Small Steps

[Hopalong]

I want to start a thread for patting oneself on the back for small steps taken to help oneself feel better. Physically or emotionally.

Small steps, right? I was completely taken with the PushUp Challenge, by a blogger/expert in motivation. I have flunked it already but it's one that's not hard to re-start! The challenge? Do ONE pushup per day for a year. Mind boggling in its simplicity.

In the small victories department one is supposed to pat oneself on the back for every step...yesterday at work I faithfully hopped up every hour and did 20 steps on the miracle mini-stepper by my desk. I am AMAZED how different I feel today. The latest research on sedentariness is sooooooooobering. I have spent literally years of days in chairs, then evenings on couches.

What is different about the latest findings is this: Many people who work office jobs ALSO go work out or run for an hour+, for example, and think their health is protected by that. Turns out, it's NOT. What is critical is to KEEP MOVING during the day. If you're doing seated things, you need to stand and stretch every 30 min (if a standing desk isn't for you) and then move ACTIVELY every hour. So that hourly stepper routine could save my life. I mean that literally.

It's not about getting hugely sweaty or aerobic, it's about being in motion. That's it.

Feel free to add your own small steps challenges, motivation struggles, slips, and successess...

hugs
Hops

[Twoapenny]

Love this   Congrats to you, Hopsie, on your hopping and other activities

My pat on the back today was telling a (good) friend how upset I've been by the actions of less good friends recently.  I hadn't really talked about it much in 'real life' and it felt good to get the words out and turns out she's been in similar situations.  Feel a little closer to her now by being a bit more real and feel less focused on the others as her feelings were "f**k em' which made me laugh

[lighter]

It's interesting what you can learn from standing yourself up against a wall and seeing what touches, and what does not.

Feels good to be stretching again.

My dog thinks it's interesting to watch; )

Lighter

[Hopalong]

Har! A dog's enthusiastic curiosity is just about the perfect motivator...

For the first time today, I took pooch to work (there has been much drama
about our "dog policy". Had no choice, since a plumber needed to come and
I couldn't leave her home to greet (i.e., likely go nuts about) him on her own.
Even though I trust this guy so much I'd hand him a key and a blank check.

So....I took her to work. She was great! I looped her long leash thru the file
cabinet by my desk and she settled most of the day on the comfy pad-bed
I laid there. Only problem was she bark-yodeled when I tried to sneak off
to the bathroom or kitchen area, so I learned I had to just take her with me.
She trots along...as long as I'm in eyeshot, she's fine.

Unfortunately, the boss (who's normally not in on Fridays) was in today,
and heard those few yodel-yaps, so it's likely she won't be able to go every
day.

Funny thing was, I was WAY MORE productive than usual. Cranking out
stuff...because with her there, I was in SUCH a better mental place. Hmmm.

I didn't hop on my stepper today but all in all, it was a good small-step day
anyway!

hugs
Hops

[lighter]

Hops, so NOT the post I expected to read from you.

It was.....

sure, unexpected,

but so very cool that you just loaded up pooch, and did it.

Woo.

Hoo.

::raising hand::

I vote you take pooch to the office again, now that you've figured out how to extinguish the yodeling, and see if it floats.

Maybe you could have one more "plumber" excuse day to show everyone they certainly could have a new team player since it increases productivity, and feels so darned good?

Don't ask, don't get.

::shrug::

Maybe you'll get.

Lighter 

[Twoapenny]

Har! A dog's enthusiastic curiosity is just about the perfect motivator...

For the first time today, I took pooch to work (there has been much drama
about our "dog policy". Had no choice, since a plumber needed to come and
I couldn't leave her home to greet (i.e., likely go nuts about) him on her own.
Even though I trust this guy so much I'd hand him a key and a blank check.

So....I took her to work. She was great! I looped her long leash thru the file
cabinet by my desk and she settled most of the day on the comfy pad-bed
I laid there. Only problem was she bark-yodeled when I tried to sneak off
to the bathroom or kitchen area, so I learned I had to just take her with me.
She trots along...as long as I'm in eyeshot, she's fine.

Unfortunately, the boss (who's normally not in on Fridays) was in today,
and heard those few yodel-yaps, so it's likely she won't be able to go every
day.

Funny thing was, I was WAY MORE productive than usual. Cranking out
stuff...because with her there, I was in SUCH a better mental place. Hmmm.

I didn't hop on my stepper today but all in all, it was a good small-step day
anyway!

hugs
Hops

Ah Hops that's lovely!  How nice for her to be out and about in a new environment as well, she's come on so well, you must be so glad you decided to keep her.  Our hairdresser was dogsitting for her sister and had her lovely Springer Spaniel in the shop for a fortnight last time we visited and she said the difference it made was amazing, she was a real talking point, kids made a fuss of her while they waited for their mums and she just seemed to make everyone happier.  I hope you get to take lovely pooch in some more, sounds like it was a great tonic for everyone!

[Meh]

Yeah, staying in motion sounds good, only thing is I don't think we can 100% recover if we have already succumbed to the desk chair prison. How much do you think the body can spring back after said miss-use?

[Hopalong]

What is the emoticon for eye-rolling bliss with ear rubs?
Thanks Light...we will be hashing out the final dog policy at our strategic retreat (my least favorite work experience).
I don't plan to take her often (never give Nboss any ammo, is my motto) but glad it worked that day!

Bean, I used to work at a health publisher kind of place, and the philosophy they drilled into us was that the body's regenerative capacities are really extraordinary. So I do believe one can recover tremendously. I don't focus on "100%" in the same way that I don't spend time pining for life at age 14...buuuuut, I do mentally note that if I stick with the exercise and nutrition, I'm likely to be waaaay stronger at 70 than I was at 60, when my life was pure stress and nothing but.

So I'll take my chances that "way stronger" is better than not trying.

love
Hops

[Twoapenny]

I agree, progression not perfection is something I'm trying to focus on in my own life at the minute, particularly as I'm realising how often I avoid doing things because I don't think I can do them well enough.

Well I did two small things today; I paid a visit to the homeopath and got some new remedies and some different supplements to take.  I then got a message from a friend who has had a bit of a difficult time over the weekend.  She's a good friend and one who has and does support me but I have resisted my natural urge (or usual urge, perhaps that should be) to ring back immediately as I have a lot to do over the next couple of days and I'm really tired so need to rest up as well.  If it had been a life or death situation I would have called straight away but as it isn't (and I know she has other people she can talk to if she wants to) I decided to get some rest and get some of this work done before I call her.  It's only a little thing but it means I'm putting me first (and posting on here is part of that, too!).

[sKePTiKal]

I'm proof that even simple, non-sweaty things can definitely make a difference. Tai chi was that for me (and yes, once I progressed... THEN, it got sweaty! LOL...) I made it through a 3 hour "boot-camp" of seriously strenuous & areobic exercises with a tyrannical wu shu master. And I had a sense that through consistent work like that... I very definitely could be "better" at 60 than I was in my 40s.

The reason tai chi worked, though... was that I wasn't there for the physical benefits. I was there for the moving meditation part. The physical part was the gravy side effect. My focus was simply doing some calming for myself, occupying that mischievious monkey mind - and because I was learning something 'new'... and it involved "paying attention"... it all came together, in a nice way. There is something to be said for chi gong, too... and moving the breath through the body. I almost have to trick myself - like a toddler - to do nice things for myself.

But, what Penny said,

It's only a little thing but it means I'm putting me first

is my stumbling block. Still. It's that way with self-care, too. It's that way with soooo many things, big and small - even that daily dilemma: what shall we eat for dinner? - because I haven't even given "what would taste good" a thought... all I know is that I'm hungry. I could use a massage again - my whole left side aches from the neck to the foot - but can I take 3 minutes to make the phone call? uh-uh...

why? because it's not important; I have other things to do that are wayyyyy more important to do.
Same old; same old here. This is exactly what my struggle has been, since day 1... feeling that it's OK to just do something for ME, without also dealing with the boomerang feeling of guilty or selfishness or - in the case of tai chi: embarrassed foolishness... because I was getting pretty good at it and that's verboten!!

[Hopalong]

Boy, can I relate to the struggle to prioritize.

I feel so overwhelmed by what I "should" do that I often don't do what I CAN do.

It's stoooooooooooooopid.

I should make lists, eternal lists.

love
Hops

[sKePTiKal]

My lists used to be... like shackles. I gave them a lot more power over me than was realistic. Then, I went through the flipping off the list stage -- -- a dumb list can't tell me what to do!! stage. Now, my lists are so I don't forget "me" and the things "I want to do"! LOL... there are just so many things zooming through the head lately...

I've been in kind of a fog lately. Some of it is plain old sinusitis and not sleeping well as a consequence. But the other part, I feel a sort of power-struggle between some of the things I want to do < -- > and all the normal stuff that needs to get done. I really want someone to "do for me" lately. Told hubs, all I want for our anniversary is for him to call the repair guy to fix the noisy (as in, wakes me up noisy) attic exhaust fan. How romantic, right? I just want to be the one who gets "taken care of" every once in a while...

whether I deserve it or not!! LOL.

[Twoapenny]

I can relate to the lists thing, Skep, my T used to tell me it's a control thing - 'if I write endless lists of things to do I'll be okay' type of approach.  I do remember using it as a CBT technique and it being very effective when I was depressed so that I'd focus on getting things done but it can go too far and dominate everything.  I got to the point where I'd write something on the list after I'd done it so that I could immediately cross it off!!!!!!!!!!!

We have taken a big small step this weekend and went to a music festival for three days.  It is the sort of thing that I love and the sort of thing I have been too scared to do since all the false accusations stuff happened when my son was small.  I've felt I had to stay home and be a quiet, mousy mum and not draw attention to myself - not that there's anything wrong with that but it's not me!  The natural me loves out there people and adventure and I just haven't done anything like that for such a long time.  So we took ourselves and our tent off and spent three days in luscious countryside listening to loads of good music, eating chips and generally enjoying ourselves.  It was wonderful and has given me a real boost

[Hopalong]

Tupp, you hippie!
What a delight to imagine you doing that.

May the festival feelings last for you!

hugs
Hops

[sKePTiKal]

Well, I don't know if this "counts"... but I took y'alls advice about maybe hiring out some of the work around here. Had someone come and pressure wash the cobwebs/bugs off the eaves and nooks/crannies of the house... then he came back to do the windows outside. No ladders involved at all! Just a really long wand with cleaner and a hose. And young, strong arms and back!!  It looks FABULOUS! The house that is...   

"Benjamin" looks like a surfer who's grappling with "real life" now. Wife and two small kids... and 3 jobs!! 2 are his own businesses; and the 3rd is with the county, so he has benefits. We talked about the next phase, of dealing with the railings on my steps - I need to sand, caulk & paint next, since he got them so clean in record time. I told him, I'd much rather help guys like him make it -- than to (yet again) feel like I have to "do it myself" when I'm just not physically able to, anymore - unless I pace the job out over months. Hubs has been picking out "labor saving" devices for me, for the garden/landscaping work I do... and...... wait for it!    .... that's the extent of his help.

He has made a GIANT leap, in the "stuff" category though. We pushed through a whole closet full of "stuff" and donated 3 big boxes of puzzles, car models, and games (along with a lot of other extra stuff) last week. And we've reduced a few of the constant stacks of paper, too. Just wait until I start to reclaim some flat surfaces in the office for my "art stuff", though... we're both going to need valium!!     I tried to move a paper bag with some little bit of recycling in the bottom of it, off his slippy-slidy mountain of paper he feels he has to print out from websites (to show me, of course) and you'd a thought I'd grabbed him by the short hairs!! Jeez... I don't understand the "need" to be surrounded by clutter; I just don't. I "need" wide open spaces... don't know why either.

Speaking of which - question for you folks!! I have 16, uhuh... 16 different journals of vomiting out Twiggy's Tale of Woe. They are taking up space, which I have been thinking about using for the ever-growing collection of books. I'm scared to death, that someone will find them and start reading all the awful, whiny, self-pitying stages... and nasty angry resentful stuff... that I've let go, about as much as anyone lets things go. I'm thinking I want to let the journals go too... my usual method is bonfire. (Phoenix, remember?) Anyway, I thought I'd throw it out for a vote among the Amazons who walked through a lot of those journals, with me.

What say you?