Monday, July 19, 2010

Freedom Challenge - Week 2 Results and Awards!

Cades Cove Loop Road - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
We were on BICYCLES when we came upon this cute bear family lumbering across the road!
Scary, but exhilarating!

Not long after I began writing this blog, I started seeing Blog Awards pop up on blogs I was reading and I remember thinking, "how cool, wonder if it will ever happen to me?"  Well, yesterday it did!  Not once, but FOUR times
I am certainly honored, but slightly overwhelmed.  Thank goodness, it is the same award.  Here are the rules:

1) Thank the person(s) who gave you this award.  A huge thanks to GeorgiaBe, Deb, Lori and Karen.  I hope you gave me this award because you saw something in my ramblings worth continuing to read!! I hope it's not my last award, but you four will always be remembered as my FIRST! 

2)  Share seven things about yourself.  I will do this in tomorrow's post.  If I did that today plus my required reporting of Freedom Challenge results, it would be way more information on me in one day than you'd ever want to know!  LOL!

3) Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.  This one I promise to do, but may have to do it in increments.  I'm such a newbie myself, finding 15 will be a challenge especially since the four who just nominated me would probably be on that list.  I'm going to make it a personal challenge to discover 15 that haven't received an award lately. 

4) Let those 15 know they've been given an award.  Will do!!

On to FREEDOM CHALLENGE - Week 2................................
I have to report right up front that I did absolutely HORRID on my stated goals.  But I scored some NSV's that seemed so effortless, I feel as if the week as a whole, was a resounding success and totally FREEING!  However, in the interest of full disclosure, here are my week's results:

1) Walking is my form of exercise. Since 2006, I have worn a pedometer, kept a log and averaged 10,000 steps per week. I'd like to increase that goal to 12,000 steps per week.  For the second week in a row, I did not meet this goal.  This is so bizarre, it is laughable.  Until last week, there had only been four weeks in 2010 that I did NOT average at least 12,000 steps.  Now I've gone two weeks in a row.  There were reasons (an extra day of recovery from procedure on toe and a 11 mile hike that got canceled), but bottom line is I didn't meet the goal.
 
2) I want to begin planning menus in advance. I will plan menus three days this week and increase it by one day each week, so that by the end of the challenge, I'll be planning a week in advance. This goal I did meet and am enjoying the menu planning process.  I am doing this on Monday mornings.

3) Along with goal #2, I will find and try at least one new recipe each week and post a picture of it on my blog.
I did not meet this goal.  Just let other activities get in the way.  I actually did FIND the recipe I was going to make, so I'll use it this week.

4) July 30th is my birthday. I will eat nothing with white sugar in it until that day (and maybe not then).   At a dinner party Saturday evening, dessert was served directly to each guest and it would have been awkward to have declined.  I did not eat it all.

5) This is a "just for fun" goal since you asked that our goals be unrelated to weight loss.  I'd like to weigh 155 or less by my birthday. This is my 55th birthday (EEK!!) and I think it would be cool to be at or below 155 on my 55th birthday. I'm already very close, so this should be a easy no-brainer. I believe I will meet this goal.


I am really enjoying being a part of this challenge.  I think my favorite part is checking in on the blogs of the other participants. Haven't gotten to all of them yet, but I'm getting there.  My hope is that we'll continue to support each other long after this challenge is over.  Bet that's kind of what you had in mind, isn't it Deb??

8 comments:

  1. Wow - lots of bloggy love for you:)

    I think you did so well with NSVs that this week was a success too! Ironically, I met all the goals I set for the challenge I am in and overall did not feel so great about my week. Hmmm.

    Onward for us both.

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  2. I thought that my transfer addiction was reading blogs, so I was surprised when I had trouble comeing up with 15.

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  3. 155 is a nice number. I felt so great at this weight, but I could only maintain it for a few hours! :) This time will be different!

    I love how you stayed positive regarding your successes,even if the your stated goals weren't met to the letter. Impressive.

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  4. Great to see you are so close to your birthday goal. It is always so assuring to know you will meet the goal you have set.

    I love the pic of the bears. How exciting to see a family like that.

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  5. Congratulations! I look forward to reading your post tomorrow, too. I love the bear picture. When we last went on Cades Cove Loop, we saw a bear family, too, but I didn't get a picture. The camera was in the trunk and I wasn't getting out of the car. LOL Question: On your steps goal, you say "average 12,000 per week"--but from what I've read, I wonder if you don't mean average 12,000 per DAY. Just asking. Good luck on your b-day goal--I'm sure you'll do it!

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  6. Love seeing pictures of the Smokies. It's one of my all-time favorite places and I've been to Cades Cove. The challenge is going well. I did miss Friday, but made a special effort to walk at my cousin's. I asked to be let out of the car about a quarter of a mile from her house, so I could get in my half mile. She thought it was weird, but I've got a challenge going. Will follow up on yoga on Saturday.

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  7. Congrats on the award, Sharon! You deserve it! 155 by 55! Go for it!

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  8. :D congratulations on a job well-done! :D

    Freedom requires us to ditch the all or nothing mentality. (Except in regard to remembering to post a comment linking to this update on the Freedom Challenge post, of course.)

    The dessert tasting was a success. You didn't over-indulge and some things are more improtant than following a goal to the letter--things like a person's feelings. You didn't use that as an excuse to chow down on sugar. Like I said, a success and goal met!

    And isn't the walking thing wierd? It goes like that sometimes.

    I'm so glad you enjoyed the award. And, yes, I do find your post to be worth the read! I'm very glad I found you.

    Deb

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