A few years ago, I was very happy.

• My favorite store started an email list.
• I signed up.
• Got periodic special deals.

As time passed, so did the frequency of emails.

• Last few months, it’s almost daily.
• The big sale of the year.
• Like the Groundhog Day movie - over and over.

Now they want to be my Facebook friend.

• To invade my life from a different angle.
• With the same info I already get.
• Don’t tickle me pink.

I’m doing the math…

• Value of my time to weed through their emails.
• Compared to the savings I periodically get.
• It’s not looking good for my formerly favorite store.

I miss my special relationship.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…Do your communications strengthen your relationships or frustrate your members?

Not sure.

Last Friday James and I attended our first Michigan Women’s Gymnastics meet.

• It was our first live competition.
• We’ve watched the Olympics through the years.
• Thought it would be fun to see in person.

We were a bit lost at first.

• College meets don’t run exactly like Olympic coverage.
• Numbers were everywhere.
• So were the athletes.

We spent the first half of the meet trying to decode the event.

• How did the meet run?
• Where should we look to catch the action?
• How did the scores work?

The people around us were clueless first-timers too.

• We all took took best guesses.
• Desperately needed a tip sheet for total enjoyment.
• Hope to do better next time.

The athletes were still amazing to watch!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…Who helps your first-timers understand what’s going on at your chapter meetings?

Mine does.

James and I vacation at a beach.

• I worried re missing my strength training.
• So I asked Mollie.
• She had the answer - and gave me a new goal.

I need to find a beach guys lifting gym.

• Walk in like I belong there.
• Workout with total confidence.
• And real weights - not typical 2-5# weights for women.

Bonus points if I find a gym with kettlebells.

• And show the boys how it’s done.
• Mollie has been training me hard on them for a few months.
• And I keep using bigger kettlebells.

This concept makes me giggle and grin like a fool.

• A year ago I would never have even visualized this!
• My form is good enough to do the bulk of it today.
• I’ve got a few months to practice the rest.

This is much more fun to think about than just losing another ten pounds!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…do your goals for the year make your members light up with excitement?

Still blue.

Yesterday we went to the Michigan Women’s Basketball game.

• For me, it was a whole new game.
• Even though we’ve attended for a few years.
• And I grew up loving basketball.

My fitness quest gave me a different perspective.

• I no longer just watched the game.
• I also watched how the player’s moved.
• And compared to training with Mollie.

Wow! Look at her throw that ball across the court!

• Mollie makes me do an overhead throw.
• With a weighted ball.
• Wonder how far I could throw a regular basketball?

OMG! Look at how much those women are squatting.

• I sometimes do 100 squats in an hour with Mollie.
• Usually holding 40+ pounds.
• But they are doing that in the first five minutes!

Oooh! Look at the muscles on that woman’s arms.

• Love the definition.
• Mollie makes me do a gazillion things with my arms.
• Wonder if I can get that cut?

Cracked James up as I gave him running commentary on the game I was seeing.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what happens when you look at your chapter work with new eyes?

(Even though my blood runs green!)

I am a proud Michigan State grad.

• My blood is green.
• I’m a huge Izzo fan.
• Have wonderful memories of school.

Tonight I switched teams.

• We attended a Michigan’s Women’s Basketball game.
• Been going to games for a few years.
• Enjoy watching the women develop their skills.

When I first moved to Ann Arbor, I was firmly green.

• Over time I realized the interesting opportunities the University of Michigan offers the community.
• More importantly, I wanted to support women in sports.
• The basketball players are amazing athletes - and the games are fun.

It only gets dicey when Michigan plays Michigan State.

• Then I cheer for both teams.
• I honor my roots - and my team.
• (Drives a few people crazy.)

I’m proud to support the women athletes.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…do your actions honor your values?

Yeah!

Today I got up early to cook.

• I made protein-packed, cherry-almond oatmeal.
• And pumpkin protein bars.
• All before 8 AM!

Just came off three days on the road.

• My food stash was depleted.
• I had a date with Mollie, my trainer, at noon.
• Wanted to be able to eat properly to prepare.

What a difference in my workout!

• I rowed with 70 pounds.
• Swung a 35-pound kettlebell all over.
• Held a plank position on a wobbly BOSU ball while doing jumping jacks with my feet!

The biggest impact was after the workout.

• I wasn’t exhausted.
• Finished the afternoon at work strong.
• And smiled at all I accomplished.

What a huge difference compared to when I don’t eat as strategically!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…Do you do the prep work needed to make your meetings more successful?

Well done!

Just spent the weekend working at Disney World.

• Stayed at the Swan and Dolphin Resort.
• My first time there.
• They walk their talk when it comes to inclusion.

There were several pools.

• Each had it’s own chairlift.
• Even the hot tub.
• (It’s the white machine on the left of the hot tub.)

Way to go Swan and Dolphin Resort for investing in access!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what do your actions say about how much you really want different members involved?

Anymore.

I had a big ah-ha this week.

• Didn’t realize how much I used to hurt.
• Or what I was missing when out of shape.
• Surprised by the insight.

I had to walk the entire length of the MSP airport - more than a mile.

• Used to leave me exhausted.
• Covered with sweat.
• This week it was just a walk.

I decided to stop at Mall of America - America’s largest mall.

• Wanted to move a little between flying and the two-hour drive ahead of me.
• Used to count it as exercise.
• Now just stretching my legs.

We’ve been selling a lot of books.

• I’ve been carrying the boxes to UPS.
• (James is still on limited lifting post-surgery.)
• Not a big deal - only 35 pounds.

At some point this week a light went off in my head.

• Living life used to be much harder for me.
• I counted normal daily activities as exercise.
• Lived at a slower pace.

With my fitness improved, watch out world here I come!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what could you do bigger with ease if your chapter was more fit?

A lot.

Had a great workout at the gym.

• New personal record time for distance.
• Hit some new speed highs.
• Mollie suggested I step up to a bigger challenge.

Came home riding on a bubble of dancing thoughts.

• Grabbed the goods to make my protein shake.
• Healthy liquids.
• Lots of blueberries.

My mind was consumed playing with Mollie’s challenge.

• I heard the blender groan in the corner of my ear.
• Grabbed the cup that was being mixed.
• Gave it a twist to take off machine.

Next thing I knew my world was purple.

• My blueberry shake was everywhere at once.
• On me and the counters.
• All over the floor.

Raindrop was ecstatic.

• Yummy treat falling from the sky!
• My heart sank.
• How fast would this stuff stain?

As I cleaned I began to laugh - served me right for ignoring what was going on in front of me.

Makes me think of chapter leaders… is your lack of focus creating a purple mess for your chapter?

From my life.

This week has been hard.

• Three trips in one week.
• Overpacked schedule.
• Drama from new heart rate monitor.

I took charge of my day.

• Decided to visit my parents.
• Packed up James and the dogs.
• Headed to my childhood home.

My folks were happy to see me.

• We shared stories of adventures and memories.
• Goofed around with the camera in my phone.
• Played with the dogs.

It was a fabulous day - and just what I needed!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what do you do when you need a timeout from being a leader?

Today I used my monitor for first time with the elliptical.

• I was excited.
• What would my real numbers say?
• I was thinking big.

And boy was I wrong!

• My monitor calories burned were 100 less than the machine numbers.
• In spite of working hard.
• Setting a new personal record for timed distance.

Drama Queen engaged as I stomped around in my mind in disgust.

• Why bother working out?
• Nothing works.
• The monitor is dumb.

It wasn’t my proudest moment.

• Luckily my trainer Mollie started texting me.
• We worked through the drama.
• I’m back to charge neutral.

Will keep using the monitor to see what happens - stay tuned.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…who is your voice of reason when results clash with your expectations?

Mollie convinced me to buy a heart rate monitor.

• It gives me constant communication about my heart.
• A band goes around my chest.
• Sends data to the watch on my wrist.

No more guessing how many calories I’m burning.

• I glisten easily.
• And turn bright red.
• Doesn’t that mean I’m working hard?

I used the monitor for the first time today working out with Mollie.

• Was obsessed with checking my numbers.
• What I expected and what I saw didn’t always match.
• It was an eye-opener.

Tomorrow I’ll do my first elliptical workout with it.

• Also want to use it walking with GiGi.
• And zipping through airports.
• Can’t wait to see my numbers.

The Truth Machine will fuel my sense of power as I finally know what’s really going on.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…how do you measure your chapter’s progress?

ARGH.

Finished my third trip of the week last night.

• Hopped on the scale this morning.
• My gut clenched.
• Did I gain again?

I didn’t.

• I was down a half pound.
• My mind still went wild.
• Thankful I wasn’t all the way back up to THAT number.

I’m anchored to an old weight.

• Always measuring against it.
• Instead of looking ahead.
• One foot in the past.

People can usually describe in detail what they don’t want.

• And use mushy words when describing what they do want.
• World peace.
• A happy job.

Maybe I’m caught in the same trap?

• Too focused on the old.
• Needing to visualize the new me.
• It’s time to put both feet in the future.

With cleaned up actions, I’m going to lose weight - anchors away!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…Do you keep looking back as you claim to move your chapter forward?

It’s the question of the day…

• I got a lot fitter in 2011.
• And still have a ways to go.
• Asked myself if I really want to get thinner.

Trying to be real with myself…

• I always gain weight on the road.
• My exercise log has some cardio gaps.
• I don’t like to log my food.

If actions speak louder than words, what’s my message?

• I say I want to lose more weight.
• But my actions are muddled.
• My slow weight loss makes some sense.

After weighing alternatives, the answer was easy.

• I do want to lose more weight.
• I’m committing to stronger actions.
• And using a more visual approach to monitor my alignment.

The fitness quest is still on - and my first 5K only 22 weeks away.

Makes me think of chapter leaders…do your actions match the goals you claim?

Ah-ha!

Yesterday I shared my year in photos.

• Today want to look at lessons learned.
• I’ve done a lot of growing.
• Want to keep it going.

First lesson: Don’t think so much.

• As a consultant, my thinking skills make me valuable.
• On a fitness journey, they can get in the way.
• Big time.

I drove Mollie crazy this year with my theories.

• Why my weight plateaued.
• Which was harder - food, moving or emotions?
• Things worked best when I let go and just worked the plan.

Second lesson: The past does not determine today.

• When Mollie challenged me to run a 5K next spring, I freaked out.
• I was the last kid picked for dodgeball in elementary school!
• I got a bad stitch in my side running once in 7th grade.

How could I be a runner?

• My childhood was terrorizing me.
• As I let it go, I calmed down.
• All became possible if I wanted it.

Third lesson: I can do more than I realize.

• I’m used to being out of shape.
• My brain has not caught up yet.
• It throws up excuses.

Mollie shows me a new exercise.

• My usual reaction - no way can I do that!
• Then I try - and usually do some form of it.
• I have to take “can’t do” off my automatic response system.

Embracing these lessons gives my fitness journey for 2012 exciting potential!

Makes me think of chapter leaders…what did you learn in 2011?