Healthy Habits

At the beginning of 2024, I started habit tracking. I set myself one healthy habit per month, aiming to do it every day. I’m pleased to say that, so far, I’ve succeeded!   

JANUARY = I focused on drinking more water. This was a struggle, but I think the cooler weather had something to do with that. This habit hasn’t really carried over so I might set it as a goal again. 

 

FEBRUARY = I meditated every day. Usually between 5-20 minutes each session, keeping it flexible – the timing and/or the focus. I’m still meditating at least a couple of times a week. 

 

MARCH = More vegetables! My diet isn’t the worst, but it needs some improvement. Keeping this goal in the forefront of my mind helped me make better dietary choices overall. I’ve added veggies into the mix of daytime snacks, instead of just fruit, nuts, etc. 

 

JANUARY - MARCH = And for me, the healthiest habit of all is writing. So far, I’ve written every day – The Write 24 in 24 Challenge - and I hope to keep the trend going. I’m enjoying myself immensely! 

 

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Do you habit track? Have any favorite healthy habits you’d care to share? Any favorite veggie recipes or snacks? How’s your creative work going? 

The Push Broom in my Mind

So far, my KISS – Keep It Super Simple - word/strategy for 2023 is working pretty well. When I catch clutter creeping in, especially mental clutter, I imagine my focus as a big push broom, shoving stuff out of the way. (My husband always laughs when I use housecleaning examples because we both know the only time I might ever actually use a broom would be for Quidditch.) 

 

WRITING – 

I'm pretty sure I've done more work on my novel/novella last month than I did last year.  

 

WATCHING – 

Movie – Summer of 84 (2018) is nostalgic AND creepy. The monologue delivered by one of the characters toward the end is utterly chilling. I'm still thinking about it. 

 

TV – Don't ask me how we missed Friday Night Lights the first time it was on because I don't know. I do know, though, that we're enjoying it now! We're in the second season so no spoilers, please! 

 

PHYSICAL HEALTH – 

Well, we signed up for another miles challenge. And we're carrying over one from last year so here's where we are as of 1/29/2023:

19/300 miles

0/100 miles.

 

I usually focus more on overall health, but this year, losing pounds - in a healthy way! – is my goal and will hopefully give me the most benefit all around. So far, I haven't lost any weight, but I also haven't gained any either, so I'll take it.  

 

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How's your year going so far? Any movies or TV shows – old, new or new-to-you – that you're enjoying? How do you lose pounds or handle weight loss in general? Any suggestions?

The Summer of Getting Stuff Done

For a lot of people, summer is about having fun, relaxing and traveling. For me, this summer is about putting my head down and keeping it down. I really need to focus. Need to. Want to. Have to. My emotional, mental, physical health demands it. My writing demands it. My home and weird . . . uh, unique . . .  little family demands it. (Mrs. Larry does not care for the word "weird" in reference to her, thank you very much.) 

 

Some of what I plan to accomplish:

 

* Get at least one draft of my novella done.

* Write and submit at least two stories to markets.

* Finish the 202.2 miles challenge. Maybe start one of the 100 miles challenges.

* Do some cleaning up, de-cluttering and organizing inside and outside the house.

 

I will have some fun, including lots of reading, TV show binge-watching and movie marathon-ing.

 

In the recent free version of Austin Kleon's newsletter, he mentions some advice by poet Jane Kenyon that explains exactly what my hope is for the summer – 

 

"Be a good steward of your gifts. 

Protect your time. 

Feed your inner life. 

Avoid too much noise. 

Read good books, 

have good sentences in your ears. 

Be yourself as often as you can. 

Walk. 

Take the phone off the hook. 

Work regular hours."

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Do you have any fun summer plans? Any "productive" projects? Looking forward to any summer books, TV shows, movies?

One Small Step

Other than a few specific goals (see below for one of them), my overall plan for 2021 is to move in a positive direction, to choose projects or tasks that will move me in a "creative" direction or in a "healthy" direction, etc. I have no idea if this will work, but even though 2020 sucked the oomph out of me, I still want to enter 2021 with a bounce in my step. 

 

"The good life is a process, not a state of being. 

It is a direction not a destination."

Carl Rogers

Speaking of direction and moving, did I mention I plan to walk 500 miles this year?

 

Yes, for some of you that's a piece of cake, but since my steps consist mostly of me going from my desk to the kitchen to get a piece of cake, this is huge. 

 

My husband and I signed up for this virtual challenge to encourage a healthy lifestyle, but it will be more than just a physical challenge for me. As someone who has perfectionist tendencies, the thought of falling behind and/or failing altogether makes me incredibly anxious. But one of the things I told myself - other than that I've lost my mind - is that any miles I walk because of this challenge are miles I might not have walked otherwise. Any accumulation will be an accomplishment. 

 

I'll do the occasional update here on the blog. It will be much like tracking the progress of a tortoise. If I'm lucky.  

 

Miles Walked as of 1/4/2021 = 5.6/500

 

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Did you make any resolutions, set goals? Or are you keeping it a little looser like I am? Anything you'd recommend for my walks – music/podcasts/audio books to listen to, sneakers, socks, workout clothes, etc? 

Hunkering Down for the Holidays

I don't know about you all, but I am in need of some peace. My creativity is sapped (I love you, NaNo, but sheesh!) I am out of whack, emotionally and mentally (ah, anxiety, my old friend!) My body and my spirit just feel . . . frayed.

So, it's time to quiet down, tuck in. It's time to reflect and to renew. It's time to read books, eat chocolate, and binge watch shows that make me laugh (holiday episodes of Seinfeld, The Office or The Big Bang Theory) and even ones that make me cry (Game of Thrones, I'm looking at you . . . )

It might seem silly. My holidays are not particularly festive, they're not full of parties and travel. Some people think I should do things differently, I should act the way everybody else does, but I'm learning that I need to do what's right for me, to do what will keep me as healthy and as sane as possible.

All of us here at The Shellshank Redemption wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season - whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate. We'll see you all in the New Year!

(Cartoon by Marzi from Introvert Doodles. Check out her book!)

A Happy, Healthy Writer

"One of the reasons we become writers 

is to live a different kind of life, 

a more creative life, more fulfilling 

and hopefully, a healthier life." 

(Joanna Penn)

YES! 

The quote above is from a fantastic post by Joanna Penn called Healthy Writer Tips: Managing Stress, Anxiety and Burnout.  I don't know about you, but I can use all the help I can get dealing with all three of those things. I recommend reading her entire post, so I'll just share some of my takeaways: 

* She talks about NOT separating her work from her life; it's all-encompassing, and how this can be wonderful AND exhausting. For me, writing is a huge part of who I am and always has been. I used to try to separate it, especially since so many people in my "real life" often ignored my writing, thus making me feel ignored and invisible. Now, I'm getting better at being my own person, doing my own thing. 

* Stress can be positive, when it pushes us to try something new, to step outside our comfort zone, whether in writing or in life. I'm working on a novella, trying to break into new-to-me magazines, and getting back into running. (Let the tears - of hysterical laughter and of pain - begin!)

* One of Penn's suggested Action Steps mentions digital fasting and cutting back on social media and news so we don't get overwhelmed by negativity and suffer from comparisonitis. I find this kind of thing helpful in quieting my mind, especially at night. I only check the news twice a day, and I have a cut-off time for myself when it comes to checking emails and texts. 

* In another Action Step, she recommends paying attention to the rhythms of your energy, your life, and allowing for shifts in how you approach everything, including writing projects. I struggle with this, often trying to force a project at that time, in this way. Sometimes it works, usually it doesn't.

"We all need to stop, take a step back and

think about what we want for our lives 

in a holistic sense. 

Burnout happens in the writer community 

when we forget why we're doing this in the first place. 

We bury the joy of creation in all the things

that have to be done . . . . "

(Joanna Penn)

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How are you feeling about your writing health? Do you struggle with anxiety, burnout, stress or anything else along those lines? How do you manage it? 

IWSG: Ready, Set . . . Go!

 For More Information

This October, I'm gearing up for two big things, and I'm anxious about both of them.

The first is National Novel Writing Month in November. I've done and won NaNo a number of times, but it's been awhile since I felt good about what I ended up with. I'm not talking about a perfect, publishable manuscript. I just want to be happy with what I have to work with, to revise, later on. So, I'm doing a lot more prep work this time around, and I'm hoping it will help. 

The next thing is running a 5K. If you've been around this blog for a bit, you know I'm working on my health and weight. I've been training somewhat secretly. Of course, the people in my neighborhood who see me jiggle-jog down the sidewalk know something is up. But I've kept it kind of hush-hush because, honestly, I'm not sure I can even physically do it, and I hate the idea of setting myself up for failure, admitting defeat. (It's actually longer than an official 5K and "zombies" are going to try and grab three flags that will represent my life. The goal is to get to the finish line with at least one flag/life left. I just want to get to the end, "dead" or alive.)

I can use all the encouragement and support I can get, along with any advice - for the running and/or the writing. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it . . . 

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I'm co-hosting this month's IWSG along with these folks - Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley. Please show them some comment love!

When Baked Goods Attack

I've mentioned my journey to get healthy, to lose weight - most recently here, where I talk about my love/hate relationship with the "dreadmill." Overall, I'm doing pretty well - exercising more, eating better, etc.

But.

It's all just going . . . very . . .  slowly. Even the tortoises are faster than my weight loss. And when the going gets tough . . . the giant chunk of yellow cake with fudge icing starts calling. (Or is that just me?)

Now, I'm all for moderation, for having a piece of pie or a scoop of ice cream now and then. But it's one thing for me to make that choice; it's another for a thick slice of cheesecake to do it for me.

So, not only does this mantra make me laugh -

YOU'VE COME TOO FAR TO TAKE ORDERS

FROM A COOKIE.
(Unknown)

It also reminds me of all I've accomplished so far, and all I can - and will! - achieve.

What do you tell yourself to keep going while on a difficult journey, weight loss or otherwise? How do you stay motivated when the going gets rough? What's your favorite dessert? (Hey, I can dream, can't I?) 

Standing Room Only

When we moved houses recently, I wanted a stand-up desk for my new office. I was doing too much sitting/slouching/slumping. But I had a few concerns: 

- I didn't want to spend a lot of money, since I wasn't sure if I would like using it. 

- I didn't want something big, clunky and industrial looking. 

- I wanted something I could move if I wanted to, you know, actually sit at my desk. 

And so . . . taaa daaa!

Hmm, doesn't look like much. Three pieces of bamboo perched on a desk. 

But check this out:

It looks totally precarious, right? But it's not! It's incredibly sturdy! (That being said, I'm still careful reaching for my coffee, etc. I wouldn't go gesticulating wildly near it because, in theory, the laptop could be knocked off.)

  

I use it at least once a day for a chunk of time. I find some projects are more conducive to using it than others - when working on something where I need to write notes, shuffle paper, etc, I like to sit. But social networking is perfect for standing, since I'm just reading and commenting.

Here's the link for StandStand. It's a great site with clear info. Definitely check out the videos - the one on the Home page and the one on the About Us page. I love the fact that it's Made in the USA, out of sustainable birch or bamboo. 

If you give it a try, I hope it works out as well for you as it's working - fingers crossed! - for me.

(I am not a spokesperson for this company. I am not compensated in any way. I just like the product and thought you all might, too.)

Goodbye, July!

I don't know about you all, but I am done with July and ready for August . . . .  

* My Camp NaNo experience was a good one - I came out a winner! My goal was less about the word count - 20,000 words, on the lower side for me - and more about achieving a sense of accomplishment, something I've been lacking lately. I'm not sure yet what exactly I'm going to do with this project, but those creative juices are sizzling away on that hot summer sidewalk in my mind. 

* I'm still aiming to get my 2nd flash fiction collection, Garden of Lost Souls, out this summer. I've been stalling for all kinds of reasons, but that stops here and now.

* I also need to make health - physical and otherwise - a priority this month. (More on that in August's IWSG post!) Once again, stalling for all kinds of reasons. Once again, that stops here and now. 

So, how was your July? Did you win Camp NaNo? Complete any other projects or achieve any other goals? What are your plans for August?