Tag: New Years resolutions

Summer Ramp Up

meisajDaily Life

At the start of the year I set a few goals for myself.

A) I wouldn’t buy myself candy
B) I would do 100 push ups a day
C) I would 15 minutes a day on my kindle
D) I would try to run 50 miles a month

I’ve kept all of them – to one degree or another.

I haven’t bought myself candy, explicitly bought myself candy. I did buy Sam a bag of peanut butter hearts around Valentine’s Day when she was having a few tough days knowing that I would eat some. Same around Easter – buying her or the kids Easter candy knowing I get to eat some. But as far as picking myself up candy as a snack, or while out shopping, or just for myself – I haven’t done it. So totally counts.

I have done 100 push ups a day, every day except one, last week. I did 250 the next day to make up for it.

I have read 15 minutes on my kindle daily. It tracks that, so not really a way around it. And I’ve been enjoying it.

In February I ran 47 miles. It was a shorter month. But that’s close enough to count and I picked it up in March with 85 miles. I’m trying to be most lenient with this one. I run around my family. So getting up early to run or running at night. And when I don’t get at least 6 hours of sleep for one reason or another I refuse to run, and rather prioritize sleep.

And there are days like today where I come out to the living to get my running clothes on before heading out the door and Marceline is just laying on the couch with a big smile on her face. Of course I’m going to sit with her instead of running. She is too cute not to.

A new year….

meisajDaily Life

I’m not sure why I keep this site anymore. I do know I want to come back to it and try to use it regularly, but life gets in the way.

It started as a blog for life and for my art. But Daily Art ended years ago when I became a principal, and daily life has been a little busy, and more personal as it is mostly family with my girls and Sam, which isn’t something I want to post about regularly.

So what will I use this for? Here, in 2023. Starting goals for the year are to get back into running and doing some basic strength exercises (mostly pushups). That ended when my second was born and all my free time became taking care of her and general exhaustion. Which has been, totally non-sarcastically, amazing. I love the life I have, and love being a stay at home dad.

Secondary goals is to get my eating back towards some healthy habits. Stress, lack of sleep, and general exhaustion got me onto sweets and crappy eating pretty fierce. And to be honest I’ve been enjoying it. So I’ll track my food intake for the month of January. Again, not the amounts I eat, but rather what I eat, to try and make some better choices.

Beyond those, two admittedly selfish goals, I don’t have much. I’d like to read more, well maybe more books. I have been making my way through audio books and comic books pretty regularly. I read a ton of comics and probably listen to one audio book a month on my phone doing normal things. I’d like to throw one book in there a month as well, if possible. Starting with Benjamin Franklin: An American Life which Sam got me for Christmas and I’ve been enjoying.

Strangely these read like goals anyone would have starting a New Year. But maybe we all just crave the same things.

103 Days

meisajDaily Life

Today marks 103 days of doing push-ups everyday.

The first 99 of those days I did 100 push-ups a day.

On the 100th day, April 10th, I did 1,000 push-ups.

Today the 103rd day of the year marks my 100th day of running so far this year. In the month of March I took off 3 days. One when I wasn’t feeling well and had a fever. One before I ran a half marathon, and one day off for recovery after my half marathon.

Today marks the 13th day in a row I’ve run 5 mi each day. I’ve convinced myself that I’m trying to ‘bank’ miles for the month of April because I’m having another daughter born any day now in my schedule will be a little off or a lot off after she’s born.

But I like that I’ve hit these milestones and that I’ve kept at it. Leaves me feeling accomplished.

Goals Met

meisajDaily Life

At the start of the year I set a goal of 50 days in a row of running. This was coming off almost two full months of no exercise at all. Last I had run was the first week of November.

I decided to sign up for a few Garmin badges, uncertain of whether I would meet them or not. One is a badge for running 50 miles each month, which I figured was more than attainable, the other was for running 505 kilometers (313.8 miles) by March 30, which I didn’t think was doable but signed up for regardless.

Towards the end of January I realized I was close to hitting 100 miles a month without much effort. I was running around 3 miles a day, with some shorter runs and longer ones here and there. With a little promoting from a friend, I decided to go for and run a couple longer tunes in the last week to hit 100 miles for the month.

Which felt awesome.

I went a little nuts in February and ran 134 miles. More than I had in any month since college. Calves were perpetually tight. I wore compression sleeves on my calves at night which helped, bought new running shoes mid month, and stretched more. And then on my birthday (Feb 19) ran a 5k at my fastest pace since college.

I decided to dial it back a bit in March, aiming for 100 miles again, but hit some other goals. Garmin had a badge for running a 15k in March, which is just over 9 miles – so I did a 10 mile run in early March. I also want to run a half marathon before the end of March.

But my favorite achievement so far is hitting that 505k badge. Having only hit 100 miles in a month once before in my adult life (October 2020), hitting three times in a row to start 2021, in the midst of turning 42, and with a toddler under 2 years old feels like a big accomplishment.

And to hit 505k by mid-March, feels really great. Suck it middle age! I still got this.

A look back at Resolutions…

meisajDaily Life

Not so resolute apparently.

I met 1 out of 3.  I exercise regularly.   At least a lot more than the year before.

The apartment is cleaner I think.  But that’s hard to quantify.  We clean more maybe.  That could just be because we’re messier.  I don’t know.

I do draw, just not every day like I used to.  I am still trying to keep up to date, but I am drawing once a week or so and do 10 – 20 drawings at a time, still trying to do “a drawing for every day” as opposed to my “a drawing a day.”  Until that time that I am caught up, I can’t go back to that.

But that last falls in line with what I want to do this year, more in the evenings.  Which we started last night.  Despite being tired we worked on a puzzle while watching PBS.  It was amazing last night.  The Abolitionists was a fantastic program (part 1 of 3) and then the Education of Michelle Rhee was extremely interesting.  Very interesting and we got further in our puzzle (which we are not even sure we have all the pieces for it).

It was a good evening and I passed out really quick.  YaY.

iPad Resolutions

meisajDaily Life

The iPad is ruining my life.

Not really, but it is keeping from doing other things I want to at night. I have a pretty healthy addiction to reading the news online. And keeping the iPad near while watching tv or lounging at night keeps me reading the news, playing a game or reading comics.

This time used to be spent drawing, reading, or playing video games; focusing on one thing at a time with the tv or music on for background noise. I generally don’t watch just tv or a movie.

But now I fill that time with the iPad. So my New Years Resolution this year is to put the iPad down more. Get back to spending my time with books, sketchbooks, puzzles and Sam. Basically spending that time more productively.

How I will quantify that as a success or failure I don’t know. But it’s a good resolution I think.

Coming up next I will review my resolutions from last year.