Blog Archives
Setting Goals: You’ve Gotta Do the Math! Ugh!
Ok, first let me state without question that goals are a guideline, not the law.
Goals are more like the “Pirate Code” from the Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” than the “Law” as handed down from the Supreme Court.
And, not to put too fine a point on it, laws change. So should goals.
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Setting Long Range Goals
I have this Excel spreadsheet where I track my daily weight and body fat percentage and compare it against my goals. And when I started plugging in the goal numbers, I realized I was being unrealistic in my goals. I had set my ultimate goal for 190 lbs. But to achieve that without loosing any muscle mass I would have to have 7% Body Fat. Given my age, that is not realistic.
My NEW adjusted goal is 194 lbs and 12% Body Fat. However, pay attention dear readers, all six of you who are actually reading this blog, IF I don’t get to those numbers that’s ok. As long as I feel healthy then that’s awesome! As long as all the quantitative measurements like a smaller waistline, better flexibility, more energy, no high blood pressure, and better more restful sleep, all say I’m healthy, then who really gives a flip what the final number is.
However, having some specific goals does help keep you on track. At least it does for me. I like to think of it as a quick and handy “shorthand” that describes in two numbers how I’m progressing toward living healthy. But if I end up 220 and 14% BF, so be it. Because you can be healthy at every size. Read the rest of this entry
Rejoice in the Little Things for “I’ve been a GOOD boy!”
Here’s a quick recap (my friends can stop laughing now). For those just joining the us, the “joke” is that I have a reputation for *NEVER* telling a story in 10 words when 10 paragraphs will do.
Siiiiiiiiigggggghhhh
Today’s post is all about patting myself on the back. Bravo! Cue the Applause! Yay! Woo Hoo! Yippie! Good Job! I rock! I am FAB-u-LUS!
I’ve actually done quite a bit this week towards my goal of “being healthy” and “living healthy”. Each of the things, in and of itself may seem tiny but each tiny step is still a step.
So here, in no particular order, are some of the things I’ve done this week which move me closer to my goal:
- Coffee: Finally bought a bottle of plain white vinegar to use in my coffee maker to clean accumulated oils and coffee gunk from the guts of the machine. (How to Clean a Coffee Maker With Vinegar)
.. - Morning drugs: For two weeks now I’ve been taking my morning “pills” which consists of (1) a daily mufti-vitamin and (2) my high blood pressure medication. I’m not counting this as a “done” thing yet because you really need to do something regularly for three weeks before it really becomes a habit. On my shopping list for this week is “Calcium with Vitamin D”. There is a history of bone problems on both sides of my family in the guys and the gals so I figure it is time for me to start doing the supplement. (Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Calcium) (Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Multivitamin/mineral Supplements) (18 Tricks to Make New Habits Stick)
.. Read the rest of this entry
My Inner Domestic Diva has been dusting and…
The article “Caffeine, Straight Up! Confessions of a Java Junkie“
…has moved to Squidoo
Those folks who read my blog on an ongoing basis know that I
- …am currently unemployed read about it on my post entitled: I lost my job…and turned into a bear…kinda, sorta (Mary 20, 2012)
- …am trying half a dozen ways of making money online including opening a Zazzle store at www.zazzle.com called TxCowboyDancer Designs
.. - …am now writing articles over at Squidoo.com where hopefully they will generate enough revenue so that I don’t have to go back to a 9-5 job. I really do NOTwant to go back to a 9-5 job. Read more about that by reading these four posts
- “As the Boots Turn” #1, A Disaster or Opportunity? Glass Half Full or Half Empty? (txcowboydancer.com)
- “As the Boots Turn” #2, Sleep, Stress, and Number Two (txcowboydancer.com)
- “As the Boots Turn” #3: An Episode of Road Rage, almost (txcowboydancer.com)
- “As the Boots Turn” Episode #4, Depression, Drugs and Medical Varmits! (txcowboydancer.com)
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and by reading
.. - I’m a writer! I’m a Squid! Woo Hoo!
And if you DO read all that you’ll understand why I moved the article which was originally in this location to Squidoo, where hopefully it will make me some money. Squidoo understandably has a policy against having an article in two places out on the internet.
Whew! Get all that?
So, if you want to read the article, just hop on over to Squdoo where you can read the whole thing:
Caffeine, Straight Up! Confessions of a Java Junkie
Here is an excerpt of the article:
Here is how a typical day of caffeine consumption goes for me right now. Alarm goes off. Hit snooze. Alarm goes off. Hit snooze. Alarm goes off. Hit the OFF button! Sleep another hour and a half. Wake up, that is if you can call a “zombie like state of consciousness” “waking up.” Waddle to the kitchen. Start coffee.
Visit the loo (I’ve always wanted to use the word “loo” in a sentence). Go back to coffee pot. Thank the gods for the existence of the coffee bean and praise the name of the unknown person who invented that little stopper thingie that keeps the still-brewing-coffee from pouring out of the basket where the grounds are located onto the hot plate of the coffee pot because I’ve pulled the pot out from the coffee maker and poured my first cup before the brewing is done.
After consuming that delicious, amazing, nectar of the gods disguised as a mere cup of coffee,
Read the complete article…
See ya on the dance floor!
Step by Step…
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to priorities lately. And choices. And stress. And “to do lists”. And how much or how little time we actually have in a given week. And how much control over our lives or rather how little control we may or may not have. And money or the lack thereof. And what I’d like my life to look like.
OMG!!! I’m having a mid-life crisis!
Eeeeeeeekkkkkk!
*PANT* #GASP# “I need bon-bons!” Where’s my fuzzy slippers and my tiarra?!
*Ahem* Sorry about that, my inner Drama Diva took possession of me for a moment. In all seriousness, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to basically three ideas which are intertwined:
1. Being healthy, living healthy is HARD.
2. Being healthy, living healthy takes TIME, lots of it.
3. Everything is connected to EVERYTHING
Which means friends and neighbors that if you make living healthy a priority, then it is going to take time, it is going to be hard and it is going to affect everything! So, that’s where the “start with something small” comes in. And celebrate every completed goal, even the smallest of who’s. Oh, sorry, wrong story. Smallest of Goals is what I meant! [a moment aside…. Those who are new to my blog and who didn’t get that I just alluded to the character of Cindy Lou, one of the smallest Who’s in the Christmas story “The grinch who stole Christmas“… well stick around a while. Soon my world will seem normal and everyone else will seem weird and yes, to those who are interested, that really is how my mind works. Squirrel!]
So, back to the topic at hand. Read the rest of this entry
The Week in Review or… “Ya gotta have a bag-o-tricks”
For the first trick of the evening: Being Strong without even trying…
I have to share a “moment” from this week from where I work I’m surrounded by a group of folks who like to bring in food and leave it on the break room table for everyone.
This is sweet and nice and generous, and it does foster a sense of community at the workplace, HOWEVER, for me those little offerings of friendship are sneak attacks! They are land mines on the way to a healthy me! They are evil incarnate! Basically they kinda suck eggs.





