• Work with Me!
  • Learn with Me
  • Donations accepted!

That Ginger, Anna

That Ginger, Anna

Tag Archives: habits

Let’s Get Our Lent On!

16 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bad habit, bronx, catholic, catholicism, exercise, fortydaysoffabulous, habits, happy, lent, new york, New York City, NYC, positivity, read, stress, twenty something, write

IMG_0333-0

What’s up, folks?

I hope everyone had a great January.

I had some complications with my class enrollment, so I ended up only taking two classes this semester and will make up the third this summer. Still planning on graduating in December 2015, so all is well on that front.

This semester I’m studying the history of Italian Fascism in Italy and New York! If you’re a teacher or student, how’s your semester going so far?

Well, anyway, this blog is about Lent!

I converted to Catholicism in 2012 (RCIA and the whole bit) but I tried to make sacrifices for Lent several years prior to that. I’ve given up meat (a couple of times) and salt and have attempted to give up cussing and gossiping before too.

I failed at the cussing and gossiping before because driving and people, but I’ve succeeded at giving up meat a couple of times.

Even if you aren’t Catholic, have you ever succeeded in breaking a habit? How’d you do it?

This year I’m going to try to give up Facebook and cussing. But I’m also going to attempt to add two positive habits!

I am thoroughly addicted to Facebook. I like keeping in touch with people from the past, I like reading news, I like finding information that may be useful for friends, and I like seeing other people’s opinions. I also obviously like the attention. I’m much better at interacting with people online than in person, so I like getting likes and posting pictures and writing statuses. I’m one of those serial “likers” though, so I often pollute friends’ timelines and get blocked, haha! Giving up Facebook will help me be more present since I won’t be able to check my phone constantly.

It’s going to be hard for so many reasons. It helps me occupy my time and I use my phone as a security blanket as well. Not being able to constantly check Facebook is going to mean not having my phone to shield me from unwanted conversation and attention in public.

It’s also going to be lonely though. I’m Facebook friends with a lot of people that I want to be real friends with who don’t necessarily feel the same about me. Rather than messaging people and being all cheesy with the “let’s be friends” bit, I often like people’s pictures and statuses in order to force a connection with them and make an effort to become real friends. Since I won’t be able to force that connection through likes or comments, I will lose touch with people that weren’t interested in being my friend in the first place, which will be sad. It will be good though because I won’t bother people and if people decide they really do want to be friends they can make an effort to get in touch with me in other ways.

Facebook is also a platform where I post a lot of critical and judgmental thoughts and it also inspires me to be judgmental and critical of others. Let me clarify: I judge people and am critical of them but my judgements aren’t personal and do not affect my feelings toward people. Hopefully that makes sense. Seldom if ever have I allowed my judgement of another person’s life choices to affect my urge to be their friend or treat them nicely (IDeffW drug addicts-that aren’t making an effort to get clean-or criminals). I am extremely critical of myself and try to hold myself to a certain standard, but I know I can learn something from EVERYONE, even if their standards for their life and opinions/beliefs aren’t the same as mine (and vice versa). So, while I can justify my judgment of others, not being on Facebook will eliminate a lot of inspiration for being judgmental and critical of people.

I don’t Tweet or use Tumblr very much, so while I don’t think I will give those up, per se, I am not going to live tweet or retweet anything. I will auto-post/tweet from Instagram and other sites though (can’t break my Oscars tradition)!

I will stay on SnapChat, but only to talk to friends from Facebook that want to stay in touch!

Cussing won’t be too hard to give up…as long as I can find a positive habit to replace it with. The first time I tried to quit for Lent, I failed because I cannot not cuss when I drive…it’s like a compulsion, lol (thank the Lord I don’t have kids)! I don’t cuss at work or school, but I do cuss when I call/text my mom or friends to vent about stressful events. If I can find another way to vent and relieve stress in a positive way, then I think I’ll be able to stop cussing.

Now, while I am going to try to break two bad habits, I want to do something a little different this year and also ADD two positive habits!

I have seen several friends participate in the 100 Happy Days Instagram challenge, but I am going to change it up and I am going to post one happy/positive thing a day for the entirety of Lent. Follow me on IG and feel free to join the challenge! Just tag your pictures with the hashtag #ferventfor40 I don’t think I am a particularly negative person when it comes to my life and I don’t think I’m less appreciative than I should be, but I do dwell on things and am pessimistic. Posting one happy/positive thing a day for 40 days will hopefully get me into the habit of focusing on the positive aspects of my day, rather than the negative/stressful aspects (which should help eliminate my daily need to vent/cuss).

Last but not least, I want to read, write, or exercise for 30 minutes a day, everyday for 40 days. I am bad about procrastinating on school work, so this will help me get into the habit of doing a little bit everyday rather than panicking at the end of the semester. On days I don’t have homework, it will also encourage me to write more blogs! I would have committed to exercising 30 minutes a day, but it is cold as balls here and I have no space in my living room for inside exercise, so I am just making that mandatory for days when I don’t have any homework (conveniently, Spring Break falls in the middle of Lent).

So, I am giving up Facebook and cussing, but adding positivity and reading/writing/exercising!

Are you going to give up anything for Lent?

Feel free to post a comment below about your Lenten fast, breaking bad habits in the past, or creating positive ones!

Have a great week everyone!

Pass it on:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

January Weightloss Update

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

carolinafitness, excuses, fitbit, fitness, habits, healthy, motivation, sprint to may challenge, weight gain, Weight loss

So far, not so good.

While my activity levels have increased since school has started back, I had visitors in town so my alcohol consumption increased over the last part of the month and I also haven’t adjusted my sleep schedule to accommodate being back in school.

The first week and a half after New Years I worked out every night for 30-45 minutes (light free weights, resistance bands, stretching, squats, leg lifts, and different styles of crunches), and I did very well at staying on track, until I had house guests.

For me, the hardest part of dieting and exercising is always the first three weeks because I often see negative results, which causes me to rapidly lose my motivation. Even if I work out everyday, I often gain 5 or so pounds the first few weeks I begin working out, and that has occurred this time as well (as those that follow me on Fitbit have seen). Another excuse I often find to keep me from working out, is the weather. As I said earlier, the spring and summer are my most “fit” times of the year, because I am more willing to go outside to workout. That being said, I should have access to a Bowflex machine by the end of the month, so hopefully that will remove the obstacle of bad weather.

Despite this initial weight gain, I do feel like I am healthier than I was before the New Year began. Excluding the period of time my guests were here, I have reduced my alcohol consumption and increased my consumption of fiber.

I also have a slight confession: I am always more motivated to lose weight when I have a crush on someone or if I am busy socially and I have neither at this time, haha! As I said, eating is an emotional comfort for me, so when I have a partner (romantic or platonic) to help expend some of my emotional energy, then I don’t eat as much and I don’t want to eat as much, and I am also more happy and upbeat which helps me lose weight quickly and  more easily.

My friend also recommended a cleanse that I plan on trying as soon as I have time to take a trip to my local organic grocer.

How is everyone else’s weight loss going so far? Have you guys had any specific challenges? Do you have any suggestions for me about how I might cut my calorie intake or increase my activity level?

I hope everyone is enjoying getting healthier and I hope I have more encouraging news about my progress in a couple of weeks! 🙂

Pass it on:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sweet, Sweet Addictions

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by That Ginger, Anna in Personal and Fun

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

addiction, addictions, bad habits, Fort Benning, habits, Schofield Barracks

Too much chocolate? Too much shopping? What are habits or addictions you just can’t kick? Serious or lighthearted, everyone has one (or several) things that they just can’t quit. It could be a person that you won’t kick out of your life, a drug, or anything in between!

My longest running “bad habit” was sucking my thumb! It all started when I was about 4. I was still using a pacifier and my mom (after considerable pressure from my grandma) wanted me to quit. She made a deal with me and said she would get me anything I wanted in the world if I would quit. At this time, and for a long time after, I was a major tomboy, so my one request was a fishing pole! We took a trip to Wal-Mart and I got a blue, Snoopy fishing pole! It was summertime, so I fished and fished with my mom and dad. At this time we were living at Fort Benning, Georgia so we would go out to the MWR campground on the Chattahoochee River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW5UEW2kYvc) and go fishing. We fished all summer and then the inevitable happened, that bastion of fine craftsmanship, better known as my Wal-Mart, Snoopy fishing pole, broke! It was a tragedy, but I found a solution to get my parents back for their betrayal and their end of the deal falling through: I started sucking my thumb! It backfired for my mom, and her wish for me to quit my pacifier went up in smoke! Guess what? I sucked my thumb up into my 20s! I sucked my thumb all through high school, but it eventually decreased to just when I was sad or tired, then I would just do it in my sleep, and I haven’t done it in a few years now! Every once in a while I will wake up and have my thumb in my mouth, but I can’t really fix that, haha!

I have some other bad habits, or things I can’t stop doing: I curse a lot…more than I should. I’ve already established that I was an Army brat, but I was an Army brat with a dad in the infantry that did a 5 year stint at Fort Benning, Georgia as a drill sergeant, and then a few years as a Platoon Sergeant at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. So, as you can imagine, by 5th grade I’d heard all of the curse words a person can hear and was using them with my friends all the time. My parents were never really strict about me cussing (my mom  hates when I do it, but they still put up with it) so I just kept up with it. I only curse rarely at work or in other academic and professional situations, but get me behind the wheel of a car, become my close friend, or give me a few drinks and prepare for your ears to burn. I’m Catholic and I’ve successfully given up meat and salt for Lent before, but I tried to give up cursing and I made it 2 days! Another bad habit is my sleeping. I LOVE to sleep. I do think it’s genetic. My dad can sleep for days, literally. I didn’t sleep a lot when I was a kid, but since I was about 17 I’ve slept a lot. I can easily sleep 13 hours and I am more than happy to stay home and sleep rather than do other things. The weird thing about me is that it’s not about the amount of sleep I get, it’s about the time I have to wake up. As long as I can wake up after ten I feel rested, no matter what time I went to bed, but even if I go to bed at 7 p.m., if I have to wake up before 10 a.m., I want to go right back to sleep! The only exception is when I travel! If I am traveling, I can easily and happily run on a few hours of sleep and wake up at any hour, it’s weird. Other bad habits include drinking wine, procrastinating, and screening my calls. I go through phases where I don’t do anything bad, but in the end my habits come back around!

What is something you’ve tried to give up or stop doing that you just can’t kick? Do you have suggestions for others about how to beat bad habits?

Pass it on:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,242 other followers

Follow That Ginger, Anna on WordPress.com

Follow me…

  • View thatgingeranna’s profile on Facebook
  • View thatgingeranna’s profile on Twitter
  • View thatgingeranna’s profile on Instagram
  • View annakfitz’s profile on Pinterest
  • View thatgingeranna?trk=hp-identity-name’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View UC8WoBOszqpd5q0AaRbPvxPQ’s profile on YouTube
  • View thatgingeranna’s profile on Vimeo
  • View 111871100313955118755’s profile on Google+

Zuckerberg It!

Zuckerberg It!

All the cool kids are doing it…

The Historiography of Moi

I sense a pattern…

a movie a day backpacking budget travel cinema europe european female travel film film review italia italiain40 Italia in 40 italiano Italy movie movie review movies New York City NYC review solo travel tourism tourist Travel travel tips

Si quieres mas…

  • Work with Me!
  • Learn with Me
  • Donations accepted!
Follow That Ginger, Anna on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,242 other followers

A WordPress.com Website.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: