Fitness for the Body and the Mind

Baby Steps always lead to grownup strides.

Did I make New Year's Resolutions for 2009? Was one of them to exercise more? Was one of them to drop a few extra lbs.? As they say up Northeastern Wisconsin way, You Betcha!

CM blogs over at No Dieting. Her blog title says it all, doesn't it? Anyway, she's challenging all of us to exercise...both our bodies and our minds. Here's the deal:

It's called the 500/50 Challenge. Try to exercise (running, biking, swimming, walking, elliptical, etc.) the equivalent of 500 running miles in one year. Try to read 50 books in that same time period. And if you break it down, it could be totally doable!

Of course, I signed up for a Writing Challenge this year, too. But I've put myself on a schedule, and think I can reach my goal. My first effort on that front met with the approbation of many of you out there in Cyberland, so I'm feeling pretty psyched!

I say The 500/50 Challenge sounds doable, too. We're talking fitness for the body and the mind. Click Here or on the button in my sidebar, and let CM know you're in. She's got 18 bloggers signed up right now. I say we should make it at least an Even 20 by day's end...or even more!

Veggie Mom's a swimmer, not a runner, so I'm gonna have to convert my total miles. I've swum 9.3939393 miles in the pool since January 1 (15,500 yards divided by 1,650). I'm supposed to multiply my mile pool mileage by 4 to convert it to running miles. That comes to 37.575757 miles so far this year. And 2 books...almost done with my 3rd, and I'm not even tired!

Please let me emphasize that I'm not a svelte 20-something. Nor am I a candidate for The Biggest Loser. I'm just a regular gal, just like you. If we concentrate on doing a little bit each day, we can do it! Remember, baby steps turn into grownup strides. Our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, believed that one couldn't have a sharp mind without a healthy body. And remember...even TJ was a toddler, once.

Baby steps. And soon a Big Kid you'll be!

"True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united."

~Thomas Jefferson~

Why I Write~The Challenge, The Battle

Last week, I celebrated my 200th Blog Post. As part of the festivities, I mentioned that I had posted 200 bloggy entries in a row. Yup, since June 16, 2008. Which means that today's post will be Number 208.

Several of you want to know how I do it. Well, I can tell you for sure that it's not magic. I sit down here in my (slightly) chilly basement and often stare at the (dusty) old Dell Desktop for quite some time. Every so often, the words just flow~My Empty Nesters Post comes to mind. The most engaged I feel in the writing process is when my Cyber Buddies throw a bone my way; or when my ultimately creative SIL, Aunt Julie, has something pretty potent to say.

(And no, for those of you who are new to This Place or who might have forgotten~Aunt Julie and Veggie Mom are not the same person. She is she, and I am I, and that's the way it will forever be!)

Sometimes, like most of us in the Blogosphere, I write with a purpose. Sometimes, I write just for the heck of it. But the thing I'm most proud of is that I write. Every Day. The exercise is good for my mind, and keeps my fingers nimble.

Tiffany, of Poetry and Hums, seems to be a serious writer. She applies herself to her craft, and alerted us on Monday to a Writing Challenge. It's not a contest, but a quest, proposed a blogger named Aerin, over at In Search of Giants. The object is to write at least 1,000 words a month of creative non-fiction (which I love to compose) or fiction (which I don't have the grey matter to produce).

The Rules of the Challenge are simple. The Gauntlet has been thrown. And while I'm no fencer nor medieval knight, I have metaphorically picked up this piece of armor and I'm going into battle. I challenge you, dear friends, to do the same.

I only hope that Pop'rs Giveaways, Bloggy Bling and Misdirected Musings are allowed as part of my word count.