First Post

We're ten days into the new year and I am just now getting around to writing my first blog post of the year. I wish I had some great excuse, but alas, the fact of the matter is that I've just let my time get occupied by other, less important things. And I haven't really had much to say, come to think of it.

I have, however, been thinking quite a bit about this blog. I've been contemplating what I want to do with this blog, what direction it should take. The stream of conscience writing is a great outlet for me, but sometimes the crazies are a little too dominant, and I would prefer to keep that neatly tucked away, at least for the time being. I've considered food blogging, but it seems everyone has a food blog, and my cooking and writing are mediocre at best. Since I love photography, that seemed like the next natural step, but let's face it, I have serious commitment issues. I'm great at starting projects, but a few minutes, hours, days, weeks in, and I fizzle. I know there's a cure for this. I'm actually thinking maybe, perhaps, I should try it.

Baby steps. It's all about baby steps.
My goals for the year involved writing more, and shooting more. So a photo-centric blog seems natural. But my lack of commitment to, well, just about everything, will make that a bust. I will find every, any, excuse for missing a post and then I'll just get frustrated and stop altogether. Unless I take baby steps. Small posts. One photo. Easy, right? You would think.

I'd heard (read?) about a "challenge" of sorts called 365 Project. As the name might imply, it involves taking, and publishing, a photo a day. For aspiring photographers, it helps us stay close to our cameras and helps us improve our technique. It helps us keep a record of our lives over the course of a year, as well as see how our photography evolves in that time. It's a challenge I'd considered taking for a long time, even before I knew there was an entire web movement around the concept.

So here I am, on the tenth day of the new year, and I'm ready to commit to the challenge. I may not post daily, but I will at least commit to a photo a day, even if I publish them in a flurry of one liners at the start, or end of a week. Of course, in the beginning, I will try to post daily, as I think the context of each image will be fresher and will provide writing inspiration. Then again, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I may not need to worry so much about the writing portion.

I hope you'll take this ride with me, and maybe even take up the 365 Project yourself.

Here's to keeping our cameras close and our blogs fresh!

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Back on the Wagon... Again

This new year is not off with a bang. In fact, I've been a complete slacker this year. I run maybe once or twice a week, if that, and I'm way off my eating plan. But it's not all bad news. I haven't lost any more weight, but I haven't gained any either.

But today is a new day and I'm recommitting to my goals. I went for a run today, at the gym no less. Employed my new Nike+ sensor too. I think it's off. It said I ran 3.14 miles and at a pretty fast clip, too. Pace was something like 11:19 min/mile. If accurate, this is my fastest run yet. And since the treadmill speed fluctuated between 3.6 mi/hr and 4.8 mi/hr, well, it just think the Nike + sensor is giving me more credit than I deserve. Nonetheless, I'll take it. (Actually, I really should calibrate that thing. I need accurate readings so that I can start training for my first 10K. Not to mention I want to be ready for the next 5K, the Cowtown on February 27th.

As for the eating plan, it's all about small portions, high protein, lots of green veggies, and very controlled, small bits of non-starchy carbs. Want to get back the momentum I had before the holidays, and turn that 30 pounds lost into 50.

I'm newly motivated, and have such a great support system in my family and friends that I know I'll succeed. Not to mention, I really want this. BAD.

Here's to being fit and healthy!

Gone Crazy

I've set some goals for this year. Now mark my words, these are not resolutions. They're goals. There's a difference. Don't ask me what it is. Just trust me that there is a difference.

I've been told that it's easier to meet your goals if you take the time to write them down. So today, I'm writing them down. Ready?

1. Run at least one 5K (organized event/race) a month
2. Cycle a Century Ride (100 miles) by July
3. Run at least one half marathon by December 31, 2010
4. Participate in at least one triathlon by December 31, 2010
5. Lose 70 lbs (from current weight; 100 lbs total) by July 18, 2010

Lofty, eh? What can I say, I am nothing if not ambitious.
As I look these over, I think, "I've lost my mind. Seriously. Gone crazy!"
But then I look back over what I've accomplished these last 3 months:

1. Lost 30 lbs
2. Reduced caloric, fat, and carb intake
3. Regained control of my appetite
4. Implemented portion control
5. Completed a 47 mile bike ride (not to mention at least 100 miles in training!)

So, yeah, maybe I've set some lofty goals. But with some serious commitment and hard work, I know I can meet all of them. And if I miss one or two? {shrug} I'm okay with that, 'cause I'll know I at least tried.

Here's to losing one's mind and good health!

A [Non] Resolution

First, I should tell you, I don't make resolutions. Especially the new year variety. It's been my experience that resolutions wind up getting broken within the first week, or, at the very latest, within a month. So I figure, why bother?

These last few days, however, I've been taking inventory, stock; looking back over the last year and assessing what needs to be different.

Here's what my self examination turned up: I have this bad habit of using society as a measuring stick for, well, pretty much everything. Society has a way of dictating what is successful: do I drive the right car, have the right house, wear the right clothes, work at the right job? And we won't even discuss how society drives self-image: am I thin enough? Pretty enough? THIN ENOUGH?

I know many of you are aware that I've been working pretty hard over the last three months to get fit. Please know that this is more about being healthy, less about conforming to society's standards. But I'd be lying if I said that I have never been caught up in the madness of trying to "keep up with the Joneses." And it is definitely madness.

Therefore, this year, I have decided to stop seeing myself in relation to others, but rather, see myself in relation to God. After all, He created me in HIS image. If you stop to think about it, that's pretty powerful.

And because self-image seems to drive so much in our lives, my new measure of what I want to look like will be driven by the words of 1 Peter 3:3-4:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

I don't want to make this a resolution though. Kind of like the whole getting fit thing, it's not something I'm going to do until I reach my goals and then stop. It has to be a whole lifestyle change. Or, in the case of my [non]resolution, a whole change of thinking, feeling, being.

Please know, this doesn't mean I will donning a sack cloth or anything drastic like that. What it does mean is that I will try less to conform to society's standards, and work harder at pleasing God. After all, when you stop to think about it, He's the only one that really matters.

Happy new year and here's to good [physical, mental and spiritual] health!