The 12 Things, Part Two

When it comes to achieving a goal, I’m a big supporter in reviewing progress along the way. I was doing that recently when reviewing 12 things that I wanted to learn about or how to do this year. And while I was reviewing my progress, I realized something: A lot of the things on that list matched a list of “desired fitness goals” I had written several months ago. I guess my subconscious was pushing that to the front so that I could stop dreaming about it and start DOING it!

 

I thought that was pretty awesome.

 

And, I thought, an even better thing to do would be to chart my progress so far. After all, I will want to look back one day to see how I made it all happen, and I will want to know if there was anything else I could add to that experience. My blog is basically a record of things and it’s a good thing to turn back to every now and again to recall things or check for facts. Yes, I could put ALL of this into my journal, but I just feel it would be better to have this information available on a public forum.

 

And so, here it is. My review of my progress so far!

 

 

APRIL

 

Yoga

 

For the month of April, I wanted to learn yoga. I had actually wanted to learn yoga a long time ago, but never really took action on that. This time I was gonna take action! First I had to figure out what my yoga schedule would be. I was working a gig at the time and had so many hours available on weekdays. I decided sometime before noon would work. Specifically, between 10-12. However, I asked for recommendations on yoga studios in the area, and after a friend listed a couple and I checked them out, neither of them had lessons available at a time that fit my schedule. I started to consider if they offered private lessons. Then one of my friends, Austyn, informed me that they were a certified yoga instructor. I let Austyn know I only had so much money available for this and also about my schedule. Austyn assured me there were no worries on either of those issues! After some messaging back and forth, we worked out the fee and the schedule. (Even better: After my hours changed at the gig, Austyn was able to change the time for our lessons! Yay!) The day before my first lesson, however, I read this article in the newspaper about a school that was banning yoga because of complaints from parents. The parents complained that their children who participated in a trial yoga lesson at the school experienced being “high” or in a trance due to chanting or some kind of weird music played during the lesson. (What the…???) I thought that was bizarre! I had never heard of chanting associated with yoga. Later, however, I learned that there were different types of yoga. One type required the room to be VERY hot and another type encouraged chanting. But that’s not the kind of yoga that Austyn taught me! There was no sauna-like experience and no chanting. Just deep-breathing and relaxation. Austyn knew I was a beginner and was totally encouraging anytime I struggled with some of the forms. They also modified some of the forms because of my limited flexibility and poor balance. Overall, it was GREAT! I had SO MUCH fun learning yoga! And, no, I was never “high” or in a trance from it. I was, however, VERY relaxed, refreshed, and motivated to learn more! The yoga lessons were so fun and amazing. Best of all, I was so psyched that I could learn yoga! Me, a noob with balance problems and who is not very flexible! (Thankfully, I was able to use blocks and a stretch belt – items I didn’t even know were a part of yoga!). I had so much fun learning yoga and I was surprised I was even able to do this! Some of the poses were a challenge, but I tried them and was ecstatic that, even with a modification here and there, I could do them! Austyn was amazing and very patient with me. There was not a single moment of impatience or frustration with me at all; it was always kindness, understanding, patience and encouragement. Austyn was a fantastic yoga instructor and I definitely recommend them to ANYONE who wants to learn yoga.

 

MAY 

 

Tai Chi

 

Originally, I was going to try to learn a martial art in May. Something like Tae Kwon Do. But my oldest suggested that perhaps it would be best if I learned Tai Chi first. He is aware that I have balance problems so maybe this was why he made the suggestion. So, I used a YouTube video for learning Tai Chi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhNvdxbi-Jc  . I did actually have some balance issues with it, but I enjoyed my Tai Chi sessions very much. I am glad I opted to learn this one first.

 

JUNE

 

Hiking

 

June was really a challenge. My youngest was struggling with school for a long time, but fortunately he managed to finish off the year with the okay to move to the next grade. We had some really rainy days as well as some hot ones. I was struggling to find time to go for a hike. I have been on MANY hikes before and this wasn’t really something that would be “new” for me to learn. However, since I wanted hiking to become a part of our lives more often, I took time this month to see how we could do that. My first challenge was to find the TIME to go hiking. We got so busy with everything going on, that I was really wondering just when we could fit it in. I tried scheduling it but that didn’t work. Then I picked a day of the week to go hiking but that didn’t work, either. Finally, we had one free day with good weather and I said to my youngest “Let’s go hiking today!” and he said, “Okay!” So that was how we made it work. We just up and did it when we had the chance. This made me realize that it just had to be one of those spontaneous things we just DO when the opportunity strikes. My whole reason for doing these 12 things is not only to implement them into my daily routines but finding ways to include them in our lives. Not just with the solo things I do (yoga, running, Calisthenics, etc.) but the other things that I can involve the kids with (like hiking! But my youngest has done weights workouts with me too).

 

And last night, I spent some time reviewing all of them and deciding how to make that work. Some of the things have to be part of my REGULAR weekly routine (like going for walks), but other things have to be SPORADIC (like hiking, swimming, rock climbing, etc.). So I decided that some things will be part of the usual routine and the other things will just be recreational and we’ll just do them whenever we can.

 

I also took this opportunity to figure out just HOW I want hiking to be a part of our lives. I knew I did not want to go hiking alone. I have poor balance and there have been many times my kids have had to hold my hand and help me along trails that got a little too difficult for me to navigate. I also have health issues, and both of my kids know what to do when they flare up. (I swear one of them will have a future in medicine because they have had to come to my aid so much!) I also wanted to make sure I understood that we did this hiking thing CORRECTLY. Backpack of supplies? Check. First aid kit? Check. Hiking boots? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Snacks? Check. I thought I thought of EVERYTHING but, unfortunately, I realized that, during our hike, there was one thing I forgot: BUG SPRAY! Yep, those bugs were eating us alive. My youngest was smart to wear pants (I wore my pris); I had a lot of bug bites on my legs after the hike was over. And we were constantly swatting the bugs away from our faces during the hike. ARGH!

 

But, still, we had a great time. We hiked the trail at Spencer Butte and made it to the summit. Yeah! It was the very first time for both of us. My youngest had hiked the Spencer Butte trail in the past, but he didn’t make it to the summit. And this time he did! Woot! We really enjoyed our hike and the view at the top was just AMAZING. We loved our hike! It was awesome! It was a great day for us (despite the bug bites!) and we can’t wait to go hiking again when we have the chance.

 

 

 

This is my progress so far. More to come in Part Three!