Sunday, September 23, 2018

The Daily - Sunday, September 23, 2018

Writing Challenge- Day #25

I hope you had an amazing Sunday!

HEALTH & FITNESS

I went for a nice 1.60 mile jog this morning. Honestly, it was a much shorter adventure than I had planned. As a runner, sometimes your body will dictate how far it will let you go before you have to go, and when you have to go, you have to go. I enjoyed listening to a nice Podrunner track called "134 BPM - Easy Going." I guess picking that track was prophetic in a way I did not anticipate.

Over the last few weeks I have been exercising regularly and I am pleased with the achievements on the activity side of the equation. For one thing, my blood pressure has steadily declined into a normal level (although I am using a medication for it), and today it was 103/78. That is far better than the 150-160/100-110 that I was recording not too long ago. Jogging has definitely helped.

On the other hand, my weight has not dropped all that much. I know exactly why this is: nutrition. There is much truth to the wisdom that you cannot exercise yourself out of poor nutrition. No matter how much we exercise, if what we eat, if how much we eat, and how we eat what we eat are not optimized for better health, then our health and fitness will only be (at best) marginally better. Now is a time for working on better nutrition while maintaining a good effort on exercising and also being mindful of the need for rest and relaxation. Without good nutrition the whole health/fitness triangle quickly falls apart.


My version of this triangle has nutrition as the base. Instead of Mind Set, I use Rest as the third side of the triangle. Each side of the triangle includes three components. Nutrition includes what you eat, how much you eat, and how you eat food. Fitness includes cardio, strength training, and stretching. Rest incorporates sleep, relaxation, and spirituality/mindfulness. Balance in all nine areas brings better health, improved fitness, greater joy.

GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS

Darn it! Another day without a to-do list. It is a good thing that it is a Sunday and also the day before a week-long vacation. Despite not having a formal to-do list, I hit all major items, which goes to prove that many of the items I have been working on are becoming habits, part of my daily rituals. I am happy about that. However, I am preparing my daily to-do list for tomorrow as soon as I finish posting this entry.

PERSONAL GROWTH

Minimalism is an awesome way to evaluate as little or as much of what makes your life what it is, and then to make sure that what is in your life actually brings value to your life. The appraisal of what brings value to our life can vary from person to person. In general, it encompasses things, people, and activities. If you are struggling with letting go of things, and do not even want to think about dealing with people, then perhaps you can look at appraising your schedule. Here is a nice video that explains it from the viewpoint of a mom with four kids.


TIPS & TRICKS

And for a simple way to cook bacon and eggs in the great outdoors. all you need is a simple paper bag.


PODCASTS / VIDEOS

I am sharing this video of an amazing tiny house; when I retire I want to move into a tiny house like this one.


TECHNOLOGY

Ever since installing the new router at home I have been testing the internet speed> one of my favorite test sites is Speedtest.net. The main reason I like it is that you can try several servers to give you an idea of you average speed.

STREAKS - For the record

Current list of streaks:
  • Writing: day 25
  • Blood Pressure Readings: day 12 (amazing reading at 103/78)
  • Logging to SparkPeople: day 15
  • Daily Exercise Routine: not counting for now
    • Cardio: Yes (1.60 miles in 29 minutes)
    • Yoga: No
    • Strength Training: No
    • Stretching: Yes (morning stretch)
    • Meditation: Yes (morning and evening meditations)
  • Meditation: day 12
  • Number of tabs open: day 8

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