Tag Archives: Happiness Project

First Update on January’s Happiness Project

Posted on January 7, 2013 | 2 comments

This weekend I received one of the books that I ordered from Amazon to help me with my goal of “more energy”.  The book is titled “The Oxygen Diet Solution.” If I follow the diet exactly as laid out in the book, I will be eating a lot of eggs for breakfast and salad for lunch and dinner. 

IMG_0959

Using the book, I was able to come up with an exercise routine.  My plan is to exercise 6 days a week.

Monday – 30 minutes weights/30 minutes cardio.  For the cardio, I will be using the Couch to 5K program to train for the Color Run I signed up for.

Tuesday – 45 minutes cardio. (Spin Class at the gym.)

Wednesday – 3o minutes weights/30 minutes cardio.

Thursday – 60 minutes cardio.  I will split this using my at home work out equipment. I have a treadmill and an elliptical trainer.

Friday – 45 minutes cardio. (Spin class at the gym.)/30 minutes of weights.  I usually come home right from the gym to read the paper and start my day. This will be the hardest day to do….I will have to cut something out of my morning routine to get in that extra 30 minutes without being late for work. (Technically, I have Friday’s off but tax season is gearing up so I think Friday’s off will be going by the wayside until after April 15.)

Saturday – 60 minutes of cardio. (Spin class at the gym.)

Sunday – Active rest.

Every day I will still need check my pedometer to make sure that I am walking 10,000 steps per day.  From my past experience, even though I exercise in the morning, it is hard to get in the 10,000 steps.

I was proud of myself this weekend.  I worked on one of my “nagging projects”.  Maybe I will be able to finish it tonight while I am watching “Biggest Losers.”  I also worked on cleaning up in my office.  I have a rather huge pile to take to the Goodwill place.

In the book, “The Happiness Project”, the key to success was to keep a log.  I did e-mail Grethen Rubin and she sent me her Resolutions Chart.  I started on my own chart but I am not happy with it.  I am making it a goal this week to get my chart arranged in such a way that I can start using it and hopefully, be successful in my project.

2 Comments

Posted in Diet/Exercise, General

Tagged , , , ,

My happiness Project

Posted on January 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

I have now spent fifty-five years in resolving; having,from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming schemes so a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is pressing, since the time of doing is short. O GOD, grant me to resolve aright, and to keep my resolutions. Samuel Johnson

I thought this quote sums up my experience of making resolution and then doing nothing to make any headway on them. This year I have decided to do something a little different…I have decided to have a happiness project.

I just finished reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin.


I thought the book was well written. I liked how Gretchen assigned each month with an area to improve upon. She tried new things and ideas. Sometimes they brought about the desired happiness and sometimes they did not.

In the book, Gretchen stated that the key to the success of her experiment was her resolution chart. She also used Benjamin Franklins Chart of 13 Virtues to come up with her resolution chart.

In Gretchen’s experiment, January was the month to work on boosting energy and vitality.

She resolved to:
1. Go to sleep earlier
2. Exercise better
3. Toss, restore, organize
4. Tackle a nagging task
5. Act more energetic

I was wondering about Benjamin Franklin’s Chart. I was able to find a nice PDF file that listed his virtues. The first virtue was temperance. Temperance was to eat not to dullness. Drink not to elation. I thought that this virtue goes well with Gretchen’s list for January.

Here is my list:
1. Go to bed earlier. I have read in many health articles that getting 7-8 hours of sleep is very good for you and can even help with weight loss. Usually, I do go to bed around 11pm and wake up at 5am. I love getting up early so to get at least 7 hours of sleep I will need to be in bed ready to sleep at 10 pm.

2. I exercise pretty regularly. I’m already signed up for a 5k on March 24. I’m not good at strength training. I’m going to try to come up with a consistent exercise program that incorporates more weight training. Also, my eating habits are terrible. I need to come up with some sort of plan to eat healthier.

3. Toss, restore, organize. It is true that chaos can stifle creativity. Here is a picture of my home office. I even have a closet that I call the “dungeon” because ….it is hard to explain.
My office…..


The “dungeon”


There is a lot here that needs to be tossed, restored and organized. This room takes all my energy away.

4. Tackle a nagging task….I’m sure that I have many in my office.

5. Finally, act energetic. Maybe if I act energetic I will be energetic…or at least think I have it.

Leave a comment

Posted in General, Holidays, Reflections

Tagged , , , ,