September Monthly Challenge: This September I Will...
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Well done @77tes1
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@themedalist Hi there! Thanks for asking how things are going. I'm not working on things as hard as I need to, but I keep running across articles and books that remind me that I won't get what I want if I don't put in the work - like EVERY day, even when I don't feel like it!!! Soooo, tomorrow is the big day to finish up the upstairs cleaning. I took an entire carload to Good Will Thursday and have started another bag. Today I spent a ton of time printing off special emails from 2015 and have my entire inbox down to less than 1300. I try to keep it below 1000 and once I finish with this, that should be a breeze. I'm also working on downsizing my Pinterest pins. Currently am at 5,446, down from 5,469. Woohoo! The internal work is going OK. I may join the "meditation gals" here. It will help remind me to continue to practice what I learned in "The Untethered Soul" which I will be rereading as soon as it is available again from my online library. So yeah, things are good. Some life altering changes (good ones) but this isn't the time to go into those...another time though.
And how are you? You are making such a difference in so many lives. Thank you
Oh my gosh! Another thing I hadn't thought of! A Pinterest Purge! I tell myself need to do that all the time, but never EVER take the time to do it. You are on a roll!!! Awesome progress!0 -
themedalist wrote: »@PackerFanInGB, I tried for years to make meditation become a daily practice and it never happened until I started using the Calm app. I need a guided meditation. Left on my own, meditation just doesn’t stick. I need the guidance and I love how each Daily Calm session weaves focused breathing with an exploration of a topic/challenge so many of us have.
Please don’t stress about your wandering mind. Look at it this way: if you’re mind didn’t wander, if you could let thoughts pass and go like clouds in the sky and not allow them to take you for a ride and bring you down, would you really need meditation? To me, it’s no different than any other exercise. When I first got on the elliptical, I couldn’t use it for 30 minutes at a time and keep an aerobic pace. Nor could I leg press the weight that I now can lift. I built up to these exercises over time through patience and practice and not giving up. Meditation is the same way. You won’t likely see changes day to day, But keep at it and I’m sure you’ll see improvement not only in your practice, but with a wonderful spill over into your life that you will just love.
I still ruminate about the past and worry about the future, but I spend much less time doing so And as a result, I get to enjoy the string of present moments each day. Reminding myself to stay in the present moment is a challenge (mental habits are hard to break) but it’s so worth it!
Thank you for the encouragement! I hadn't really thought of it in the same way as exercise. Good way to look at it. Last night I fell asleep in the middle of it, so that was a fail. But I absolutely agree with you about the Calm app...I love how they talk about a different topic or challenge each night. I am dropping Headspace and sticking with Calm. I bought the app so have the stories and all now and I love it!
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Emails down to 730 as of tonight, but I’ve spent way too much time sitting working on them. I’m so excited about getting down to below 100 this week if that’s possible. All that are left are family emails that I have to read and decide if I want to print them for my diary and delete them. I’m in a state birding group so I get lots of reports of bird sightings every day. I will have to stay on top of those every day. Pinterest cleanup is a problem. For every pin I’ve deleted, I’ve probably found 2 more to add! Geesh!2
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@MadisonMolly2017, you continue to make impressive progress. I'm glad you are reducing your time, though. 60 minutes is a lot of time to devote to something daily. Lowering the time commitment makes it more sustainable.1
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Emails down to 730 as of tonight, but I’ve spent way too much time sitting working on them. I’m so excited about getting down to below 100 this week if that’s possible. All that are left are family emails that I have to read and decide if I want to print them for my diary and delete them. I’m in a state birding group so I get lots of reports of bird sightings every day. I will have to stay on top of those every day. Pinterest cleanup is a problem. For every pin I’ve deleted, I’ve probably found 2 more to add! Geesh!
Well done, @nebslp!2 -
My nightly yoga routine is going well. I have two e-books on poses that I'm using for ideas, and the ones I like I've made a screen shot on my iPad and I've assembled them into a pdf that I can read in iBook. My own personal Cliff Notes (I'm probably dating myself with that reference...)2
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themedalist wrote: »My nightly yoga routine is going well. I have two e-books on poses that I'm using for ideas, and the ones I like I've made a screen shot on my iPad and I've assembled them into a pdf that I can read in iBook. My own personal Cliff Notes (I'm probably dating myself with that reference...)
Fun idea! @themedalist 🧘♀️0 -
themedalist wrote: »@MadisonMolly2017, you continue to make impressive progress. I'm glad you are reducing your time, though. 60 minutes is a lot of time to devote to something daily. Lowering the time commitment makes it more sustainable.
Thanks @themedalist !
Yes, smaller time goals seem to work for my personality... then I do the thing and end up
Spending 45mins to 2 hours (because it’s fun, & I get on a roll!)
Told myself 15 mins & did that last thing night of Sept 9, literally at 2 AM
On Sept 10, did my 15 that turned into 30 that turned into at least 2 hours. Very pleased with what I’m learning/creating! I can see that the printer will transform my view of myself as an artist...I made an image last night that I love- can’t wait to print & as I go through photos I am finding so many that I should print or load into a digital frame that rotates through a list...
I have deleted a tremendous number of photos > 2,000 and I’ve spent 2 hours or more per day on that & deleting work emails > 7,000. I want this monkey off my back. It has been 98% awesome, I gave to say...SO many happy memories to counterbalance the few sadder ones. A good reminder
What keeps me doing this: the joy I feel & will feel when I can find the photo I’m looking for quickly!!!
I also took the clothes I’d gone through to Goodwill. Found it particularly difficult to let them go, but I did. I think it works best if I take them over right away, not a couple of days later!
I want to be done with my Marie Kondo process. Shooting for early March.
I’m ready to fully embrace my new peaceful, ordered, creative, love, art, & nature-filled life.
I am focusing on the fashion illustration, not the altering, for two reasons:
* I realized I need to lose 5-9 more pounds, so I wouldn’t want to alter twice.
* I wore a firm-fitting dress for the event the other night, & I have a feeling when I hit my goal weight, I’ll want to select/create a few killer outfits, rather than holding on sentimentally to these larger clothes. Decided to box them up & figure it out when I’m at GW.
* I’m loving learning how to draw figures & Faces, especially Eyes atm!!👀
Thank you for reading & your support @themedalist I’m so glad you had a wonderful time with your folks & that they are both alive & you have such a special bond with them!! ❤️3 -
I'm getting so many great ideas here!
@MadisonMolly I had forgotten about my digital frame but will find it and start putting my favorite pics on it instead of having them buried in thousands of other pictures on my computer. I share your "dream/plan" to "fully embrace my new peaceful, ordered, creative, love, art, and nature-filled life". That sounds amazing!
@the medalist I love the idea of taking a screenshot of pages and making a pdf of things I want to bring up at a second's notice. I'm always looking for new ways to use the technology I have and then hoping I can figure out how to do it. And I definitely got the Cliff Notes reference!!!
Down to 650 emails today. I've been putting my James Clear messages in their own folder. I also have collected messages from Christina (uplifting words and ideas) and plan to take one a day to use as a something to think about/reflection once I get the rest of my stuff organized and am ready to move forward with other things.
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Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 6 done. Good Hiit workout with a lot of core.2 -
My daily meditation is awesome. I am sleeping better and feeling better.7
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Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 7 done. Some weight and core work on the exercise ball. I won't be surprised if my rear hurts lots tomorrow. 3 -
@Heidijens123 ...but it will be a good kind of hurt, right? You’re going strong!2
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Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 7 done. Double Step class again. I'm getting better at remembering the steps but I can barley keep up at the end.2 -
I have not done my Calm meditation the last few nights. Got to bed late and husband had TV on and just couldn't concentrate. I am finding that I'm not sleeping as well when I don't do it. So, I know I'm onto a habit that will be good for me and I now realize that I need to MAKE TIME for it!4
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To paraphrase the Backstreet Boys "oh my gosh, I'm back again!" This summer has been so filled with other duties, and I have neglected so much. I'm so glad to see this group is still going strong. I finally remembered to try get back in here because I found a new app called HabitBull (http://www.habitbull.com) that I wanted to share. I have not been getting up and moving very much at all lately. The last time I did well was during the Sit-Less Boot Camp, which did wonders for me. But then I slacked off almost immediately after it was done.
I also have not been drinking enough water, eating right, or working out. It's been a pitiful summer despite the amazing one I had last year. But I like @themedalist idea of every month being like a mini-new year and another chance to begin again. So - getting back to HabitBull: it's an app to help you develop any habit by acting as a reminder app. I won't go into much detail since it may be something you already know about. I don't know if you do because I haven't been able to catch up on all the entries.
Today is my first day trying it out. I already love it. It's exactly what I have been looking for in an app to help me drink more water and move more than my smart watch tells me. BTW - my hubby bought me a Samsung Gear S2 for our anniversary and I LOOOOVE IT!!! One draw back is it's supposed to have a sedentary reminder for me to get up and move, but it's not configurable. It'll remind me once an hour and only if I have very little movement in that hour. If I even stretch, the Gear calls that movement and resets for another hour
HabitBull lets me set a time limit and tells me to move no matter what.
anywho, this is getting long but hopefully this entry is the first of many more. Peaces!
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Hi @MmamabearR It’s crazy that you would recommend the habitbull app this week. I’ve been struggling with figuring out a system to write down on paper all of the things I want to do and have a way to track my success. I have a daily list, weekly, and monthly and couldn’t quite get the configuration figured out. I looked at the app and it looks like it would be just what I’m looking for. I LOVE statistics and graphs! Especially when someone else creates them for me. I’ll keep checking it out and may download later if I’m convinced it’s right for me. Thanks for the tip.2
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themedalist wrote: »purplicious86 wrote: »themedalist wrote: »purplicious86 wrote: »This September I will make small changes to help curb after dinner eating and snacking that just ends in me emotional eating non stop. I will start having a snack after work and making my suppers more protein rich so I'm fuller. Then focus on NOT eating much after dinner and getting sucked into the black hole of eating abyss.
Fantastic goal, @purplicious86! Stopping the late night snacking was my top priority when I lost weight here on MFP in 2011-2012. I lost 50 pounds. I make a concerted effort not to eat junk food or snack when watching TV at night. I will not be resuming that bad habit!
Great choice for a September focus!
It's definitely not easy! How did you go about it? I feel like I don't even notice myself go to the kitchen then come back sometimes! So far it's going okay.
I went cold turkey, @purplicious86. I realized that if I was serious about losing weight two things had to change: I had to give up the late-night junk food snacking and my portion sizes had to shrink. The first week was painful watching my husband sit there eating ice cream and candy. But then I got easier and the cravings subsided.
Stay with it, it’s a worthwhile change!
Thats inspirational! And motivating. Thank you for sharing.3 -
@MmamabearR Hey there! Nice to see you!
I’m really intrigued by the app also. I’m going to check it out tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!0 -
Awesome @nebslp and @PackerFanInGB! I'm happy to have offered up something useful. So far I like it. It may take at least a week for me to get a good feel for it. I may even add a few more like Meditation or Reading.3
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Sounds like a great app, @MmamabearR , I'll check it out. My September challenge is going well - so far, I've done Yoga every day.3
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Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 9 done. Circut training at 5:15 am then I took my daughters with me to Yoga at 9.3 -
I got the free HabitBull app and like it so far. I am considering paying to get more habit spaces and other perks but may just start slow for awhile. So far, so good!5
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Heidijens123 wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 9 done. Circut training at 5:15 am then I took my daughters with me to Yoga at 9.
You are doing great, @Heidijens123! And it’s great that you took your daughters with you to yoga. When kids grow up seeing that their parents exercise, they grow up thinking that exercise is just something you do...like brushing your teeth. And their health will certainly benefit!2 -
Yay!! @MmamabearR is back!! We have missed you and totally understand how life can get pretty chaotic. I’m glad you like our new monthly challenge concept and thanks for recommending the Habitbull app. I will also check it out. Remembering to do the thing we want to make into a habit is critical. Habits are created through repetition. You may want to do it, you may be able to do it, but unless you remember to do it, you won’t do it. Reminders are a critical component of the habits building process.
By the way, October will be all about habits. We’ll be repeating the Tiny Habits program and the Habits 101 (How Habits Work) challenge. For some of us it will be a refresher, but for many of us it will be new. I can’t wait!1 -
Sounds like a great app, @MmamabearR , I'll check it out. My September challenge is going well - so far, I've done Yoga every day.
I’m so happy to hear this, @77tes!1 -
So no group classes on the weekend here. So I went on a 71 minute bike ride. First 30 minutes was with my family then the next part I kicked up the intensity and went longer and faster and hit a hill I was avoiding twice! And it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was. Good thing nobody was around as I was cheering myself along out loud. 4
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themedalist wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
Day 9 done. Circut training at 5:15 am then I took my daughters with me to Yoga at 9.
You are doing great, @Heidijens123! And it’s great that you took your daughters with you to yoga. When kids grow up seeing that their parents exercise, they grow up thinking that exercise is just something you do...like brushing your teeth. And their health will certainly benefit!
Thanks! Yes it is good. And it was their first time doing yoga. My 14 year old actually told me it was way more intense then she thought it was, so it gave her a new appreciation for my efforts in doing yoga.2
