This January “I Will...”. NEWCOMERS, begin here!

MadisonMolly2017

Welcome! We are glad you are here!

🛷 For information on achieving your goals through tiny habit changes, please Google “BF Fogg.” He has some very short talks < 3 minutes and longer interviews.

The bottom line, habits trump motivation. Tiny habits give us confidence in our ability to be successful in changing our behavior, which leads to more tiny habits, which then leads to success.

The book Atomic Habits by James Clear has been helpful for many members. He also has a free (short) email he sends out every Thursday that ALWAYS has something I find very wise/insightful!

https://www.google.com/search?q=atomic+Habits&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari


[Image from unsplash.com]

❄️ It's a brand new month! What's your favorite part of JANUARY?

What healthy habit would you like to work on this month? Is it something new or a continuation of your December focus? Whatever it is, let's dive in and make it happen!

❄️If you are new to our group, welcome! Please let us know what you will be working on and how we can help! Just a suggestion: set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on!

❄️ You might frame your goal along these lines:

1. My goal for this month (This January I will...")
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself...
6. What help would you like from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January?

Optional:

Short form for tiny habits:
AFTER I ________________________
I WILL __________________________

Examples:
After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth.

After I drink my afternoon coffee, I will put on my walking shoes.

After I put away my breakfast dishes, I will prep 3 servings of vegetables for the day.

After I clean up after dinner, I will plan tomorrow’s dinner & move necessary items from freezer to refrigerator.

After I weigh myself in the morning, I will drink 2 cups of refreshing, cool water.

After I start my coffee brewing, I will stand on each leg for 30 seconds.

You get the idea!

#TinyHabitsWork

SuperMotivated56

Hi there, I’m interested in joining. I’ve been doing really well and stay fairly well on track all day long and then overindulge in some form of evening sugar after dinner. The habit that I’d like to work on for January is to plan for and stick to a healthier less calorie dense after-dinner sweet treat. I’d appreciate any help or suggestions. 😊

MadisonMolly2017

SuperMotivated56 wrote: »

Hi there, I’m interested in joining. I’ve been doing really well and stay fairly well on track all day long and then overindulge in some form of evening sugar after dinner. The habit that I’d like to work on for January is to plan for and stick to a healthier less calorie dense after-dinner sweet treat. I’d appreciate any help or suggestions. 😊

Hey @SuperMotivated56! Great job, and that sounds like a great/important habit that you are motivated to create!

Do you want to eliminate the evening sugar entirely or eliminate the overindulgence?

So, some folks banish the evening sweet while others save a set number of calories & optimize the use of those calories for a really satisfying sweet in the evening...

So if you want to eliminate it all together, can you not have the sweet in the house? Or if other family members want it, can it be stored by them elsewhere than the kitchen?

If you want to reserve some calories for a planned sweet, a habit might look something like:

At X o’clock, I will make my cup of decaf tea or a large glass of water (with lemon?) & carry my XX planned & pre-measured dessert to XXX & savor each morsel with no distractions. (Some folks then brush their teeth or “Close” the kitchen or have a planned activity to engage in after the dessert.)

Sidenote: Personally, I found eating a large breakfast, moderate lunch, a early evening walk, and two “snack sized” evening meals eliminated sweet cravings. Mine tend to occur after a rare very salty meal. If I do want something in the evening, I ask myself if fruit will work. The answer is usually no so I acknowledge this is not a hunger issue. If I am actually hungry, I will often grab a string cheese.

Let us know more about your preferences & we’ll help you craft your “I Will” for January!!

Welcome to the group!
Maddie

SummerSkier

Hi @SuperMotivated56 and welcome to our group! You are going to rock January. Maddie has some great suggestions and ideas already and as we get to know you I am sure we can encourage as needed.

The habit that I’d like to work on for January is to plan for and stick to a healthier less calorie dense after-dinner sweet treat.

So one thing I do because I love my sweet treats is to prelog my day and fit them in. Pretending that I can avoid them altogether is for me a danger danger will robinson thing because then that stubborn streak kicks in and by gosh durn it no one can tell me I can't have my treats!

And in addition to fitting them in and prelogging them I also have some wonderful substitutes which are healthier and lower cal. I love the Enlighten ice cream pints (low not keto) and Halo top and Yasso also have some higher protein a lot less SALTY desserts. Not sure what your achilles heel is but if it's chocolate consider adding some sugar free (I like the reese's cups sugar free) but be careful with those as they tend to keep your digestion moving if you over indulge in them.. lol.

hope this helps! good luck and let us know your plan.

Summersupermotivatedfor2021

MadisonMolly2017

Great ideas, Summer! I knew you had a solution for this! ❤️🎉

@SuperMotivated56
My Achilles Heels are ice cream, cookies, chocolate. So while I was losing my 75 lbs, I cut out all sugar except 85% Scharfenberger dark chocolate. It’s filled with anti-oxidants & is Expensive, so I’d only eat 1/2oz one or two times a day. I let it melt (tastes much better that way) or eat bits with a coffee or nonfat latte.

Now that I’m in maintenance, I have some extra calories - normally I stick with just the chocolate still. We tried managing ice cream- it melts too fast for me to slowly savor & I learned it has 6 ingredients that trigger Crohn’s flares (which I have) so we actually stopped buying it. We fell into some chocolate chip cookies recently, but tapered off them in the past few days.

I basically there are a million solutions & over time you will craft the one that is best for you! And as you lose more, you might even modify it & perfect it over time! I know my awareness of what I really enjoyed became clearer as I was able to maintain my weight loss.

SuperMotivated56

I feel so blessed to have come across your group and so taken aback by the amount of support and suggestions that you have offered from your very first post - thank you Maddie and Summer.

Sugar is most certainly my Achilles Heel! I have done really well in eliminating certain things - I stopped all chocolate in June and lollies/sweets in July - and didn't touch a single one until last week in the lead up to Christmas. I am confident that I can get back on that track straight away of no more chocolates and lollies. I thought that I was doing well with chocolate/lolly substitutes and have now realised that I am over-substituting with sugar. I start well with good intentions, such as a fat free natural yoghurt, but then add sugar and cinnamon to it. Or I start enjoying an apple with cinnamon on it and before I know it I have sprinkled sugar on it! My other habit that I'd like to overcome is cereal! I managed to wean myself off of the sugar coated ones, but you'll be surprised how I can indulge in even plain old rice crispies or corn flakes.... Yesterday was my first day of committing to no cereal - the proportions just snowball too quickly.

To answer your first question, Maddie, certain things are better for me to eliminate, rather than trying to control portions.

I was thinking that perhaps Habit #1 should be "no more cereal". And then habit #2 can be a refinement of a healthier less sugar-dense evening treat.

SuperMotivated56

A little more about myself (this takes a lot, as I am always reluctant to share...). I am a 44-year old (almost 45-year old) female. I started at 64kg, 18 months ago and achieved my goal weight of 56kg a few months ago (I'm approximately 1.72m tall). I haven't had the courage to move to maintenance yet, so I'm still logging my food intake in the calorie deficit mode.
I live in New Zealand (so don't always have access to many of the things that you mention), yet am always on the lookout for alternatives.
I try to maintain a fairly active lifestyle (well I have since I started this journey) - I'm a very avid walker and incorporated weights at home 12-months ago.
My self-confidence has grown so much and I'm loving this journey and all of the challenges that come along with it.

nebslp

Hi @SuperMotivated56 and welcome☺️ We’re glad you’re here! It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what triggers you. I’m not good at portioning out a certain amount of some foods (ice cream for me too!) so I don’t have them in the house. Instead, I keep a supply of 40 calorie sugar free fudgsicles in the freezer to have in the evening or to top off a meal with something chocolate, cold, and creamy. I also allow myself to buy a single ice cream bar when I’m at the local store. Chips were also a huge nighttime problem and my husband always has bagS of them in the house. Now I allow myself to have some with a meal now and then and that’s worked. Nothing is off limits but I’ve juggled around with the timing of having my favorites and am having success with that.
That is awesome that you are using weights and walking! It’s a great exercise combination that I need to work on establishing. You’ve got this!
One more thing that helps is tracking my habit. You will see lots of 🌟🌟 or other icons here as some members report their progress daily or weekly or whenever they get a chance (no rules to that)! Sometimes it might happen that a goal changes during the month or little tweaks happen and that’s fine, too, so if you’re not 100% sure right now, that’s OK. You have 2 left days to nail it down...😂just kidding! Take your time to figure out what’s best for you.

MadisonMolly2017

SuperMotivated56 wrote: »

I feel so blessed to have come across your group and so taken aback by the amount of support and suggestions that you have offered from your very first post - thank you Maddie and Summer.

Sugar is most certainly my Achilles Heel! I have done really well in eliminating certain things - I stopped all chocolate in June and lollies/sweets in July - and didn't touch a single one until last week in the lead up to Christmas. I am confident that I can get back on that track straight away of no more chocolates and lollies. I thought that I was doing well with chocolate/lolly substitutes and have now realised that I am over-substituting with sugar. I start well with good intentions, such as a fat free natural yoghurt, but then add sugar and cinnamon to it. Or I start enjoying an apple with cinnamon on it and before I know it I have sprinkled sugar on it! My other habit that I'd like to overcome is cereal! I managed to wean myself off of the sugar coated ones, but you'll be surprised how I can indulge in even plain old rice crispies or corn flakes.... Yesterday was my first day of committing to no cereal - the proportions just snowball too quickly.

To answer your first question, Maddie, certain things are better for me to eliminate, rather than trying to control portions.

I was thinking that perhaps Habit #1 should be "no more cereal". And then habit #2 can be a refinement of a healthier less sugar-dense evening treat.

Yes, thank you for this info & more about you!! I’m in California & love NZ - we have traveled there 3 times!!!

Congratulations on your weight loss & your fitness program & on all of your self-awareness.

I think your “no more cereal” Habit #1 sounds awesome.

People vary on the use of rewards...but there is research than when a habit change seems difficult, a small reward in the short term
(Ie the hardest part) can help with the “pain” of the change! Some of us make a daily paper teacher some months& others don’t. Some others log in here as they feel like it (as @nebslp said) to track as well.

We’re a flexible group.

I tend to track until the habit is rolling along!

Do you already know what you will eat instead of the cereal?

🌟🌟🌟
Maddie

SuperMotivated56

Thank you both for your positivity, support and advice 😊🌟
Very good question, Maddie - I need to nail that down, as although I know that I don’t want cereal, I haven’t quite figured out what I’ll have on hand for an “instead” 🤔 💭
I’ll have it all figured out (I hope) by midnight on the 31st 😊

SuperMotivated56

Happy New Year, friends. 🎉
I’m having a little trouble navigating where I should go from here - could you please direct me to where I should begin tracking my healthy habit? 💭🌟

SummerSkier

Hi there. I really like the framework which Molly posted at the beginning. It really walks you thru the steps. As far as trackers there is not an official one. We tend to just check in and update the group on how we are doing or you can make your own. Several gals here have magnificent trackers. I just used stars for mine. I think the August thread has some great examples if you want to look thru there or Sept ...

1. My goal for this month (This January I will...")
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself...
6. What help would you like from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January?

MadisonMolly2017

@SuperMotivated56

Great question!
I copied the firm below from the initial post in this discussion & then filled it out for my “January I Will”...

Hopefully this will help. I know other group members will post their’s over the next few days! (Busy time of year!)

1. My goal for this month (This January I will...actively make/play with art (ie not reading about it or watching a video about it)
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: Each evening I will leave a large open space on my art desk with inspiration and/or art supplies attractively arranged!
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit still deciding on this, but my current thinking is “When my noon timer goes off, I will drop what I am doing & sit at my art table.” Once I make an active mark, stitch, fold, or glue something, I will start my 15 min timer.
5. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
6. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself... I will fill in a section of a 31 space tracker & I will photograph what I did with a small sign with the day in January.
7. What help would you like from us? Be your usual positive, encouraging selves!
8. What does success look like to you at the end of January? More joy & less resistance to creating art, which I always enjoy when I do actually do it. More acceptance of my natural style/color palettes/mark making...

The Big Reason for this is I struggle with Purpose after having to stop teaching & a feeling that my art is not valid somehow. I know I have purpose & my artmaking brings me great joy, but something in me devalues it. By making it a habit, I hope to help my inner voice begin to shift!

Also, I believe that for me to continue to maintain my weight loss, I need to actively develop activities that bring me joy / reduce stress (which previously I had used food to provide - or at least to reduce the stress...)

Feel free to shoot any questions to us! We love to help!

🎉Maddie

77tes

Hi all!

From James Clear’s recent email:
A final thought from Atomic Habits as we start the new year:
"Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
-The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
-The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
-The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build."

This January, I want to focus on limiting my carbs. I’ll write it up tomorrow and set up my new tracker.

MadisonMolly2017

77tes wrote: »

Hi all!

From James Clear’s recent email:
A final thought from Atomic Habits as we start the new year:
"Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
-The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
-The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
-The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build."

This January, I want to focus on limiting my carbs. I’ll write it up tomorrow and set up my new tracker.

Yes! I saw that quote, too! Inspired my I Will... As my bottom note hinted at, my goal is to authentically value & feel like an artist:)

Thank you!
Great: re carbs!

nebslp

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Bonne Année! 💥💋 🎆

MadisonMolly2017

Whoo Hooo @nebslp!
43 mins more here !!!!

SummerSkier

77tes wrote: »

Hi all!

From James Clear’s recent email:
A final thought from Atomic Habits as we start the new year:
"Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
-The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
-The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
-The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build."

This January, I want to focus on limiting my carbs. I’ll write it up tomorrow and set up my new tracker.

Thank you for posting that! It rings with such truth. Altho my Dec habit was to make sure I did my dental hygiene 3x a day, the goal was not to use up my toothpaste but rather to keep my teeth clean and try to prevent more decay. So altho perhaps I did not phrase that entirely as Mr Clear would it is very insightful. So you focus is to limit your carbs and the goal is ........?

znaoiec

Hello to all! And Maddie, thank you for the start of the January thread and your suggestions of making changes. I was not familiar with BF Fogg and ended up watching one of his TEDxTalks. It was really interesting. I have reserved his book from the library but reading is more challenging for me these days then watching a video while I am on the treadmill. I am already getting emails from James Clear thanks to this group.

I have thought a lot about the habits on which I want to focus. Keeping it relatively simple seems important.

#1. Clutter. My constant struggle.

#2. Apple Fitness+. I signed up for this program to try it out for a month for free. I struggle constantly with doing anything besides walking and hope this will provide diversity.

#3. Piano. As a present to myself thanks to several gift cards I had received, I purchased myself a piano keyboard. I know absolutely zero about music but have signed up for online lessons geared for children but can be taken by adults. My understanding is the key is to success is to practice everyday. My habit I need to develop is to practice daily. It will need to be evenings since I typically work during the day.


For #1 and #2, I will focus on the tiny habit approach.

#1. After I get up from sitting down (which I do a lot), I will pick up a piece of clutter or something. My reward is "I am awesome"

#2. After I walk two miles on the treadmill, I will do a short Apple Fitness program. My reward is "I am awesome". My other reward is also feeling good from seeing the message sent out to my sharing group that I have completed a workout.

For #3, the piano, I am still trying to figure out my trigger/prompt. So far motivation is high but I have to work this into a habit. I am still pondering this one. Suggestions are appreciated. For a reward, I have a calendar in which to mark my practices to show my progress.



I think this is it for now. I am still thinking these through but wanted to get started.
Wishing everyone a great start to the new year!

SummerSkier

And adding on to my Dec item

1. My goal for this month (This January I will...")

scrub my face each evening after doing my teeth
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal - put the makeup remover pads within reach of the dental stuff
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit. Brushing my teeth
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) An arm pump, saying “you did it! To yourself, stickers, hugging yourself... I will stop by the make up store mid month and purchase refills on the 2 items I need which are running out
6. What help would you like from us? don't laugh at me
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? A much cleaner face and no make up on my pillows at night anymore.

Why are my habits hygiene related? I dunno. Guess I am a little bit of a lazy butt in the evenings and just want to crawl into bed when I get sleepy.

1/1 = M 🌟, Noon 🌟, N 🌟 F 🌟, B 🌟

M tooth brushing, Noon tooth brushing/floss and waterpik, N tooth brushing floss and waterpil, F face scrubbing B turn down the bedclothes

MadisonMolly2017

znaoiec wrote: »

Hello to all! And Maddie, thank you for the start of the January thread and your suggestions of making changes. I was not familiar with BF Fogg and ended up watching one of his TEDxTalks. It was really interesting. I have reserved his book from the library but reading is more challenging for me these days then watching a video while I am on the treadmill. I am already getting emails from James Clear thanks to this group.

I have thought a lot about the habits on which I want to focus. Keeping it relatively simple seems important.

#1. Clutter. My constant struggle.

#2. Apple Fitness+. I signed up for this program to try it out for a month for free. I struggle constantly with doing anything besides walking and hope this will provide diversity.

#3. Piano. As a present to myself thanks to several gift cards I had received, I purchased myself a piano keyboard. I know absolutely zero about music but have signed up for online lessons geared for children but can be taken by adults. My understanding is the key is to success is to practice everyday. My habit I need to develop is to practice daily. It will need to be evenings since I typically work during the day.


For #1 and #2, I will focus on the tiny habit approach.

#1. After I get up from sitting down (which I do a lot), I will pick up a piece of clutter or something. My reward is "I am awesome"

#2. After I walk two miles on the treadmill, I will do a short Apple Fitness program. My reward is "I am awesome". My other reward is also feeling good from seeing the message sent out to my sharing group that I have completed a workout.

For #3, the piano, I am still trying to figure out my trigger/prompt. So far motivation is high but I have to work this into a habit. I am still pondering this one. Suggestions are appreciated. For a reward, I have a calendar in which to mark my practices to show my progress.



I think this is it for now. I am still thinking these through but wanted to get started.
Wishing everyone a great start to the new year!

@znaoiec Great to hear from you & Im
Glad my post was of use!

I’m excited for your new keyboard AND I love your “I am awesome!” Rewards. I might have to borrow that!!!

With your piano, I’m in a similar situation with my daily art goal. Today was the first day & I have to say my timers at 11:45, Noon, and 15 min timers worked well.

Getting moving 15 min early at 11:45 gave me time to get some tea, figure out what I would actually begin at noon, fill water containers etc and Begin actively making right at Noon.

Perhaps something like that would work for you?

77tes

1. This January I will limit my carb intake.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal I’ll keep my daily carbs under 120.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit. I’ll log all my meals by lunchtime so that I can adjust snacks
4. How often will you do your new habit - Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? (Small positive feedbacks reinforce the habit you are trying to build.) I’ll say Victory!
6. What help would you like from us? Hold me accountable
7. What does success look like to you at the end of January? I will be down 2-3 pounds (I’m up after holiday indulgence), have fewer headaches, and have better control of my sugar intake.

@znaoiec I love your goals. My sister plays piano and is working on developing a daily practice habit. I’ll ask her when she fits it in her day. BTW, Tiny Habits by Fogg is an easy read. I read it in a few days. I also got it from the library.

@MadisonMolly2017 , Glad you started the new year right by practicing your art. Feeling devalued as an artist is hard.

77tes

@SummerSkier I find it so hard to do stuff at bedtime. I actually have started doing my teeth right after dinner. It helps me not to snack since I’m doing intermittent fasting from dinner to breakfast. It also helps me get to bed at a decent hour because I’d keep putting off going to bed because I needed to do my teeth.

@SuperMotivated56 we’ll have to cheer one another on on our carb reduction plans.

@nebslp Bonne Année to you! It looks like your keeping up with your French! I’m trying to practice Duolingo every day. Maybe one of these days I’ll take classes like you have.

texasgardnr

1. My goal for January I will be continuing, for yet another month, working on (gently 💖) taming my buddy Paper Tiger 🐯. I must still focus on his known home: the File Cabinet, and his not so secret hideouts: the Banker Boxes beside said file cabinet, as well as last month's now much smaller chair pile, which still exists, but has not significantly grown during December due to my keeping up with the continued maintenance of incoming paper.
For a little diversion I will continue give some time to keep discovering those additional places where he has become nearly (🌿🐯🌳) invisible. Although these are becoming more scarce because of 2020's finds. I will still be more aware of my quest to discover them while I declutter, and especially while I deeper clean parts of my home this January.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: I will decide the night before which which file or folder or space that I will start with in the morning. I will write it on the clip board.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: I will begin first thing after I have made my cup of tea while straightening up after the morning activity in the kitchen. Or after I start the laundry, after the kitchen is straightened up.
4. How often will you do your new habit: 5-6 times a week during January.
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit: smile as P. Tiger grows steadily smaller.
6. What help do you need from us? Your amazing encouragement.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of this month: I will be even that much more closer to having only papers that are important. Both drawers of the file cabinet are already beginning to look attractive once again because they both are definitely not stuffed full any more!! Soon the banker boxes will have another use, and the space around the file cabinet will be clear once again. The nearly invisible hiding places that Paper Tiger has discovered will become even less inviting for paper to remain there comfortably.

I also have a secondary goal of getting back to my general decluttering and re-organizing a bit while doing some deeper cleaning throughout my home during January. I plan to follow the above guidelines.

Thanks everyone 💖

🤠🌺

texasgardnr

@MadisonMolly2017 What a lovely start to our New Month/ New Year 2021. I really like the picture that you used to start us off for our goal during January. It added beauty to the first page. Thank you 🌼 .

I think that one of my favorite parts of January is putting up the new calendars, and also tidying the house up after Christmas festivities or preparations are finished and packed away for yet another year. Of course this past Christmas was different in so many ways for us all.

A new favorite part of January, at least for a second year in a row, is that I purchase an Amaryllis bulb or two to bloom indoors, during January, as a gift to ourselves. Then I pot it up outside later on in the year. I also give several away to family as gifts.

One thing I noticed when looking about this evening is that I had not even put the bin or other things away as we weren't having company into our home. Neither did I do that extra measure of decorating and tidying that I would have done had we been having company over. We were the ones who went out to see friends/ family on their porch/ front yard while keeping the distance advised.

@SuperMotivated56 welcome to the Building Healthy Habits group! Congratulations on your health/ weight loss achievements to date! Well done!!

@77tes thanks for sharing the excellent tidbits from James Clear’s recent email. I appreciate that. Also, thank you for helping me with information about paper trackers. I experimented with one during December and am already set up for January. I track my main goal(s) here on this thread, and those, plus several secondary ones on the paper tracker. Seeing the circle getting colored in (or not) was eyeopening for me. It was good to actually 'see' that I really did have a few secondary habits pretty much nailed down, and others definitely not yet.

@znaoiec That is really great that you purchased yourself a piano keyboard. You can do this! Many, many years ago we purchased one for our children. My eldest taught himself how to play it using children's beginner piano books that I purchased for the children who might be interested. As a result of, and a reward for his determination in this, I then took him to start piano lessons. We eventually purchased him a 'students' piano and he went on to play in front of audiences during several programs and also recitals. At college there was a piano in his dorm so he continued to play. He took the piano with him after graduation, and eventually gave it away when he was getting married. His wife is a piano/ violin teacher so they now have a piano in their home. This all started with a simple keyboard we gave to our children one year. I write this to encourage you in your endeavor to learn to play the keyboard! That is so cool that you can get keyboard lessons on line now!! I wish you the best, as well as much enjoyment in this adventure!

@SummerSkier I really like your 'small actions' that you are taking to accomplish your January's goal - putting the makeup remover pads within reach of your dental care things. That is simply brilliant! I like how you are focusing on taking care of yourself. Too often taking care of ourselves can easily fall off the grid, so to speak, as we take care of the many other seemingly more pressing things and also our own level of tiredness after a long day. Good for you for choosing your recent goals!

@77tes I really like what your success will look like at the end of the month with your January goal. That is really well thought out. I actually need to do something about my consuming an unusually larger amount of absolutely amazing baked goodies this Christmas. Not only what we received as gifts, but some things that I had baked for gifts for others, and apparently for ourselves as well 😵🤦‍♀️🤣😂 . This afternoon I had the last bites that were left. Now I'm having those awful carb/ sweet cravings tonight. And my 92% chocolate that I love, just isn't cutting it tonight.... duh 😄🥴.

Happy New Year 2021 y'all.


🤠🌺

SummerSkier

Happy New Year and so great to see such activity. Now we have 2 low carbers for the month - I think prelogging at lunch is definitely the way to go @77tes as that is what I do altho it is not for macros but just to keep track of calories. @SuperMotivated56 I will be interested to see how you choose to implement your no cereal lower carbs ideas also.

@MadisonMolly2017 what an absolutely awesome way to start the new year with working on your art!!! I know last month was a stressful one for you and perhaps that is why you were not able to focus as much as you would normally.

@texasgardnr I have a new amaryllis as well which has a bloom stalk coming up. I have about 6 outside that I did not try to force this year so I am wondering if they will bloom this spring or not. I did not cut the leaves off but have just left them and water them. Best of luck this month continuing on the paper tiger.

@znaoiec welcome and as a childhood pianist and harpist who only has a keyboard now, I can tell you that it is a very soothing experience to play music. My mother was a teacher for many years,

@nebslp have you decided on your habit for the month? WIll you continue with the wall sitting?

Yesterday was a gorgeous day altho a bit chilly and breezy. Here are my favorite photos of the day. And I did file all my photos the end of the month again and put them on flash drives. I find when my energy level and attitude is upbeat I take a lot more pictures. LOL. However I am also playing with the "spoiler" feature to keep from having the post be enormous...

suefitnessaccount

Hello, I'm Sue, 47 and 203lbs.

I'm new to this group and am looking to slowly build small healthy habits that I can stick to, rather than my usual restrict and bingle cycle that I've continued for years, always returning to a higher weight.

So I've nearly finished my first week. My first 'I will' is 'I will track my steps aiming for 10-15,000 steps for 6/7 days a week' - to achieve this I put my tracker watch on in the morning, charge it every 3 days and use all opportunities to build up steps during the day. I have nearly completed the first week.

So for week 2 (4-11Jan) I will be tracking honestly my calories on MFP. This is in addition to my steps goal. To achieve this I will weigh my food instead of guestimating (my usual method) and carry on tracking even when I am over calorie goal (I usually stop at this point). I'm not going to set a limit this week, instead I want to be more accurate and realistic so that I can set a goal that is achievable.

themedalist

Hi everyone! And happy new year! One thing that seems like a safe bet...2021 will be a better year!

I’m sorry for my abrupt departure from the group last fall. I knew that this group would be in very capable hands with Maddie at the helm. And I was right! Maddie thank you for all your hard work, energy, and creative ideas for inspiring us all to build small habits that then compound day after day becoming large impactors on our health, happiness, and lives. Great intro to both James Clear and BJ Fogg!

I just wrapped up rereading Atomic Habits, read BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits (The title is quite the shocker isn’t it? I didn’t see that coming! ) and now I’m reading Wendy Wood’s book. The habits review is because... I am giving a talk on habits to our team at work in mid January! And then I’m giving that same talk to a community group in town that I’m part of the end of January. I’m both excited and nervous... because understanding habits has been so helpful to me in my life, I feel it’s important to share what I’ve learned from others over the last 10 years.

themedalist

My January habit is to write a small note to my parents Thursday through Sundays. They are both living in a nursing home since my dad’s stroke in 2019 and living in a nursing home in a pandemic is just horrible. My dad is pretty accessible by phone but my mom is not. So I’m going to start sending brief cards to let them know i’m thinking about them. I have a bit more time on the mornings Thursday through Sunday, so that’s the best time to practice this new habit, as it won’t be competing with my start time at work. I am leaving the cards, the address labels and the stamps out prominently, where everything is super accessible. In five minutes, I can dash off a quick note.

So here’s my January habit:

On Thursday through Sunday

AFTER I’ve made my cup of morning tea,
I WILL write a quick note to my mom or dad.

Happy New Year!

—Denise

77tes

Hi @suefitnessaccount ! Welcome. I found tracking my food on MFP was the secret sauce for losing weight. You’ve got a good activity goal too.

@SuperMotivated56 , I’ve got a low carb recipe for granola. It’s not low calorie, but it might help transition fem your cereal habit.

77tes

Recipe

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/grain-free-paleo-pumpkin-spice-granola/