This was supposed to be the update from week #4 of our lifestyle changes.  There has been a bit of a wrinkle in my plans. First, Dan is doing really well, he is now down 10 lb in just over 4 weeks of simple changes! For me, things aren’t going quite as planned.  As I mentioned in my post about Ironman, I have been dealing with a stubborn metatarsal injury of my big toe on the right foot for over two years.  On Monday of last week, I visited yet another health practitioner, this time a Sports Medicine MD at the Levy-Elliot Sports Medicine Clinic here in Burlington. I told him my story and he made an excellent suggestion.  Why not try an AirCast for 6 weeks?  Even though there isn’t necessarily evidence of a stress fracture on the x-rays, there are abnormalities showing.  We could do a bone scan, but the treatment would be the same.

I hesitated at first.  It seemed like the next logical step in the treatment plan, but I thought of all of the things I have coming up in the next six weeks and how the cast would affect them. The week, I am going to San Francisco for an amazing training called Go Diamond (more about this later this week) and I am arriving a day early to enjoy the city.  Second, I have many different speaking engagements and a seminar that I will be doing on March 4th.  Plus the fact that I teach 4 days a week as well (and we have a 2 week March Break starting March 15th). Then I realized that the sooner I began the treatment, the sooner we would see if it will work.

Now, when people ask me what happened (with that “oh no” expression) on their face, I tell them that this is a GOOD thing! First, my toe joint doesn’t hurt.  AT ALL for the first time in almost 2 years.  Yes, I just lived with it.  Been there, done that with my knees for 10 years – see Why Ironman post. I am so happy that I am not in pain, that the inconvenience of wearing the cast doesn’t bother me. Happily, I can take it off for driving, showering, sitting for long periods of time and sleeping (as long as I am not weight bearing).

A wrinkle in my workout plan, that’s for sure.  Right now, I have been biking at the gym and still working on push-ups and other ab exercises like WMM.  I am also allowed to swim, but haven’t been to the pool yet.  No volleyball or walking, although I can walk, it’s difficult to get up to a fast enough speed to work up a sweat.  I will continue to work on my goals for a healthier lifestyle, but right now, focus #1 is getting the toe BETTER.

My question of the day for you is have you ever broken a bone or had to wear a cast? Include your ideas and suggestion for getting around with a cast and any other physical activities that may work too!

Happy Monday everyone!

Monday evening was spent planning out our goals for 2010 and beyond.  This is an exercise that Dan and I have done together for the past three years and that’s something that is really important to our relationship.  When I asked for the perfect partner, I was looking for someone who had goals and dreams, who wanted to share them with me so that we could achieve them together.  I am very grateful to have found him!

When I reviewed my 2009 goals, I found that I had achieved several of them, most of them around family and relationships.  Interestingly, I had the goal to marry Dan (we weren’t even engaged yet) in 2009 – and we did, on July 12th.  To plan goals for all of the different parts of our lives, we use a worksheet from Jack Canfield, from The Success Principles.

Here are a few highlights from the list this year. Our goals also include a date to be achieved and why we want to achieve this goal.

• I will be at my ideal weight of 135 lb by April 24, 2010 (with help from whittle my middle)
• I will find and nurture 2 -4 leaders in 2010, in Agel
• I will work up to giving $3 per day by the end of 2010 (I currently donate $1/day)
• I will complete the Competent Communicator Manual at Toastmasters by June 2010
• Dan and I will spend at least 1 week at the cottage this summer and go on a honeymoon!
• And the big one: By January 2012, I will be financially free, earning at least $40,000 per month in passive income.

Big dreams need big goals! I figure what’s the point in living a mediocre life and having an average income? We get one chance, life is not a dress rehearsal!  So why not go for the gusto? One of my favorite quotes: If you aim for the moon and miss, you’ll still end up among the stars.

Have you set your goals for 2010 and beyond?

Julie