Whole-of-Life Challenge
Replies
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Too much sugar...everyone thought it would be a good idea to "gift" me with tons of candy this year. Yikes! I need to pace myself!
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New Year check-in.
Relaxation - Last day of holidays today, and feeling refreshed and productive.
Exercise - Excellent. Did a 51 km walk on Boxing Day, and have run 3 times since then.
Alcohol usage - 11 months alcohol-free!
Creativity - Maintaining.
Home - Excellent. New curtains arranged, I painted the kitchen cupboard doors, and did a lot of dusting & wiping.
Work - Looking forward to it tomorrow.
Eating in moderation - Great.
Learning - Didn't complete a free short course I began. Decided holiday should be a holiday.
Life! - Very happy.
My 2019 goals:
A marathon in a major city interstate.
48 km on my 48th month running anniversary in September.
Run 2019 km in 2019.
12 months alcohol free – Feb 1 2019 anniversary.
5 minutes handstands/stretching/balance/core daily.
Draw every day.
5 minutes learning Greek every day.
Invite someone to parkrun & walk/run with them.
These will mean I get outdoors, travel, keep running, keep strong, keep my flexibility and balance, and keep thriving.3 -
I have been MIA for a while during the holiday but getting back on track. This is an important challenge for me personally. I will be back to reevaluate and repost my goals again. Wishing everyone the best!3
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Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »I like the sound of this challenge.
1, Alcohol a maximum of two days a week except Christmas week
2, Run half marathon distance for the first time since my surgery
3, Log every day not just when I can be bothered
4. Finish off all the DIY jobs around the house
5. Keep in touch with family at least once a month
I completed number 2, kept up on number 3
Rest, must do better
Bravo on your half marathon!!!
Nice to hear that.
Great work logging!
Have you checked out the Less Alcohol - One Day at A Time thread in Challenges? We have a great list of tips in the OP we've compiled.
Keeping in touch with family is definitely something I've worked on this year. I realised I was creating a mental block for myself, and switched to texting/massaging random bits of good news to my sisters whenever they happened. I started treating them as friends rather than obligations. Our relationships feel so much better. We've also spent more time with each other and had some significant and inspiring conversations.
Do you have much time off work over Christmas? Rest sounds good!
Just joined the Less alcohol challenge, and it really will be
Going to try hard to log daily as it went out of the window over December.
I've set an extra goal of run 1000 miles this year2 -
@Runaroundafieldx2 How's the relaxation going? Any time off now?
@znaoiec How is your mother?
@lporter229 How's your swimming?
@htimpaired What are you reading at the moment?
@jenilla1 Hope you're having a chilled Chrimbo!
Sorry, I missed this. I was mostly MIA through much of December due to being busy at work and a few stressful situations with family things. I am glad this thread popped up on my feed today, as I had forgotten about it. Even though it was only 6 weeks ago, it was fun to go back and see my goals. Still trying to do my best with all of them.
As far as swimming, I went once in December and decided that I am just not enjoying it. I think I put too much pressure on myself to have proper form and technique, which I know I don't. If I do continue to swim in the future, I will probably look into getting a coach, or else just stick to water walking or casual swimming.
I have started running again, training for the Boston marathon in April. I realized just how much I rely on running to keep me calm and at ease. December was a really stressful month! I have been working to de-clutter my office at work and get my crap in order so that I can stay more focused. Losing focus at work is something I haven't dealt with in the past and it has been a struggle for me recently. I usually take pride in my work and I have not been able to do that lately, which has only compounded the stress. There have been many changes in the past year or so here and I haven't dealt well with that, even though I know that adaptation is key to survival. Time to get serious about this or think about future alternatives.2 -
Relaxation This is not a problem for me. I'm so calm in so many situations that it's just odd.
Exercise I do this because I can.
Alcohol usage I don't do this because I don't want to. It's not a struggle.
Creativity There are many avenues for creativity. I'm not sure I've taken two steps down any of them.
Home Got one.
Work Got none.
Eating in moderation Usually. The times I jump off the proverbial wagon seem to have many varied causes. I've found a few ways to interdict an urge to overeat. When I feel it starting, I can start on one of my cardio machines and get too tired to care.
Learning Always.
Life! I have no idea.2 -
TL;DR - derailed by sugar during the holidays, but back on track now!
During that space between Christmas and the New Year my diet somehow shifted to become primarily candy-based. I've never eaten so much candy in my life. (Literally everyone I know gave me candy for Christmas this year, so it was in my face and all over the place.) Holidays are usually no big deal for me in terms of diet and fitness challenges. I've never had a problem with candy, so I was totally blindsided by the crazy candy binge of 2018. What happened?!?
For some reason, once I started eating it, I really, really craved it and during that period I ate about 800-1000 calories of sugary treats every day - over half my calories! Didn't really go over calories very much (which tells you my other nutrition suffered since the quality foods were eliminated to make room for the sweet stuff.) So I didn't gain any weight, but I sure felt like crap eating all that garbage. It felt amazing while I was eating it, though. Kind of like a high. I usually have a little bit of a treat built into every day, but never anything like this! Highly unusual for me. Needless to say, I was blowing my sugar goals. And I was lacking the energy and motivation to maintain my normal activity level. I was becoming a slug. If it wasn't for dog walks, I'd be sedentary.
I'm the type of person who puts their mind to something and then does it. So I decided that starting on the 1st, I was going to go back to reasonable levels of sugar. So I just let myself have those last few days of chocolate and caramel bliss and stopped stressing about it. I managed to plow through most of it. The clock struck midnight, I had my glass of sparkling, fizzy booze, and went right back to my normal eating habits. (I feared it would be more difficult to do, since the 24/7 cravings for candy seemed insatiable. I was legitimately scared.)
But it totally worked! I've been well below my sugar goals every day so far. Seems almost too easy... But I think I know why. As long as I don't start out my day with a bunch of sugar, I don't feel the need to keep eating it all day. As soon as I consume excessive amounts of sugar, I have to keep adding more in intervals to feed the cravings. So I just have to resist that first morning candy (yes, I was eating candy for breakfast for almost two weeks) and I'm good for the rest of the day! I save a little sugar for the end of the night and then I'm out. Success! Back to my normal routine and normal craving levels!
Now I just need to get back into my normal exercise pattern...that's my next challenge. Although I did just go for a run, and haven't seemed to have lost my fitness yet. So that's a good sign. 1 -
Hello Everyone! I’m Tab. I really like this challenge happy to join you all. I have quite a-bit of weight to lose, but also want to focus on my body, mind and soul.
Relaxation: I can definitely relax more. I’ve been a little stress from family life (have a brother with mental illness) and I want to feel healthy again.
Exercise: Since Jan.1st, 2019... I have been walking one mile in the morning before work and one mile during my lunch at work. I’m feeling great about it.
SW:397
CW:384
GW:205
Alcohol usage: This is a hard one for me as I am a craft beer nerd. I’m actually opening a brewery. With all of that being said, I have made a commitment to not drink until I reach my goal weight. Currently I haven’t drinker since Dec. 15th, 2018.
Creativity: Ian always thinking of fun things to do. My goal for 2019 is to do an oil painting (never painted in my life).
Home: I am hoping to move into a new place this year. I’ve been looking at new furniture, just to decorate the new space and that makes me excited.
Work: I love my job. People I work with is great and the environment is very nice.(this is very refreshing as this was not the case in 2017).
Eating in moderation: I have been doing great with my diet so far. I started on Dec. 15th, 2019. I am currently doing the Keto Diet with Moderate Fasting.
Learning: My goal is to learn something new everyday. I also want to read 1 book a quarter.
Life: Life is good. I hope to travel quite a bit in 2019, as traveling brings me joy.2 -
Relaxation - need to work on this...I resist it - I think because I’ve worked so hard to become more active throughout my day & to exercise daily...
Exercise - Great. Daily. Can feel the increased strength.
Creativity - making progress, but want to do this daily...hard to find the time - I may have to do it first thing each day or make it my top priority...
Home - Really becoming quite organized, beautiful, spacious after much decluttering! I’ve never lived it so much before!
Work - a new daily habit to create a to do list each morning is helping me to get much more done!
Eating in moderation - Going well, but must get back to not eating out!
Learning - Signed up for a mixed media class - now to find/make the time to do it!!
Life! Is Lovely! I’m very grateful to be healthy & alive!1 -
@Runaroundafieldx2 Yay, good to see you again, and looking forward to seeing you in the Less Alcohol Challenge.
@lporter229 I'm happy you found us again. Well done for taking the time to think about your goals again. x
@JeromeBarry1 Hahaha, you do seem laid-back! Do you have something you'd like to work on (other than maintaining your current good balance)? What exercise do you do?
@jenilla1 Love how you just got right back to your plan after a nice holiday treat period!!
Welcome, @tab03mh ! You're off to a great start. And doing so well with not drinking!! Lovely to meet you.
@MadisonMolly2017 We are so much alike!
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I just got caught up on this thread, seems like people have lots of great things they want to work on. I personally am focusing on a few things this year, all of which are about making ME the priority.
I'm doing a dry January with hopes that I'll keep going. I gained weight and I know alcohol is a contributor.
I am starting a new business venture. It's overwhelming and scary but I'm so ready for this step in my career.
I am taking the final step to wrap up all things left over from my divorce a few years ago.
I'm reading books that are both in a genre I love (fantasy and sci-fi) and self help. I just downloaded The Naked Mind to see if I can modify my thinking about drinking. I don't want to abstain forever-I love the occasional mixed drink at a restaurant and LOVE cider, which has really become a big thing in my region.
Positive juju to all of you.1 -
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Runaroundafieldx2 wrote: »I like the sound of this challenge.
1, Alcohol a maximum of two days a week except Christmas week
2, Run half marathon distance for the first time since my surgery
3, Log every day not just when I can be bothered
4. Finish off all the DIY jobs around the house
5. Keep in touch with family at least once a month
I've been alcohol free since new year but might have a couple tonight as I got my dream job today
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@Runaroundafieldx2 _ Congrats on the job!!
Feeling pretty positive this week. Eating better to help shed those couple of holiday pounds. Back on track with the exercise and feeling good about doing a more well-rounded routine instead of devoting all of my time and energy to running. I took a plyometrics class on Monday and really enjoyed it. Keeping my alcohol consumption to a planned minimal amount. I also had my review with my boss this week and he was so complimentary it almost made me feel guilty because I have been feeling unfocused and unproductive for the past 2 or 3 months. It gave me a little inspiration to try and do my job as well as I can because I know he relies on me a lot. I also did a lot of cleaning around my house last weekend and worked on some de-cluttering (I am an anti-pack rat, so clutter just sucks the life out of me). I know we are only 10 days into the new year, but so far it's off to a pretty good start.
Biggest thing I still need to work on: I waste a lot of time in the morning and before bed playing math games like Sudoku and Ken-ken on my phone, probably to the point that it is unhealthy. Need to work on trading that time for something more productive.4 -
Jan 10 Update:
Relaxation - need to work on this...I resist it - I think because I’ve worked so hard to become more active throughout my day & to exercise daily...
✅Did this today!!🎉
Exercise - Great. Daily. Can feel the increased strength.
✅Daily, some very fast walks, HIIT, definitely feeling more muscles!
Creativity - making progress, but want to do this daily...hard to find the time - I may have to do it first thing each day or make it my top priority...
✅Did this today & 2 days ago. Improving🎨
Home - Really becoming quite organized, beautiful, spacious after much decluttering! I’ve never lived it so much before!
✅Home is going really well. In fact, now doing some lite decorating.
Work - a new daily habit to create a to do list each morning is helping me to get much more done!
✅I do get a lot more done, but I also feel the to do items hanging over me. Thinking about how to manage this.
Eating in moderation - Going well, but must get back to not eating out!
✅Didn’t eat out yesterday & today FINALLY!!! 🎉White-knuckling it, but I know it will get easier & is Definitely healthier for me.
Learning - Signed up for a mixed media class - now to find/make the time to do it!!
✅Making more time for this. In-process
Life! Is Lovely! I’m very grateful to be healthy & alive!2 -
Weekly check-in
Relaxation - Got a bit more sleep than usual this week, and aim to stick to that bedtime again.
Exercise - Back to maintaining running distance after two lighter rest weeks.
Alcohol usage - none, and very happy.
Creativity - a few minutes drawing daily, so maintaining.
Home - looking perfect and nice for my other half to come home to after a trip away.
Work - been asked to do an extra half an hour a day, and happy about that.
Eating in moderation - just under the middle of my goal range; in the sweet spot.
Learning - 112 days ongoing doing 5 minutes Greek on Duolingo.
Life! - Great!0 -
Sometimes I get a sense in the challenge threads that people are struggling to get by by only managing one aspect of progress in their lives.
Other times, I see familiar faces in multiple threads, and feel there are a lot of us trying to thrive overall.
It’s good to work on making small changes one day at a time.
I’ve found that small changes in one area can lead to changes in many things over time.
Let’s discuss how we’re working on:
Relaxation
Exercise
Alcohol usage
Creativity
Home
Work
Eating in moderation
Learning
Life!
REACHWELL!
Hmm ... well ...
Let’s discuss how we’re working on:
Relaxation: haven't done much of that in the past year
Exercise: building up again
Alcohol usage: haven't touched it since about April 2018 ... rarely drank before that
Creativity: been playing with photography in the past week ... not much of that over the past year
Home:
Work: doing more and more
Eating in moderation: not bad, could be better and will be
Learning: I did 4 Master's level uni courses this past year
Life!
Home and life ... yes, well ... of course most of my focus has been on my husband.
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January Progress so far:
Relaxation: Doing OK on this one.
Exercise: Winter is my slug season. I struggle, but I'm trying to at least get my minimums done while I wait for Spring to emerge. Not breaking any records this time of year, for sure.
Alcohol usage: Not an issue for me. I had a glass of sparkling wine and some of those chocolate candies filled with booze on New Year's eve. I probably have maybe 3-4 drinks in a whole year...
Creativity: I have really let myself down in this area. Something to think about for future improvement...
Home: Continuing on with my de-cluttering project. Just finished painting my office a lovely, serene, warm, pale blue color.
Work: I work seasonally, and this is my off-season.
Eating in moderation: Sticking within calories, working on keeping within my sugar goals.
Learning: I just got back from a trip to Sacramento where I visited many historical sites and learned lots of fascinating things about it's past.
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Over my life I've collected a bunch of exercise equipment.
It's mostly cardio equipment, with a small variety of bars, plates, and kettlebells for lifting.0 -
Jan 17 Update:
Relaxation - improving
Exercise - Great. Daily. Heavy rains began today- will need to figure out some other exercise options
Creativity - huge improvement this week. Most days (30 min to 2-3 hours)
Home - shifting focus to Art, but maintaining clean spaces. Doing some decluttering but not if it’s an avoidance of art making
Work - a new daily habit to create a to do list each morning is helping me to get much more done! Shifted this to a few days per week — helped with art & relaxatuion
Eating in moderation - Much improves!!
Learning - Signed up for a mixed media class - and it is fueling art making & insights!!
Life! Is Lovely! I’m very grateful to be healthy & alive2 -
I'd been very busy for a while with volunteer activities and personal improvement daily activities, and also increased my daily work hours by half an hour, so this week I made a point of getting more sleep. I let my participation in my favourite FB running groups and MFP threads lapse a bit instead, and it wasn't the end of the world! Feeling a lot less worried about burning out.
Relaxation - Better, yay!
Exercise - Did a comfortable half marathon this morning, so feeling great.
Alcohol usage - None.
Creativity - Happy with my drawing.
Home - Maintaining.
Work - All going very well.
Eating in moderation - Great.
Learning - Did a Level 1 Run Leader course last week. Major step! Maintaining Greek lessons.
Life! - Great!
Next Saturday I will be Run Director at parkrun, which means extra duties, and often a bit of anxiety, but that's improved a lot since I started 20 times ago.
This week I will need to keep a very low participation on FB/MFP again to keep up with parkrun duties and sleep.
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Relaxation - Want more!
Exercise - Very good.
Alcohol usage - None.
Creativity - Good.
Home - Good.
Work - Very good.
Eating in moderation - Very good.
Learning - Good, but have a high study load that I might not get done as soon as I'd like.
Life! - Nice.
Have a few things I need to work on this long weekend, and I'm starting to think I'm procrastinating, but I need some downtime after being in charge of parkrun and a running club committee meeting on Saturday.
Eating and sleeping are good.
Dead in the middle of my goal range overall this week.
Ran 30 km this morning, which was my January running goal.2 -
I'm recovering from surgery right now, and I hate it. It's actually becoming depressing. It's supposed to be a long, gradual recovery. And that's exactly the way it's been going so far. Not sure I can handle weeks and weeks more of this being trapped on the couch, doing next to nothing. Ugh. I just need to suck it up and be patient. And grateful that I'm doing as well as I am.
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I'm recovering from surgery right now, and I hate it. It's actually becoming depressing. It's supposed to be a long, gradual recovery. And that's exactly the way it's been going so far. Not sure I can handle weeks and weeks more of this being trapped on the couch, doing next to nothing. Ugh. I just need to suck it up and be patient. And grateful that I'm doing as well as I am.
@jenilla1
Hugs!
I follow the monthly Self-Care challenge threads, and it occurs to me that they might help.
Here's a list of self-care tips for the times we are struggling:- Get out of bed.
- Brush your teeth.
- Wash your face.
- Shower, even if you just get in and rinse off! The water might feel amazing for you.
- Eat something. Even if it’s just a cracker or some bread. Just get something in your belly!
- Walk out onto your back porch. Stand there for 10 seconds and then if you want, go back inside. Great job, you made it outside! If you feel like it, take a short walk. Get some sunshine!
- Put on your favorite TV show or movie.
- Check your email and clear your inbox. Respond to anything that is important.
- Change your sheets.
- Check your actual mail.
- Stay hydrated. Fill up a water bottle and keep it close by.
- Take your medication.
- Stretch. This can be a small quick stretch on the couch or some yoga.
- Check your text messages and answer those from people who are important or worried about you.
- Pay any bills you might have to avoid late fees.
- Change your clothes if you didn’t when you first got out of bed.
- If you have a pet, make sure they are good on their food and water. Nothing feels worse than your pet having an empty water or food bowl and you not being aware of it!
- Do a creative hobby that you like.
- Open up the blinds to let the light come into your house.
- Watch a funny video. Laugh.
https://themighty.com/2018/08/realistic-self-care-ideas/
February's self-care challenge thread is here if you're interested:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10724376/february-2019-self-care-challenge2 -
Two weeks since my surgery! I'm allowed to drive again and will start walking daily. So sick of laying around on the couch. Longest 2 weeks of my life is over! Still have to wait several weeks to start running, strength training and mountain biking again. That's depressing. But at least I can move more now...the struggle will be trying not to overdo it!
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FeelinFooFoo wrote: »This looks like my kind of challenge! I have lots of things I want to do and achieve and this challenge just may be what it takes to help me out.
...Work } work has been good, no issues at work currently. My moto at work is to stay positive, stay out of gossip, don't get involved in issues that don't effect me, don't take things personally and just do my best. And this seems to be working...
Boom! The secret to success! 1 -
Just prior to my surgery, I had proudly achieved my fastest ever running pace (8:44 minute mile) which is pretty freaking amazing for me (even though I've been running for decades, I have struggled with asthma, which has slowed me down).
Almost 3 weeks after surgery, I'm not so proud of the 32 minute mile I just completed on the treadmill at the gym. I was literally the slowest person there, and I was exhausted going turtle pace at 2 mph. But I'm not ashamed, either. I'm recovering and it's a step forward. I'll get back to greatness...and I won't ever take my fitness for granted again!
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Love your book, @FeelinFooFoo ! Lots of good plans and insights, and you're already making progress!
Perhaps with exercise, just be creative and rack your brain for something you really want to do. It could be dancing, skating, try a HIIT class, or even just go for a walk somewhere you've always wanted to explore.
Yay, @jenilla1, starting walking again is awesome.2
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