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Weight Loss Exercise

How to Stop Overwhelm and Get To Your Goals

Sometimes we want to act and we will take the long view and allow external issues to hold us back. I have been running into this lately and see it as something that use to stop me but now I try to compartmentalise stuff so that I can keep everything I can control on track.

The issue right now in our house is our upcoming Kidney March.

Kidney March History

A few months ago we signed up to do the Alberta Kideny March. This is a 100 kilometer walk that raises money and awareness for Kidney research for people like our daughter that face a kidney transplant.

When we signed up I was a bit slow getting started, it was a few months away, I knew that I had stuff coming up now, I had training walks to eventually do and fundraising. My wife on the other hand started fundraising and having success with it immediately and pulled me out the door for some training walks.

Now after a couple or three months of not doing anything about our Kideny March stuff my wife is suddenly nervous. We have to raise more money, what will we do with the kids that weekend?, my stomach problems are bad, we haven’t trained enough. All of these issues and even a couple more problems are in her way while my procrastination finally stopped and I have started doing longer training walks and know that I will definitely be ready for three days of 30+ kilometer walks.

With all of my wifes fears heading towards us I just want to walk and get ready. She isn’t there yet, but she is close

How to Handle Personal Projects

personal-planningWe had a long talk last night and there are a few things we can do. We can handle each of our outstanding issues separately and look at these as single issues, not all intertwined as one giant project.

I hope that now that my wife is onside with this that we can start moving forward but I have to admit that in this light I am looking pretty good which is not really fair. I am always the one turning everything into a ball of problems and not breaking things out and can never move forward until I untangle feelings, fears, problems, and possible solutions to try and fix everything.

I know I am not the only one that does this, it must be common but really so often we will feel the need to straighten everything out before we take action.

  • I can’t fix my diet until I go shopping again and finish the food in the house and find the perfect diet for me
  • I can’t get in shape until I join a gym and find a trainer and schedule to workout and the perfect workout routine
  • I can’t look for another job until I find my purpose and passions, and get training, and acceptable knowledge and build out my social network
  • I will not write a book until I have researched the subject thoroughly, found a writing coach and researched successful writers
  • I can’t, I need, I want, I have to get it together

Does this sound like you? I know it often sounds like me. I overanalyze most situations until I feel I am ready and so often we do not even foresee the actual problems that will come up in real life. Usually I make the issues that would come up as far more insurmountable then they really are.

Take First Actions

The real secret to success in most things is the first action. Once you take that action you can see what the next action should be and even if you have not prepared for what is coming up later you don’t have to have a fix until later anyway.

When I first looked at the Getting Things Done system I, like a lot of others, didn’t like the lack of planning for projects. When you look though now at what I am talking about with just worrying about the next step then it makes things work a lot better.

Do you do this as well? Not act until everything is ready?

Try doing this yourself, make a list of all the things that you need or want to get done and look at the first step. I can tell you that when you take that first step all the pressure feels like it is off. I have seen the September 6th date for the start of the Kidney March and just shook my head. Once I started my training in earnest though I now feel a heck of a lot better. I can now see what kind of training that I need to do so the pressure is off. I know that I can get these training sessions in so the pressure is off. I know for me the only other part is the fundraising and I can find the time for that so the pressure is off.

If we look back at the issues my wife is worries it is the same thing. Start fundraising again and ask for donations. Call some people to find a place for the kids for a couple days. Go to the doctor for some antibiotics for the stomach issues. And go for some training walks to see how close she is for being ready to walk. All have a next step.

I hope this post gets you mind churning a bit. I bet you, just like me, have a lot of outstanding things that you have been holding off on maybe for months or years that you can finally start and get on the road to finishing.

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Weight Loss Exercise

How and Why to Keep An Exercise Journal


Sticking to a fitness or weight loss program is never easy. However, you’re far more likely to keep going if you can see that you’re making progress. This is where an exercise journal comes in. It’s a great way to keep yourself motivated through those times when you’re just not feeling it, and it’ll also help you to form great habits.

How to Create Your Own Exercise Journal

wordartThe crucial part about keeping an exercise journal is that it needs to become part of your daily routine. This means that it needs to be simple enough so that you’ll actually bother with it! This is why you’ll probably want to avoid creating something overly complicated.

If it helps, go out and buy a brand new notebook in a design you really like, along with some brand new pens for writing in the journal. You don’t need to do this, but it could give you that extra excitement you need to get going!

You could also purchase a journal designed specifically for this purpose. There are a number available, and they are basically designed as fill-in-the-blanks diary books. It’s something you can do yourself, but buying one ready made will save you some money.

What To Note In Your Journal

If you’re into strength training and bodybuilding then it makes sense to note down your sets and reps. Every week or month you can go back over this information and see how you’re able to endure more and more as time goes on. You can also use this information to get bigger by using a technique known as progressive overload, which basically means you’re always using heavier and heavier weights.

For cardio and stretching sessions an exercise journal can be used to note down what you did and how long you did it for. If you’re using gym equipment, you can note down some of the top stats from your workout. You can then use this information to motivate you when you’re not feeling it, or to help you overcome any plateau in your workouts. If you’ve gotten lazy lately, use your journal to find out a way to push yourself just higher than you’ve ever worked out before.

In short, an exercise journal is a perfect tool to keep you aware of your previous goals and to give you something to work towards. It can be a huge boost to your motivation, and could mean the difference between success and failure!


Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Kidney March 2013


Kidney March 2013As many of you know my daughter Taylor has Kidney disease and it has been a bit of a struggle over the last year and a half since her initial diagnosis. We are of course coping and very thankful that we are living now, in a time when I can donate a kidney to my daughter as opposed to 50 years ago when this would have been impossible.

Even though we believe we have a way to help Taylor, many people are not nearly as fortunate as us. In Canada alone 100,000 people are waiting for a Kidney transplant and the line just gets bigger and bigger.

Often when faced with issues like this we can all feel powerless, not knowing what to do and how we can make a difference. But my wife and I have found a way and that is by taking part in Kidney March 2013.

What is the Kidney March?

During the weekend of September 6-8 Michelle and I will be taking part in the annual Kidney March. The Kidney March is a 100 kilometer walk over three days where we get an opportunity to do a couple of things.

First we get to raise money for a cause that is near and dear to our family and that is Kidney research, of all the major diseases that researchers are trying to cure, Kidney Disease is one with the best chance of being cured in the next few years.

Secondly we will be raising awareness of Kidney Disease. Thousands, actually millions of people suffer from Kidney disease but sadly most people don’t realize it until it is too late and they need to go on dialysis as this is a very silent disease with almost no symptoms until it is too late.

How Can You Help?

Kidney March 2013

Kidney March 2013

I have never been any kind of fundraiser in the past but I am super passionate about raising the money and awareness for Kidney Disease and this is a passion that I hope you will help me to share.

I am asking for two things. Please please please donate anything that you can. Be it $5 or $500 any amount will add up to make a huge difference, also I ask that you share this message with your friends and coworkers. If nothing else they can get a simple blood test, a creatinine test that can show if there is a heavy load on the Kidneys and how well they are working.

Thanks so much. You can visit my information page for the Kidney March now and if you have any questions or comments please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks, Bill.

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