Are you living your fantasy?

When you think about your life, how close is your reality to your fantasy? Most likely there are aspects of your life that mirror your fantasy, but there are other aspects of your fantasy life that just seem too outlandish to achieve.

My life is fantastic. I have a wonderful husband who supports my dreams (and delves into my fantasies with me). He knows I'm weird and likes me that way. My passion is my work--and it's slowly (very slowly) coming to fruition. So my life is pretty close to a fantasy. But it's not my real fantasy...you know the Utopia you picture in your head of the perfect life. And that's partly because most fantasies would be impossible to actually live.

What's your fantasy life? And what can you do today to make your current life more like your Utopia?

I'm going to delve into the recesses of my imagination and share mine:



My Utopia would be a quaint mountain town with a green, liberal mindset (Asheville, NC comes to mind). Mark and I (and our many furry children) would have a beautiful piece of land. Part of it would be wooded, but there would be a big, sunny spot where I would have a magnificent organic garden. Most of our meals would come from that garden and I would have plenty of time to create delicious meals. Anything that didn't come from the garden would come from local streams (fish) or a neighbor's dairy (raw milk). And in my complete Utopia a stream (big enough to cool off in) would run right through it all.

I would have a small studio where I work with people on wellness. The studio would be a place of total peace. The look, the smell, the aura would be one of total peace and relaxation. In the studio I would help people with their well-being by designing exercise and nutrition programs for them. I would be able to do this on my own schedule, leaving plenty of time for exploring all the wonders of the surrounding mountains with my husband.

We would have several, adventurous, like-minded friends who were always gung-ho for adventure (camping, caving, hiking, climbing).

And while we would still work for a living, money wouldn't be an issue because we are living fairly self-sustaining lives. We would be comfortable financially without the stress of an 8-5 job.
I would feel free--free to look and dress as I please without worrying about others' opinion of me. I could have short hair, or long dreadlocks. I could wear long flowing skirts, shorts or exercise clothes--depending on my mood.

That is my Utopia. It's not completely unattainable. In fact, in retirement it's something I strive for (luckily, Mark's Utopia is very similar). Thoughts of my Utopia keep me going through the parts of reality that aren't so nice.

What is your Utopia and what steps are you taking to make it more of a reality?

Insanity?

Last we spoke I had just finished a full week of Insanity and was feeling very proud and strong. Well, week #2 didn't go so well. Let me explain:

After six days of the workout, last Sunday was a day off, and Monday (Labor Day) was slated for our long run. I needed to do six miles. Six flat miles. I've been running hills so I thought it would be a breeze. But even after a day of rest, my legs were so fatigued that the run was terrible. My legs felt like I had cement blocks as shoes!

I decided I would definitely have to cut the Insanity workouts for a minimum of two days before long runs, or I would never be able to build up for the half marathon that's only a month away.

On Tuesday, I put in the DVD and started the Insanity workout, but my legs were still exhausted. I made it through the warm-up (which is hard enough to start the sweat pouring), but as the plyometric moves started, my legs were still exhausted.

So I made the decision not to do the Insanity workouts until after the next long run to see how my legs would do. I did my long run (8 miles) yesterday and it went much better. My legs were almost back to normal.

So I think I've come to the decision that at 40 with bad knees (from previous marathons) I can't go full force into the Insanity workout until after the half. I'm not going to give it up entirely. I'm going to focus on doing two Insanity workouts a week until after the half. Then I will go full force again from the beginning. I think it will be a great winter program. And it will get my legs strong and ready for skiing.

But for right now my focus is my running. I don't want to risk injury or end up missing out on the race.

Week #1 of Insanity

Well, I've made it through the first week of Insanity. You get to rest on Sundays; however, we need to get a distance run in. But honestly, a flat 6-mile run will seem like a piece of cake after the last six days!

Today's workout was actually the same as Tuesdays. I was happy to see that I did better this time. I still had to stop a few times and rest, but I actually made it through the first several intervals without stopping. So improvement after just a few days! Yeah!

Mark did the workout with me this morning. It was quite a sight watching us workout to a DVD in the living room while dodging the pets running around with their toy mousies. I was secretly happy that he also had to stop a few times and rest. Cardio seems to come so easily for him, I tend to get discouraged when he's so much better than me at athletic feats.

On day #15 you re-take the fitness test. I will also weigh-in and check measurements. I won't expect miracles after 15 days, but hopefully I'll see some changes! The program comes with a nutrition plan as well. I'm not really following it because it involves a lot of protein powder--and I'm not really a fan. I'd rather get my protein through natural sources (fish, nuts, flax, soy, beans, etc.). With the nutrition classes I'm taking, our nutrition is pretty solid right now.

I'm feeling great!