Yep, it rained here. Again. The local creek has flooded twice since New Years. That just ain't natural in the winter.
Good stuff:
- I did better managing my time. Not that there was balance, per se, but I'm more satisfied with my writing vs. work time.
- Got all the church powerpoints done through March except one big one.
- Wrote 3,816 words over 4 days. It doesn't look like a lot, and it's not, but it's better. I suspect that when my job ends in mid-April my writing will become more consistent. Working Wednesday and Friday breaks my momentum. Not sure why it's taken me 6 1/2 years to figure that out.
- Alex had a less stressful week.
- Edited Eric's Organization Behavior paper. That was so fun! Actually, editing his papers has been helping me recognize weasel words that Tammy pointed out in my writing. He uses a lot of helping verbs. I'll have a paper for his computer class waiting for me soon.
- Worked 23.25 hours.
- Swam 3 times.
Not So Good Stuff:
- I likely will not lose my last 2 pounds before I leave for Destin. I was so hoping I would, but I've been craving sugar in general and chocolate in particular the last few days.
- I will not have the manuscript finished before I leave for Destin. I wanted to, but it's not critical.
- Didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped keeping the kitchen clean.
- Didn't put anything aside to get rid of. I still have half a trash bag of shredded paper sitting on the floor of my office. It would take a whole minute to take it to the bathroom, empty the trash into it and take it downstairs, but it's been sitting there for two weeks.
This week:
- Pack to go to Destin.
- Finish laundry. Again.
- Keep the kitchen cleaned up.
- Get the trash bag out of my office.
I'll be checking in again before I leave since I'll be away next weekend. As a side note, my boss was with her family last week and her nieces kept referring to White Girl Problems--little irritants like chipped nail polish and such. The connotation was that if that's all there is to complain about, you have no room to complain. So, yeah, I have White Girl Problems this week. ;-)
While I'm thinking about it, for those of you with a Wii, do you find it to be an effective exercise tool? I've been thinking of getting one, but haven't taken the leap to even research the prices yet.
5 comments:
It sounds like "First World Problems" that was making the rounds a few months ago. I get the idea behind it, but I find both mildly offensive (and a little funny, too).
Regarding the Wii, I have one. You can get some benefits from the basic Wii, but to get true benefits, you need the basic Wii and the Balance Board (with the accompanying "game" Wii Fit Plus. I got a silicone cover for the balance board to protect the surface. It's only helpful if you use it (same caveat of all exercise equipment).
The biggest con is the annoying helper and trainer scripts. They never adjust for what must be obvious experience of the user. Whether it's your first time using the device or your two thousandths time, you get the same introductory level, syrupy, let's talk the newbie through it script. I push button through it as rapidly as possible, but it seems to require a certain amount before it will go forward.
That's really the only con. The pros:
- There are four areas to focus on (I don't have the Wii Fit Plus, which is standard now, but you at least will have what I have plus a few extras): Balance, Yoga, Strength, Aerobics
You can select favorites, but I'm not sure how beneficial that is -- everything is pretty easy to access from the main menu.
- One of the challenges of doing yoga is knowing when you have your balance right on each pose. The balance board and the program provides some useful feedback on that (even thought it's tough to use all aspects of it in downward facing dog, but there's a verbal cue that helps).
- The balance games are fun, challenging, and I do terrible at them. Which means I need them even more.
- The aerobic exercises are a simplified step aerobics class (which is absolutely all I can handle, so that's fine). I've found three types so far -- basic, advanced, and free step. I've been working with the advanced step lately, and that provides more variety (and I screw it up more) than the basic version. Rhythm boxing is watching a pattern and then executing it. Which means it isn't really boxing, but I still am challenged by it, and I like the process. The third aerobics is a running in place, which, frankly, doesn't work that well for me with my knees. I almost forgot, there's also a hula hoop which is a lot of fun, but I have to limit how much I do it, because the way to score is to make wide undulations, which is kind of hard on the hips and knees.
- The strength exercises are pretty good. I've been shying away from them lately, and I should be embracing them more. The ups and downs are tough on the knees, so I tend to avoid them.
I don't think it's great for losing weight, but I do believe it will help with toning, light conditioning, and balance and flexibility. I think there are some aerobic benefits, but I highly recommend adding this to your existing regiment rather than replacing it. It would be, I think, a good supplement for your yoga class. The key is to have a place you can work -- a 4x6 space is large enough for your exercise and movement. I recommend being about six feet away from the TV screen to allow the controllers to work better. They seem to not work as well if you're closer than three feet to the screen.
The Wii Fit Plus and Balance board are recommended. EA Sports Active has some benefits. I've had trouble getting it to register in some modes (usually lunge type movements, and I suspect it has something to do with my inability to achieve the movement in the way they expect to see it). Try the Wii Fit Plus first and branch out from there.
Send us some of that rain. PLEASE. We're really worried about planting season, it's so dry here.
Glad my weaselly word highlighter helped. I know that removing 'was' and 'just' made a world of difference to my prose. {{huggs}}
We have a Wii (it's actually mine!) and it's pretty awesome. Jean's right - you really do need to get the balance board to get full use of it, especially for exercsing. Wii Fit is a little light for me, exercise wise (it's awful FUN, tho), but I like EA Sports Active and Active 2 a LOT. I'm just on beginner level - frankly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to progress out of that until I lose a lot of weight - and they're great for strengthening, toning, and flexibility. The exercises start easy and get progressively harder each week. For them, you need enough space to lay down, head or feet toward the TV and still be far enough away to be scanned for stretching and such, so there are some definite space considerations. You also might try Zumba Dance (if you like dancing) or Just Dance, both us which are fun, burn a lot of calories, and don't take a ton of front/back space, only side to side. If you want to get the family involved, Wii Sports Resort (not the Wii Sports that comes with the Wii) is fun. I'm not very good at any of the games, but Bill and Laura love sword fighting and jet skiiing. :)
As Bill and Laura often tell me, the Wii is not a Serious Gaming Machine, but there are a lot of fun party games (we have Wii Party, which is cool), and light-gaming games for it, too. Laura plays Pikmin a lot, and I've done some MySims stuff, and an Agatha Christie mystery, and some puzzle things. It's perfect for non-gamers who want to move around a little and play some not-very-stressful games. :)
Get a Wii and Balance Board. Name it Wendy's Wii, maybe get a colored controller just for you. You will adore it!! (and let me know when you do, and we can become Mii Friends! :) lol
And I almost forgot. We had House of the Dead (Laura took it to college and it never came back home! Waah!!), and I tell ya, shooting zombies in the head is an incredible stress reliever. ;)
Problems are problems. Yeah, we're not starving to death or hiding from soldiers here, but that doesn't mean we don't struggle. Although it does make you think about our blessings, doesn't it? I'm with Jean about it: mildly offensive and mildly funny, too.
My roomie's ex-wife has a Wii board and says it really has helped her get more fit. I want one (board, not ex-wife), but it's on my wish list. I think going to the gym helps keep me faithful. The social aspect of it and all that.
And your word count impresses me, Wendy! I wish I had done that much.
Don't beat yourself up, Stephen. I let a migraine sideline me, and I'm sure that's easier to work with than IBD, at least from who you've said. If you're sick, you're sick, and at least you don't have a deadline looming.
Post a Comment