This January I Will...
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themedalist
Posts: 3,212 Member
Happy New Year! Just imagine what we can all accomplish in 2022! I'm sure we will be celebrating a lot of healthy new habits this year. Why am I so sure? Because any goal takes more than just desire: it takes a realistic plan with small, specific, do-able actions steps, and the commitment to see the plan through, even when it's difficult. Plus, it takes support and a cheering squad. Plan + Action Steps + Cheering Squad = THIS GROUP!
If you are joining us for the first time, a very warm welcome! We are glad you are here. Please make sure you’ve reviewed our Newcomer’s Guide as it will help you get started. 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.
Maddie and I can’t overstate the importance of starting slowly with small, achievable daily steps that you can build upon. We want you to succeed at your goals and habits researchers are clear that the most successful path to any goal is through small, repeatable actions taken everyday. These repeatable actions grow into habits and good habits will change your life.
Still not convinced that small changes can have that big an impact? Ask our veteran habit builders what small changes they’ve made in their lives that have had a big impact on their health and happiness.
And if you're joining us midway through the month, no need to wait until February. Begin now and you'll be that much closer to achieving your goal. If you're looking for ideas, our list of previous challenges may come in handy.
Let’s get started! Let's hear what you'll be prioritizing this January. Let's make 2022 a terrific year!
🌷Denise & 🌸Maddie
@themedalist & @MadisonMolly2017
New to Habit Building?
Be sure and read our Nuts and Bolts of Habit Building.
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So, following the half-size me podcast where:
2 weeks = track my food and habits then
2 weeks = track and find my actual maintenance (250 more for me than MFP has)
then forever: starting to change my habits slowly - habits that can put me in a small caloric deficit from actual maintenance that believe I can do for the rest of my life. Only the habits I believe I can do forever.
Just started the last part and someone recommended this group for this part. I will focus on planning my meals, especially lunches at work (was spending lots of $$ and calories eating fast food).
So far feeling successful, empowered and amazingly un-deprived of anything. The point: if I have a day that I need to eat more - then I eat to my known maintenance.7 -
For January I am focusing on boosting my physical activity. I seem to have fallen into a rut of disappearing into the black hole of my sewing/crafting space first thing in the morning and emerging late in the afternoon when other responsibilities seem to take priority over getting the exercise that my body needs.
Before I start sewing, quilting, Cricut cutting, painting, woodburning, playing music, or whatever the creative muse of the day is...I will take a minimum of 15 minutes to exercise every day. Exercise options may consist of, but are not limited to:
Take a walk (outside, weather permitting or inside)
Workout videos ( DVD or YouTube, i.e. Leslie Sansone, Reps to the Rhythm, Jessica Smith, Sharona Hill, etc.)
Ride stationary bike in Tom's office (dangerously close to my studio 😁)
Elliptical in garage
Bonus points for standing while creating rather than sitting and extra props for dancing (when appropriate) during these sessions.
This commitment will be tracked on MFP and 100% compliance will be rewarded with the purchase of something for creative purposes. Who knows? That reward might be something to enhance my new physical activity habit!6 -
For the first 5 days of Jan, I will be finishing off the 30 Days of Doodles (started on Dec 6) AND setting up a habit-tracker for the rest of the month. I think I found a suitable pre-made Google spreadsheet type that is designed to make use of emojis (you choose your own)
I seem to do better when I make things more like a "game" (eg every morning I pre-log while playing "Go For The Green" (making sure my day stays right up at the top of the "green" calories to eat before exercise. (I am not a heavy-duty high-calorie-burn exerciser type)
I will have to look at the "Reps to the Rhythm" mentioned above! (my main exercise is a wii exergame where you earn points by "stepping to the rhythm" of whatever song in playing) That kind of thing appeals to the latent "Dancer / focus on form" in me. I ALWAYS did better when "exercising to a steady rhythm"6 -
Hello! I am new to the group, I lost 60lbs last year and gained 40 back in 4 months. This year I need to make more sustainable changes, because I can keep doing this every year! So I am here to hear everyones own ideas and thoughts and to keep myself engaged in making these changes for good!7
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Supposed to say *cant* keep doing this every year haha cannot for sure3
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Welcome @mailbutterfly, @sewfast, and @PelotonLover1987 to our group! Sustainable changes are the only way to go, so I'm happy to see it mentioned. @PelotonLover1987 (great name, BTW), have you identified what you want to work on in January? Cues (to remember to do the habit) and a habit tracker to chart daily progress increase the odds of being successful.
And @BMcC9, I also like making things into a game. It's more fun that way.4 -
In January I will:
Have no snacks after dinner
Exercise to include flex, cardio and strength
Time for me each day
I know these sound generic but this is my first full month and don’t want to take on to much I will start with these and track with my habit tracker.7 -
I’ll be working on getting back on track after a less than stellar December. I’ll get more specific tomorrow.6
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Here is a link to Reps to the Rhythm: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lEhUBNqIrFMatB9Zgxo0g5
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Hello 👋 and happy new year 🎉
I haven't been joining in for a while, got a bit down, overwhelmed and lost my habits, so I'm starting with you all again if that's ok.
I'm not able to mark new or remove old threads and hope I'll not forget to pop in because of this. I guess it's because of the recent changes that still cause hiccups on MFP.
I'll start with daily simple habit building by reinstating a morning routine to make sure the basics are set in place before working on a new habit.
This January, I will:
1. Get up a bit earlier each day.
2. after that, I will do my ablutions and drink water.
3. After that, I will do some stretching or yoga exercises to help me loosen up and waken up. If I have time and/or energy, I will do an exercise session.
4. After that, I will have breakfast.
5. After that, I will plan a to do list for the day ahead.
6. After that, if I've time, I will check-in to MFP and other sites to record the day before's actions.
7. Then, I'll get my day started.5 -
Welcome back, @BodyTalking! We have missed you but I understand sometimes we need to step away. Glad you are back!4
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My January focus will be on improving my balance. Thank you, @BMcC9 for the idea! My balance is not good and though I’ve tried various balance exercises in the past, nothing has stuck.
I’ll be using habit stacking to increase the odds of this seedling habit having some staying power. I’m attaching it to a very powerful morning habit that never gets forgotten: feeding my dogs breakfast! My wobble board and wobble cushions are now down in the kitchen where I will see them as they are next to the kibbles bag. Visual cues are especially powerful, provided they don’t fade into the background.
Here’s my January habit stack.
AFTER: I feed my 2 dogs
I WILL: use either my wobble board or wobble cushion for as long as they eat. They eat quickly. 😀
Habit Tracker: January calendar. 1 of 31 days met so far!
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Hello & Happy New Year to all. I am a new member; this group was recommended to me by @jamcnewman on Dec 14. During this past week I have been reading through the group and pondering what habits I want to incorporate into my life in 2022. They boil down to one common theme: self-care. So what to choose to start with? I know the recommendation is to choose one and start with that but I think I will do a couple since some of them are fairly simple and can be done easily while working from home. (Some of them I accomplish sporadically already but I need to do so on a consistent basis.) So for this January, I will:
-- full body moisturize after I brush my teeth in the morning. I will set a daily reminder on my work calendar for this as sometimes I get busy with meetings and/or absorbed into whatever I am working on until lunch hour. If I am truly busy, then doing it at lunch hour is okay but I can't work through the full lunch hour without accomplishing this goal.
-- take my vitamins and supplements (collagen 3x/day, B12 daily, iron pill every 3 days, vitamin D daily, zinc every other day). I will continue to take my 2 prescribed meds daily. I have installed the app Habits to check off each one as I take them.
-- continue my habit of minimum 20 minutes of exercise; this has been falling to the way side as the weather has gotten colder and I got a bit stressed with changes at work. I can walk outside or on the treadmill. Ask my husband to please set up my bike stand so I can bike indoors. I account for this in the UAC group.
-- continue my daily habit of tidying the main floor before I go upstairs to my bedroom to wind down before bed. This will be more challenging as my daughter has moved back home from University and there is already a noticeable difference in the amount of "clutter" that builds up in a day. I will need to enlist her help and we must both do it even if we are tired. I cannot be the sole "picker-upper"! She is busy but so am I!
-- moisturize my face, neck & hands after I am in bed. I have my moisturizer on my bed side nightstand.
-- do devotions and prayer every day. I have a web-site that I can do the full devotion on line including choosing to listen to the devotion if I am getting tired and it is bed-time. This is only a minimum requirement of 15 minutes time. I have uninstalled Instagram from my phone for this week to see if it helps me to be less tempted wasting time scrolling on social media. Next to go will be some of the games on my phone that I like to wind down to at night.
For January, I will also:
-- meditate twice during the work week. I have a web-site that has free meditation videos. (7-20 minutes, my choice)
-- try the beginner yoga video once a week on the weekend. This is 32 minute time requirement plus set up (mat, roll, folded blanket & comfy clothes).
My reward for accomplishing all of the above (excluding the 20 minute daily exercise & the tidy up as these are previously established habits) will be to purchase 'breakfast for lunch' from a local restaurant on Mondays.
I know this seems like a lot but essentially it is remembering to take my supplements and moisturize daily. The big thing is establishing the discipline to pull myself away from social media, solitaire games and Netflix at night to do a devotion and pray. The other big thing is trying to learn to meditate and do yoga 3x/week.
Good luck to all as we start the new year together!
Jana6 -
For the first 5 days of Jan, I will be finishing off the 30 Days of Doodles (started on Dec 6) AND setting up a habit-tracker for the rest of the month. I think I found a suitable pre-made Google spreadsheet type that is designed to make use of emojis (you choose your own)
I will have to look at the "Reps to the Rhythm" mentioned above! (my main exercise is a wii exergame where you earn points by "stepping to the rhythm" of whatever song in playing) That kind of thing appeals to the latent "Dancer / focus on form" in me. I ALWAYS did better when "exercising to a steady rhythm"
I didn't like the idea that downloading the above would make me auto open a "pay monthly" account (I am not a social-media follower of any stripe) but I DID spot a youtube step-by-step on how to create almost the same thing.
Guess how I am spending the rest of Jan 1 .....
(considering an overall Life Goal is learn-through-practical-applicaton some more intermediate and advanced spreadsheet tricks, including formulas and ConditionalIf statements)- I liked what I saw in the Reps to the Rhythm site, and will be including that 4 - 5 times a week (in a currently unspecified round between various options such as arms&abs; beginner dumbells ; standing core etc. ) ... anything NOT "X steps in X minutes" None are more than 10 to 17 minutes each, and could be "do before work (rather than reading or cross-stitch app - aka stay UNPLUGGED before work)"
- 6000+ steps per day (already generally do more - this number gets me to sufficient overall fitbit 24-hr calories burned to start getting activity credits showing up in MFP exercise log)
- Continue the "balance while coffee brewing"
- After the 30 Days Of Doodles (begun Dec 6) is over, I will replace it with some other Daily Creative thing tbd (preferably also pen&ink but maybe also including with more colour?)
Habit Stacking Cues / triggers tbd as I go along, and may need adjusting once I get back to work (from home) full time and my winter vacation time is over. Any combo of the first three will count towards my attempt to diversify my "20+ minutes of daily intentional activity" UAC commitment. So that it is no longer ONLY step-based / light but long cardio.7 -
Jan 1 Report
Tracker spreadsheet not finished yet
Balance practice ⚖
6000+ steps 👟
30 day Doodles 🖌
Rep2tRhythm (not started Jan 1) 🏋️♀️💪🦵(depending on which one I am doing that day?)
(COOOOOOOLL!! I discovered how to bring up more emoji options on the web version than are in the dropdown at the top of the Comment box!!) 🎈🎈🎈🎈✨🎉
30 days of Doodles challenge Started Dec 6 (27 for 27 so far!)
= done on the day 
= caught up after-the-fact
WK1 (mon=>sun)
Wk2 (mon=>sun)
Wk3 (mon=>sun)
Wk4 (mon=>sun)
Day-by-day Doodle themes:- WK1 - M electronics (cell phone / earbuds / laptop);
T paper-based (banner / paper scrap / coil-spine notepad);
W sweet treats (doughnut / ice cream cone / cookie);
Th unicorn (unicorn toy / gem-stone / lollypop) ;
F around the kitchen (coffee mug / frying pan / stand mixer) ;
S magic (crescen moon / crystal cluster / potion bottle);
Sn self-care ( candle / claw-tub / wine glass); - WK2 - M mental self-care ( journal / pencil / pen-holder cup ) ;
T on the desk ( globe / highlighter / washi tape );
W florals (blossom / vine / leaves );
Th stationary ( envelope / push-pin / paper clip );
F home electronics ( tv/ gaming controller / big chair ) [done on Saturday];
S home decor (potted plant / lamp / wood-grain picture frame );
Sn fitness activity ( water bottle / barbell / bathroom scale) ; - WK3 - M Vegetables (bell pepper / broccoli / carrot ) ;
T Celebration (balloon / cupcake / wrapped present); (done next day)
W Into the Wilderness ( pine tree / mountains / camper van ); (caught up)
Th Dinner date (flower vase / wine bottle / table for two); (done late)
F Tea Time (tea bag / boba tea / tea kettle); (done late)
S Fresh Fruit (watermelon slice / lemon slice / strawberry); (done late)
Sn Getting ready ... ( blow dryer / hair brush / hairspray ); (done late) - WK4 - M ...For Date Night ( eye shadow / makeup brush / mascara tube) ; (done late)
T Comfort Foods (bowl of mac 'n cheese / fries / slice of pizza ) ; (all caught up!)
W Night at the Movies (ticket / popcorn / soda ) ;
Th Bedtime (alarm clock / bed / sleep mask);
(Dec 31) F Traffic ( car / traffic light / stop sign);
S At the beach ( palm tree / clam shell / sand castle);
Sn ; - Day 29 & 30 -
M ;
T
3 - WK1 - M electronics (cell phone / earbuds / laptop);
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Hi everyone! Happy 2022! I really need to get back to basics before I start trying to add more to my day. Losing my 30-year job to a Covid furlough really threw me into a spiral and I feel like I've been a different lost version of me for a year and a half! I'm ready to put my big girl panties back on now and be ME again!
So, I will be Habit Stacking a few things.
AFTER: my alarm goes off at 0700
I WILL get out of bed without hitting snooze.
AFTER: I pour a cup of coffee
I WILL: Write my 24 hour daily plan, and assess the 24H plan from prior day.
AFTER: I write my 24H plan & assessment
I WILL: Update status in My Fitness Pal
These seem simple, I know. Actually, they SHOULD be by now! But I want to start here because I do the most of the time now. I need more consistence, however, in getting up in the morning. I was so depressed, I just wanted to sleep! No more wasting my days!
Once I get these on lock, I will add more--whether that is in February or sooner.
I'm so happy to be back with y'all! I've been MIA for much too long!
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This January I will;
Drink more water
Be more active after supper
Continue to fast 16:8
Lose 10lbs
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@PackerFanInGB . back to basics is always the best place to reset from. Fundamentals are the foundation to all.
@PelotonLover1987 , what kind of after-supper activity will you be aiming to do?
@Jana_2020 self care is always a good choice, and nice to see that you have grouped / connected things well.
@BodyTalking nice morning routine. That's kinda what I hope parts of mine will eventually morph into once I am "back to work (from home) come mid-January and beyond
@sewfast I am curious to see which of the Reps to the Rhythm choices you gravitate to. Thanks for mentioning this - I would not likely have stumbled across it on my own.
@snowshoe072 this is my first full month here too (didn't start until Dec 20)
and everyone else as well ... my OTHER (unofficial) Habit to practice is expanding actively making social connections with a wider circle. That means I will try to make short encouragements a regular thing - and hope some of you will reciprocate should you feel so inclined.3 -
Hi Everyone!
It looks like we are off to a great start!
Thank you @themedalist for your awesome, informative kickoff post to 2022!!
Love your wobble habit as your dogs much!!
@maibutterfly
I’ve seen different folks do lunches in different ways & all worked:
1. Prep the night before
2. Mini fridge at work; prep lunches on weekend,& take the week’s worth in on Monday
3. Only take non-refrigerated items in every 2-4,weeks & take refrigerated items (prepped night before) in each day.
I used Bento boxes which I filled on Sundays, and they worked great.
Welcome to our group!
@sewfast
Yes, I’m a maker/sewer/artist as well. I am seriously thinking of getting an electronic table that I can use sitting or standing to make it less sedentary.
One thing I did do is move supplies farther away or in neighboring room so at least I’m moving a bit, stretching my legs. Welcome to our Group!
@BMcC9
Sounds like a great plan.
Everyone: When I’m setting up a new habit, I give myself permission to modify or even replace it as I figure out what would work better. Sometimes as we try things, we realize a simpler or more motivating method!
@PelotonLover1987
Are your 4 habits things you already do?
“Lose 10 lbs in January” is more a goal than a habit. Maybe break that down into some behaviors.
Welcome!
@snowshoe072
Will you replace the snack with another enjoyable activity?
Are you setting an approx time of day for your “me” time? When I did that, I set a timer 10 minutes before my “Me Time”. This gave me time to get the supplies, run the bath, find my book, etc. Have fun!
@77tes
Very glad to see you & look forward to reading your “I Will.”
@BodyTalking
Those routines really work!!
@Jana_2020
Great planning! We’ll be cheering you on!
@PackerFanInGB
SO GREAT to see you!!!
I’m sorry about your job & how difficult that was.
I LOVE your “no snooze” button habit. Brilliant!
Will you have any kind of reward? Even a “Good Job” with an arm pump is Surprisingly effective!!
Denise & I are thrilled you are here.
I’m sorry if I missed anyone.
My “January I Will”:
1. Keep doing all entrenched habits.🎆
2.,Weigh & track all raw almonds & walnuts to the gram PRIOR to eating one of them.⚖️
3. Keep sodium < 1,500mg daily Jan 1-31🧂
Rewards: 1. That invaluable feeling of being in control of my eating without stress or fear.
2. Likely a little more weight loss & eating more fruits/veg., Say “good for you! Tracking is power!”
3. Less cardiac risk, fist pump “You’ve got this!”
Jan 1: 🎆 ⚖️ 🧂 1,308mg ❤️
Here’s to a fantastic & healthy January!!
🌸Maddie5 -
❄️🌟☃️🌟❄️☃️❄️🌟☃️🌟❄️
☃️❄️Wishing all my friends❄️☃️
☃️ A Happy and Prosperous ☃️
☃️❄️🌟☃️ New Year ☃️🌟❄️☃️
☃️❄️☃️🌟❄️☃️❄️🌟☃️❄️☃️
In Dec I will completed a Christmas related task each day.
31 Dec: finished the month by helping DH take down the outside lights.
Daily Habits 31/31
My word for 2022: CONSOLIDATE
I am planning to work on consolidating the habits I have already developed.
In January I will concentrate on Flexibility.
In January, after I make my bed …
…I will do > 10 minutes of flexibility exercises. Yoga/Tai Chi/Pilates
Reward: draw a star on my tracker.
(I love to see those squares fill up 😂)
🧘♀️🧘♀️
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