Friday, April 15, 2011

Day One

I can't even begin to count the times I have opened this blog and began to type something then clicked on the red 'X' in the upper right hand corner.  I start writing with the intent to share what's been going on in my life but then never feel like anyone would be interested in reading what I had to say.  Then there's the self-conscious side that thinks, "Well what if someone decides to read and follow my ramblings ... would they be scared away by my style of writing? Would they point out all of the grammatical/spelling mistakes?"  Even now I am thinking about deleting that last sentence - but it will stay, like the rest of this post will.  See, I have new motivation for blogging, fun motivation.  So once we get past this boring introductory post, the fun will start!

Last year I had a blog on a different server that helped me track my journey as I trained to complete my first half marathon.  Note how I use the word "first" because I do hope that one day I will complete another.  This blog will chronicle the next three months as I try to win what is hands-down the best prize my HR department has ever given out!  Let me start off by saying that I have worked at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) for the last three years.  Our HR department and Wellness team have invested a lot of their time setting up programs centered on health and wellness.  ASHA is committed to the health and wellness of the staff and it shows in the assortment of programs offered not only inside of the association, but resources made available to us within the community.

This time the challenge is to establish a wellness goal.  Now you might only be thinking weight loss, but that's not the case.  The goal can be related to any type of wellness:  spiritual, mental, physical, etc.  Among those categories are subtopics like:  biking to work, relieving stress, family, and even intimacy - one that got a few chuckles from my co-workers.  Wellness can really be anything that you want it to be.  The contest runs from April 15th - July 15th.  The prize on the line?  A 6 day, 7 night trip to St. Thomas!  HOLY COW!!  Now I'm not a big traveler, but what I wouldn't do to get to go there!

So here's my pledge to determine what wellness means to me.  All intention forms are due by the end of the month.  I hope to turn mine in on Monday, April 18th.  At the end of the contest you are to submit some type of documentary about your journey in any form of media.  I love being creative!  The ideas of how to present my story, whatever it may be, have swirled in my head ever since I read about the contest!  Anyone who enters must be prepared to share their story with others.  There will be an external panel of judges making the decision on who wins.  I'm assuming the winner will probably have to share their story with the entire National Office.  The true test, beyond achieving some kind of wellness, will be making myself vulnerable.  Every aspect of your journey good or bad, will need to be shared with your co-workers.   

Ideas for my goal?  I'm kinda thinking about a couple things and could quite possibly choose all four!  My ideas are:

  • Weight loss goal
  • Managing the stress in my life - work, school, tutoring, family
  • Serving my community
  • Maintaining a sense of "self" while in a committed relationship
 I like where all of the ideas can go and will probably post as some point this weekend my pro/con list for each - I don't think there are any cons to any of those ideas, just have to figure out which goal can help me expand and get the most out of the experience.  While I would love to win, I would love to know I achieved something even if I'm not deemed the winner.

So off I go to shower after getting back from the gym.  Today is the kick-off day, so if I choose a weight loss focused goal, I don't want to know I missed out on any time!

My workout:  Ran 35 minutes, pace 5.1 mph, 3.0 miles (I up the mph for the last couple of minutes to reach even miles!), 403 calories burned (I don't think the calorie counters mean anything, oh well!)

Hopefully you'll stick along with me as I find my own personal wellness :)

 And because I read this on a blog this morning and it made me smile, I leave you with a reminder:  make every moment count.

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