Monday, August 30, 2010

Waaaaaay Out Of My Comfort Zone

I have to start with the silliness that abounds. As the boy plays on the iTouch and the dog lets her tongue take a nap...

...the husband and the girl decide to make their own Biore Pore Cleaning Strips  ...
I don't know if I should share this secret recipe, but here goes...milk and gelatin (or apparently lime jello if you're in a pinch).

Today's 30 Day Challenge Workout was way way way far out of my comfort zone. What got me started was a post I read this morning by Katie over at HEALTH FOR THE WHOLE SELF about body metaphors.
She says "I thought my body was a measurement of my success in life; I used my weight to determine my worth, and assumed others were doing the same.
But a metaphor is only worthwhile to the extent that it is helpful and true, and the measuring stick illustration is neither of those. So I traded it in for a better one. 
These days I think of my body as my home. I don’t want to get too attached to my home because I know it is only temporary, and what’s inside is what really matters. But I still want to take care of it because, well, I have to live there! A home that’s messy and malfunctioning brings with it extra stress and headaches, which takes time and energy away from all the wonderful stuff life has to offer. But a home that is clean and operating efficiently becomes a place you want to go to, a place where you feel comfortable.
I want my home – my body – to be a happy and healthy environment, but at the same time I’m not placing more emphasis on it than it deserves. That’s a metaphor I can live by."

I loved the way she expressed this, but I took it in a much broader view to use the metaphor of home not only in terms of my body, but in many other aspects of my life. If you could see my home, you might get an idea of how things might look in other areas and why I'm not succeeding at lots of different things in the way that I want to.

So getting back to that WAY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE workout for today... Housecleaning! No, I'm not kidding. I looked it up and it burns between 75-125 calories per 30 minutes. Now, halfway through I switched from green tea to white wine, so the calorie burn might have been on the lower end ;-)
but regardless, I got it started! My poor house is freaking out at all that's involved - I know, I know... poor house of mine, it's new to me, too...but we'll get through it together.

I have an interesting blog/life idea but I feel like I need to get my "house" in order (so to speak) so I've undertaken the huge project of the Fall Clean. I know some people do a Spring Cleaning and others seem to clean most every day or week (imagine that!), but this house is a disaster. For instance, today I found a retirement summary from Vanguard in my living room table drawer. It was dated 2006!! Then I found the instructions for my refrigerator under my desk in my office covered with dust bunnies. I have monthly statements from the gas company from 2002 filling up my file cabinet. No wonder I can't seem to get to where I'm trying to get - I've got too much STUFF filling up my space. Too much invalid, unnecessary, junky stuff filling spaces that I need cleared out for breathing room! oh...and a little dirt and grime to take care of, too.

I think I need a Biore strip for my chakra...'cause it's definitely feeling clogged.

Do you have some purging to do to get your life back in balance? What would you need to do to give yourself some room for growth and change?

5 comments:

Wendy @ Seriously Sassy said...

Omg, loving the silliness! Especially the dog tongue!!

A Prelude To... said...

I live with some silly ones here :-)

abby said...

Hi Julie!

We are going to start getting our house ready to put up for sale, I'm scared :) It's like a good workout though, it always feels good after it's done!!

I love your workout challenge you have going on! That is so cool that you found those tires. I've always wanted to try doing that with big tires! I can't wait to see what else you come up with!

Amber@momsgottheruns said...

Hey! So, yes, I totally need to do some fall cleaning. I'm not holly housewife, unfortunately. I always put off housecleaning for fun and naps. Okay, you've inspired me...I'm going to start...tomorrow! : D

A Prelude To... said...

Abby,
The tires are SO MUCH FUN! Once I realized I didn't give myself a hernia, I knew I would be back for more!

Amber...Tell me about it! I would much rather go for a hike or play with the kids than clean a house that's going to be dirty again within hours, but I'm getting serious this time - I JUST KNOW that it's going to get some good energy flowing around here...and make my husband happy! Nothing like a happy husband :-)