A New Semester

So last week I started school and work again. This is officially my last semester in college as an undergrad, and I still can't believe it! I am only taking 4 classes, so I can try to have a relaxing last semester. Lately I feel like I have little to no motivation for school, so I am just trying to get through this semester one week at a time. It's even more difficult knowing I am so close to finishing. Part of me wonders how long it will take me to miss school and want to go back. My plan is to take at least a year off before I go to graduate school so I can recharge and hopefully figure out what I want to do as my career.

Right now I am really interested in the psychology behind appetite, and I am also really interested in public health. I have found a few programs that are a blend between public health and the behavioral sciences so I am hoping I can get into one of those. I hate not knowing for sure what I want to do. I feel so much pressure, because what if I choose the wrong thing? I feel like what I do for my career is what defines me as a person, but I don't want my career to be my whole life either. All I know for sure right now is that I need a break. Maybe taking a year off will enable me to really focus on myself for once, and I can figure out what really makes me happy.

In any case, I need some serious motivation to get through these next 4 months. Roman and I have already decided we want to go on a cruise the day after I graduate so I have something amazing to look forward to! I love traveling, and I think not being able to do that lately has taken a toll on me. My adventurous nature is making it hard to stay put for so long!

Resolution Headway:

I have still been eating healthy, but I did have a minor slip up last night. I had taco bell and a rootbeer (not very tasty though). I have still been exercising, but not as much as I could. I did try one thing that really made a difference. I put on some ankle weights while cooking and doing errands and I really could feel the burn! I think I will do that on days I don't have as much time to exercise.


Well that is all I have for now!


Britny

Whole Living Challenge: Make A Stress Plan

So far, I have been doing well keeping up with my resolutions. I have continued to exercise on the Wii fit, and I really look forward to it! Tuesday I start school, so I will be making that daily bike trip again (here's hoping it is not as hard as it was back in August and I have maintained some of my fitness from before the holidays).
You may be wondering what the title to this post is about. Well, there is this really cool magazine called Whole Living I have been reading lately and they have a great site you should check out www.wholeliving.com. Every day they send me a challenge by email. Today the challenge is to make a stress plan. The stress plan is basically a list of relaxing activities you can do to help relieve daily stress you may encounter. I think this is a great idea. Some of my own ideas include:

1. yoga (it really is as relaxing as they say)
2. reading a good book or magazine
3. drinking a cup of hot tea
4. taking a bubble bath
5. listening to music

Taking time for yourself really is a good way to relieve stress, and I want to do this more often. For some reason in the past I thought if I couldn't do EVERYTHING on my to-do list I was a failure. That is ridiculous I know, but it is part and parcel to my perfectionist ways. Moving on though, I heard about an awesome 10K called the Crescent City Classic that I would like to take part in. It is farther than the 5K I had originally planned on, but I think I can do it if I start training now. Roman, my boyfriend, says he would be willing to train with me so that is definitely a motivator. I really think this year can be different. I want to be a better person inside and out. Negativity needs to be pushed aside. I am ready to be happy for the sake of living and not having to rely on outside events. Well I think that is enough for now.


Britny :)

Whole Living

Lately I have started to realize that a lot of what has caused me stress and anxiety comes from my own doing. That is a pretty hard pill to swallow, but I know it's true. My resolutions (haha I know many people don't take these seriously, but I really plan to) this year are to eat better, stress less, and be able to successfully run a 5K. These sound like big goals I know, but I have written out specific steps I can take to accomplish each one. I have found through experience that attempting to achieve a big goal in one step is not usually successful. For this reason, I plan to take small steps every week in order to achieve my resolutions.

As far as eating better, I have begun to do a lot of research on eating organically and cutting out processed foods. I have already started making a lot of changes in the past few weeks, and I feel a lot more energized than before. I cannot afford to completely eat organic, but I am making small changes that I can afford. I am not going to let all these "excuses" keep me from reaching my goals like I have in the past. Plus, if you really think about it eating more expensive organic food now may prevent you from needing to spend thousands on medical care later in life. Food for thought, huh?

On another note, stressing less is also important for me. I am a perfectionist, and I always have been. This has always been an issue for me, and it has caused me to have a lot of bad symptoms like seizures, headaches, and lately heartburn. It's not getting better, and I need to make some changes. I am sick of feeling tired and unmotivated. A few ideas I have for decreasing my stress level is to think positively (no more negative comments about myself if I can help it), make more time for myself, learn to meditate, and take a yoga class. I have begun to do some yoga on my wii fit and I love it!

In order to complete a 5K, I want to exercise at least 3x/week for 30min. and continue to ride my bike to work and school. Also, I will start by walking up to a 5K until I feel comfortable with running.


Let's see how I do this year! Hello 2011 and a happier Britny!