Still working on finding balance

This weekend has been incredible. I can't remember the last time I managed to get so much done in the space of 2 days. I'm quite sure that managing myself through a to-do list is a large part of what got me here ("here" being "exhausted and ready for bed at 10pm Sunday night").

Confession: I'm still working on Day2 of the to-do list. I couldn't get everything done. I did get *most* of it done, though.

Truth be told, I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished. I'm delighted to sit in my clean office. It's so much more relaxing than the engulfed-in-clutter condition it was in. Ditto for my bedroom. Feng shui is a marvelous lifestyle.

But...I didn't exercise at all this weekend. Despite writing "go for a run" on both days of my 2 days of to-do's, I did not go for a run.

I've cleaned house, read, practiced piano, invested in some Bible-study, done laundry, gone to church, written blog posts, commented on other blogs (could've/should've/would've done more of that) and spent effort cleaning up our sunroom. Oddly (or maybe not, considering the amount of bending, lifting, trotting up/down stairs, etc), I'm sore as if I'd exercised. But I didn't actually exercise. So...this week I vow to get in at least 3 workouts.

For now, I'll bask in the afterglow of what I did accomplish this weekend. Here are the before/after photos of the sunroom. Yes, darkness fell while I was working. In the morning, I'll be able to enjoy my quiet/prayer time here. Alabaster is setting a fine example (on the ottoman) in the "after" photo.

In Pursuit of Balance and escape from the 10 pound yoyo

In the 6 weeks since my last post (the post where I mentioned my need for balance in my life), I've absolutely failed at finding balance. But I've succeeded in my efforts to swing the pendulum. The trick now will be to land in place where I *can* find balance.

My vacation injury in mid-September benched me from most forms of exercise and I had to absolutely cease and desist from my daily P90X workouts. In October I got back off my duff and started a daily regimen of crunches and push-ups (not a lot, mind you, but something). Then in November, I actually put on my running shoes and put a mile-plus in, despite the fact that it was dark and cold out. Then I proceeded to spend the next week coughing and sniffling, which may or may not have been a result of the run.

On November 20th I celebrated my birthday by getting up at the crack of dawn and running in my 3rd 5K. This was the second time I'd run since my injury. Also, pretty much the 2nd real workout.

And I've gone for all of one run since then. So that's 3 runs in the month of November. After the daily discipline of P90X, I think "balance" should mean several work-outs per week (not per month). Somewhere along the way I quit the 5 minutes of crunches and pushups so really, those 3 runs are just about it.

It's not like I wasn't busy. You can read here to find out how I spent my time last month. But football games, eating out, Thanksgiving feasts, etc. combined with the lack of aerobics have taken their toll and I'm sad to see that I've regained ALL of the weight I'd lost since shaking off my couch-potato ways. In my battle with the bulge the enemy has regained a lot of territory.

If you know me, you know I'm no quitter. I may have addictive tendencies (ahem) to say the least, and I may have a propensity to take things to the extreme (ahem) but I'm going to try to work those to my favor and commit myself to defining (and maintaining) boundaries that provide balance in my life. Balance between working, writing, working out, playing piano, reading...I can do this. I know I can. I shall be extreme in my determination to not let any one area dominate my life.

Cheers!