Weight and Fitness

 

Something I add to my "resolution" list every single year is to lose weight. This year is no different. In 2014 I lost about 40 pounds. Nothing wrong with that! I did gain about 15 of it back ("freshman fifteen" maybe?) but I am still lighter than I used to be, which is a feat to be proud of.  These two pictures were taken about a year a half apart with a weigh difference of about 40 pounds.

My goal for 2015 is to lose another 40.  Since I did it in 2014, I have proven to myself that I can do it and therefore, I can do it again. I started a few days ago with two quick workouts a day. By quick, I mean about 4-5 minutes each. I picked a song ("Brave" by Sara Bareillis - watch the video here) I started with do some crunches, leg-lifts, plank, and weights during the song.  In only a couple of days, my level has already increased and I'm still working out when the song ends. This makes me super happy because I know that I am already progressing :)

I was running for a while in 2014, but then I noticed I was having some leg pain I never had before and the only thing that changed in my schedule was the running. So, I quit. The smart thing would have been to replace the running with walking, but I didn't do that. I just stopped it altogether. This year, I am going to add walking to my life, and I would be really excited if that were to turn into running again.

My goal is, really, just to be a healthier, skinnier me. I am entering a new career this year and I would really like to do that as the smaller body that is hiding inside this current body.

2015 is my year.

The Year of Passion

I have a paralegal career ahead of me.  I am going to help people - legally. Not as in a "not against the law" kind of way (although, that way, too ;) but in a legal capacity. I will help people with their legal issues - from traffic offences to broken fences, from tort law to contract law, from tribunal appearances to court proceedings. And, I am excited about it all.

 

This is what I call my 'career passion'.

 

Aside from this, what are my other passions? I recently got divorced and I have returned to my maiden name. In doing that, I have been trying to figure out who I really am. I made a list of things that I enjoyed doing back before I got married, things I liked while I was married, and new things I have discovered a fondness for since separating. My list seems to boil down to these top two 'life passions': 1. Writing  2. Music.

 

Since the separation 4.5 years ago, I seem to have let these two things fall by the wayside. I used to blog all the time, I was working on a book, and I played keyboard and led worship in church. Lately, I've done none of these things. I mean, I sometimes plucked out a blog post, but my heart wasn't in it. Then today, as I was doing some more pondering and analyzing, I decided to break back into blogging - and this feels so good, and so.... 'me'.

 

This week was the first time I pulled out my 25 year old, yellowed-keys, sound-deteriorating keyboard in a really long time. I'm rusty, no doubt about that, but I enjoyed every single moment. The feeling and emotion that comes from making music and singing is incomparable to anything else.

 

I've set myself up with a plan to make sure I don't lose these two important pieces of myself anymore. Come the new year, I am going to buy myself a new laptop (the one I have got stepped on...oops) so I can blog and start back on writing my books. Yes, books. I have a sequel planned. I am also going to purchase a new keyboard (or new-to-us since kijiji is a great place sometimes) so that I can work on being a little less rusty, but mostly so that I can teach my daughter how to play. She's been asking me for a while to teach her, so I am looking forward to some productive mother-daughter time with her this year.

 

I shall call 2015 "The Year of Passion".