I rested.

I needed it.

I read  more than the minimum number of minimalist blogs and by all their accounts I am overloaded. But in this season of my life, I've nothing left to really give up.

I *could* pull the kids from extra-curricular activities, but I don't want to. I think they benefit from them.

I need my job.

Kids and work take up the bulk of my time.

I need to exercise and I know myself well enough to know that if I don't do it before work, it probably won't get done. So my days start at the UnGodly hour of 5:15 am. Speaking of God, I need Him (or Her if you prefer) to keep me going.

So these things are non-negotiable BUT with the proper renewal, I can do it. It all slows down demonstrably in mid-November, I just need to hold on until then.

This weekend of as close to nothing I could muster without hemming myself up for the week showed me what proper rest can do for mind, body and soul.

I planned to take it easy this weekend before the news came that Houston was headed for a serious and continuous downpour courtesty of Hurricane Patricia remnants. The rain made it easier to hang out at home.  On Saturday, I cleaned my closet, pruning clothes I don't love. I scrubbed my bathroom and cleaned my room. I laid in bed and watched a movie. I let the kids play in my hair. I wanted to read but didn't, and I forgave myself for that.

We could have gone to church today, but we didn't. I made breakfast and we ate it on the back patio while the rain beat against and trickled down the side of the roof. We then got back into bed afterwards. First me and the husband. We were then joined by one kid, then another. Then no kids and then three kids and then none. I snuggled against him while he watched football and I felt rested. And peaceful. And joyful.

And renewed.

Tomorrow is a run day. The rain is supposed to have cleared. It will be chilly. I have good nourishing food to eat for the week.

I am grateful for the rain. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for another shot at getting it right.

Day 2 of 90

How well do you know yourself? I ask because it really does matter. Everyone has an idea of who they want to be, but it is a terrible mistake to think who you want to be is who you actually are. It can be painful (at first) to put a mirror to yourself and see the areas where you don't match up to your ideal you, but it is also extremely helpful.

So I hate exercising.

I said it.

I pretty much always have hated it. In my idealized version of myself, that doesn't matter, because I am so committed to my own health, I do it anyway. I join a gym and I go whether I feel like it or not. I take the classes, I learn to lift properly. I spend HOURS there, and I'm happy to do it.

In real life, I look for any (ANY) excuse to not exercise. I can't find my shoes. It's too cold. It's too hot. It's too far. I don't have enough time. I can come up with some doozies, but they really boil down to "I don't want to do it." But I don't like telling myself that--it messes with my idea of who I am. So as it relates to exercising, to thwart this, I took away my own excuses.

I took up running. There is an app called couch to 5k that makes it dummy proof. I take up running, not because I love running (I don't) but because it takes away the majority of my excuses (I still have rain to fall back but we are in a drought). I lay my tennis shoes out and my running clothes the night before. I've tried swimming (and I still want to give that a go before it gets too cold) but the pool requires me to drive, and I need my swim key, and my goggles that I can't get to really fit properly, and I need to put in my contacts so that I can see, and I need to shave (and ugh shaving!), so if I rely on swimming, more often than not I'm not gonna go. But running is shorts, tennis shoes, street. I'm dressed and out the door in 5 minutes. I can do it for 15 minutes or 40 minutes and either way it's worth the (non) trouble of lacing up my shoes.

I know me.

So what excuses are you clinging to? What would it take to knock them out of the way? What are you waiting on?

Today's exercise: HIIT (completed 8 of the 10--hope to do all 10 on Thursday or Friday)
Water: only 64 ounces out of 100
Steps: right at 10,000
Food diary-completed and I'm short calories. The HIIT means I don't burn as many during (shorter workout). Need to add a mile run or something in the evening.
Didn't make it to the Y so no weigh in.

Bible study today was the parable about the rich man asked to give away all his riches. At the end of the lesson, the question was, what are you clinging to instead of Jesus. Is it your wealth or even your doubt. Good stuff.

Day 1 of 90...

So this is an experiment. All my life, I've searched for the best way to do something...anything, really. The best way to clean, the best way to shop, the best way to use my time. I loved productivity books. When the internet caught up with my interest, they had a new term for it--hacking. Lifehack and Lifehacker are two of my favorite sites. I'm ready to put them to the test. Those sites promise if you do what they say, they  can save you time, money, your health, your sanity. I need all of those things. All of the best productivity hacks suggest not making multiple changes at once. But I'm going to ignore them. I'm going to document my life over the next 90 days. I'm doing eating hacks, exercise hacks, house cleaning hacks and while there is no "hack" for a spiritual journey, I am going to add that to my accountability as well. I'll start tomorrow (because I can weigh myself at the Y).

So here is the plan.
Fitness

• HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) twice a week (the recommended amount)
• 40 minutes of active exercise daily
• 10,000 steps daily

Nutritition

• 100 ounces of water daily
• Intermitent fasting 3 times a week
• 30 grams of carbs daily
• Completed Food diary (myfitnesspal)

Housecleaning
FLYLADY

Spiritual
90 day bible study in YouVersion

Expect daily screen shots of my food diary
Expect weekly pictures of my weight on the scale and of me
Expect daily pictures of my kitchen sink (rule number 1 for Flylady) and whatever the zone is for the week
Expect a daily thought about my bible study reading

My husband, Cedric, is in on the fitness challenge portion and possibly the food. Look for pics of him too.

Resources:
lifehacker.com
flylady.net
http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/