It’s ok to fail(catastrophically). It’s ok to start again. So the last two months of the Slackers Guide to Self Improvement(SGSI) have been an utter failure. OK, not an utter failure, I exagerate. Things haven’t gone well. I engorged myself on bad food and gained back some of the weight I lost.  I wasted more time than I care to think about.  The Real Making Do stumbled somewhat.  I didn’t go on a shopping spree but I did purchase some things.  Most of these things were needed, but still part of the Real Making Do is making do. You need to buy something?  Too bad, make do!
I have an easy visual representation of this failure.  Beginning of each month, I print out a blank calender of the month and put it on my wall.  I use this calender to keep track of my success and failure at the SGSI.  For each day I record, or try to, six things.  My weight, a highlight circle in the middle means I worked out that day, the line across the top means I didn’t eat out, line along the left side means I went to bed and woke up at the dedicated times, bottom line means I did something productive non-work time, and the line on the right indicates I played only the alloted amount of video games(yes this sentence is a horrible run on fragment… Deal). As you can see I didn’t do very well.

This failure could be very depressing. I felt down about it for a couple of days, but then I realized I was just wallowing in my failure so I could continue to indulge my inherent lazyness.  At that point, I decided to look at it from a postive angle.  For six months I did a pretty good job of following a program of self improvemet.  Yes, there were areas where I kept failing. Dang you bw3 and your juicy juicy wings of death. But for six months I followed the Real Making Do. For six months I worked out regularly and kept track of my life well.  So like my recent furrais into jogging, I plan to build on my success. I made it six months last time. This time I will go eight months, and I’ll be more succesful.  I will defeat the vile BW3 bringer of large bellies and wasted time.  I will blog and write regularly.  I can do this and dog gonnit people like me. So it’s time to begin again. If you look at the end of July you can see it’s started well.

When I started this blog one of the things I wanted to cover was cheap non consumer ways to do things that would usually require me to run out and buy something.  I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t done much of that.  Well I haven’t actually done much with this blog at all.  For all my few readers I apologize.  But I have a How To.

I have some plants on my porch.  Mostly catnip for Jobu to get high with.  During  a recent dry spell I realized they needed watering.  The first few times I just used a glass of water.  I decided I wanted something more like a watering can. Not willing to buy something my rusted steel trap of a mind went to work.  I solved the problem by making one.  I took a plastic bottle with a wide mouth. I used a gaterade bottle. Using my drill and a small drill bit I put as many little holes in the top that I could. See the picture below.  It’s not great but it works well enough.  I plan on trying this with a peanut butter jar once I’ve eaten the peanut butter. It has a much wider mouth.

Seeing as it is the start of Le Tour de France I’ve added a new wrinkle to my workouts. Actually it’s a really old wrinkle. I used to be a rider, a cyclist. A certain physical ailment has precluded me from long distance riding for awhile now. But I went on a 10 mile ride today. I can tell I haven’t done it in awhile. Not because it was hard, it really wasn’t. I forgot my little tool kit, my tire pump, didn’t put on sunscreen and didn’t wear my helmet.

I’ve also found a great app for my iphone to track workouts. Runkeeper http://runkeeper.com/ they have both an iphone and a android version of the app.  It uses the phones gps to track where you go.  It give you accurate distance measurements, but also keeps a map you can review on the device or on the website.  Once you have an account you can upload you workouts and keep track of them on the site.

Since this is a self-improvement blog I thought I’d do a post a series on self-improvement. First up why the slackers guide to self-improvement (SGSI) is working.

We live in a world obsessed with self-improvement. A several billion-dollar industry has spawned to help us help ourselves. Books, seminars, and support groups all promise results. So why is real change so rare?

I have no idea. I do not pretend to be an expert or even slightly knowledgeable about such things. But I can tell you what’s worked for me.

Like most people I have made resolutions and other attempts at self-improvement for years. “I’m going to workout three days a week. I’m going to eat better. I’ll write a journal every day.” In the rarest of cases have these good intentions led to any success.

Why has the slackers guide to self-improvement been different? First off the desire for change was stronger than in the past. I had hit a pretty low spot in my life and was frankly disgusted with myself. My faults were constantly before me so I could not just make a resolution and then forget it. The next day I’d be reminded of the reasons for the desire to change.

Secondly, the slackers guide to self-improvement affects every aspect of my life. Every thing I do runs through the SGSI. I don’t make a decision that hasn’t been affected by my goals. I’ve changed what I eat, how I sleep, what I drive and all other aspects of my life. This means it’s not possible for me to forget about the SGSI.

Thirdly, I allow myself to fail. In the past a couple of mistakes would end my attempt at improvement. I’d give up the shortly after messing up. Miss a workout or two and I’d give up working out all together. Now I refuse to get down on myself when I screw up. Just try and do better next time.
Next up some practical steps.

Yes another post about running, but it’s also about cute ducks in love.  So I ran today.  According to my little niki  gizmo I actually reached my goal this week.  It’s been a slow slog but things are getting better.  My left foot shin area had been really hurting the last week when I would run.  The pain would work up the outside of my shin and get worth the more I ran.  I tried to just put up with it but it kept getting worse.   I struggled half way through the run today but couldn’t really take it anymore.  At that point I began to wonder why this new pain had recently started.  I thought back to when it started.  Yeah that was right.  It started the first run I wore the new knee brace.  It seemed the brace was too tight and restricting the muscle from full range.  I took off the brace and run the other half of my jog with only the usual pain.

Now about ducks in love.  During the run, I noticed a pair of ducks sitting by  a pond formed by the recent rains.  They were just sitting side by side watching the sun set. On my way back I saw them at the exact same spot just watching nature.  They looked so cute head to head, like an old couple.  Just for you intrepid readers I grabbed my camera and jogged back out to where they were.  Sadly they had gotten up but that didn’t stop me from snapping this picture.

About five o’clock this afternoon I look at the outside thermometer.  Ninety-one degrees it blinked at me sadly.  That’s 32 in Celsius for my few European readers.  Hmmm, I am supposed to go for a jog today.  I ate that pizza for lunch as well and it aint sitting well.  Obviously the smart thing to do here is put on my running shoes and get out there.  Madness you say.  Foolishness you say.  It wasn’t that bad.  A nice breeze blew in from the north cooling me off.  I did experience a little cramping in the stomach area do to the pizza overload but I persevered. My feet hurt. My knee hurt. And yet I managed to do the whole c25k week I am on.  For fun I am thinking about doing last weeks run since it would be so easy I could see how much I’ve accomplished.

I should change the title of this blog to Wonky’s running and pizza world.

This weeks home made pizza is a enjoyable artichoke and ham concoction.  I searched the intertubes for a regional recipe and I found that.  I in no way am vouching for it’s authenticity. I’ll fill out the instructions later.

As I said earlier I have added running to my workout regime, using the c25k program. Being old and fat I haven’t been able to keep up with the program as it’s intended.  I just finished week 2 but that was me doing week 1 twice.  There has been clear progress.  The first time I ran I could barely make it through the 60 second runs. One of the podcasts I listen to to help me includes helpful encouraging sayings.  After one of the running parts the helpful man says “you shouldn’t be too tired or out of breath”.  Which I would have found quite hilarious if I wasn’t falling to the ground gasping for air. 

I am kinda impressed with the progress made in 2 weeks.  I can now do the entire week 1 run without thinking I am dying.  It’s still challenging at times but I have kicking it up to week 2 next time I run.

Today’s run ended up being rather pleasant. It was cool and a light shower was falling.  I’ve heard others say some of their best runs are when it’s raining.  I wonder what makes running in the rain easier?  After my run I did my 3 sets of push-ups to failure. 

For your visual enjoyment, I present a picture of myself I took after the run. Notice the long hair and beard.  Some people are complaining about them.  But they are very important to the whole slackers guide thing.  You know how sometimes when they work on a building, they will they will cover the face they are working on with something. Then they reveal the new shiny building.  That’s what I am using all the hair for.  Right now I am a hairy fat in debt American.  When I cut my hair and shave the beard I will be revealed as a skinny French speaking person out of debt.  That’s the plan at least. 

Well I don’t really have to walk.  I took a big step last month and sold my beloved car.  I loved my car almost as much as I love my cat.

My car was a shiny yellow mustang GT with over 300 horse power.  It made a glorious noise and the ladies dug it.  I made a short tribute video to it.

My Car from Wonky73 on Vimeo.

I sold it for several reasons.  First off, I was still paying it off.  I felt the money could be much better spent in debt reduction and saving up for the future life change. “Life change”, that sounds very Oprah of me.  I’ll need to think of a more manly phrase.   I also hardly drove the thing.  I’ve become green without meaning to.  I take the bus most of the time and plan on biking to work now that’s the weather is warmer.

I am not completely automobile less. I have borrowed for an extended period of time my parents unused truck.

I should save a lot of money with this move.

Wonky out.