This August I Will...
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My goal for this month:
This August's I will: I will track my progress (again) of getting to sleep earlier, success will now be lights out by 11:00 PM.
I will use 😇 for lights out by 10 P.M, 🕚 for lights out by 11 P.M, after 11P.M. ❌.
(I am allowing one night a week(end) only if something special is going on so it won't trigger failure feelings.)
August 1: 🕚
August 2: 🕚
August 3: planned later night
August 4: 🕚
August 5: 🕚
August 6: 🕚
August 7: 😇
August 8: 😇
August 9: 🕚
August 10: 🕚
August 11: 😇
August 12: 🕚
August 13: 🕚
August 14: 🕚
August 15: 🕚
August 16: 😇
August 17: 😇
August 18: 🕚
August 19: 😇
August 20: 🕚
August 21: 😇
It may look like I'm getting a lot of extra sleep, but often times I wake up (once or multiple times) during the night. Sometimes it is very easy to get back to sleep, but a few times I just can't, so I finally get up and start my day. I'm OK with that right now since this getting to bed earlier is an adjustment that I am working on.
🤠🌺2 -
@texasgardnr , You are doing really great. I sympathize with the struggle about waking multiple times during the night. There isn't a whole lot you can do about that, but getting to bed earlier is something you CAN control, so kudos for doing that. I try not to get up when I awaken in the night. I will listen to something boring (with an earphone, so I won't disturb others), and I try not to turn on lights, and that generally helps me fall back to sleep for brief catnaps to finish up my night. I'm rooting for you!1
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@77tes oh that's great! I'd be interested in the Hogwarts group, I'll have to search for it. If my sister and I lived near each other I think we would also work out together, but we live 3 hours apart so that's a shame. It would be great to have a cheerleader nearby!
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AUGUST GOAL: This August I will move towards an intermittent fasting ratio of 14/10, with an aim to ultimately improve my insulin resistance. (Started 19/8)
19/8:
- ate too late at night
20/8: - ate too late at night
21/8:
22/8: 1 -
I will keep to clean eating which, for me, means eating no prepared foods. I will be responsible for making every meal, at home, using only raw ingredients. 😀2
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@TwistedSassette , I'll try to remember to share the link for Hogwarts when the next Term starts. It will be organized around Book , so it would be a great place to start. I actually think being in a group like that would help you and your sister support one another. I hope so because my sister may be moving out of state for retirement.
If she does, we'll have to transition into connecting more via the internet.
Yesterday I had an interesting conversation about healthy eating with a co-worker who is reading Genius Food, and intermittent fasting came up. She seems to think that it is pretty great to reduce insulin resistance. I'm not sure if it is mentioned in the book or something that she has heard about before.
@LyndaBSS, eating clean and preparing meals at home is a great goal. You can do it!1 -
Just getting caught up on your terrific progress this month!
@TwistedSassette, a very warm welcome to our group! I’m so happy that you started mid August rather than wait for September to roll around. I think we’re always better off starting now and starting is usually the hardest part. This is a very supportive and encouraging group and we are always delighted to have new members post what their goals are and how they are doing.
@texasgardnr and @MadisonMolly2017, Great job on prioritizing better sleep! MM, I wonder if the poor night sleep the next day is because you’re just not as tired after getting a good night sleep the night before? That often happens to me. I’ve learned that sleeping more than what I need isn’t really a good thing because I won’t be as tired as I should be the next night.
@77tes, you are making wonderful strides in pushing yourself a bit more with yoga. It’s so easy, isn’t it, to do something at a very comfortable level. But we don’t make much progress if we allow ourselves to get too comfortable with what we can easily do. By the way, the music theory book that your sister recommended arrived and it is fantastic! I am setting aside a few minutes each day to work my way through it. Please thank her for me!
“We create our destiny, for better or worse, with our daily habits.” So very, very true, @nebslp! I’m glad you are still carving out a few minutes for quiet studio time. I think it’s so wonderful way to start the day!
My focus this month on keeping a constant tempo when I play my guitar is going well. Having songs prerecorded that I can then slow the tempo way down and play along is such a great learning tool. I try to find a tempo that’s a bit of a reach and not easily doable for me. Not too much of a stretch so that I can’t keep up. But just a bit out of my comfort zone. It reminds me of when I was walking half marathons many years ago. I would try to find walkers who were walking just a little faster than I was. Then I’d try to keep up!
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Ok! First 8 days done!
Good habits around SLEEP so far:
Was Already established. 10:30 medicine,
Was Already established, putting water by bedside,
New!*** getting out ear buds for use, if needed
New!***putting sleep mask where I can get it easily,
New!***Dimming lights at 9:30, and no later than 10:30.
New!***Using audio meditations** immediately** if I wake up at night & in AM,
new!***continuing to go back to sleep, if possible, until I’ve accrued 7 hours.
To work on this week:
☘️Turn off TV/computer no later than 11pm. Record time achieved.
Record time you turn off phone
Record time you fell asleep (approx) Record time you woke up.
Insights:
exercising in AM helps me sleep better than evening workouts
Average hours so far ~7❣️❣️❣️
Baby steps.
My lack of good sleep hygiene is related to 2 things:
* My phone #1
* I’ve always “fought” going to sleep even when yawning even as a kid #2
Other possibilities:
❌ Evening meds (inconclusive since I take them every night & sleep varies!)
YES Dinner too late
YES Cutting off Decaf coffee/bit of choc by 4 pm.
YES Exercising too late in day
BTW: I noticed I began sleeping better when the weather cooled down (esp at night!). Interesting because I tend to exercise earlier on those days & then eat earlier.
So early light dinner-snack
Cool bedroom
Dim lights 9:30 on
No exercise after 6 pm except moderate walk
No choc or decaf after 4 pm
Exercise in AM/midday if weather will not be super hot.
My heavy exercising is making me sleepy at night. Definitely going to sleep earlier & getting 7+ hours each night now. A miracle!!
I’m getting there! I will likely keep this goal in September to make these habits more entrenched!
TY @themedalist for your modeling & great advice!0 -
@77tes, thanks for the ideas! Some of them I already do. I will now work in the additional ideas as well. I just made the list which includes what I already do as well as extra ideas and will review it before bed time for several (or more) nights until all are easy to do without much thought when I find myself awaking. Thanks 💖.
@LyndaBSS, that is such an awesome goal for August and beyond! Good for you for jumping right into the August "I Will.." Welcome 🎈🌹
@themedalist, That is awesome that your keeping a constant tempo when you play your guitar is going well!! I really like how you are keeping up with your goal by keeping the practice just a bit out of your comfort zone. That is a really mindful and planned way of attaining your goal! Good food for thought for myself in formulating my plans and goals! Thanks.
About your sleep related question, Even with going to sleep earlier I am actually ending up getting mostly about the same amount of sleep as I usually get when I go to bed late. Which is really not enough for me. The nights that I get even a little additional sleep I can tell the difference in a good way. I think that my body needs to keep adjusting to my going to sleep earlier. I'm also looking at other factors as well. Thanks for the input 👍💤
@MadisonMolly2017, I will be so happy when it finally starts to cool down here. At 8 PM (now) it is 90 degrees
, (I just hung my husband's work clothes load out on the line, something I often do at night since it is still hot 
) tomorrow at sunrise it's forecast to be 78 degrees already.
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My goal for this month:
This August's I will: I will track my progress (again) of getting to sleep earlier, success will now be lights out by 11:00 PM.
I will use 😇 for lights out by 10 P.M, 🕚 for lights out by 11 P.M, after 11P.M. ❌.
(I am allowing one night a week(end) only if something special is going on so it won't trigger failure feelings.)
August 1: 🕚
August 2: 🕚
August 3: planned later night
August 4: 🕚
August 5: 🕚
August 6: 🕚
August 7: 😇
August 8: 😇
August 9: 🕚
August 10: 🕚
August 11: 😇
August 12: 🕚
August 13: 🕚
August 14: 🕚
August 15: 🕚
August 16: 😇
August 17: 😇
August 18: 🕚
August 19: 😇
August 20: 🕚
August 21: 😇
August 22: 😇
🤠🌺1 -
Hi! Next week is the last full week of August already! You are all doing so well with analyzing and tracking your progress.
I LOVE my goal of spending time in my studio to plan for the day and monitor my progress on my current projects. I've been using my headphones while I work and have been able to take in a couple of podcasts each day or I listen to them when I'm in the car. Today on one of the podcasts it was said in order to make something you've learned stick with you, you need to share it. So I hope you don't mind but I'd like to share a tidbit of wisdom I've heard whenever I post. The word "habit" enters in almost every podcast at some point so it seems somewhat appropriate. Here's today's bit with paraphrasing: The habit itself doesn't change you. The act of doing the habit over time changes you. You have to show up every day.
Every day takes commitment. Thank you all for inspiring me to stay focused and committed to my goal...every day!2 -
My stepfather passed away this morning. My husband and I traveled all day to get to my mom. Emotionally drained. No goals met today but I will try again tomorrow because I think I will need a routine to get me through this week. Love you all. ♥️4
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@PackerFanInGB You have my deepest sympathy. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Rest when you can. 🙏2
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Anybody got a cure for overdoing squats? Besides not doing that again? 😁
My thighs are killing me.1 -
I'm SO proud of myself (if you knew me in real life, you would know that feeling is rare).
I had my lunch set up today as roasted veggies and my dinner shrimp, snap peas and sweet potato. Both meals require the oven.
Lost power about an hour before lunch. First thought was "yippee, I have an excuse to go get pizza!" I was even down to considering which place to get it from.
Something internal made the choice for me. Odd feeling. I walked into the kitchen, took out my lavash bread, garlic aioli, romaine and a tomato and made myself a wrap. It was delicious!
Power literally came back on within 5 minutes of me finishing lunch. This was a real win for me! 😃3 -
@PackerFanInGB, I am sending you my deepest sympathy, dear one. I will continue to pray for you and your mother, and your family. Hugs and love to you 🌸.
:flowerforyou:
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My goal for this month:
This August's I will: I will track my progress (again) of getting to sleep earlier, success will now be lights out by 11:00 PM.
I will use 😇 for lights out by 10 P.M, 🕚 for lights out by 11 P.M, after 11P.M. ❌.
(I am allowing one night a week(end) only if something special is going on so it won't trigger failure feelings.)
August 1: 🕚
August 2: 🕚
August 3: planned later night
August 4: 🕚
August 5: 🕚
August 6: 🕚
August 7: 😇
August 8: 😇
August 9: 🕚
August 10: 🕚
August 11: 😇
August 12: 🕚
August 13: 🕚
August 14: 🕚
August 15: 🕚
August 16: 😇
August 17: 😇
August 18: 🕚
August 19: 😇
August 20: 🕚
August 21: 😇
August 22: 😇
August 23: 😇
August 24: 🕚
🤠🌺0 -
I'm SO proud of myself (if you knew me in real life, you would know that feeling is rare).
I had my lunch set up today as roasted veggies and my dinner shrimp, snap peas and sweet potato. Both meals require the oven.
Lost power about an hour before lunch. First thought was "yippee, I have an excuse to go get pizza!" I was even down to considering which place to get it from.
Something internal made the choice for me. Odd feeling. I walked into the kitchen, took out my lavash bread, garlic aioli, romaine and a tomato and made myself a wrap. It was delicious!
Power literally came back on within 5 minutes of me finishing lunch. This was a real win for me! 😃
A very big win indeed, @LyndaBSS! Every day is full of choices. Do I eat a healthy breakfast or stop and get a couple of donuts on my way to work? Do I go for a walk today or just flop down on the couch and watch TV? So many choices and while any single one of them isn’t too big a deal by itself, they add up when they get repeated overtime.
When you choose a healthier lunch option, I think it makes it that much easier to make the next healthier choice. And the next healthier choice. And pretty soon your day is filled with a collection of mostly healthy choices. And maybe a few Doritos, which was my day in a nutshell.
Well done, @LyndaBSS!
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@PackerFanInGB , I’m so sorry for your loss. Much sympathy goes out to you and your mom. Hugs (())0
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PackerFanInGB wrote: »My stepfather passed away this morning. My husband and I traveled all day to get to my mom. Emotionally drained. No goals met today but I will try again tomorrow because I think I will need a routine to get me through this week. Love you all. ♥️
I'm so sorry for your loss. 💚0 -
I spent much of last week visiting my family down in Virginia and spending time with my dad who is rehabbing after a stroke in June. He is starting the initial steps of walking with a walker and two attendants helping him. It’s great to see and I am encouraged by his leg progress.
Unfortunately, his left arm and left hand still have very little movement. Apparently that’s typical in stroke patients as the arm tends to lag the leg in progress. I’m not sure why. I’ve been reading up on strokes and rehabilitation and lots of repetitions of movements are essential to regaining the use of an arm or leg.
Dad has physical therapy and occupational therapy Monday through Friday, but I wasn’t feeling he was doing enough outside of those sessions. Exercises have to be done throughout the day, not just during the formal therapy sessions. It’s not that he objects to doing the exercises because he wants to regain his lost abilities. But he’s not in the habit of doing them. I wanted to help him build this new habit.
He has a whiteboard in front of his bed where we leave notes and his health team leaves updates on his progress. I decided on a visual cue: A table with columns listing the days of the week and 2 rows for morning and afternoon.
His occupational therapist noted a few exercises she’d like him to do twice a day that should take about 5 minutes. Perfect! We now have the routine.
And the reward? After Dad does his two exercise sessions it gets noted on the table with a star and he calls one of his 4 kids to lets us know. He really seems to enjoy calling us and I’m so proud of him.
He has a 7 day exercise streak!
My brother increased the challenge a bit by color coding the stars according to how many sets he did. Dad seems to like the challenge.
It made me think of our group and especially those of you who use a visual symbol or icon to denote your progress that day. It’s a great system!
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@LyndaBSS , well done on not letting a power outage send you off course! And I hear you about too many squats. Been there, done that. The cure, of course, is to do more squats 🤣. However, stretch out those more squats over days and even weeks. I did a challenge that progressively increased push-ups and planks over the course of a month. It started with maybe 5 push-ups and a 39 second plank and went to 25 and a 2 minute plank. Maybe you could try a similar system.
Still, those sore legs are stronger (even though they feel like wet noodles).2
