Tuesday, January 28, 2014

My Fit Healthy Happy...Dog?

In my quest to live a more fullfilling and happier life I need to not only think about myself, but also those creatures who are in my life as well. Specifically, my dog Odin.

Summer hike up Mt. Ellen!
Odin on the night I brought him home!
Odin is my best friend (or fur-baby as some refer to it!). He has seen me through a lot in the almost 3 years I've had him, a divorce, countless moves, a sick family member, new love and a barrage of different dogs who have come in and out of his life. Through all that he has stayed loyal, happy and content. If he has a place to sleep (usually next to me on the bed or the couch) and food (hopefully lots of treats), he is happy. But over the years he hasn't exactly been the most fit dog on the block. I blame his lack of fitness on many factors:
  • His adorable face makes it hard (for anyone) to say no to giving him treats
  • I haven't always given him enough exercise
  • Office dog hard at work
  • Turns out I may have been overfeeding him during this 2 meals a day
 As his owner it is my responsibility to make sure that he is taken care of, and unfortunately I haven't been doing a very good job. So adding onto my goals for the year are a few goals for Odin:

  • Lose 6-8 pounds (that would put him at a healthy weight according to my vet)
  • Stop feeding him treats all the time (save those for special occasions)
  • Get him out and get moving every day for at least 1 hour (that will be good for both of us)
  • Schedule more doggy play dates
    Post-swim pic with O's summer haircut!
Loving time in the woods!









To help my on my quest to give him the most fit healthy happy life he can, I have made some changes. First, I purchased a hands free dog leash (we've tried it out twice and he loves it). Now we can run together and I don't have to worry about carrying a bulky annoying leash. I just clip it on and we are off and running! He has joined me on my lunch hour runs for the past few weeks and loves it. One nice thing about a long haired shaggy dog is that they don't mind the cold at all! I also have found a different scoop for his food that allows me to measure how much I am giving him (turns out the old scoop I was using was a lot bigger and I didn't even realize it). 
The cold doesn't bother us!
Finishers medal!

Odin and Maple (my parents pup)

As much as I want to believe that Odin will be by my side forever, the reality is that someday he will be gone. My hope though is that 2014 will become the year of health and fitness for both us of! I hope he will be by my side for many many years to come.


Odin and his brother Crosby
Odin and Zoe (my sisters dog)



My handsome Odin-Bear!









Tuesday, January 7, 2014

2014: The Year of Doing

I can't say that I was necessarily looking forward to 2014 until the end of December. Now that the new year is here I am invigorated and excited for the days ahead. I could be jazzed about this year because I am turning 30 (eek!), or because I am signed up for a few longer and more challenging races; but it is more likely that I have many new people in my life who are just also excited about 2014 and have similar goals as me.

Pooh and Mousey
A Christmas nap by the fire
Not to dwell on the past, but 2013 ended up much better than it started. I had a wonderful Christmas with my family. We chose not to do gifts this year, instead we spent the day hanging out. We watched a few holiday movies, we ate food and didn't worry about what time it was or when the ham needed to go in the over (ok, maybe Mom worried about that a little). It was nice to not have to deal with wrapping presents and going out and buying presents, or finishing a homemade gift. Overall it made the holiday season much more enjoyable. Also, my parents recently adopted 3 cats from the humane society, so much of our time was spent cuddling around the fire with the cats and all the dogs as well. But 2013 was last year and I am looking full steam ahead to the months ahead!

No More Resolutions

One thing I am not doing this year is making resolutions. I have tried making those all my life and have found that I don't stick with them. Instead (at the suggestion of a friend, AF) I made a vision board. It turned out being more fun and more inspiring than I thought. I also love making collages and cutting things out of magazines! What is a vision board you ask? To put it simply it is a poster board covered with pictures, quotes, and words that you want to focus on (at least that is how I see it).  I ended up cutting out way way too many things from magazines, so spent most of my time trimming each piece and picking out exactly the best words and pictures for 2014. Here is my result:

my 2014 vision board
My vision board ended up with about 5 "zones". The upper right hand corner had to do with friends and family, getting creative and being myself. The lower right hand corner is all about the Benjamin's. I want to get my finances in order, pay off bills and save save save! The lower left hand corner is about running. I thought about why I run, and what I want to get from running in 2014. The upper left hand corner is about food and eating locally and healthy. The center of the board is all about my overall goals for the year and for the years ahead.

the 3 books i am reading right now!
I found that making the vision board made me really think about my goals for the year. Since I have been little I have always made resolutions and to no surprise, never stuck with them. So for 2014 goals it is!

My Goals for 2014
  1. Run a full marathon (I am signed up and registered for 2!)
  2. Travel out of state 3 times (am headed to San Francisco in April!)
  3. Eat more local foods, by:
    • Shopping at the farmers market more
    • Signning up for a spring/summer CSA
  4. Get rid of 1/3 of my clothes (and try not to replace them)
  5. Read at least 2 books per month 
  6. Make all my own cleaning products
  7. Start an IRA (it's about time!)
  8. At least once a month call a friend or relative who lives out of state
  9. Save at least $2000
  10. Get off the couch and get outside more (especially during the winter)!!
  11. out for a nice long winter walk
    • Go sledding!
    • Ski!
    • Go on a moonlight snowshoe
    • Go hiking!
    • Go for a long walk with the dogs!
    • Have craft nights with friends
    • Host a game night
    • Run, bike and swim!
The list could go on and on. Many people might look at this and say wow, isn't that too much? But I say no. They are goals. I hope to achieve each and every one, but if I don't, I don't. In the end I just hope to have a happy and healthy year!
 trying not to blow away at the top of Spruce Mtn.