Tag: Incentive

Metabolism Monday – The Restart

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After a much-needed break, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. Clayton and I have started round 2 of the fast metabolism diet!

Habit: Follow the Fast Metabolism Diet for the recommended 28 days.

Start Date: Thursday, 08/02/2018

Projected End Date: Wednesday, 08/29/2018

Action Plan:

  • 2-4 workouts a week in the corresponding phase
  • Drink half my body weight in ounces of water every day
  • Finish the Headspace – Mindful Eating meditation pack

Incentive: When we lose 20 pounds we will spend a day at Universal Studios!

Lofty Goal: Be healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

We know The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight works! We did 2 weeks last time, lost some weight, and have kept those pounds off in the last couple of months half-assing the program. We also learned some things in those 2 weeks, so we’ve tweaked the program to better suit us.

Don’t weigh-in every day. The meal plan in the book has a place to track your weight daily, but you’re not supposed to let your weight stress you out. The best way to not let my weight stress me out is not to focus on it daily. We will only weigh in and do our measurements weekly.

Don’t start on Monday. The book recommends that you start the program on a Monday because it is easy. That doesn’t really suit our lifestyle because that puts phase 3 when you are relaxing and not working out on the weekend. We decided to start on a Thursday so phase 2 falls on the weekend, and I have plenty of time to psyche myself up for weight training. Then phase 3 is Monday through Wednesday and I can relax during the hardest part of the work week.

Don’t over track. Last time I tried to manage my Habitbull tracker, Fitbit, a manual spreadsheet, Instagram, Wunderlist, and Pinterest. That is a lot of apps that don’t provide additional value. This time around I will be focusing on the manual spreadsheet for meal planning, Wunderlist for groceries, and Fitbit to track my water intake and exercise. 3 apps are entirely manageable.

Don’t beat yourself up when you slip up. 28 days doesn’t seem like a long time, but when you are changing everything about your shopping, eating, and exercise routines there are bound to be missteps. The spreadsheet will help us plan and track, but just because there is some yellow and red already doesn’t negate all the green. We want this to stick, and that means making allowances for the occasional dessert!

With these updates to the program, and Clayton home for the next 23 days I know we can make it to the end.

Please share any tips you have about overhauling your lifestyle in the comments!

Metabolism Monday – The Start

Cori CasnerLeave a comment

This is not a normal 66-day habit, but I will be following a prescribed program.

Habit: Follow the Fast Metabolism Diet for the required 28 days.

Start Date: Friday, 04/30/2018

Projected End Date: Sunday, 05/27/2018

Action Plan:

Incentive: Buy an elliptical machine!

Lofty Goal: Be healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

My coworker, Dave, did a presentation at our last internal conference about his weight loss results with
The Fast Metabolism Diet: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight. He’s lost 47 pounds since January and other members of his extended family have had similar results.

Pomroy’s book does a great job of laying out the program and explaining the data behind each element. The program is 4 weeks long and the weeks are broken into phases. Phase 1, two days, is mostly grains and fruit and pairs with cardio workouts. Phase 2, two days, is similar to a paleo diet and pairs with strength workouts. Phase 3, three days, is a balanced diet incorporating healthy fats and pairs with relaxing workouts like yoga.

This book hits on so many of the healthy habits I have been trying to build. It ties my meditation, green smoothie, 8WW meals, and rowing habits together and I am hoping to see tangible results.

The program is practical and straightforward and we’ve finished Day 1! We enjoyed most of the food and felt sated throughout the day. We also completed our first cardio workout by swimming after work. We’re off to a great start and are determined to finish out the full 28 days!

Have you completed the Fast Metabolism Diet, or know someone who has? Please share your experiences in the comments!

Friday Friends – The Start

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I’m in a new job and a new city. Now I need to make some new friends!

Habit: Introduce myself to a new person every day for 66 days

Start Date: Friday, 04/13/2018

Projected End Date: Monday, 06/18/2018

Action Plan:

  • Attend a community event
  • Attend a professional event
  • Join a local book club
  • Read 2 books about networking
  • Volunteer with a local association
  • Watch 3 videos on networking

Incentive: Host a game night for all my new friends!

Lofty Goal: Attain enlightenment, give generously, and be healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Things are finally starting to settle down after our move. We’ve gotten into a new routine, and we’re both happy where we’ve landed. I am ready to explore my surroundings and hope to meet interesting people.

I miss my midwestern friends dearly, and I want to build some equally strong relationships now that I am back in sunny SoCal. Friends help with our mental and physical health, and they improve the quality of our lives. That seems like a lot of pressure right off the bat, but I’m sure to find people I enjoy having a drink with!

Clayton thinks this habit sounds exhausting, and I must admit it is a little daunting. It’s difficult to make new friends as an adult, but introductions are the first step! Since I’m still the new person at work, it should be pretty easy to meet people around the office. It will be harder to meet new people on the weekends, but my action plan should help.

I am somewhere in the middle of the introvert/extrovert spectrum. There are some days when I am so mentally drained that the last thing I want to do is interact with other people. Most of these introductions will take place in person, but I am going to give myself a little wiggle room and count online introductions as long as they potentially lead to in-person interactions.

What’s your favorite way to meet new people? Please share your tips in the comments!

 

Workout Wednesday – The End

Cori Casner2 Comments

Yesterday I hit the 66-day mark of this habit. Now to take a look back:

Action Plan Progress:

  • DONE – 8/5 different rowing workouts attempted
  • DONE – 5/5 instructional videos watched
  • DONE – Created a Pinterest inspiration board
  • DONE – Researched the benefits of rowing for improved cardio health
  • DONE – Watched a documentary about rowing
  • DONE – 2/2 books read about rowing
  • Attend an indoor rowing class

Grade: B

Incentive: I plan to book my 3 private rowing lessons on the water with iRow Fitness after I take an indoor rowing class.

Lessons Learned: I hit a lot of obstacles in the last few weeks of this habit. Schedule-wise, we moved again before I started my new job. I was not very focused on my healthy habits during this time, but it was nice to use rowing as a way to deal with all the stress.

Also in the last 2 weeks, my hands have been going numb while rowing and when I am sleeping. I was obviously concerned, but when I looked up my symptoms in relation to rowing I found that I might be holding my erg too tightly and that I might have a lot of lactic-acid built up in my arms and shoulders. The best thing for me will be some rest and a massage!

This is the least pumped I have been about finishing a habit. I feel proud that I pushed through to the end, but I know this isn’t something I can keep up indefinitely. I will try to row at least 3 times a week, but I don’t need to do the same workout every day to meet my fitness goals. Adding some variety back into my workout routines will be a very good thing.

Have you ever had any funky side effects from exercise? Please share your experiences in the comments so I don’t feel like such a weirdo.

Workout Wednesday – The Start

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All I wanted for Christmas was a rowing machine, and Santa-Clayton delivered!

Habit: Row for at least 10 minutes every day for 66 days

Start Date: Sunday, 01/21/2018

Projected End Date: Wednesday, 03/28/2018

Action Plan:

  • Attend an indoor rowing class
  • Create a Pinterest inspiration board
  • Read 2 books about rowing
  • Research the benefits of rowing for improved cardio health
  • Try 5 different rowing workouts
  • Watch a documentary about rowing
  • Watch 5 instructional videos

Incentive: 3 private rowing lessons on the water with iRow Fitness!

Lofty Goal: Being healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

The main reason I want to build this habit is to improve my cardio fitness. I actually started prepping for this habit in December because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to row every day right out of the gate. As a beginner, I started with The Mirror workout for 10 minutes every other day. I’ve progressed to 20 minutes, and as I try to build up this habit I will continue to do the mirror every other day while I incrementally add in different rowing workouts. I don’t want to burn out or injure myself so I am starting small, but building consistency.

Rowing is an activity that I have always found challenging and fun. Since I travel so much for work there will be times I am away from my rowing machine. On days I don’t have access to a rowing machine I will count a full body work out as an equivalent exercise toward my daily goal. I’m glad to have a contingency plan up front, and I am so stoked about getting out on the water I know it will keep me on track throughout this challenge.

Please share your favorite no equipment full body workouts in the comments!

Strummin’ Saturday – The End

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Thanks to some renewed inspiration I’m finally wrapping up this banjo series. I hit my 66-day goal back in November, but since this action plan deviated from the template I decided to keep going with my posts. On to the stats!

Action Plan Progress:

  • DONE – 3/3 TED Talks watched
  • DONE – Created a Pinterest inspiration board
  • DONE – Posted list of pro-tips for practicing
  • DONE – 15/5 banjo lessons
  • 8/11 weekly Saturday posts

Grade: B

Incentive: I already cashed in my incentive for this habit. I didn’t want to lose momentum by suspending my lessons until I hit the 66-day mark. I did scale back my lessons to biweekly but went well past the initial 5 lessons I purchased.

Lessons Learned: Getting a teacher was the best thing I did in building this habit. Ken has been very encouraging and the pacing of my lessons was great. He deserves every star on his Take Lessons profile.

I travel a lot for work, so I purchased a hard case and started taking my banjo with me on business trips. Traveling with an instrument is difficult, but I found I made a lot more time for practicing when I was on the road. There isn’t much for me to do in the Midwest in winter, so I was glad to have my banjo when I was stuck in a hotel room. These challenges taught me to add some flexibility to my process because not everything I want to accomplish is going to fit easily into my daily routine.

Putting on my own holiday recitals and making my family listen to all the songs I learned this year was also a lot of fun. I’m on my way to pleasing myself with my banjo skills! For your viewing pleasure here is my last progress video:

Stay tuned for my next habit kicking off this week!

Strummin’ Saturday – The Start

Cori CasnerLeave a comment

I posted a teaser picture about this habit in January, and I’m finally ready to start building my BANJO! habit. I’ve wanted to learn to play the banjo for.ev.er and was ecstatic when Clayton bought me one for Christmas.

Habit: Practice my banjo for at least 15 minutes every day for 66 days

Start Date: Saturday, 08/05/2017

Projected End Date: Tuesday, 10/10/2017

Action Plan:

  • Take 5 banjo lessons
  • Watch 3 TED Talks about learning a musical instrument
  • Learn pro-tips for practicing
  • Create a Pinterest inspiration board
  • Post weekly on Saturdays about my progress

Incentive: 10 additional banjo lessons

Lofty Goal: Finding my passion!

I’ve hardly touched a musical instrument so I knew I would need help getting started. I found a teacher on TakeLessons, and had a great first lesson. I thought it would be good to set a baseline so here is a short video of how little experience I have.

It’s going to take a lot of practice, but I can’t wait to go fast!

If you have any helpful tips about learning and instrument please share them in the comments!

Friday Finances – The Start

Cori Casner2 Comments

3 years ago Clayton and I formulated a 10 year plan. Our ultimate goal is to save enough money to take a year sabbatical and travel the world.

The first phase of our plan was to pay off all of our unsecured debt. It seemed easier to manage our finances when we had clear goals of what debt we wanted to pay off, when. I’d like to validate our current budget to maximize our savings.

Habit: Track spending every day for 66 days

Start Date: Wednesday, 03/01/2017

Projected End Date: Saturday, 05/06/2017

Action Plan:

  • Read 2 books on personal finance
  • Watch 3 TED Talks about personal finance
  • Analyze online budgeting tools
  • Determine best investment tools to save money with
  • Create a Pinterest inspiration board
  • Post weekly on Fridays about my progress

Incentive: Meet with a financial planner. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but it really excites me!

Lofty Goal: Being healthy (financial health is a type of health!)

After we have built this habit we will know where we are spending our money. We have a budget but have never validated that we are adhering to our spending limits. I want to make sure we are saving as much as we can to reach our goal!

What tools do you use to stay on budget? Please share your tips and tricks in the comments!

Good Will Wednesday – The End

Cori Casner2 Comments

I’ve made it through another 66 days. Here are the stats from my random acts of kindness habit.

Action Plan Progress:

  • DONE – Volunteered at the RW Food Shelf
  • DONE – 3 online volunteer opportunities found
  • DONE – 1/1 documentary watched on philanthropy
  • DONE – 3/3 TED Talks watched on philanthropy
  • DONE – 67/66 days of random acts of kindness
  • DONE – Read 2 books philanthropy
  • DONE – Volunteered at the pumpkin carving display set up by a Red Wing artist
  • DONE – Tracked my random acts of kindness on Twitter
  • DONE – Completed the Headspace Gratitude pack
  • Unable to find a volunteer opportunity with the Project Management Institute
  • Posted 7/10 weekly progress updates

Grade: B

Incentive: Clayton and I will attend the Warm Up in the Wild event at the MN Zoo.

Lessons Learned: My first philanthropy habit was a lot of fun. I found the random acts of kindness I performed for Clayton to be particularly enjoyable. It showed me that I should be sure to keep those closest to me in mind when I set out to change the world.

One change that needs to be made is planning my posts up front. Vacations and illness impacted my progress updates. It is hard to find motivation to write some days but if I outline my posts up front it would be easier to keep up.

I fully intend on keeping up with my random acts of kindness, but I don’t feel like this habit warrants a 6 month check in.

I’m wrapping up at the perfect time and I look forward to spreading the joy over the holiday season. Best wishes to you and your families!

Good Will Wednesday – The Start

Cori Casner4 Comments

I have yet to build a habit related to giving generously. It has been difficult for me to reconcile the idea of coming off as a braggart versus using this blog as a way to focus my efforts when developing better habits. Ultimately, this blog is for personal development, and I know my intentions are pure.

Habit: Perform a Random Act of Kindness every day for 66 days

Start Date: Sunday, 10/16/2016

Projected End Date: Wednesday, 12/21/2016

Action Plan:

  • Volunteer at the RW Food Shelf
  • Read 2 books about philanthropy
  • Watch 3 TED Talks about philanthropy
  • Watch a documentary about philanthropy
  • Find online volunteer opportunities
  • Find volunteer opportunities in the RW art community
  • Find a volunteer opportunity with the Project Management Institute
  • Complete the Headspace Gratitude pack
  • Track my random acts of kindness on Twitter
  • Post weekly on Wednesdays about my progress

Incentive: If I complete a random act of kindness everyday for 66 days, I will celebrate by participating in a fun charity event.

Lofty Goal: Give generously

I’ll be building this habit throughout the holiday season. Focusing on acts of kindness and becoming more active in my community should only increase my holiday spirit!

Do you have a favorite volunteer activity? Please share in the comments below!