BlubberBeGone

101 things to do in the next 1001 days. For more info on the the 1001 project, click here. My deadline: June 30th, 2010.

Health & Fitness Goals – 3 down, 23 to go.

1. Lose 70 lbs of fat and keep it off
2. Exercise a minimum of five hours a week…DONE
   • So far so good: 5 hours 10 mins last week, 6 hours 5 mins this week.
   • 7 hours 15 minutes in week 3
   • Starting a new job and actually working 8 hours a day took a surprisingly large toll on me. Missed both my pilates workouts last week taking me under 5 hours for the first time since I started. Having said that, the workouts I did were quite high intensity.
   • Week 2 of my new job saw a grand total of 50 minutes exercise for the week! But I didn’t have the energy to even stand up half the time, let alone workout. On the plus side, I hated not being able to work out. This is a new experience for me, so maybe I am developing a true exercise habit.
   • This really has become second nature to me now. I exercise between 5 and 7 hours most weeks. This week I have been ill and misses several workouts, and only logged 3 hours 45 mins. I think I’m going to mark this one off as DONE.
3. Take a stroke correction class and swim a mile
4. Learn butterfly
5. Study tai chi
6. Go to a pilates reformer class…DONE
7. Buy a reformer
8. Go from walking to jogging
   
   • Cardiovascularly, I’m there, I think. Trying to get my heart rate up on the treadmill has my little legs going so fast that I’m about to break into a run. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go on the weight loss front and still have no cartilege in my left knee, so I’m loath to put that much force through it. Adding an incline just gives me shin splints, so I’ve had to switch to the elliptical on high intensity days. Ugh. Another stone or two and I’ll reconsider.
   • I have now done 2 one-minute jogging intervals as part of my 20-minute interval training workout. It’s only a matter of time.
9. Run a 5K
10. Run a 10K
11. Start and finish a Turbulence Training programme…Did BFS which is practically the same. All 24 workouts in four weeks. Marking this one off as …DONE
12. Do a chin up
    • I’ve ordered a chin-up bar. Will let you know how I get on
13. Do a Step DVD without having to stop to prevent a heart attack
14. Start and finish a remedial programme for my bad knee and shoulder
    • Started Z Health
15. Drink two litres of water everyday
    • Finding this a little tough. Up to 1.5 litres of water a day, as well as tea, wine, the odd coffee or glass of milk. My bladder is getting a great workout!
16. Juice every day for a month, and try to maintain it…DONE
    • My favourite juice: Life Saver from the book Superjuice by Michael van Straten – 3 apples, 2 oranges, a lemon, and 2 handfuls of iceberg lettuce. Wonderfully zesty and refreshing.
17. Don’t order more than one course when eating out in 2008 [3 of 6]
18. Go to bed no later than 11pm and get 8 hours sleep a night every day for a month to get into the habit
    • Hmmmm, no comment.
19. Learn to ride a bike
20. Do beginner kickboxing workout without having to stop ….DONE
    • Finally did the Beginner’s workout from Kick the Fat (see books page for details) without having to stop for more than a few seconds here and there. Will build up my stamina till I can do 60 seconds skipping between exercises, instead of 30, and then move on to the intermediate workout
21. Do intermediate kickboxing workout
22. Do advanced kickboxing workout
23. Try out three new dance-style workouts each year
    • Tried hip hop. My hip hop workout DVD is now for sale at Amazon. ’nuff said!
    • Ordered some more DVDs: Bollywood and Latin
    • Latin Rhythm Workout by Kathy Smith: absolutely brilliant
    • Picked up her Belly Dancing too. Fun, fun, fun. I can now shimmy with the best of them.
24. Go to a yoga class
25. Do a triathlon
26. Do a marathon (what the heck, who knows, maybe one day!)




Education goals

27. Get my masters
28. Learn Chinese




Professional Goals – 2 down, 8 to go

29. Get my annual CPD to maintain my REPs certification
    • 2007 DONE
    • 2008 DONE
30. Get my pilates level 3 qualification with Stott
    • Signed up for course in summer 08
    • Decided Stott too hard-core and will pursue L3 certification with Future Fit, who I did my initial training with. Scheduled summer/autumn 09.
31. Get my pilates equipment certification…GOAL REVOKED
    • Signed up for Reformer course in June O8
    • This nearly killed me. Have decided not to pursue it at this time.
32. Write a monthly corporate health & wellbeing e-newsletter. No longer in this business. …GOAL REVOKED.
33. Run two stress management workshops a year. No longer in this business…GOAL REVOKED
34. Get a medical writing job ….DONE…YAY!
35. Work my way up to project leader
    • Hated it. Quit. No more medical writing for me.
    • GOAL REVOKED
36. Become a Weight Watchers leader and run my own meetings. Not sure this is the way to go. Am considering other options here. … GOAL REVOKED.
37. Get a feature article published in a national or international magazine
38. Get my inbox down from over 200 to under 20 emails…DONE




Finance Goals – Just 5, but these are biggies, plus one new littlie

39. Pay off my credit cards and cut all but one of them into teeny weeny little pieces…DONE
40. Put the household finances into a software programme, create a budget and stick to it…DONE
    • I’ve made a start here. I created an excel spreadsheet and had loads of fun formatting it with bold type and pretty colours. I’ve filled in all my regular expenses, but the next step is to keep a spending diary for a couple of weeks or so to work out what I’m spending money on, how I can be a bit more careful, and what kind of variable outlay I should allow myself. I also don’t know what my monthly pay check will look like after tax yet. By the end of this year, I hope to have this item crossed off and my finances on a much firmer, more formalised footing.
    • This is now done.
41. Save 10% of my earnings every month before I do anything else (after sorting out the credit cards)
42. Set up an offset mortgage facility when current deal expires (February 2008)…DONE
43. Sort out the mess with British Gas (hiss, boo)…DONE (Yay!)
44. Put £5 into a high-interest savings account for every item on this list I cross off
    • I got this great idea from another blogger’s 101 list – thanks Marianne! I have just opened up a new savings account just for my 101 money, with £30 for the six items I’ve already crossed off. At the end, it’ll be worth £500 plus interest, currently at 6.51%. Not bad!
    • Up to £115
45. New goal: finalise all the paperwork for FitBiz UK and put it behind me.

Home Goals – 5 of them

46. Finish decorating the bedroom!…DONE
    • I’ve just ordered some shelves. Still to do: cupboard door handles, possibly mounting some large pictures in the cupboard doors, or creating new doors around the pictures, and getting a few accessories and plants in there.
    • Shelves up – looks good. Next, door handles
47. Sort through all the c**p in my office and dispose of it in an appropriate manner, like burning!
48. Buy a fireplace and put up bookshelves in the lounge
49. Get my Ed Heck painting out of storage and put it on the wall… DONE
50. Get a stand made for my African sculpture and display it
51. Over the next year, donate, recycle, or simply dispose of 5 items a day from my home that I no longer need/use/fit in to. Thanks yet again to Marianne for this brilliant idea. [138/1825]
    • I had cans of food dating back to 2001! And 22 pens that didn’t work!!



Hobbies – 7 goals, 3 in progress

52. Read a book every month just for fun or edification – no textbooks
    • Read: Middle Age: A Romance by Joyce Carol Oates; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver; Dolphin Island by Arthur C Clarke; Anvil: The story of Anvil; Dewey; Shakespeare by Bill Bryson; The Secret Servant and a Maeve Binchy book (does it really matter which one) on holiday.
53. Start by reading all the unread books that I already own
    • See above
54. Dig out my saxophone and learn to play it
55. Take singing lessons
    • A local college has evening classes for people wanting to learn to sing, but I’ve missed the start for this year. Will sign up for 2008.
56. Take a wine appreciation course…DONE
    • I was actually looking for wine courses when I found the singing course. But I’ve since found a free, interactive, online, wine tasting course and scored my first two wines. Check it out here.
57. Take some tennis lessons and play with hubby in the summer
58. Improve my pool game until I can beat hubby at least some of the time and not just when he accidentally pots the black



Style & Beauty Goals – 18!! Obviously, there was a lot of room for improvement here. 4 down, several in progress

59. Go through my closet and get rid of everything that doesn’t fit and doesn’t make me look like a million bucks
    • Made a start here, and donated a large bag of clothes to a local charity shop. Even better, I now have spare hangers!
    • Got rid of some more stuff. I still haven’t been through the whole lot once. Will try and finish that task this month (Nov 07).
60. Have a style overhaul and dress to impress. Make an appointment with a stylist if necessary
    • Making an effort not to leave the house in tracksuit pants with holes in them and t-shirt with food stains. It’s a challenge alright.
    • Talked to a stylist I met at a networking event. We decided to wait till I go down a size as a) my shape might change (hopefully), and b) I will need to buy new clothes anyway
61. Accessorise ….DONE
    • Working on it
    • Spent a silly amount of money on costume jewellery today. My father, who was in the jewellery business, would turn in his grave if he knew! Also bought a black alligator-style handbag with chrome trim. Very swish. Hubby was a little surprised – not my usual style.
    • I guess this one is more of a shift in thinking, and I reckon I can safely say that I now think about how to accessorise what I wear for a complete look. Will obviously need to keep building up my repertoire and stay up to date, but I’m going to mark this one off as DONE!!
62. Only wear shoes that actually fit and are comfortable to walk in
    • Got rid of my first pair today: a pair of brown ankle boots that rubbed when I wore them to work. Gone to charity. One down, an embarrassing few to go.
63. Fit into and buy a stunning LBD for hubby
64. Learn to style my own hair
65. Cleanse daily and moisturise morning and night…DONE
    • This has become second nature to me – I don’t even have to think about it anymore.
66. Have a facial once a month
    • Had one yesterday, so that’s done for this month. It was so gooood.
    • October facial done. I now have eyebrows again.
    • 7 of 9 (missed February and March)
67. Don’t squeeze
    • I’m trying….
68. Floss daily…DONE
    • Missed a day when I went to bed at 3 am (!) but otherwise good. Bought some interdental brushes, which I’m now a bit nervous about using.
    • OK, now I’m using the interdental brushes. Not too bad.
    • Have been a bit lax here for a while. Will concentrate on this one in January
    • Started using Joe’s Goals. Knowing that if I don’t floss I don’t get my tick has actually made a difference. Flossed every day since I started using it
    • This has now become a habit. Thanks Joe’s Goals
69. See a hygienist every 6 months.Been doing this for 18 months now and my current dentists sends out reminders, so no problem keeping up with it. Gonna mark this off as …DONE
70. Get my cracked front veneer replaced
71. Take care of my nails
72. Make an effort with my body – no need to slack off just because I’m married. Smooth legs for hubby
    • Shaved my legs. Woohoo. But instead of being a chore, now its doing something on my 101 list – a much greater achievement. I should have put the vacuuming and dusting on here too. Maybe not.
    • Bought body lotion to try and do something about my dry winter skin
73. Buy a proper set of make up brushes and learn how to use them – no more applying make up with my fingers…DONE, Xmas present
74. Overhaul make up bag. Dispose of any experiments that didn’t work
75. Throw away any old eye make up and buy new ….DONE
76. Learn how to apply eyeliner properly




Travel Goals – 8, in 2.75 years…oh well, I can dream

77. Go to China
78. Spend a month driving around New Zealand with hubby
79. Learn to ski
80. Go on a walking holiday somewhere beautiful
81. Go on a cycling holiday with hubby
82. Visit San Francisco and the wine country
83. Go back to New York, and do the not-so-touristy things
84. Take a holiday in the UK – I’ve been all over the world but barely know my own country




Do Good Deeds – Just 3 of these; d’ya think I might have my priorities a bit wrong?

85. Double the amount I give to charity each year Now that I have a full-time job, this is DONE
86. Adopt an animal…DONE, Xmas present: a panda called Zhu Xhiong
87. Volunteer a couple of hours a week to charity




Just for Fun – 13 of them, only one crossed off. I need to have more fun!

88. Trade in my sensible small car with a boot that’ll take a fitball for a cute little 2-seater number
89. Play beach volleyball
90. Throw a cocktail party
91. Try surfing
92. Ice skate on a frozen lake
93. Try belly dancing…DONE
94. Learn trapeze
95. Have a driving session on a skid pan
96. Take in at least one cultural event (theatre, concert, gallery, etc.) every month [4 of 7]
    • A classical concert and a tour of Manchester City Art Gallery, all in one weekend. Making up for lost time
    • Two plays: ‘Spies’ my Michael Frayn and ‘Single Spies’ by Alan Bennet. Didn’t rate the Bennet much, but Frayn is one of my favourites
    • Flamenco and Real Madrid vs Barcelona at the Stadio Bernabeu in Madrid – football cultural? You’d better believe it
    • Whitesnake
    • Status Quo
    • Manchester University Big Band
    • Terrorvision…Yay!!!

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    • Theatre: Blonde Bombshells of 1943

    li>AC/DC – Angus Rocks

    • Basement Jaxx
97. Have a flying lesson
98. Go on a picnic
99. Try my hand at mud wrestling
100. Spend a night in an ice hotel
101. Make a new list