Try a New Spa Service

I can't remember when I first heard of shirodhara, but I knew right away that I wanted to try it. It's not a very prevalent service, and so it took some searching, but I finally found a practitioner who provided it. And lucky me, Rich bought me a Mother's Day gift certificate to see her for abhyanga, shirodhara, and swedana.

Monica is really talented. She's not a very big person, but she's got some serious strength. I think that was the deepest massage I've ever had, and I feel much lighter and pain-free from it. And the shirodhara was as amazing as people told me. It was actually so relaxing that I fell asleep during it. Yup, I definitely want to do that again.

Finished Goals: 77/101
Days Left: 144

Get a Colonic

I debated about putting this on the list. Actually, at first I didn't; I put something else on that wasn't really attainable. And so when I finally decided to get a colonic, I also decided it was the right thing to do to change the goal I put on this list in its stead.

Without getting into a lot of personal detail, I'll just say that gastrointestinal distress has been a part of my daily life for as long as I can remember. I've always felt ruled by my colon, and I decided that I really need to take control of that and change it.

As it so happens, colon hydrotherapy is a service that is offered at the salon I work at. At first, I was nervous about having such a personal, embarrassing and possibly humiliating service done by a coworker, but I decided to just bite the bullet. After all, I tease my coworkers to no end when they say they don't want to have a bikini wax with me because it would be too embarrassing. I can't be a hypocrite!

While my first time was actually pretty traumatic, after going through it and discussing what is going on with my body and my dietary choices with my service provider, I decided to commit to a series of weekly sessions over eight weeks. Each week got easier, and I also learned a lot about myself, my attitudes toward food, and how to better manage my diet. Plus, in the process I lost six pounds!

Pretty sure this is going to become a regularly monthly part of my preventive health care plan.


Finished Goals: 75/101
Days Left: 178

Finish a 5k Race

On Sunday I ran the Bucktown 5k.  I can't believe I did it, and I am so proud of myself!

I was really surprised that it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.  On Thursday I took a practice run on the course just to see what it was like and what to expect, and it went pretty well, although not as easy as I had hoped.  Then on Saturday I talked with a client about the race and what to wear, whether or not to bring my headphones, and other bits of info.  She said I wouldn't want my music, that with all of the other people around, it would be a distraction.  My gut told me not to listen to her, but I did anyway.

During the first mile, I was really missing my music, and when I saw the clock at the marker, I was appalled at how slowly I was running -- it read 14:30.  So I picked up the pace.  I am not a 14:30/mile runner!  The next couple of miles actually flew by pretty quickly, and when the finish line was in sight, I peeked at the clock, and it said 34:20.  I decided that I was going to finish before 35 minutes if it killed me, and I sprinted to the end!  It was a fantastic finish to a pretty good first race.

On my way to brunch a little later, I passed by the running store that sponsored the race, and they had the results posted outside.  It took me a good 10 minutes to find my name.  I was looking at all of the runners in the 34 minute finish slot.  As it turns out, my real time was 30:58!  I totally forgot that it took me about 3 minutes to reach the starting line.  My average ended up being 9:58/mile, my fastest mile ever!

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my performance -- so much so that I already registered for my next 5k race on Thanksgiving day and I have decided to start training to run a 10k next.  I just never imagined I would like it so much, and I'm really grateful to the creators of the Couch-to-5k program.  I never could have accomplished this task without it.

Finished Goals: 64/101
Days Left: 376

Complete Couch-to-5k Program

I've never been a runner.  When we had to do the mile run in gym class in school, I walked it.  We often had to run laps for volleyball, but I was always at the back of the pack.  Sometimes, the girls in the front would even lap me.

So when I first heard about the Couch-to-5k program, I was skeptical.  Not skeptical that the program works, just doubtful it would work for me.  I was way off base.  Not only did I complete this program, I did it without ever having to repeat a day.  I started on July 20, and I did the last run on September 13.  And today, I actually ran 5k.  When I was done, I was whooping it up outside like a child.  I'm sure my neighbors and the people driving by thought I was crazy, but I don't care.  This is a huge milestone for me, and I'm looking forward to the race I registered for on October 3rd.

Finished Goals: 63/101
Days Left: 397

Drink 10 Glasses of Clear Fluids Daily for 2 Weeks

This one was tougher than I thought it would be. At first, I had a difficult time even remembering to track how much I had drunk. Luckily, I found a handy dandy iPhone app to take care of that issue. But then I quickly realized that 10 glasses is actually a lot more than I had bargained for. I often found myself chugging one or two glasses at the end of the night before bed, which meant I was usually painfully awoken anywhere from 2-4:30 AM for a potty break.

On top of that, because I was drinking mostly water and not supplementing much with other clear fluids, there were a couple of days during which I didn't feel so good. Believe it or not, there actually is such a thing as too much hydration. And so it seemed I had flushed my system of essential electrolytes. Luckily again, I was able to identify what was happening and rectify it by drinking some Gatorade. That made me good as new, and still counted as a clear fluid. Killed two birds with one stone.

In the end, I'm glad I did this, but I think I'll dial it back a little. Ten glasses per day is perhaps one or two too many for me when I'm not engaging in regular physical activity.

Finished Goals: 57/101
Days Left: 494

No Soda For a Month

I didn't think I'd be able to do it. I love me some Coke. I also love Diet Coke, and have actually switched to it in the past couple of years in order to save on the calories. You can often catch me sipping on ginger ale as well. And even more so, I like to use these tasty libations as mixers in my adult beverages. Alas, I had to even abstain from that, which was especially difficult. Luckily I have an amazing bartender at home who knows his way around tonic water and mango nectar.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't actually miss it too much. The month seemed to fly by. Perhaps it is because I was so distracted by my career and its seeming inability to get off the ground in my new city. I don't know; however, I'm thinking it's very possible that I may celebrate this accomplishment with a Coke and a smile.

Finished Goals: 52/101
Days Left: 562

Go Skiing

I haven't been skiing in about two years. The last time I went was around holiday time 2006-2007. We took Zak to Buck Hill for a snowboarding lesson, and while he was doing that, I hit the slopes too. I had never been to Buck Hill before; it's not my favorite.

If I had my choice of anywhere, I'd really like to go skiing at Breckenridge again. Seeing as though that wasn't a readily available option, today I took Zak to Afton Alps. He went skiing for the first time a few weeks ago on a school field trip and said he liked it. I thought it would be a fun activity for the two of us when he was home for spring break. It turned out I was right.

He tired out pretty quickly, but we had a bunch of good runs on the bunny hill together. When he decided to quit, I dropped him off at the chalet with a hot chocolate and took a couple of runs on my own. It was exhilarating! I'm definitely going to make skiing a higher priority from now on. I had forgotten just how much I love it.

Maybe for my birthday next year Breckenridge will be a readily available option...

Finished Goals: 20/101
Days Left: 946

Get a Physical (Updated)

Today I went over to Camden Physicians and had my first general physical examination in over 10 years. I'm almost positive the last time was my sophomore year of college. I went to University Health Services at UW-Madison to get checked out and renew my tetanus shot before I went on my semester abroad to London.

Funny, but it didn't seem as bad as I remember it. When I was a kid I hated going to the doctor. For anything. And I've always been really queasy when it came to dealing with blood or having needles poked in me. Exactly the same reasons why I had never donated blood before last month either. Through these two experiences, however, I've learned that both the doctor and needles aren't anything to fear. After all, I've done much worse to myself by accident that causes more pain and spilled blood than these two things put together.

I have to admit, though, that I feel a little like the one-armed bandit after having both my blood draw from and my tetanus shot in my left arm today.

Finished Goals: 13/101
Days Left: 977

*I got all of my test results back earlier this week, and I'm as healthy as can be. My doctor said I can get my next check-up in 3-5 years. Yippee!*