This June I Will...
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@SummerSkier yes I have a June tracker. My theme is birds since I’m very much enjoying the nest and fledglings in my lemon tree. My bird drawing leaves something to be desired - flowers are easier.
My tree poses are going well. If I only hold it for a few seconds, I figure that’s okay - tiny habits like my one word journaling. 😊
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Meds, Days 1-6, 🌟 (Plus I actually managed to drink six glasses of water today.)
Thanks for the supportive comments, @nebslp, @angelic843, and @SummerSkier!2 -
Oh that's Beautiful @77tes !!!! I think you would enjoy my purple martin colony a lot. So far we have babies in all 12 gourds and I expect them to start fledging next week. It's fun to see them all about when the babies are learning to fly.
@PKM0515 this is very cool. I think you will cement your habit this time... And the water... WOW!!!
I forgot when I was talking about past habits that I also was going to wear my jewelry and earrings more. Well I have kept that up also which is very easy. I can't say it's 100 percent but pretty close. And I think that to me is an important lesson that @nebslp taught me. Just because you don't do something perfectly doesn't mean you have to quit... LOL.
Summerdrinkingcofee2 -
I will have to get back on another day to catch up on the posts because it getting late here.
I have pondered and pondered and now I finally figured out what my "I will" must be for June.
AFTER I finish up what really needs to be done for the evening (as in dishes/ laundry etc)
I WILL not get on YouTube/ color but get ready to sleep, and read instead.
Yep, I'm getting back to some basics this summer. Starting with sleeping (again).
I've been for the most part staying off of the computer in the evenings attempting to get to sleep earlier. And it has been working, but at the expense of posting on MFP which is easier to do so in the evenings.
I'm not on any social media sites so that is not a problem, but when I get on MFP it is can be easy to get distracted and find any rabbit hole available. So after much pondering I have finally decided that I'm going to post on MFP in the evening again, whenever I can, and just stay with posting, and that way I can be more consistent posting again and not be on a long time as I am when I haven't been posting for a while. I have attempted to post during the day but it has been very difficult to find a routine time to post. So in the evening when I'm on MFP I will refuse to look at anything else interesting on the web or MFP that flits through my mind to explore.
Because the YouTube rabbit hole and/or coloring are also some of my fun things to do in the evening, I have decided to also stay off YouTube (on my phone) and coloring, and just go to sleep if it is close to my sleep time... because I can YouTube and color at the same time, very easily 🤦♀️🤪😵, for a very, very, long time ⏰. I will read instead. I can regulate that much easier 😉📖.
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So I'm here for my first post and my I will June is going to be a few things I must work on my mind set I have social anxiety and I'm afraid to post about myself so here I will try. 2nd I love doing yoga and will work on tree pose too. 3rd I work a very active stressful job and drink a lot of water all ready, but my days off I don't drink nearly as much as when I work so I must be more mindful of that. And lastly I need to get outdoors more on my time off even if that's just going for a walk around my neighborhood or to the park down the street or out in my backyard to my small small pool I bought for my mom and I last year.
I need to be outside more for mental health as much as physical or weight loss health.3 -
Of AMAZING to hear from you @texasgardnr !!! I totally agree on sleep and I have a hard time if I have any devices nearby which tend to draw my brain into active mode. It's really bad when we are having storms and I feel like I have to keep checking the radar. I hope you can find time to check in here and post without going down a rabbit hole. I have never been drawn to Utube so my problem is more generic. LOL. I also thought drawing was a good thing but perhaps it is more of a time mindless filler than art?
@pamelaromanczuk25 welcome and some very good self analysis!!! You can share as much or as little as you like!
@nebslp how is it going? Still busy with grands?!!!!
Summer1 -
Meds, Days 1-7 ⭐
Thanks, bON! I love what you said: "Just because you don't do something perfectly doesn't mean you have to quit..." This is definitely something I struggle with.
@texasgardnr
Nice to see you! I agree with you about YouTube.
@pamelaromanczuk25
Welcome! Glad you're here. I find being out in nature very calming as well. Hope you'll continue to post!2 -
@pamelaromanczuk25 Welcome!
Good Morning all.
We are preparing for our beach trip (Thursday-Sunday).
Today I am going to take some time to develop a beach protocol to support my habit goals while I am out of my regular routine.
I plan to let myself enjoy some yummy seafood and will adjust my calorie goal a bit for that.
I think my walking goal will be easy (except for the travel days) so I was thinking of doing something like.
When we stop for restroom breaks...
I will walk 500 steps.
The weather will be in the mid 70s, so not super great for swimming, but walking the boardwalk will feel awesome!
Angela3 -
pamelaromanczuk25 wrote: »So I'm here for my first post and my I will June is going to be a few things I must work on my mind set I have social anxiety and I'm afraid to post about myself so here I will try. 2nd I love doing yoga and will work on tree pose too. 3rd I work a very active stressful job and drink a lot of water all ready, but my days off I don't drink nearly as much as when I work so I must be more mindful of that. And lastly I need to get outdoors more on my time off even if that's just going for a walk around my neighborhood or to the park down the street or out in my backyard to my small small pool I bought for my mom and I last year.
I need to be outside more for mental health as much as physical or weight loss health.
@pamelaromanczuk25 , welcome to the group! All your goals are good ones. I’m a big fan of getting outside daily, and because I live in Southern California that’s not too hard although as the weather heats up I have to walk earlier in the morning, which is a struggle.
Your post reminded me to do my tree poses. I missed yesterday because I was traveling and was tired and dizzy in the evening. I’m visiting my sister in her new home in Arizona, so this morning I did my tree poses in what she calls her tree house (her sunroom look out into the trees).
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That looks like a wonderful place to relax and do yoga2
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@PKM0515 Yes we are...Ocean City, Maryland.
I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland and now live just over the Mason-Dixon line in PA. Growing up, my family went to OC every year...but I haven't been since I went for my "Senior Week" trip in 1998...lol
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have fun! My good friend lives in Salisbury and she writes that the mosquitos are as big as b52's right now... Hopefully with a sea breeze on the boardwalk it won't be a problem. I grew up in Baltimore and one of my highschool friends had a beach house there so I usually got to go once during the summer and stay for a weekend with them.
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I lost my first message so I'll try again!
@77tes Enjoy the tree house! It is absolutely gorgeous!! and have fun catching up with your sister. Also, Love the bird tracker
I hope the vertigo doesn't continue to be a problem.
@SummerSkier I must confess that I was a bit jealous with all of your Purple Martins. Then I realized they only come if given proper accommodations, so there's no one to blame but myself. So many babies!!
I'm enjoying the Barn Swallows nesting on my front porch. Babies coming soon! Congrats on continuing "old" habits. I think if we miss a day or two but keep coming back to the habit, it's got a good foothold and chance of continuing.
@angelic843 Have a great vacation! I always walk around gas station buildings or up and down the block when we stop for gas on long drives. The car jiggles enough to give me lots of extra steps, so they count, right??
@texasgardnr It's great to hear from you this month! Bedtime is an issue for me, too. I get hooked on listening to a podcast and embroidering and it's midnight before I know it
I think coloring and embroidering are two zen activities. Very easy to lose track of time. We can work on this together.
@pamelaromanczuk25 Hi and welcome. You said "I need to be outside more for mental health as much as physical or weight loss health". Truer words have never been spoken!! You have some great goals for this month! As far as social anxiety goes, I laugh now when I think about how many minutes it took me to get the courage to hit the join button on mfp for the fiist time. The was 8 years ago in January. I have never regretted hitting that button! So I'm glad you're here and are giving us a chance to support you.
@PKM0515 Yay! You're doing it!!
@themedalist and @MadisonMolly2017 I hope your enjoying the first weeks of June and are having some fun with your families.
I'm doing well with my tracker. Busy with ballgames and birthday parties all through June. But I am hooked on my 8:00 workout and morning meditation. I'm busy making memory pillow covers for each of my nieces and nephews out of my mom's clothes. Also making an embroidery/quilted picture for my sister's birthday. Sheer happiness once the decisions have been made, but lots more decisions to come with the next 13 pillows! My tracker has been very helpful and I get a reward every time I get to click on the done button 2 -
@pamelaromanczuk25 Welcome! And your goals and everything that you wrote are well thought out. Great insight and plan 🌼! I liked your profile story about you mother. Very inspiring.
@SummerSkier I love the fun picture of Bandit that you posted. He is obviously having a good ole time out there!
You did have some rough tests that you went through. Ouch 😵😥. Glad they are over. How is it going going back to the office? I have some friends that are in the middle of acclimating back to that.
Thanks for the awesome post 😉💖!
When I color it is often very artistic as I plan and work purposely with the color and different brands of pencils. I choose which pencils to use because various pencils color and blend differently. But sometimes it can be very much a mindless relaxing time for both my mind and body also, depending on the particular picture and what I want to do with it. I choose different pictures depending on my mood and what I am needing at the time. And I do decide if I'm ok with watching YouTube, or a movie, or just listening to something at the same time, or to just color in the quiet. Either way I can stay up very, very late and not give a second thought to that I 'should' be already sleeping 😴⏳.
I'm definitely with you on having to keep checking the radar during storms 😵. And at the same time thinking if the power goes out this storm then I really shouldn't be checking so much, but it is like I'm compelled 😲🤔.
@PKM0515 great keeping up with your meds! Good for you 👍!!
@tryingtoloveme97 welcome! Great habit to be tracking... drinking 2 cups of refreshing, cool water 💧. I like my water bottled and room temp or cool because our tap H2O tastes yuck. I have one of those insulated cups and I can leave over night after I fill it with the cold side of the water cooler before I go to sleep, and the next morning it is cooler and pleasant.
@angelic843 have a fun and happy time during your beach vacation! You are doing some awesome thinking and planning for it!! Also Happy Belated Birthday 🎂!!! And congratulations for being elected to an executive committee seat for my state teachers association! What a privilege and honor 💐.
@77tes Wow! Your sister's "tree house" room is so lovely and has a beautiful view! That would be such a beautiful room to relax in, or do yoga or read, or anything in. What a blessing to have the stunning view and the privacy.
That is awesome that you are able to visit your sister in her new home! I remember when she was getting ready to move and your were also losing your sister being near as well as your exercise partner 😥.
I love how you decorated your June tracker!!
Thanks for the tai chi video you posted that you've enjoyed before. The instructor makes it look really calm and inviting and maybe not so scary just from the frame that got posted. Editing to note that I just checked the video out and subscribed to the instructor's YouTube channel to explore it more carefully. Hmmm, 5 minutes could definitely doable. Again, Thank you!
(PS.. I won't be coloring during this video 🤸♀️😁).
@MadisonMolly2017 Awesome tracking and it is fun to see all the colors! Sounds like a nice visit with your son, and that you had a good time finally eating out again! That made me laugh that you have been counting the days since you've been to a restaurant 😋📅. Who ever thought we'd ever do that 🤸♀️.
@nebslp Awesome tracking your I wills/ habits on Habit Bull every day before you go to sleep! Doing great 👏👍!!
So true! No matter what mood I'm in when I start coloring I can easily get really distracted by listening to a podcast/ watching something or listening to something like a TedTalks on YouTube, and be coloring and... yep, it's suddenly already midnight or later, before I realize how late it is 😴 ⏰. I believe that you explained it so well in your post.
@themedalist Better balance being your focus is a really good one 🤸♀️😱!
I hadn't specifically thought a lot about that one being a habit or something to work on, and I should the older I get, especially since balance has never been a strong suite for me my whole life. It has barely crossed my mind a time or two but not for long. Thanks for the idea!
And I agree that is a great suggestion @PKM0515 about Tai Chi. I have totally forgotten about that time years ago when I took a very short term Tai Chi class at our library. It was good but nerve racking trying to learn the moves in a group setting. I'm not good at doing that sort of thing. So doing it at home can be a better option for myself. At the library it was a video class, but with a librarian who was presenting the class who really explained things and reran the video as needed for us.
OK, it was good to find time to peek at the posts so far this month, and to catch up with y'all.
Hugs,
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Meds, Days 1-8 ⭐
@angelic843
Ocean City looks beautiful! I hope the weather cooperates. Nice walks on the beach are inspiring!
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Thank you @nebslp! It’s been wonderful to see them❣️❣️
Lovely to see you @texasgardnr !! Well I used an online “how many days ago was Feb 14, 2020” tool
I’m planning to go 500 this time! The reason I was heavy was I basically only ate out. I know as long as I don’t do that, I have a fighting chance at this maintenance game 😁
I continue to make/work on art every day. It brings me great joy & is now an established habit.
I also reduced my salt so that one’s done too.
I’m very pleased that I turned around the little uptick on the scale by careful tracking, simple eating, and finding foods with less salt!
So, I’m taking a page from several of you, and I tried it out the past three days - success!
My June I Will is now “Before I head downstairs to make my breakfast, I will do 10 reps of an arm exercise.” This is just a very beginning habit, but 30 is more than I’ve done in months heehee
Once it’s established, I’ll add more sets/reps/exercises. My goal is two real strength workouts per week minimum. But this is a good beginning!
June 7 💪🏻
June 8 💪🏻
June 9 💪🏻
@texasgardnr I also have different brands of pencils- they are all so different!! Love it! I also can get lost in my art as the night progresses. We are not alone…many artists are this way. Awhile back my I Will was:
Prepare art substrate 11:45
Begin making marks 12
Photograph & post (to an art group) 12:15 or later.
It worked great & now I begin creating much earlier in the day. I find the light is so much better, it has reinforced this new habit!
Best to you all!
Maddie 🌸2 -
Hey Everyone!
I hope your day is going well!
This caught my eye today, and I thought you might find it helpful!
After I read it, I realized this is one of my major strategies that I had not recognized. I never “throw in the towel” on the rest of the day, week, month… each thing I eat counts.
From James Clear’s newsletter…
Author Gretchen Rubin on how to rebound from a mistake:
"Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, "I'll get back on track tomorrow," try thinking of each day as a set of four quarters: morning, midday, afternoon, evening. If you blow one quarter, you get back on track for the next quarter.
Fail small, not big."
Source: Better Than Before
AND as predicted…after 3 days of 10 reps, I did 3 sets of 10 reps with each arm AND 10 reps of another. And last night I stretched for a minute or two.
I’m thinking of using this quarter system for these mini exercise sessions. I’m also getting out my hand weights & distributing them to the places I am most frequently
IE, I think my success for upper body exercises will be “little bits, done frequently” throughout the house.
Thank you to all of you (and the Harvard Newsletter) who inspired me to get back to doing more than just my hiking/walking)
Oh oh … check this out, my fellow walkers!!!!
5 surprising benefits of walking (Harvard)
The next time you have a check-up, don't be surprised if your doctor hands you a prescription to walk. Yes, this simple activity that you've been doing since you were about a year old is now being touted as "the closest thing we have to a wonder drug," in the words of Dr. Thomas Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Walking for Health
The simple activity of walking has so many powerful health benefits. Done correctly, it can be the key to losing weight, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and boosting your memory, as well as reducing your risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and more. Walking for Health, created by the experts at Harvard Medical School, takes you step-by-step from why walking may be the most perfect exercise, to how to get started on a walking program, to specific walking workouts. It even has a special section on walking for weight loss.
Of course, you probably know that any physical activity, including walking, is a boon to your overall health. But walking in particular comes with a host of benefits.
Here's a list of five that may surprise you.
1. It counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. Harvard researchers looked at 32 obesity-promoting genes in over 12,000 people to determine how much these genes actually contribute to body weight. They then discovered that, among the study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day, the effects of those genes were cut in half. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
2. It helps tame a sweet tooth. A pair of studies from the University of Exeter found that a 15-minute walk can curb cravings for chocolate and even reduce the amount of chocolate you eat in stressful situations. And the latest research confirms that walking can reduce cravings and intake of a variety of sugary snacks. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
3. It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers already know that any kind of physical activity blunts the risk of breast cancer. But an American Cancer Society study that zeroed in on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked three hours or fewer per week. And walking provided this protection even for the women with breast cancer risk factors, such as being overweight or using supplemental hormones. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
4. It eases joint pain. Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking protects the joints — especially the knees and hips, which are most susceptible to osteoarthritis — by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support them. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
5. It boosts immune function. Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And if they did get sick, it was for a shorter duration, and their symptoms were milder. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
To learn about additional benefits of walking, check out Walking for Health, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School
JUST the FIRST TWO are enough for me haha
Have a great day!
Maddie🌸1 -
@texasgardnr and @MadisonMolly2017 lovely updates. I really have missed you msTxG!!!
So I survived my cardiologist and endo appts this week! Whew. I was happy to see that in 7 yrs since my last card appt I have dropped 15 pounds which I was in 2014. Also happy to see that I was exactly the same weight at my endo since 2019 last time I was physically there. And what's nice about that is I was not a sine wave of great proportions. Being a serial yo yo person sometimes I can gain and lose 20 pounds between dr appts so they only see the one #. Since I haven't really weighed myself since last summer it's nice to see that my maintenance approache(s) which change of course are working to keep me level. And in spite of the tech being harsh on my thyroid everything is ok so I don't have to retest for another 2 yrs.
The real test of my changed approach to eating this past month of so will be my blood work next Friday tho. I always have high cholesterol and high HDL but maybe this year it will be normal.... I won't sign up for statins regardless of the # but at a min would be nice to have come down a little.
Summercheckin2 -
@MadisonMolly2017
Lots of info in your post! Planning to read the details later.
@SummerSkier
Glad your medical appointments went well!
Meds, Days 1-9 ⭐3 -
@SummerSkier congrats on your maintenance for such a long time! Good luck with the blood work up. Keep us posted!
@PKM0515 Great job on the meds! You have a good streak going.
@MadisonMolly2017 Keeping weights in various places throughout the house would definitely be a good reminder of your habit and make it easier to do when you have a few minutes.2 -
"Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, "I'll get back on track tomorrow," try thinking of each day as a set of four quarters: morning, midday, afternoon, evening. If you blow one quarter, you get back on track for the next quarter.
Fail small, not big."
that's awesome! Usually my fails are late in the evening so it is THE NEXT day back on track but this is a really good idea. We always think in terms of milestones but starting NOW is never a bad idea.2 -
Ug,,,, I was having trouble sleeping last night so I got up around midnight and was binge watching Manifest on tv. I happened to look up and on my living room vaulted ceiling looked to be a bug. So of course I turned on the light and sure enough one of those HUGE tree things (I can't even say the name) was way up on the ceiling. Stupid cats are supposed to notify me when one of these gets in and I had JUST treated around the house with boric acid powder. sigh.
So, this has nothing to do with habits.
Anyway. I am quite proud of myself for figuring out how to take care of this problem. I got my new long handled tree trimmer and screwed on 2 more poles. Got my ladder out and managed to get it off the ceiling. Ug. It was a FLYER too.... OMG
Luckily It went right onto the wall where I could Raid it. That sucker took half a can. And then of course I got the garage shop vac in and took care of that. I hate spraying Raid in the house but this was an emergency!
And of course I could NOT go back to sleep for hours and hours and still keep checking ceilings and walls.
This is my worst nightmare scenario.
Ok I just read about the shooting in downtown Austin last night. Well yall know where I was but seriously..
SummerinTx. LookwhattherainsbroughtohGREAT
PS I think they are having the same troubles at work because they mentioned needing pest control on our manager call last week. I hope that is the last one I see for a lONG LONG time.3 -
😲🪳 😬 @SummerSkier You might have to teach your kitties how to use binoculars to spot those things on the ceiling! It’s been a few years now, but once in awhile we would get wood roaches because we have so many trees. They are about 3 inches long and fly and almost ALWAYs came in pairs so you could never rest until you found the second one. Now I’m scanning the ceiling! Ugh! Tis the season…
?😷 your new sleep mask?😂3 -
So sorry @sumnerskier (& @nebslp)
We don’t have roaches but we have a persistent outdoor rat issue in our arbor. We’ve almost got it licked. Funny I never use RAUD but thought if spraying it where we’ve poked up into wisteria to dislodge nest…to hopefully make “ratty” move along…2 -
Well this morning's antics. Thought I would sleep in but someone was making a fuss in the dining room. I thought at first it was Lil Bit who normally will attempt box murder to awake me but then realized she was in bed with me, hmmm.. So I got my butt up and flipped on the lights to find Hai Hai carrying around her prize - a very huge and possibly pregnant ghekko lizard (well maybe 6 inches). Normally we only get babies in the house. Anyway, she was TOTALLY indignant when I made her drop it and locked her up in the bedroom. The ghekko was frozen in terror still of course and I wasn't sure it was alive but I scooped it up (yes it WAS alive) into a paper cup and put it outside. WHEW! Those are worth rescueing. Poor Hai Hai tho. She is STILL indignant..
I can remember years ago we had a baby snake one of the cats was chasing around the house early in the morning which we rescued. I guess it's been so wet that a lot of things are trying to get in... A friend of mine got really badly sick and almost died from West Nile so even tho it is HOT and HUMID I have been wearing long sleeves at the barn and literally melting...3 -
Okay, all this bug talk is freaking me out! (I'm happy the ghekko was rescued though.)
Meds, Days 1-11 = ⭐5 -
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Hi Everyone! I made it back from my trip to Minnesota. Had a great time seeing family including two cousins I hadn’t seen in decades.
I just read through your most recent posts and Wow…great goals and progress in June! For me, not so much. And that’s OK. I want improving my balance to be a summer goal and it still is. But right now, my focus needs to be elsewhere.
I need to help my parents more. For those of you who don’t know, my dad had a catastrophic stroke two years ago and is paralyzed on his left side. Both my parents live in a retirement community…my dad needs nursing care and my mom is in assisted living. They need my help and they need my time this summer and they will get it. We are also transitioning back to work and that’s also stressful. I don’t want to add any more stress than I already have. So I’ll continue with my eating and exercise habits (exercise is such a great stress reducer) and work in the balance training as I can.
I will add the July and August “I will” threads when the time comes and try to check in with you weekly. I am really proud of the progress you are making! Denise 4 -
I also wanted to share with you the coolest app that I’ve discovered recently. As many of you know, I use my treadmill daily. I couldn’t be without it…. I read books on it, answer emails, watch videos, and do lots of other things. And now I’m walking through Bordeaux, France and you can too!
If you exercise using a treadmill, elliptical, or bike and wish you could make it more interesting, check this out. BitGym offer a stunningly gorgeous immersive tours to make cardio workouts much more engaging! Smooth beautiful tours with the pace set by the user. When I stop, it stops when I walk faster, the tour speeds up. BitGym offers both a free plan (8 tours) and a premium subscription (more than 200 tours) and a great mix of both urban and rural landscapes and waterways. I checked out the free tours and then quickly subscribed! I’m completely hooked!
I know that virtual walking isn’t the same, but there are no travel expenses, bugs, I don’t risk falling, and I get to explore all kinds of beautiful places. If you regularly use cardio equipment, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Here’s a screenshot from Bordeaux:
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