Standing on the Pedals

Just to give you an idea.

I started riding an indoor turbo trainer and riding with the Zwift program just before the start of the new year. It was one of my resolutions to get fitter for the summer biking season. I am planning to report on my progress on all my resolutions at the end of the month. For now, I just want to write about one aspect of Zwift.

My trainer is controlled by the Zwift program. It is a so-called “smart trainer”. When I am going uphill, the trainer makes it hard to pedal. When I am going downhill, it kind of simulates high speeds by having me race past slower (probably lighter) people as gravity combines with my enthusiastic pedaling. Going downhill is a lot of fun, but it doesn’t burn calories really. Besides, I have achieved some fantastic speeds outside on my road bike going down some really steep slopes. Going uphill, usually at 12 or more percent inclines is where I burn the calories, develop muscles, and test my cardiovascular fitness.

I am a decent climber but last year the added weight really slowed me down. Currently, there are some long climbs on Zwift which are really kicking my ass. The good thing is that I don’t stop (as I see a number of people doing) and just gear down and keep pedaling. Sometimes it seems like I am going nowhere, but it seems like that in real life sometimes too. Sometimes it takes a really long time to summit, but again real life is like that too.

Today, having ridden the course a few times, I knew when to expect the big climb to start. Actually, this wasn’t a bad one. It was only about 4 or 5 minutes at 8%. Being prepared for it, I decided that this was the day I attack the climb and use the momentum I had built up to get me part of the way up the hill. As soon as the pitch changed I was out of my seat hammering the hard gears. Instead of slowing down I kept my pace. I passed some people who I wouldn’t have the last time I raced up the course. While I couldn’t sustain it for the whole climb and eventually got back into my seat for some dogged rotations, for a few minutes it was glorious.

I had never stood up on the pedals while Zwifting. I knew it was possible, but like anything on the bike, until you do it, it can be daunting. However, once you do it, it becomes much easier. Getting out of the seat, and out of my comfort zone to put some energy into my workout was great. In fact, it was Today’s Perfect Moment.

Finding some Rhythm in the Virtual Classroom (and other stuff)

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Today’s Perfect Moment is getting back into the rhythm of work and realizing that I hadn’t forgotten how to teach. Yes, it’s silly to think that with so many years of experience that I would feel that way, but the truth is that any time spent away from the classroom gives rise to such thoughts. I don’t take them very seriously, but they are there.

Class, although far from Perfect, went well enough that I can label the whole thing as a Perfect Moment. It felt comfortable and nothing dragged. It was good to catch up with my students to see how they have progressed in my absence. It was also good to touch base with their anxiety over Covid 19 and how it will affect them when they return to their countries.

On another note, I purchased an agenda (some people call them planners, or schedulers–probably some other terms I am not up on). I decided to do this to work on my accountability project. I just grabbed something inexpensive from the Dollar Tree (sometimes I prefer this place over Dollarama). I had to search harder than I expected to find something suitable, but in the end I managed it. The other problem is that these stores are full of temptingly cheap chocolate and soft drinks. Luckily, I managed to not buy any temptations…… this time.

In this agenda, I am listing all the exercise and positive things I am doing. Currently this will include notes on exercise and reading. I want to be able to see how I am doing when I need to be accountable for my New Year’s resolutions.

I considered listing some of my bad things (I ate a piece of chocolate that I got for Christmas) but I decided that I didn’t see the point in that. If I want to obsess about what I am eating or how much TV I am watching and want to have a book of shame, I will make a separate book for that.

From This Day Forward

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

First and Foremost

Happy New Year everyone. It is bittersweet saying it, but I want to start off the year positively.

Though I know turning the page in the calendar isn’t the end of the pandemic and really doesn’t change anything, I think there is a little bit of optimism in the air. I feel as though we are turning a corner and I want to look ahead to my year.

Optimism

I feel as though the vacinations will make a difference and I will be able to take a trip this year. I don’t know where, but I am confident that it will happen.

Work will get back to normal and I will be teaching full classes again in person. Students will once again make it to Toronto to study English and the competitors which weren’t able to stay open will allow those that did to recover.

Challenges

There are lots of political, economic, and geographical challenges ahead. There will also be lots of fallout when we finally count the cost of the pandemic and political turmoil. Some things will have changed and others will bounce back. I can’t predict it, but we will have something to teach our children.

Resolutions

I am not afraid to make a few resolutions for the New Year. What I will do differently is check in here every quarter (or earlier) to see how I am doing. I’ve got to hold myself accountable and this is the best place to do it.

Reading

I used to read 60 or more books a year, but once I cut my commuting time from two hours to 30 seconds, I didn’t read nearly as much as I would have liked. It also didn’t help that the library was closed or even when it functioned, it really didn’t allow for browsing.

This year, I am setting a modest goal of 25 books.

Writing/Blogging

I resolve to

1. write at least six short stories and one novel this year. I have been claiming that blogging was exercise for writing fiction and this year will see me finally follow through on that. Too long have I been sitting on things that need to see the light of day.
2. blog five times a week. Specifically, that means I will blog here four times and at least once on my other blogs. I know I should sort out a schedule, but that really isn’t something I am comfortable doing.

Fitness/Cycling

This is a difficult area since I have so often failed in the past to follow up on these goals despite their importance to me. I hope by writing this that I will take a bit more accountability in this area.

I resolve to

1. Zwift at least 4 hours a week in January, 6 hours a week in February, and 7 hours a week in March and April. I didn’t wait for the New Year to start before jumping on this one.
2. get out on my bike as early as possible this year and put some road miles on my bike. This will also mean joining the club early, and using the technology in place to gather people for some casual rides before official club season.
3. stretch three times a week and follow all the stretches in my cycling stretching book. Obviously, I cannot do them all in the first week, but I hope to be doing all of them by April.
4. do body weight exercises at least twice a week.
5. drink fewer carbonated soft drinks and plan to eliminate them by summer.
6. be a serious and able B level rider within the club.
7. take part in the club time trials.
8. go on one cycling vacation this year.

All of this should result in weight loss, but in reality, diet and muscle building offer the best hope in that regard. Zwifting alone will not do it. Eating better should be a goal, but since listing a bunch of food I shouldn’t eat has never been successful, I should learn the lessons that foods can be eliminated slowly, but a better mental attitude towards eating needs to be acquired first. Actually, a better mental attitude towards everything above needs to be acquired first.

House Tasks

There are lots of things to do around the house, and I could list dozens of tasks (if not more), but I will list the ones that need dealing with right now. Many of these can be done rather quickly, but always seem to get pushed to the backburner. Hopefully by listing them, I will actually get them done.

I resolve to

1. paint the kitchen and hobby room.
2. organize the kitchen cupboards and pantry.
3. organize the laundry room and get rid of the boxes that I was “saving in case I need them.”
4. get the e-waste to the e-waste depot as soon as they open to the public
5. replace the curtains in the bedroom.
6. cut down on the stuff in the filing cabinet.
7. Make planters for the back yard.

I could name a lot of other nebulous tasks like declutter, but without a clear goal and a clear way to measure if I achieved the goal, there is no point in listing it.

Travel

I would love to make a list of goals in this area, but I will have to wait and see how this turns out. The best I can do now is save money so I will be able to pay for it.

Final Thoughts

Okay 2021. Bring it on.

The Year That Will Be

A couple of days before the dawning of the New Year, I was checking out Erin Karpluk’s instagram page (I have been a fan since Being Erica) and it had one of those giant word search puzzles. It stated that the first four words you see will be the four words that define your year.  I tried to reproduce it here on this blog, but I am not technologically gifted enough for that. Skipping over that, I should tell you about the words I found first.  The words I got were power, miracles, gratitude, and creation. I was feeling pretty good about these and felt even better when Erin responded to my comment.

RESOLUTIONS

I resolve to be:

• neater at home and in my personal style
• hardworking both at my job and in my writing
• less grumpy towards my family members
• more decisive about both important and trivial things

GOALS

Travel

I have one trip to Colombia booked, but I would also like to do another cycling trip this year.  Obviously to make this happen, I will need to save more money and find better cheaper ways to fly.  It would be nice if I could do a European trip or another trip to Asia this year.

It would be nice if my girlfriend and I could travel together.  I know that traveling with someone is the ultimate stress test of a relationship, but I have the feeling that we have what it takes to accomplish that.

To be a better traveler, I should also learn to pack smarter. I am sure there are tons of blogs and vlogs to help me learn this.  I just have to make it work for me.

Write

This blog has given me lots of interesting new people to interact with.  I have really enjoyed that even more this year.  I want to keep that going and I want my blog to have more than 1000 followers by the end of the year.

This blog was supposed to be exercise for my creative muscles and my word crafting.Now I’ve got to take it to another level and write short stories for submission and write a book.  I lack neither ideas nor ambition and I should make them work for me.

I wrote t hat I should sleep more.  Getting these posts done a bit earlier in the evening would go a long way towards making that possible.  It might also improve my writing since I won’t be falling asleep at the keyboard.

Be healthier

Every year I write this and only a few times have I really managed it. It isn’t merely weight that needs attention.  I should work on my flexibility and stamina.  I should eat healthier and enjoy what I eat more.  I should also sleep more regularly.

Enjoy

This last year was great for an improvement in my overall mood and ability to deal with things. Now, I want to take that positivity and expand it to other areas of my life.  I want to feel good about the moments as they pass and I don’t want to pass things up.

Ride my bicycle

Last year, I accomplished the goal of consistently riding with the B group. This year, I want to stay in the B group and not fade at the end of the ride.  If I can finish strong, I will know I have done this.  Of course, this means I am going to have to get out more than once a week.  I am going to have to ride more, and ride harder.

It Has Begun….

There is no context for this picture except that it makes me smile.

Looking forward to the new year is one of the fun things that I can do on January first. Since I am not riddled with a massive hangover, it should be easier than usual.

That’s a great word, should. It should be easy, but it isn’t.  Looking forward, one always looks back at things not accomplished and things that could have been better.  At the beginning of 2018 I chose three words to sum up the year.  They were:

Better, Bolder, Active

If I were to be honest, I was definitely better and bolder. I taught better and I took care of more things in my life.  I talked to more people and I took more chances.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I was more active.  2017 had two cycling trips where 2018 had none.  I did more riding with the club than 2017, but I didn’t feel particularly fast or fit.

I jotted down a quick list and then spent a few minutes trying to organize it. Hopefully this will help.

In 2019:

• I will make more time for the important people in my life.
• I will eat better (healthier and better).
• I will live more.
• I will travel more.
• I will sleep earlier when realistically possible.
• I will ride with the B group consistently. This will mean riding more often to get up to pace, but it will definitely be worth it.
• I will write some amazing blog posts that set the internet on fire.
• I will write more. I will write short stories and a novel.  This blog is good practice, but now it is time to practice other aspects of this voice inside my head.
• I will get more things done.

Now this is a pretty non-specific list, and I should probably set more measurable targets for these ideas, but that isn’t something I can do tonight. Tonight is for putting down some ideas and the rest of the week is for refining them.

If I were to choose some words for 2019

Confidence,  Commitment, Boldness, and Determination

Three Words, Backed by Action, Could Change Everything

I’ve made resolutions in the past and sometimes kept them. I’ve made lists of accomplishments that I wanted to do, and met some of them.  However, I was often more preoccupied with the failures and this didn’t really seem like the right way to go about it. I read PedalWorks post on not making New Year’s Resolutions and it struck me as a good idea.

PedalWorks got the idea from a filmmaker (read the blog here) to select one word or phrase to summarize or categorize what you want to accomplish in the new year. He called it his mantra.  It sounded like a better idea than making resolutions, so I have adopted it for this year.

For 2018, I have chosen three words.

Better, Bolder, Active

Better

I want to do everything better. I want to eat better, live better, write better, deal with things better.  I want better things in my life.  Of course, this means putting in some actual effort.  It isn’t magically going to happen (sadly) but I think the results will be worth it.

Bolder

I want to take more chances. I want to be braver.  This is not just for my love life, but for my writing, my work, and the diversions I choose to engage in.  Bolder financial decisions might also be a good idea.

Active

I want to do more things. I want to explore.  I want to try.  I want to see what’s out there.  I want do the things I have been talking about doing. Despite the obvious need for the gym, this is meant to be more than that.  I am hoping it will mean more doing and less thinking.  It am hoping it will mean choosing engaging rather than being passive.

In truth, I think, 2017 was a lot like that.  While it had its challenges, 2017 also had its triumphs.  That being said, I don’t want a mere continuation.  I want 2018 to be even better, bolder and active.

 

The Better Organized Me

Though I did not write a post about New Year’s Resolutions, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have them.  It either means most of them are too mundane to bore you with, or that I am not really ready to commit to them–I will let you figure out which one is true.

One of these goals, which I am stating here, is the need to de-clutter and better organize my home environment.  Pretty much every drawer, closet, shelf, table top and floorspace needs some reorganization–from minor to full-blown, should be featured on television, kind of reorganization.

Yes, I’ve seen those shows, but they don’t really seem to inspire me.  They don’t speak to me.  If I put all my stuff in Rubbermaid containers, I’d forget they were there and I would probably go out and buy more of the same stuff when I couldn’t find it.

Just as an aside–don’t you wish they would go back to these homes that have been organized a year later to see if the people have kept up with what they promised?  I do?  I wish they just showed up one Saturday morning.  That expert who reorganized everything would probably break down and cry.

My usual concept of organization. If I know where it is, I am pretty content.

Trying to be better, functionally and aesthetically.

I am not terrible.  At times, I can organize.  The picture above is a before and after shot of my hobby desk.  As you can see, at times, I can make everything seem neat and tidy.  I just don’t know how long it will last.  I must admit, my ex-wife was much better at this than I was.  She appreciated organization from both a functional and aesthetic perspective.  I think I worked better under her directions.  Mostly, I just feel a bit overwhelmed and wonder where to start…then I check the computer for inspiration, see a couple of YouTube videos… then it’s time for bed.

I have bought lots of “organizers” or products that are supposed to make organizing things easier.  I have a file drawer for bills and receipts.  I have even gone paperless on some bills just to save the space.  None of it really seems to make a difference.

What I do know, making something a habit takes a month or so.  If you can do something for a month, then you can make it part of your routine.  (I learned this from a friend her on WP).  Unfortunately, I have to get everything organized before I can keep it organized.

The plan is to tackle one space, or one category a day (or every other day depending on how busy I am).  I say space because not everything that needs to be organized is a room.  My kitchen pantry needs an overhaul, but that really isn’t a room.  All my clothes need to assessed, folded and stored.  My bookshelves…. I could go on, but you get the point.

What I need from you people is two things.  One is advice.  I can’t guarantee I will follow any of it, but I will read it  The second is some accountability.  I need some of you to remind me of my plans, so that I will feel guilty enough to get it done.  Sorry to put this burden on you.