Weight Loss

So, I think I posted about this before, but I'm posting an update. I have resolved to lose 80 pounds this year. So I've really cracked down on myself. I'm counting calories and working out every day. In January, I lost 13 pounds!! I want to lose 17 more pounds by my birthday (March 8th). My goal is to be at 200 for my birthday. Then I'm going to buy something fabulous to wear. I've been steadily losing about 2 pounds a week. That's pretty average, I think, but of course I wish I had faster results. I would love to lose weight like they do on the Biggest Loser.

Anyway, my point is that so far I'm doing pretty good. I definitely feel a lot better. :-)

Top 5 Tips to Overcome Procrastination

I recently subscribed to get organizing tips from Marcia Francois at Take Charge Solutions. These are some tips I received in my latest e-mail. I think they probably work and I'll have to try them . . . later:

1. Do nothing until your most important task is done If something needs to be done, resolve to do nothing else until that task is done. That means no coffee or breakfast! (This really works if you love eating like I do, and you're self-disciplined).
2. Give yourself a self-imposed deadline Tell yourself that the task must be done by a certain time. And when you actually do it, it usually takes you just a fraction of the time to complete instead of the hours you imagined.
3. Get someone to check up on you I like being someone who keeps to my word so this works perfectly for me. I chat to Beth Dargis, a fellow coach, every Friday night, when we set our business goals for the week ahead. Just knowing that I have to report back to Beth makes me get moving and helps me get things done. I'm told that I do the same for my coaching clients ;)
4. Work on it for just 15 minutes For bigger tasks, it always helps if you tell yourself you'll work on the task for just 15 minutes. You can do anything for 15 minutes. Usually by the time 15 minutes rolls around, you'll have built momentum and you'll want to make some serious headway. But even if you don't want to carry on, at least you've made a start! I do this with gym - "I only have to stay for 30 minutes" and before you know it, the class is over and an hour's gone :)
5. Build in rewards Reward yourself the minute it's done, depending on the size of the task, of course. Like a cup of coffee for making a difficult phone call. Please don't go out and buy a new dress to reward yourself just for doing the laundry!

To subscribe to these newsletters and receive excellent tips like these, click here.

Saving the Planet, One Pizza at a Time

There is a new pizza franchise coming to San Diego - Pizza Fusion. This company was founded in Florida in 2006. According to the store owners, they are committed to opening only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified locations. They use biodegradable materials for their disposables, such as spud ware and cornstarch materials. They also use bamboo flooring and local organic farmers (which also helps boost the local economy - I'm a fan!). But what about those gas-guzzling delivery drivers? All of their delivery vehicles are hybrids!! How cool is that?

To learn more about Pizza Fusion and their efforts to be Green, check out this article in Entrepeneur.

Storms in the South

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 48 killed in the tornadoes that tore across the South yesterday, as well as all those affected by the storms.

My Confession(s)

So yesterday was Super Tuesday (and Fat Tuesday and Pancake Day and the first day of Lent). Here's my confession: I didn't vote. Here's my other confession: I don't know anything about what's going on.

I happen to be extremely uninformed. This is, of course, entirely my fault. I do not set out to be uninformed. I have actually tried to do research on who the best candidates are, what they stand for, which issues are important to me. I always wend up being frustrated and overwhelmed. There is a lot of information out there. I certainly can't vote unless I fully understand who/what I'm voting for.

That's not really the only reason I didn't vote. There is also the fact that I don't even know how to vote. This would be my first time voting (will be, I guess). I don't know if I registered under a specific political party. I don't know where to go to vote. Basically, I'm just a political mess, awash in a sea of Lord knows what.

So, here's what I'm going to do about it. I'm going to figure out how I registered. I'm going to watch the Presidential debates and figure out who I believe in the most. And I will be prepared to vote this year. Because, really, if I don't vote, I can't complain about the administration. :-)

My Blogging Goals

I'm super new to blogging. I really enjoy it, and I've realized that I'd love to grow my blog. I love reading The Lazy Organizer. When I saw her post announcement for Talk About Tuesday, I knew I had to participate.

I've been reading a lot of articles about how to grow a blog. So many articles, in fact, that I'm extremely overwhelmed. But I have learned something key. I need to figure out my goals for my blog. At this point, it's just an outlet. It's something fun I can do. It's relaxing. But I'm not necessarily sure that everybody wants to read about me. So, PLEASE, help me. How did you decide what you wanted to blog about?

The Super Bowl

Well, what do we think? Personally, I was very surprised at the outcome yesterday. I was rooting for the Giants, but wasn't sure they had what it took to pull it out. Clearly, they proved me (and every other doubter) wrong. Their defense was extraordinary. Eli has certainly come of age. No more labels of "Fake" Manning or the "Other" Manning for him!! I'm thrilled that Michael Strahan has his ring. After playing 14 years in the NFL, he can retire happy.

This crushing loss for the Patriots comes on the heels of new cheating charges on Saturday. A former member of the Patriots staff claims to have filmed the Rams final practice before the 2002 Super Bowl. http://tinyurl.com/yub9f9 Marshall Faulk went on record as saying that it would make sense. In the 2002 Super Bowl, the Rams had no problem moving the ball down the field, but seemed to have trouble in the red zone. Coincidentally, the final practice they ran was of their red zone plays.

If it turns out to be true that the Patriots have cheated, it's sad to see such a blemish on the history of football. It's also nice to see that cheating doesn't always win you the big one.