50/50 January

One of the most wonderful aspects of our adoption journey is that I have met many interesting people around the world whose paths I would never have crossed otherwise. Some of them have become supportive friends who understand and share in this adventure. One of these friends is Amie who issued this challenge at the beginning of the year:
http://thehowe5.blogspot.com/2011/01/while-we-waitnew-years-challenge.html.

Everyone who knows me is aware that I hate exercising, but I do walk for fitness at least four times a week. Still, 50 miles per month is about twice the distance I usually go. So, while I tentatively accepted Amie’s challenge, I am now proud to report that I completed it. I walked 57 miles between January 3 and January 31. I don’t want to repeat the feat next month, but I am glad I did it once because the challenge had some positive outcomes for me. First and foremost, I can now run longer and faster than at any other time in the last 20 years. I am going to try to keep this up and maybe even expand a bit more for speed and distance. Secondly, I learned a lot about my treadmill and how I can manipulate different aspect of my work-out which has given me greater variety that I intend to maintain. I also definitely lost any pounds that I may or may not have gained over the holidays. And lastly, I think I can honestly say I’ve earned myself a new pair of running shoes.

Thanks, Amie, for issuing this fitness challenge. It helped me through a dreary winter month in Ohio as well as through four weeks of this frustrating adoption wait.

The second challenge I entered in January was self-imposed. I decided that I needed to use up some food supplies already in the house, so I gave myself a strict $50 per week new grocery budget. This rule forced me to shop my pantry and freezer first, to plan meals carefully, and to prepare even more food items from scratch. I am happy to report that rounded to the nearest dollar, I completed the challenge as follows: 1/2 - $43, 1/8 - $38, 1/14 - $48, 1/21 - $47, 1/28 - $47. Even though it might not be obvious to the untrained eye, my pantry is now much more organized and the amount of older grocery supplies has shrunken significantly. I’m very pleased with the results of this challenge and will try to use up older pantry/freezer staples for another month, but I am lifting the $50 budget. Hurray, Graeter’s ice-cream here I come!