So it's the end of the month. I think maybe I will do an end of month assessment on things to see what I need to focus on for the following month. We'll see if I remember to do this come the end of February! LOL
Food
Obviously, January was better for us food wise since we weren't stuffing ourselves with cookies, lavish hot chocolate made with half and half and multiple gatherings featuring bloating ham, buttered everything and appetizer a-plenty. However, improvements still need to be made. I have noticed a bad habit forming of two evening snacks on occasion. We're both having trouble adjusting back to a more structured plan and it's not even that we're hungry, it's that I want that crunch or to just eat something for the hell of it. Luckily it's usually just a 110 calorie bag of lite kettle corn or 180 calories of Halo Top which I'm officially banning unless it's a seasonal flavor that is too intriguing to pass up. It's only happened twice, but I don't want to start justifying. (Look for reviews on them soon! LOL)
Plan for February: If we're going to have popcorn, it must be for movie night only not because we're using it as a way to satisfy boredom. Since movies have been total crappers that means we'll likely only have it once a month or so if we're lucky. Drink hot tea instead if you need to do something with yer face. Unfortunately, we're starting the month in our favorite foodie city, so this plan will have to go into effect upon our return where we'll probably end up breaking even by the end of the month to what we weigh now. *face palm*
Exercise
Our one consistent spot even though finding something to fit into my limitations has been tricky, to say the least. I've been rocking the PT five days a week and I'm proud of myself for sticking with it because I know what slacking on it brings. No bueno. While we have been exercising, I've found that my limits have kind of given the Mr an excuse to not give his all during workouts and his weight loss goals have suffered because of it. I told him that is changing and I've been nudging him to do more when I see him going easy. There is no reason for both of us to be roadblocked by my body. I'm hoping February will be the month I can get a goodly amount of healing in and back to challenging myself in a way that will garner results because I can feel my strength waning having to cut back the past two weeks getting treated for the tennis elbow. I might have to use the TENS on that as well, and if that's the case, I'm going to end up hooked up to electricity for like 90 minutes a day. Just call me Sparky.
Plan for February: I'm going to have to find what I can to keep my strength up. Even 10 lb weights are sending a searing, fiery pain in my right elbow. From what I've read, I can see this is going to be months to possibly two years. The one consistent thing I've read is breaking up the scar tissue and I started this with Graston techniques two days before I knew I was getting the laser at the chiro so I will keep that up as well as using this microcirculation pad I have which I've also read is key. I'll have to ice right after workouts too to keep inflammation down. When you have problems lifting a water bottle, it's maddening, to say the least. I'm also hoping the leg issues continue to improve and I want to walk more to adjust to the new shoes and just getting used to being up more even if that means a lap around the hood that does not count toward our workout.
Water
I suck. Period. I get so engrossed in what I'm doing, and despite the water bottle being at my side for 6 hours, I rarely grab it. I honestly don't know what to do to remember to drink. I always feel better on all fronts when I do, but I'm like a camel too and seem to be able to hold my fluid, so I don't feel dehydrated and then see it's 4 pm and I haven't taken a single sip all day. Sigh.
Plan for February: I want to say I'll improve but I always say that. I'm at a loss. I just set up a reminder on my business email starting at 9 am on weekdays, and I'm hoping I can figure out how to push it back every hour or something to pop the reminder up again. I'm so bad at this, and it's been my Achilles heel for my whole life.
Sleep
I'm not great in this area either. I've been a night owl my whole life, and the Mr is a head bobber come 10 pm and I'm nowhere near ready for bed. (It's 12:33 am as I type this.) My birth control alarm goes off every morning at 7:30 am regardless, and if I went to bed at 2 am then that's usually about 5 hours of sleep given my normal time it takes me to get to sleep. I do a little work when the alarm goes off, and I either sleep for another hour for my mandatory 6 hours or if I'm playing catch up, I sleep two more hours. It's not a good habit, but if I go to bed too early, then I will lay there with a racing mind for 2-3 hours and get so frustrated so it doesn't serve me well to force an early bedtime.
Plan for February: Get to bed by 1 am. I know that sounds insane but night owls will feel me. I'd prefer to say 12:30am but I need something to work toward for other months, right? I think 12:30 am is a good goal but I don't want to declare it yet.
Mental Health
I've been doing pretty well in this department. I've made it my goal this year to reconnect with important people in my life and I feel like I'm doing well with that particularly in the friends department. While my friend and I tanked on our promise to Skype last month, I was much more active messaging her for no reason, checking in with her and such so I don't consider it a total loss. I had a good lunch with one of my favorite friends and February is shaping up to be a good friend month also as I'm starting off on a road trip to see my bestie, seeing another good friend who lives out of town and while plans look to have fallen through with another friend due to the flu, I will make sure to connect with her sometime this year. (She's also out of state.)
Plan for February: Make a date night with a couple that we haven't seen since Fall. Put a bug in the ear of some old co-workers that we used to lunch with once a year to see if they want to plan something for March.
There is much room for improvement on many things but this water issue has got to be tackled because it effects everything else. That one will take the longest to make any progress on and we need to kick that double dipping on the snack front a few times a week to the curb. Those two are the ones I hope to make the most progress with in February.
How would you grade your January? Any goals you'd like to hit for February?
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That is a very thorough recap of the month. I plan to improve on my workout intensity as well as tracking food in February. I think I do pretty well on my water most days, although I can improve on Saturdays so I will work on that too.
ReplyDeleteMy January wasn't great on a lot of fronts. I did get in more exercise than in December though so I'll call that a sort of win. I'm like you in that I can go all day with little/no water and not even notice - but I do feel much better when I get in at least 64 ounces. This week I'm working on getting 32oz each day, next week I'll up that goal. I need to get back to measuring/portioning because I know that eye-balling has gradually led to much larger portions.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get used to those shoes. I buy Fila brand tennis shoes and then pull out the memory foam insoles and put in a pair of insers I got years ago at a Good Feet store. I don't know if that helps you at all, but cheaper shoes and a good insole might be an alternative to the expensive shoes that doen't seem to be working for you too well.
Great recap of the month! My two focuses for February are more water (I drink a goodly amount but I do it in binges as opposed to throughout the day) and stretching, stretching, stretching! I have GOT to be more vigilant about that because it helps me in so many ways. One positive in January (well, to be honest, the past week) is I've eliminated one of my trigger foods. I finally realized that I cannot have it in the house ever because it's my go-to any time there's stress and since I'm always going to have stress, this is a no-go for me. I've played the game for a long time of thinking "I can handle it this time", but I cannot. Period. So one week down and I'm feeling good about that. =o)
ReplyDeleteWater. One of the easiest ways to get something done regularly, is to pair it with something else. Like something you already do. In this case you might want to pair it with several things. Ideas - brushing your teeth, eating, checking your phone. If you drank a glass of water before the first two and a cup of water with the last one - probably - Major Water.
ReplyDeleteWater is a problem for me too, and due to health issues I am supposed to drink 100+ oz per day. I have an app on my phone called Waterlogged which helps so you might try that. It allows you to log in your water as you drink it and makes a little graph along the bottom to track a few days at a time. Also, if I am working I sometimes just set the timer on my phone for 1 hour and make myself drink a glass every hour. When I am watching tv, I will make myself take a few gulps during every commercial. I don't know why it has to be so hard, but it sure is. Left to my own devices I would drink maybe 4 ounces a day. I am never thirsty!
ReplyDelete