It's Been a Busy Holiday Season!

The last month has been crazy.  Of course, it's been crazy for everyone.  Besides Christmas, New Years, and a vacation, our household has been battling illness.  We've all had some nasty cold.  Maybe it was a variation of the flu.  We got the flu shot, so maybe we got a mild version of it.  That kept us down for over a week.  I had a week where I could not work out at all, which never makes me happy.  We've also been dealing with some stomach virus.  I've had something twice!  With all of that I haven't made much progress with any fitness goals, but I'm back at it.  First up all of the new gear!

I got some new shoes!  I love new shoes.  These are New Balance Minimus shoes.  I got them for my mile warm up before I do kettlebell, as well as wearing for kettlebell.  I love them.



I haven't had any issues running in them.  I don't think I'll ever be able to run long in them, since I have a lot of foot issues, but for a mile they are great.

I also got a new running watch!!



I had a Garmin 305, but the battery was giving out, just in time for Christmas! This is the Garmin Forerunner 610.  I still need to set this watch up, but I have been using it and I like it.  It's much smaller than the 305 and I love the blue and white. :)

I have a few goals for the new year.  My kettlebell and running have been great, and I don't have a lot of goals with those, except to improve.  I want to be able to do a 35lb TGU, and I would like to get my running back up and be able to do at least a 10 mile long run.  But I also have 2 smaller goals.  I want to be able to do a free standing handstand.  I've been practicing yoga for over 5 years, but this has felt like an impossible goal.  But now I want it.  I also would love to be able to do a split.  That goal is a bit silly.  I never could do splits.  Never.  I've never been flexible.  As of now I can rest on one yoga block, but I want to get to the floor.  I stretch everyday after I workout, so I can work on this everyday.

I know these are not huge goals, but doing them will go a long way in making me feel like I've made some sort of progress in my fitness.

I'm also working on pull-ups.  I don't know if I'll be able to do even 1 unassisted pull up this year, but it could be a goal.  Right now I'm doing chin-ups with a green band.  I only work on them 2x's a week, so I may need to increase how often I do that.

I'm doing a few challenges this month. One has to do the handstands.  I plan to work on them for about 5 mins a day.  The other is a plank challenge.




I don't know if I can make it to a 5 min plank, but right now I can do 1 min 25 sec.  I will work on this.

I also am working on my mental health.  My advancing age has been an onset of some unpleasant things, and it has been taking a mental toll on me.  To help combat this I'm embarking on a 40 day Kundalini challenge.  I have a membership to YogaGlo.com, and I've been trying some of the Kundalini yoga.  The teacher on that site, Kia Miller, suggests doing a kriya for 40 days.  That's the same kriya for 40 days.  The idea is that it will create a pattern inside of you and impact you for your good.   I am trying a 30 minute kriya for mental health.  I have been enjoying it.  Right now I have finished 4 days, so 36 to go!  It's not hard, I just need to find the time, but I feel like this is important.  More important than the planks or handstands.  This is for me.  This is about finding some sanity inside of me when every month I feel like I could fall apart.

I will try to post updates, mostly for myself.  I need to see that I am doing something for me.  I have some goals for my kids this semester as well, but this blog is about me, so I'll stick to that. :)