It’s Tuesday morning, and the start of a new week. Last week was just messy. I did accomplish my goals last week (see the Progress chart for latest notes), but barely. I was exhausted, I hardly exercised at all, my anxiety problems were acting up, and there was a lot of stress. As if to punctuate all this, I awoke to jackhammering right outside our window – the neighbor is apparently destroying her driveway. It’s three hours later and still going strong. Where did I put that tranquilizer dart gun again? I’m humming the theme song to Wild Kingdom…..

All that aside, my life is amazing in a hundred small and large ways, and I’m incredibly grateful, and not intending to complain. I do notice though, that eating better, exercising more, and trying to change one’s lifetime habits are hard to do if life is in any way extra stressful. It’s a matter of maintaining concentration in the face of distraction, as well as letting go of comforting (and fat-producing) habits right when you crave them the most.

My weight didn’t change this week, and that gets me down a little bit. It’s hard to picture yourself still on the path when you aren’t actually going anywhere. But I am still moving, even if I’m taking turtle steps. I got a new book that should arrive today or tomorrow: 101 Ways to Work Out with Weights. I love doing strength training at home, with dumbbells or kettle bells, but I don’t have any books about making your own workouts. This got great reviews, and I’m excited to see where it takes me. I also started writing out some lists of meals we all like (feeding three adults and two kids consistently and nutritiously is a lot harder than I realized).

But outside of exercise and food, the real work of this week was changing other habits. To eat better and get in shape and lose weight, you just pick healthier food and go to the gym, right? Wrong. Changing your habits around food and exercise requires planning, and exploring. That takes time and motivation, both of which are in short supply when life is otherwise completely overwhelming. How do you find more time? How do you get less overwhelmed? These are questions that I have to answer before I accomplish things.

This past week:

- I cleaned off my desk at home, and got my files organized, so that answering mail and paying bills will hopefully be a breeze.

- I put a give-away box in the closet, and have started chucking clothes I don’t wear that often. This is freeing up space in my drawers, making laundry time easier, and making my mornings easier because I can reach for things quickly.

- I started spending an hour a night just puttering around, cleaning up anything that needs cleaning. I count this in part toward my exercise, since I’m usually worn out afterward (but feeling great).

- I’m putting aside time every day to READ. How on earth does sitting on your ass help you lose weight and get in shape? No, I’m not reading diet books. I’m actually reading The Player of Games. But reading every day, or every evening, means that when I go to bed I don’t sit up until 2am with my headlamp and my book. And getting more sleep means I’m more awake during the day and have a much more cheerful attitude, which makes it a lot easier to eat better and stay on track. Win win!

Week 3 may look like everything is stalled, but I think that’s an illusion. Things are actually ticking along even better than before. They’re just ticking quieter, and deeper down. Am I right? Will all this pan out to my eating better and getting in shape? I guess we’ll see! If it does, I’m totally writing a book entitled, “How To Sit On Your Ass and Read Your Way To Better Health”, which will soar to the NYT bestseller list, as everyone sits on their ass to read it.