asked the waiter, is there anything on your menu or anything you can make that has no meat, fish or eggs. He first gave a blank stare and then shook his head no. He said no about five times. I swear he had no decency or care or consideration for the fact that I was a customer (along with four other people who clearly had tons of choice) and I was about to have to sit this meal out. Luckily my co-worker stepped up and went to talk with another lady. She spoke in English and broken Korean and we finally got vermicelli with vegetables on it. The so called vegetables consisted of lettuce and some shredded carrots. Applause, NOT. There was absolutely zero taste in the dish, the only condiment I could find to add was hot sauce. And so I put it in and had a very un-enjoyable meal. I had also risk-takingly ordered an avocado shake to try it out. I thought the waitress forgot my order until I receive it about 25 minutes after ordering it. I don’t know if its me, but it just seems I’m cursed when it comes to eating out at new places or places where I don’t already know what I’m ordering.
This monstrous task of Nanowrimo. Ah, what can I say? We all knew going into it that it was going to be hard. The finish line is quickly approaching and I am becoming a case of nerves. I know how my story is mapped out, in my mind I just want to skip ahead, but I need the words. With about 18,000 words left and only 5 days, I have to write an average of 3,600 words per day in order to finish on time. And I must. It’s honestly been amazing having such great support of family, friends and people from the nano boards on Facebook. I need this accomplishment to propel me into 2010 with great vigour.
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step - Lao Tzu
Great quotes from Sparkpeople.com
