Phases.

Hello everyone!

I don't know about all of you, but I am not a consistent person. There are times when I get alllll motivated and excited to start a new routine or venture. The first couple of days or weeks are awesome and go well and then I just.... regress back to my lazy normal routine. Let me give you a few examples:

1. Running: I hate running. Hate it. I find it boring and I can't run very far without feeling like I'm going to die and generally it is not my idea of a good time. I have heard so many times that everyone hates running at first and you just have to suck it up and get into a routine, and eventually the enjoyment will come. Well let me tell you, I have tried. My most recent foray lasted three weeks, where I ran three times a week for about 20 minutes at a time. I did notice some improvement in my endurance, but GOD I hated it. Maybe I just need a running partner for motivation but ugh. I hate running.

2. This blog: Ever since I was little I have kept a journal intermittently. I would get a shiny new one and couldn't wait to fill its pages, but then I would get overwhelmed because I would feel like I needed to write down literally everything that happened to me. So I would write for a couple of weeks and then eventually just forget about it again. Every once in a while I would get inspiration to start again but the cycle would always continue. I guess it has been the same with this blog. This is a cycle that I would very much like to break!

3. Guitar: I have had my guitar for a few years now. She's a beaut, I tell you. My lefty acoustic with gorgeous warm tones. Anyway. I took lessons for quite a few months and learned a lot, but had to stop when I went to live with the man in NC last year. Well.... it kind of fell by the wayside. Every now and again I pick it up but not as often as I should. All of my calluses are gone!

On the brighter side of my failures, there are some things that I have tried and actually stuck with. The biggest ones I can think of now are budgeting and drinking more water. The budgeting was really tough for me at first. I am an emotional and compulsive person (which is why I jump into things headfirst and then give them up!) so I would tend to buy a lot of things just because. I'm not saying I'm perfect now by any means, but I am much much better at saving my money and pinching my pennies when they need pinching. As for the water drinking, it all started a few blood donations ago. My blood was flowing so slowly, it was like molasses! Strangest thing. It was suggested to me that I may be a little dehydrated and that I should drink more water, so I vowed that I would try to drink at least a litre of water per day. While I haven't succeeded every day, I have definitely been consuming more and my last blood donation was smooth like butta. I even find myself craving water now! Crazy stuff.

Gosh, this has been a wall of text hasn't it? Here is a gross bruise picture from three days after my blood donation to break it up a bit.

Mmmm bruisey goodness. Yep, that's my right elbow.
Thanks nurse lady for blowing out my vein!

So, having said all of this, I want to make a new goal for myself. My blood pressure has been scarily high for any 26 year old girl and this is because I do not work out and am in the most terrible shape. Pro tip: just because someone is thin does not mean they are in good condition! Anyway, my goal is to find SOME form of physical activity that I enjoy, because at this rate I will die when I am 40 due to heart attack from high blood pressure and my unfortunate but delicious salt addiction.

What are some things that you have tried and failed at in the past? Or tried and succeeded at with flying colours?

-Allanah