Slothopatomus

My name is Jennifer, and I have been a slothopotamus. Seriously, if a sloth and a hippo had a child, that would be me. It's sort of mean, but I need a little bit of encouragement to get myself the H to the gym.

So, in an effort to get off the couch (actually, the computer chair), I am going to do something new with my work out plan by scheduling classes and gym times and runs on my calendar, as if they were dinner dates with friends or appointments I couldn't miss. Last week I looked up yoga classes ahead of time (at all the places I have vouchers/groupons/existing memberships), found times that worked, and "penciled" them in. 

It at least worked for last Sunday; I had scheduled a yoga class at Core Power and by golly, I went! (For the first time in three months...) But even on Tuesday, I am still le sore. Last night I had thirty-thousand-four-hundred-and-nine cavities filled, so to make the numbness wear off faster, I walked on the treadmill for over an hour. It helps when Modern Family is in front of me too.

Today I'm heading back to the gym. I need to tell you guys so I can feel at least a little bit accountable to keep going. No more slothopotamus! I have found a hefty (haha) correlation between weight gain and unhappiness. (And yes, in this case, it's correlation AND causation). I refuse to gain weight during the holiday season.  Who is with me? 

10 Thoughts on Whole Living

I came across this list in the magazine whole living: body + soul in balance. 

1. Rather than try to fix your body, focus on how you want it to feel.

2. The mark of true confidence is the ability to look someone in the eye.

3. Let the seasons guide your diet. The earth grows what you need, when you need it.

4. Respect your feet. They've mastered the art of staying grounded while moving forward.

5. Take charge of you own reflection: stop letting the mirror win.

6. Enlightenment doesn't always make a grand entrance. It slowly transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

7. Change happens somewhere between the acceptance of now and the anticipation of what's to come.

8. Don't obsess over weight loss. Wellness is about making you life bigger, not smaller.

9. Surprise yourself: push yourself past your physical limits.

10. Nothing connects you to who you are quite like the people who knew you when.

Here are my responses to this list:

1. Brilliant. It's so important to focus on how you feel, not just how you look.

2. Two of my HK friends who now live in Chicago told me that something had changed about me since we were last together. I think this something was confidence.

3. Try to buy foods in season. They taste better anyway.

4. I have neglected my feet since I was little. Now I'm appreciating them for letting me run, walk, jump and play.

5. This is a work in progress.

6. Everything worth something takes time and effort. Take it from my friend, who blogs about incremental change.

7. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I'm inside a cocoon, anticipating what is to come.

8. I like this idea.

9. Today I ran at 8.5 mph. I used to be able to only go to 7 mph.

10. I spent last Sunday with my best friend from grade school. We reminisced about our lives from age 9 to 24.

What would be on your list of 10 thoughts on whole living?