Day 2: A Spark


I was up right on time this morning – 4am – a bit earlier than normal. Made the bed, changed into workout clothing and hit the weights and the Peloton.

I spent over an hour working out, and the payoff was a solid dose of adrenaline. It carried me through a very long and full day of work. My diet was on point today, as was my water intake. HOWEVER….for the first time in my life….I took a multi vitamin specifically designed for people ages 50 and over. I almost threw the damn bottle out the nearest window. Then I was forced to come to the realization that the clock is ticking. The concept of moving the needle each day is becoming more and more important. I cannot waste time – I’ve done too much of that already.

Today I can say that I moved the needle in a special way: I spent some time volunteering to virtually tutor elementary school kids through a program offered by Iona College. God it felt good, helping a kid learn reading comprehension. I may not have moved the needle with regard to my book, a podcast – but it moved the needle in my soul.

I’m finding a rhythm – and it…….is…….good.

Day 1….Take Two


Yesterday, I blew it. That’s OK though, for I had a really good reason: I got to do dinner at Downtown Disney with my kiddo….and found out that she just got promoted to Supervisor at her Marriott Hotel.

I’m watching my daughter turn into this strong, independent young lady right before my eyes. While waiting for Disneyland to reopen, she needed to earn some income. At first, she worked for Amazon in San Bernardino – so 90 minutes North of us. The commute was rough and the hours didn’t pay much…so one day she saw that a new hotel was being constructed in Lake Forest. She simply walked in and applied for a job….which she was offered immediately. She’s been working her butt off ever since, while continuing to take classes to earn her Bachelors Degree online through the Disney Aspire program. I’m tremendously proud of her.

Soooooo…..I took her to dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen to celebrate, where I had a couple of things that I shouldn’t have.

A swing and a miss. Therefore, I began today as Day 1 of my program, once again. Up early, and then I ticked every box today. I’m crashing this evening, happy as hell. Bring on tomorrow.

Day 1 of the Challenge


Today was Day One of my 42 Day Challenge, and it wen better than I expected it to.

Here’s the nine things I hoped to accomplish:

  • Set the alarm for the butt-crack of dawn…and get up. No hitting the snooze.
  • Make your bed
  • Get your morning workout in before you check your IPrecious or your computer
  • Eat healthy during the day and log it so that you can track it
  • Drink enough water (in my case – 96 ounces at least)
  • Do something that sucks every day – in this case, I’m saying NO to any sweets as well as all fried food and fast food. (this can be anything you eat that you know isn’t good for you)
  • Get outside and get an afternoon / evening workout in (or get outside and get some fresh air each day, if you aren’t training for anything).
  • Reserve your Move the Needle Hour every night – and USE IT WISELY.
  • Get your sleep in (for me – that means I’m crashing no later than 10pm).

Things got going early – the alarm went off at 4:15am, and I was actually not exhausted – I made sure to crash by 8:30pm last night.

The day began by making my bed and hitting the bike for a 15 miler. Adrenaline is awesome. I absolutely aced my eating habits today – mainly because I didn’t have anything in the fridge that was made of chocolate. If I can keep it that way for the next 41 days, I’m golden….

I got an afternoon workout in as well – and enjoyed some fresh air in the process. Took in enough water as well, and hit the rack on time. It was a good day – I’m hoping that it’s the first of 42 consecutive good days in a row! I’m going to use the blog to keep me honest throughout this effort.

Last but not least: I felt like I moved the needle today as well. This evening I worked a bit on my Italian – wow, I was rusty!