Day 4

A much better day today. I gave my presentation, and will be writing my essay for it tomorrow. I think I may even get up early to start it before work. Public speaking has never been my strong point, I talk too fast and get all flustered. Unfortunately, it is impossible to avoid all occasions of public speaking, so I may as well get some practice and work on improving my skills and calming those nerves.

An update on the challenges:
YOGA: I have been keeping up with the mantra, though I still get sleepy while reciting it. I will try sitting up for it today instead of laying down. I am thinking of maybe incorporating it into a movement series, to help with my counting. Associate different poses to different numbers of repetitions, probably using the sun salutation routine as a base.
Today was a bit of a treat day - I met up with a friend for coffee and went out for sushi. Neither are huge detriments to a steady diet, but there they are anyways. I have kept myself mindful of my eating, opting to avoid those sugary treats we seem to have accumulated so many of, and evaluating my true hunger or thirst. I have paid additional attention to the thoughts that surface as I ponder a mindless snack, evaluating why or if I want it, and if it is really worth caving into a bored craving.
TRAINING: I have had a few shaky days with the before-bed meal, though tonight may hold promise for a clean meal before bed. I have several things to change in my night-time routine, getting myself back to the excellent habits I had worked on a few weeks back. I counted my fiber again tonight (32g), so again well above the recommended 25. Yay!

Day 4 Yoga Challenge

Begin reading a book...purely for joy. Not for a class or your job, not because it seems like something you "should" read...just because it's pleasing to you.

I have a rule about not leaving books unfinished, and not starting a book until the last one has been read. There have been a few exceptions to this rule, especially as a sacrifice for schoolwork, but for the most part, I like to finish what I started. I have a book near completion now, Eckhart Tolle's The Power of NOW, so I will finish off that book before starting my book purely for pleasure. It is an interesting book, and worth the read for some people. It is not, I repeat not, a quick read. It needs to be read in small bites, as an appetizer rather than a full meal. It is for this reason, this book has been holding a bookmark on my nightstand while others have come and gone. While I currently don't have any books to read purely for pleasure, I am hoping to borrow My Sister's Keeper to read before watching the movie.

Day 4 Training Mission:
Today's mission is the same as yesterday's. In its place, I am putting in one of my own missions.

I will accomplish 3 things each day on my to-do list.

These things can range from folding laundry to writing a book review essay. I have got to learn to be more productive with my time and organization. With my current habits, I am cheating myself out of valuable time I could be spending having fun instead of mindless time wasting followed by extreme madness and rushing.

Starting to think I should carry my camera around for part of the day and post some sort of picture of the day. Or perhaps I am making this too much. The odd photo might be nice. I can commit to that. Bring some color back to these walls.