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A Grand March to Healthy Habits
77tes
Posts: 8,794 Member
Ah, March is a wonderful month! The days are getting longer and spring begins. It’s a time of new beginnings.
This month I’d like to challenge you to join me in being more mindful. I’m new to mindfulness, usually I run around like a chicken with its head off. So, this month I’m going to keep up my habits, but slow down and try to think about the things I’m doing and be present in the moment.
How can we be mindful about exercise, or diet?
Enjoy interesting or beautiful things when walking outside…
Concentrate on form when doing a workout
Really taste our food instead of shoveling on the run.
If you’re not feeling like working on mindfulness this month, it’s not required. Feel free to work on a different habit.
A few of many alternatives:
March is a good time to reassess those New Year’s resolutions. Were they SMART?
How are they going?
Marching through March - Add a walk to your day or increase your steps.
March Madness- Try a exercise challenge for the month March Madness
Munch-Less March - Rein in your snacking
If you're new here, welcome to our group! Let us help you with your new beginnings. Share your goals for March and how we can help you achieve them.
Pro tip: set regular reminders to check in with us – be it daily, weekly, or whatever suits your schedule. We’re here to cheer you on every step of the way!
For those who have just joined, you are starting at the perfect time - NOW! Jump in and begin to blossom with the spring flowers.
So, what are your priorities for March? We recommend framing your goals along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This March I will...)
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit
5. My reward for maintaining the habit (anything from a self-compliment to a mark on the calendar)
6. How can we support you?
7. What will success look like at the end of March ?
Let's make March a mindful month of movement, motivation , and more personal growth!
🌻 Kathy @77tes
Please review our How Habits Work our Newcomers Guide and our Nuts and Bolts of Habit Building
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March 1 - I got in a brief neck and shoulders stretching routine this morning. Mindfulness for the win. Maybe some yoga a meditation later today.3
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My mindfulness is daily meditation which i find a good way to begin my day. I would like to increase my walking this month. I guess I can count todays snowshoeing event can count as a good walking workout4
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@snowshoe072 , good for you starting the day mindfully, sounds like you already have a strong habit established! 👏. Snowshoeing definitely counts as a good walking workout. I can’t even imagine!1
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My goal for this month is to continue to lose 1/2 lb a week and to focus on cholesterol reduction.
The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal is to increase my fiber intake to 30gms/day and limit red meat intake to one 4-6oz serving per week.
My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit is to log all food intake and exercise.
My reward for maintaining the habit is to see my cholesterol levels continue to decline.
I hope to see continued support through active participation on these community forums by other members.
Success at the end of March will be to continue to see positive change with my weight and fitness level.4 -
Thank you @77tes for the lovely opener. Yes I will join you on the mindfulness exploration, as that is what I've been working on anyway
1. My goal for this month is to diligently work on the Overcome Your Overthinking class I started in February (it's self-paced, and quite helpful so far).
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal: I added a reminder to my daily to-do list. Each day, I will do some work on the class (watching a video, doing the suggested exercises, etc).
3. My reminder to keep up with my habit is the entry on my to-do list (which I work from each day).
5. My reward for maintaining the habit is the enjoyment I get from my "freshly hatched" mindfulness practice 🐣 -- I'm guessing I'm supposed to pick a "token" type reward? But this particular habit really is rewarding in and of itself.
6. How can we support you? If you have any insights to share, please do! Always happy to learn from others.
7. What will success look like at the end of March ? I want to say "I will be finished with the class," but while that would be nice, it is not the actual goal! At the end of March, I would like to find myself calmer and more present. If I can look back at the month and say that I worked on this habit a little each day, and that I learned something helpful, then I will consider myself successful.2 -
Today I made it most of the way through lesson 3 of my Overcome Your Overthinking class.
One thing I learned from the class last month is that in Buddhism, thinking is considered one of the senses (like vision or hearing). Having a thought is not any more or less meaningful than seeing or hearing something. Thinking is just something that brains do, just like hearing is something that ears do and seeing is something that eyes do (in cooperation with the brain, obviously). Having a thought means nothing more than that a stimulus caused a response -- we can then choose to interact with this response, or let it pass.
One thing I learned today, and which surprised me, is that apparently a human being's emotional reaction to a situation will run its course within about 90 seconds. An emotional reaction is a physiological process: neurochemicals like adrenaline cause physical changes before being "flushed out," returning the body to its previous state. So again, as above, an emotion is just something our bodies do. It's when we start to interpret the emotion, and think about it more, that this simple process can turn into a "big deal" that can last a long time. So by learning to not attach endless ruminations to every emotion that happens to come up, I can learn to (as Buddhism teaches) observe the thought and let it go. Who knew!
This struck me as so meaningful that I grabbed a sharpie and wrote 90 seconds on the back of my hand, to remind myself next time the anxiety, fear, rumination etc. kicks in.3 -
Wow, perfect timing for this particular focus.
My mindful goal for this month is to work on my “poker face” 😂 Long story short. I don’t want to be called out at work (happened Friday) when my facial expression shows I don’t agree.
The actionable steps and cue will be to maintain a neutral and relaxed face during our morning meetings as I process the discussion.
My reward for maintaining the habit is not having my manager ask “what?”
I’ll also be continuing with strength training a minimum of 3 times a week, closing 3 rings daily and increasing my water intake.
@takinitalloff Good info! Especially about the 90 seconds. I will work on processing the information and releasing it instead of pondering over it at that time. Let it pass! If needed I can bring up concerns later.
March on! 💪🏻1 -
Hello!
I am new to this group and hoping that adding some structure, support, and education around habit forming will help me along my journey.
I started by reading the introduction sections (nuts and bolts etc) so think I am posting this in the right place. 😊
1. My goal for this month (This March I will exercise daily)
2. The small, actionable steps I plan to take towards this goal is to complete at least 5 minutes of exercise each day. (It can be more!)
3. My reminder or cue to keep up with my habit will be each morning when I check my calendar I will decide what time that day I will exercise. Note: Monday through Friday I go to curves and am currently exploring different times to find the best fit for me.
5. My reward for maintaining the habit (anything from a self-compliment to a mark on the calendar). My reward(s) will be stars on the curves calendar and the curves prize for completing one month and using my watch to track at home sessions.
6. How can we support you? Ask me questions and feel free to point out any problems you see with my plan. I commit to posting at least weekly updates on my progress here.
7. What will success look like at the end of March ? I will have exercised each day for at least 5 minutes unless I am too physically sick too.3 -
@pamelaory , Welcome to the group ! That’s a great goal! And I love that you’ve made the habit tiny! Go for 5 minutes and hope for more. I actually have a 5 minute walk in my daily reminders, Be sure to celebrate every time you hit that goal !
Oh my! Do you belong to Curves? That’s where I started my fitness journey ! I love it.2 -
@Interbeing , great set of goals. And those small achievable steps sound fantastic. Remember to celebrate every day you hit your fiber goal and every week you stay under your red meat goal. How often do you check your cholesterol?2
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@hcoleman232 , oh that poker face goal sounds like a hard one! Hmm, Let it Pass sounds like a good thing to think of to help you keep those facial expressions from registering your thoughts. And sticking with the fabulous fitness goals sounds terrific.
@takinitalloff , those are some deep ideas! It made me think of the writing of poetry and how observation is a basic part and evaluation of the emotion the observation inspires. It reminded me of Wordsworth’s definition of poetry : “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility,"
Be sure to celebrate your daily successes. Every time you remember 90 seconds, pat yourself on the back.
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March 1 - stretch, yoga, meditation 🙂
March 2 - lovely walk, taking pictures of early spring blooms, and I did a yoga routine and just let my puppy get used to me being on the floor. I did get a face full of dog toy, but it was soft, so not too bad. 🤣 I’m sure the pictures would have been hilarious. But I got my mindfulness practices done, so hooray!
Here’s a picture of some azaleas I saw on my walk:
@pamelaory , unfortunately, the Curves around me have closed. I’ve actually been a member of three separate Curves and had them close 🥲 When the one in my neighborhood closed, a group of us ladies continued meeting to walk and do a body basics workout in the nearby park. So, the Curves legacy continues. It’s a great workout! And the support is a great help.
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🏃♀️💃🧘♀️🏋️♀️🌱🏋️♀️🧘♀️💃🏃♀️
🏃♀️💃 MARCH 2025💃🏃♀️
🏃♀️💃🧘♀️🏋️♀️🌱🏋️♀️🧘♀️💃🏃♀️
Weight StatsSW: 227 lbs
UGW: 140 lbs
Aug 2017: Started maintaining < 155 lbs
Continued to drop slowly
Nov 2019: Final maintenance range 130 < 140
🔹March 2025 Focus: Mindfulness: I do a meditation when I wake each day, and when I get into bed.
My aim is to maintain health and fitness by developing/consolidating supportive Solid Habits. Working on stamina this month.
🔹Consolidation of habits Focus: Marching through March
I am doing > 10 minutes HIIT > 3 times per week
🏃🏼♀️➡️🏃🏼♀️➡️
🔹Maintenance 130 < 140
👌👌- Terri, in Northern Ireland: age 78
- 5’2”
- Working on strength/stamina/flexibility
- All my stats are in the normal range for my age/height.
- Weight < 140
- Fat% < 22%
- Muscle% > 27%
- CI < CO
- Steps > 5,500
- Intentional exercise > 50 mins daily
- Active hours > 6 daily
Daily Solid Habits I like to frame my aims in positive terms.Food
🔹log All food and drink; stay under goal; balance macros/micros; Hydrate adequately; limit ‘empty’ snacks
Exercise:
🔹5,500+ Steps daily
🔹50 + minutes intentional exercise
Mind/Body/Soul/Spirit
🔹Daily Mindfulness Practice/Meditation
🔹Practice Self-care
🔹Positively reframe thoughts
🔹Learn something new
🔹Communicate
🔹Create/adapt positive habits
🔹Puzzles/Art/Craft/Write/Read
🔹15 mins Daily Declutter session
THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES OR SHORTCUTS to achieving permanent change.
REMINDERS One or two thoughts which might give heart to some of you.Stick with the process. It DOES work! But it does take time, effort, and most of all, patience!- Daily weight fluctuations are normal, and can be more than
2 lbs a day for no apparent reason. - A general downward trend is what we are looking for.
- Eating out can cause apparent weight gain because of high sodium levels, but usually goes quickly. Drinking extra water helps with this.
- The human body does not react instantly to what we do to it. Sometimes it can take several days to see results.
- Plateaus are a normal part of the process. The body is consolidating and adapting to your new way of eating/exercising.
- The closer you get to your goal weight, the more difficult it becomes to lose weight, as your body becomes more efficient at using what you feed it.
- When you exercise you build muscle, which takes up less space than fat, so use measurements as well as weight to assess your progress.
- Getting/Staying fit and healthy requires a lifestyle change for most people.
Terri 🏃🏼♀️
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Great goal @TerriRichardson112 ! That HIIT habit will really support your maintenance. You are a powerhouse!✔️
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March 1 - stretch, yoga, meditation 🙂
March 2 - lovely walk, taking pictures of early spring blooms, and I did a yoga routine and just let my puppy get used to me being on the floor. I did get a face full of dog toy, but it was soft, so not too bad. 🤣 I’m sure the pictures would have been hilarious. But I got my mindfulness practices done, so hooray!
March 3 - walk with puppy, yoga with puppy (I figure she needs to learn to ignore my floor shenanigans), meditation,and some stretching2 -
@Interbeing , great set of goals. And those small achievable steps sound fantastic. Remember to celebrate every day you hit your fiber goal and every week you stay under your red meat goal. How often do you check your cholesterol?
I have been checking it every three months.
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@77tes Doing my HIIT in 10 minute sessions is very doable and doesn’t stress out my ancient knees. 😝
Finally had a few minutes to read through everyone’s March focus ideas, which are quite wonderful.
Keeping goals small to start with does make them more achievable. Once the habit is set, we can build on it by increasing the duration.
Learning to acknowledge emotions, but not let them rule you was one of the things I learnt when I took up yoga many years ago in my 20s.
I like the Poker Face idea, although hiding your thoughts is one of the most difficult things to do. I’m still working on it. 😝
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Wow! Started my post and not sure what I did, but it posted right away and all that showed up was @ 🤷♀️
No meetings this week until Thursday so nothing to report on the poker face.
3/1 - Rings: 3/3 - 2 mile walk
3/2 - Rings: 3/3 - 3 mile walk
3/3 - Rings: 3/3 - strength training & yoga
3/4 - Rings 3/3 - 3 mile walk
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I've been volunteering at SXSW, we have been heading out at 6:30am and we get home about 7:00pm. Long days, but a lot of fun. I missed my Monday workout because of the scheduling, but got down this morning. It felt good to hit the weights. My food intake has been challenging as the food choices we are offered as volunteers is limited. I have kept within my caloric intake, eating an oatmeal, fruit and nut breakfast, but lunch is tougher because of the food truck type lunches offered. I have decided to roll with the punches and eat well when I can, and not get too stressed about eating the odd taco or hamburger for lunch. They have told us that there will be more healthy choices from Friday onward as the full SXSW Festival and Conference gets into gear.
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@TerriRichardson112, I attended a lecture by one of the coaches at the college where I worked and he was encouraging college instructors to do short HIIT workouts to avoid being sedentary, so he would definitely approve of your plan. Wow! You were way ahead of the curve starting yoga in your twenties. That was back before it was mainstream in the West.
@Interbeing, SXSW sounds like such a cool conference! Good on you for volunteering to help make it happen. I call my oatmeal my bowl of fiber, so good way to start your days.
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✔️✔️✔️✔️March 1 - stretch, yoga, meditation 🙂
March 2 - lovely walk, taking pictures of early spring blooms, and I did a yoga routine and just let my puppy get used to me being on the floor. I did get a face full of dog toy, but it was soft, so not too bad. 🤣 I’m sure the pictures would have been hilarious. But I got my mindfulness practices done, so hooray!
March 3 - walk with puppy, yoga with puppy (I figure she needs to learn to ignore my floor shenanigans), meditation,and some stretching
March 4 - Yoga , lovely walk and chat with my sister, meditation.
March 5 - Long Yoga session, stretching, and meditation. Since it’s Ash Wednesday, I’m adding Lenten prayers to my meditation practice for the next 40 days. HAHA! My meditation practice was all about loving everything. I Love this new MFP update. 🤣😉
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@hcoleman232 , good job closing those rings! Nice you have time to practice your poker face.
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raining here now unsure if more snow showing to come or not if not hopefully can at least begin to walk the 5k I do is in June no running for me but I am hoping to take off more time last year my daughter and I shaved off 7 minutes of our previous years time
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@snowshoe072 , that’s so impressive that you’re ready to switch from snowshoeing to preparing for a 5K.
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