2009 resolutions

It's about time I actually do some resolutions. I don't like calling them that because they don't seem to ever happen when they're called "resolutions"! But, mine are getting done, so they're goals, or whatever:

1) I'm getting my career back on track PRONTO. While the economy sucks and jobs are harder to find, I have some skills and knowledge I can use to be successful while I find a job in my career track again. All the same, I'm not so married to the career path that I'll ignore other good opportunities - so I'll have several irons in the fire. I'm smart and a great worker - I'm making this goal happen. If anyone knows of any good opportunities and wants to share, I'm open to suggestions :-)

2) No more junk food. The only caveats to this goal are movies and ballgames because you have to get some snacks at those events, you just do. But no candy, no baked junk, no fried food. I'd say no soda, but I know that's not happening and I'm trying to deal with reality - I'll cut down some, but I love Diet Dr Pepper - it's delicious.

3) Eating out no more than twice a week. I would have said once but I don't think that's possible - I like to eat out too much but it needs to be a lot less. This is a longer term goal since right now, I'm not eating out at all (or at least way less than once a week). Maybe I'll just leave it that way and just eat out rarely. I like eating out, but frankly I like making food at home just as much and it's usually safer and cheaper.

4) I'm adding 10 lbs of muscle by June. Doesn't mean I'll weigh 10 lbs more (I don't necesarilly want that since I don't want to have to buy new clothes) but there will be less fat and more muscle. The little gut has to go. It's not BAD but I'm sick of it being there. Just shows a little lack of committment on my part, so it's GONE! I'd post up progress pictures but that might be a bit TOO egotisitical for this blog.

5) I will finish my book this year. Yeah, I'm writing a book. I don't think anyone knows that. I don't know if it will really be a book or a screenplay but I have enough material for a pretty good novel I think. It will be completed this year. The outline and many of the characters are already done. Any similarity to real life people is completely coincidental (that's my story and I'm sticking to it :-D )

Five is plenty of goals I think. I do have one or two more but there are people who visit this blog that shouldn't - but they still do regularly - that I don't want reading these. And NO, it's not any people I hang out with regularly or their families so don't worry those of you who are welcome here anytime! :-) And they're nothing weird, just more private.

So, there you have it. I posted these so they seem more real and more doable. There's something about putting goals in writing and letting other people know that helps motivate me to do them B-) I will create a link on the side here to track how I do, it'll be kind of like my own reality show online! If there isn't enough drama for some of you, I'll spice it up every now and again with some cliff-hangers to keep you coming back. "On the next post, will Ryan really go to Cheesecake Factory and order fried Mac and Cheese?!?!?!?!?!?!" Stay tuned!!!" - DUN-DUN-DUN!!!! (that's the dramatic music to top off the cliffhanger ;-) )

Let's have some fun.
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Mon 3/9/09
Worked out 1 hour, sprint/walked 1 mile *this will come up to about 3 miles over the next little while*
No junk food, no fast food.
Weighed in at 207 with clothes on - I wish I had the scale that tells me body fat % - if I had to guess right now, I'd say about 15%

Tues 3/10/09
No work out
No junk food, No fast food (I think I'll start tracking my meals too)

Wed 3/11/09
Worked out 1 hour, sprint/walked 1.15 miles
Severely sprained left ankle in a pick up game of hoops - foot swollen in shoe - OUCH!
No fast food, No junk - Protein shake for breakfast. Nothing but water after that because I need to go grocery shopping!

Thurs 3/12/09
No work out - I blame the sprain, tomorrow back on the horse, the ankle isn't an excuse
Breakfast - Protein shake
Snack - Banana
Lunch - Turkey, Provolone, Whole Wheat bread, corn chips
Snack - Apple
Dinner - 2 slider, fries, Diet Dr. Pepper - yeah, it's my one time out this week, but it was worth it, the sliders are AWESOME.
Snack - string cheese
Lots of water throughout the day

Friday 3/13/09
Breakfast - protein shake, water
no snack, I was out running errands for too long and didn't bring anything
Lunch - Chili's burger and salad - no fries, diet Coke
No snack
3 slices pizza, diet Mtn Dew
This will have to be a cheat day or something. :-D

Saturday 3/14/09
No workout, other than hiking with Griff, I guess that counts, we were out there about an hour
Banana and milk for breakfast
missed snack and lunch out in the wilderness
Dinner was homemade tacos with fresh Costco tortillas - amazing!
snack of diet Cherry Pepsi and popcorn during a stupid movie at Sean and Stacy's

Sunday 3/15/09
Workout 1 hour, recumbent (sp?) bike 30 minutes - ankle held up byt sweleed up afterwards, it's black and blue now, pretty gross
Breakfast - eggs, turkey, cheese, wheat toast, water
Snack - string cheese and fruit snacks and water
Missed lunch
snack - apple and water
Dinner - hamburger, guacamole, chips, diet mtd dew, water, cupcake

Monday 3/16/09
Sick as a dog
Breakfast - Banana and immodium - little bit of water
no snack
No lunch
Snack - Apple
10pm lost everything - and I thought there was no way there anything left in my system

Tuesday 3/17/09 - Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Still not feeling 100%
Breakfast - banana, water
No lunch
Snack - apple, water

Wednesday 3/18/09
Breakfast - Banana - water
No lunch
Snack - Apple - water
Lots of water throughout the day, I'm keeping it "down" now
Dinner - toast, water, mango (SO GOOD!)

Thurs 3/19/09
Breakfast - Banana, water
Snack - water
Lunch - toast, Fuze drink (yum! and only 10 calories)
Snack Apple, water
Dinner - Pizza, I know - not a good idea given my stomach situation right now, but I was STARVING (I do not want to weight myself at the gym next week)
Snack - toast, Fuze drink, water

Friday 3/20/09
Breakfast - Protein drink, banana, mango, toast (finally a pretty normal breakfast!)
Snack apple, water
Lunch

3/30/09

Quick update since I've missed 10 days somehow, man how time flies!

I have only gone out to eat 3 times in the last 10 days - 1 time for breakfast to Mimi's, one time to pizza and 1 time to Rubio's. The last 2 were with Griff, I definitely need to do a better job making meals for us. I do well for Breakfast and lunch but dinner is always a challenge.

The only junk food I've had is popcorn at the movies (didn't even get candy) and some of Griff's fruit snacks - they have some real fruit juice in them and only 80 calories, so I don't feel TOO bad about that.

I have been to the gym regularly - I've had to stick with the recumbent bike instead of running, and I don't think it does much but it's better than nothing I suppose. I am back down to 203 or so (hard to say with my clothes on) but the winter insulation is about gone.

The writing on my book is going slowly. I have a million thoughts on the book and I'm getting them organized. I'll start Chapter one this week or next.

The career is moving forward, I'm being positive, I've had some call backs and some opportunities seem to be forthcoming. It's challenging because I want them to happen NOW but companies just aren't moving as fast as me. I have heard that it takes 1 month of search for every $10k in salary you're looking for, so I'm well ahead of the game if some of these opportunities come to fruition this month, so that's good.

May2, 2009

Yeah, I missed an entire month of updates. Actually things have been going really well! I'm working at Red Tree Leadership and Dvelopment, and I'm enjoying that. I started the book and kicked out maybe a page :-D I'll do more on that as other things even out.

As for the eating goals, I haven't had too many problems with that. I've become completely bored with the workout so I started the hundredpushups.com program as mentioned in the May 1 post. I haven't been eating out more than 2 times a week - it's been challenging with working at an office, I want to go out to lunch every day! But I don't, I save it for meals with Griff for the most part. I have still been going to the gym regularly and I did change up the routine a bit, going heavy for a set then light with a lot of reps and switching back and forth. The other day, it just shredded my lats and biceps for sure, so I may stick with that for a few weeks, seems to help break through the plateau I hit! So, fun times at Lifetime!

Onward and upward!

My other private goals seem to be moving forward as well, so all-in-all, I'm feeling very positive about these goals.