Healthy Habits - Healthy Me in NO-vember
Hello November!
I love the month of November; it’s Thanksgiving and my birthday. However, the holidays are just around the corner, and as we know, it's the beginning of the busyness of the holiday season when it’s easy to let healthy habits slip. Let's not let that happen!
First, I want to encourage you to say “ No,” this November to the things that will steal your energy. Maybe it’s saying no to another task, project, or commitment. Or maybe it’s saying no to another treat or indulgence. Sometimes No is a very positive thing.
Next, I want to encourage you to keep to your healthy habits, and embrace the tiny habit mindset:
- Start Tiny: Make the desired behavior laughably small (e.g., floss one tooth, do two pushups).
- Find an Anchor: Attach the new tiny habit to an existing daily routine (e.g., after I pour my coffee, I will open my journal).
- Celebrate Success: After performing the tiny habit, immediately celebrate it (even with a simple "Good job!") to create positive emotions, which wire the habit into your brain.
Whether you want to continue to work on a habit you started in a previous month or select something new, working on good habits this month can help you navigate the holidays better, setting a positive tone for closing out the year and getting a jump start on 2026.
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Replies
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Oh how I can relate to this. Thank you for highlighting NO. All too often I get sucked into “Yes” without thinking about the consequences until it’s too late.
I’ll continue my 5K training this month and work on saying NO to unhealthy sweets: cake, cookies, candy and ice cream!
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I like the opener, it’s so easy to get drawn in to doing more and then I find my own routine suffers not this month.
My goals include walking with Koda each day even if it’s around the yard, I have pre planned workouts already scheduled on my “paper” date book and will keep up with lasts months goals.
PS I could see snow on the mountain this morning ❄️❄️
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Hi I'm Marla. I've been a member for a while but have never posted. I decided that this month I will start posting here.
This month I will start my day with morning stretches/morning yoga.
I just recently downloaded the app "Finch" which is a great way to record your goals, your progress…etc. and it's so much fun too! The way I will anchor this goal-when I get the "good morning" notification from Finch, I will do my morning stretches and yoga and check it off on Finch.
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I was able to do 15 minute peloton ride, I forgot how much of a challenge they are, Koda and I got our walk in very windy and cold.
These were two exercise appointments in my date book
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@hcoleman232 , good idea on saying no to extra treats - you inspired me for one of my nos. Yay for training for that 5K.
@snowshoe072 , I know you are cheering for the snow. ❄️ Does Koda like the snow? I like your paper date book and that you’ve scheduled appointments with yourself for your workouts. I do that too. I put my strength workouts into my weekly plan first thing.
@marlalynns6304 , Welcome back to the habit ninjas 🥷. The Finch app sounds great. There’s nothing like a pet, real or virtual, as a workout buddy. Morning stretches are an awesome way to start the day.
This month I’m saying No to social media. Well, I’m not brave enough to totally go cold turkey, so I set up a screen timer, only allowing myself one hour a day on Facebook and Instagram together. After a week, I’ll see if I can further reduce my social media and go from there.
And I better say an extra loud NO to our leftover Halloween candy. We had no trick-or-treaters, so we have a fair bit left and it’s not even anything I really like, so it would definitely be mindless eating.I’m going to try to purposefully write at least one thing I’m grateful for in my journal since this is a a rough time. I need to maintain a positive attitude of gratitude.
I’m also going to work on maintaining my daily healthy habits at a minimum level:
1) track food and stay close to calorie goal
2) daily cardio exercise (usually spin bike or walking)
3) daily yoga
4) strength three times a week
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@77tes Koda and snow no he doesn’t like it the first few times each year but then he is okay with it to the point this is gross but when the snow is melting we need to keep a little pile of snow as he insists on using it to poop! Strange guy but lovable !
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@snowshoe072 , Ha! Ha! That’s funny! Every dog has his own quirks. Since we never get snow, we assumed our first beagle wouldn’t like it when we took a trip to the mountains. She loved it! So cute. 🥰
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@77tes I LOVE the opener. I feel like I NEED this one. Great choice to say no to. This will be a hard time of year for you. My heart and prayers are with you.
@hcoleman232 Good choice toward sweets. Keep up the good work for 5k training.
@snowshoe072 I love that you have your exercise appointments in your paper calendar. I do that too. This month I am going to try using more colorful markers. Great job getting the Pelaton workout & walk with Koda, especially with cold weather.
@marlalynns6304 Welcome to November challenge. We are glad you decided to join us here. Morning yoga is a great habit to work on. I will have to check Finch out.
I will say no to over committing. Especially with family needs. My habit this month is to do cardio daily. I will do at least 5 minutes right after coffee and I will celebrate by doing at least one minute on aerial yoga.
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Thanks so much for opener and so timely over the last month I've been saying no to feeling like I need constantly be calling and texting family and friends....
Continue to aim for 15000 steps 💖Continue to aim for 3 weight sessions a week💖 Weigh and track food, remember u cant outwalk a bad diet 💖 Aim for weight loss this month 💖
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Hi. I’ve been using MFP off and on for 10 years, primarily losing and gaining the same 25 lbs. I’m new to community and happy to find others who are on the same kind of journey.
I’ve committed to using mindfulness to overcome and say NO to emotional eating. Plan, track, visualize, establish new habits, reward.
Hungry? Eat. Tired? Nap.
Bored? Walk/Clean/Puzzle/Call a Friend. Angry? Journal/Walk. Sad or Lonely? Call a friend.Hot tea and a square of 90%dark chocolate after dinner is helping me avoid late night snacks.
SW272|GW180|CW2481 -
@donna25trinity I totally can relate to constantly checking on family. I am trying to say no to some of the "emergencies" that they create. Sounds like you have a good plan for this month.
@Gigi_815 Welcome! You are definitely not alone on those 25 pounds. Sounds like a solid plan for the month. I also found that if I get the York mint patties or Andes mints, it helps because then I will stop at one and still get my chocolate.
I am adjusting my habit for the month. It just didn't feel right. I will say no to undeliberate decisions. When someone asks me to do something, I will get back with them after I have made a conscious decision of whether I should do this activity, not out of quilt or obligations, but because it is the best for everyone involved including me. For my habit this month, I will be thankful for my fitness and try to improve it in small steps according to my routine. Thank you to all of you. This group is slowly changing my mindset. I am becoming someone who cherishes and hopefully protects my fitness journey.
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Welcome @marlalynns6304 Stretching / Yoga is a great habit to work on and Fitch sounds like a fun way to stay on track. Good luck!
Welcome @Gigi_815 Great plan to use mindfulness to overcome emotional eating. I really like your questions/answers and your plan of attack! You got this!
@77tes Great NO habit! Good luck! I deactivated my social media 5 years ago and don’t miss it. It was an easy choice for me since I didn’t engage much, got tired of scrolling through junk and hated seeing people’s true colors. Too much ugliness!
@snowshoe072 Great job getting those planned workouts done!
@Learningmoments This is definitely the time of year that seems the hardest to not overcommit. Taking time to think it through before committing is very powerful. Good luck!
@donna25trinity Continued success with your habits this month! You’re doing great!
My 5K training is going well, although I’m not sure how much of the group runs I’ll be joining in. I passed on the 8am group run yesterday and ran solo at 10. I just couldn’t see running in 39 degree weather when I could wait until it warmed up a bit. Next week I’ll be skipping the Saturday group run again since we’re meeting in the next town over and I’m not driving 30 minutes to run when I can drive 2 miles from home to my run area. This week I’ll see how the Tuesday and Wednesday meetups work for me with the time change. They start at 6:30, but I’m not too excited about going back out after dark. I get off work at 4 and prefer to run after work in daylight.
Yesterday at the grocery store I passed by all the NO stuff. 😔 I’m determined!! I bought bananas, frozen blueberries, mandarin oranges and apples. These will be my healthy sweets! 🍌🫐🍊🍎
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@Learningmoments , aerial yoga? I must hear more! I love the 5 minute plan. My cardio minimum is also 5 minutes. Great plan. Family commitments are the toughest for saying no, so it’s great to start with an intention to not over commit. And your modification is spot on. I want to be available, but “thinking about committing” gives you time to evaluate the level of necessity.
@donna25trinity , wowzers, those are some impressive minimums, but I know you are a fierce force. Good call on saying no to texting and calling. I love being able to do those things, but needing to do it constantly can be a real time sink.
@Gigi_815 Welcome to the habit ninjas 🥷! I really like your goal! Saying No to emotional eating is a tough challenge, but you have an excellent plan! I actually started doing Sudoku to help me avoid overeating. 💡That reminds me that I should order a Sudoku BOOK to help me with limiting my screen time - thanks for the inspiration! And I agree with having dark chocolate as a planned treat.
@hcoleman232 , frozen blueberries are a fabulous indulgence - one of my favorites! Sounds like a fabulous grocery trip. Saying no to meetups that don’t serve you is good, especially when there’s a better alternative. Thanks for sharing your experience of deactivating social media. You give me courage.
I’m already really appreciating my gratitude journaling - it’s helping me feel much more positive. 😊 I took Facebook off my home screen so that I’m not lured into scrolling by notifications (many of which are bogus). 💡
My No-vember Goals
No - to social media
No - to leftover Halloween candy
Yes to Gratitude journaling
Yes to Maintaining my healthy habits at a minimum level:
1) track food and stay close to calorie goal
2) daily cardio exercise (usually spin bike or walking), but dancing counts!
3) daily yoga
4) strength three times a week
My emojis : Gratitude journal 📓 : track food 🥘 calorie goal: 🥅 cardio: 🚶♀️, 🚴, 💃, yoga: 🧘 strength: 💪 No to Social Media : ⏱️ No to leftover Halloween candy: ⛔️November 1 - 📓🥘🥅🚶♀️🧘 ⏱️⛔️
A foggy walk this morning
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@77tes @Learningmoments @hcoleman232 Thank you so much! Today I actually didn't do my morning stretches or yoga. A week ago, I was doing my water fitness and I must have pulled something in the back of my right knee. I thought it was just a pulled muscle, no big deal. I expected that, after icing, elevating and heat, that it would get better. Nope! It's gotten worse. Yesterday I think I overdid my errands and when I got home, the pain was actually starting to creep up my thigh, so, besides going to church, I've been taking it easy today. I haven't even been able to do my water fitness for a week! Yikes! @77tes I love your picture! It is so cool! I live in NM, so I've only seen fog a couple of times lol
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🦃 🍄🟫🍂🦩🐿️🎃🐿️🦩🍂🍄🟫🦃
🦃🍄🟫🎃 NOVEMBER2025 🎃🍄🟫🦃
🦃🍄🟫🍂🦩🐿️🎃🐿️🦩🍂🍄🟫🦃I am a person who values the health and fitness of mind, body, and spirit.NOvember Focus: NO slacking on the core strength! I am concentrating on my abs.
Cue: Wake up.
Action: 10 Ab Crunches > 4 times a week 👌.
Reward: He Man Salute: I HAVE THE POWER ⚔️
SWSY! Strong Women Stay Young!
Wk1: Wk2: Wk3: Wk4 Wk5:Also documenting Solid Habits
📍Daily Solid Habits:I like to frame my aims in positive terms 👌
Wk1: Wk2: Wk3: Wk4 Wk5:♦️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
Volunteer group leader for Lifelong learning charity, U3A (University for the Third Age)
Terri 💃
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@marlalynns6304 Oh, no! It can be very discouraging sitting on the sidelines. Hang in there. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
@TerriRichardson112 I love your wording… NO slacking! Core strength is so important. Great NOvember focus!
@77tes My planner lists November as gratitude month. Gratitude journaling is perfect!
Today is my cross training day and I’m trying something new - a yogalates class. Sounds challenging and might be a bit too much, but I’ll modify the moves if needed.
Make it a great NOvember day!
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Monday
Exercise: 14887 steps 💖
Tracking: yes 💖
Calories: under 💖
Pass days used: 0 💖
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Today I found this fun Yoga with Adriene. It is not her usual videos.
@hcoleman232 Great job on the snacks. Totally understand about passing with the group. Maybe it will work out, but if not, you have a great plan. Keep up the great work.
@marlalynns6304 So sorry to hear about your pulled muscle. Take it easy. I hope it feels better soon.
@77tes You are doing a great job on your yes and no's. Lovely picture! I went to an aerial yoga class a few years back and loved it so for Christmas, I bought the equipment. I was just getting into it when life needed my attention so I continued a few tricks, but not consistently. So I hung the silk today and started with my favorite trick. I attached video of the trick below. It is a lot of fun, but takes some conditioning to get used to the pressure of the silks on my body.
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@marlalynns6304 , bummer that you are hurting. Unfortunately, part of healthy habits is learning to deal with injuries and other set backs. Sorry you need to miss your water aerobics- my sister does that regularly, and I have gone with her on visits - so fun! Take care - knees are such an essential part of our mobility.
And yes, I’m so happy to see the marine layer return. Fog is fun for walking! 🌫️
@TerriRichardson112 , no slacking in your core! What an awesome focus!
@hcoleman232 , yogalates sounds cool. Smart of you to include cross training. Definitely it’s a good idea to modify when you need to.
@donna25trinity , what a fabulous day! Bravo 👏
@Learningmoments , Wow! That looks like such a fun form of exercise! And the Yoga video is definitely not her usual style.
My emojis : Gratitude journal 📓 : track food 🥘 calorie goal: 🥅 cardio: 🚶♀️, 🚴, 💃, yoga: 🧘 strength: 💪 No to Social Media : ⏱️ No to leftover Halloween candy: ⛔️
November 2 - 📓🥘🥅🚶♀️🧘⏱️⛔️
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🍁🦃🍂🍁🦃🍂🍁🦃🍂🍁🦃🍂I am an active person and take care of my body and mind
Popping in for a new month a few days late! Wow, everyone is off to a strong start. October was mostly fruitful with my new habit: arm weights and weight machines for the first time at my gym. I continued yoga/stretching 3x a week and a combo of either walking/Treadmill 6x a week for physical exercise. When I did my calculations I fell short here and there, but it was an improvement over September which is a positive.
NOvember is a perfect habit challenge for me too. With the holidays approaching, it’s a great time to keep this top of mind.
NO going over caloric intake leading up to Thanksgiving Day (hard)
NO skipping strength training (hard)
NO to things that are not uplifting or fulfilling (easy)
NO to meeting other people’s expectations (so much better with age)!YES to continuing my physical and mental health goals!
Walking 🚶♀️ 6 x a week in/outdoorsYoga 🧘♀️ or stretching 3 x a week
Strength training 💪 3 x a week
Winding down nighttime 🛌 routine
I hope to check in at least weekly to cheer you on. Best wishes to everyone for a successful NOvember!
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Great day did another peloton ride a 20 minute ride a dog walk and some strength work now on my way to reading to end my day.
I need to remain very focused on my overall health as it wouldn’t take much to slide as my mother’s Alzheimer’s is really progressing very quickly. Keep my family in your thoughts it’s much appreciated.
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4th Nov
Exercise: 9146 steps and 30 min weights💖
Tracking: yes 💖
Calories: under 💖
Pass days used: 0 💖
I did a 30 minute weights session yesterday too.
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Nov goal: 242
11/4:249I caught myself eating mindlessly, taking huge bites, and not tasting the food.
I didn’t use any tools.🧰 😳- I was busy/stressed. I needed to recognize it and use grounding, breathing, or meditation.🧘🏼
- I needed to drink a glass of water before my meal. 🚰
- I needed to sit at the table, turn off my screens, and focus on eating. 📵
- I needed to visualize the kind of eater I want to be. Slow, small bites, put my fork down between bites. 🍽️
Changing old habits is going to take mindful effort. I can do this. 🧠
@snowshoe072 Thinking of you as you face the pain of your mom fading. Hold tight to your good memories. My bestie is declining fast and I’ve realized I am now the memory keeper. ❤️
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Thinking of u @snowshoe072.. stay strong mentally . U need to look after urself now more than ever. In my prayers.. xo
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I put on close to a kilo over night.. frustrating but this always happens after my period finishes. Staying positive and focused.. going to get it back down.. I'm also going to take some pics of myself in a bikini this weekend so i can see my progress... I live near beach so always in a bikini and last weekend I definitely felt leaner.. so hoping if there are days like today where the scale is up then the pics will help me know that I'm still on right track...xox
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Thank you for your thoughts it is hard to watch your parents decline today I wiped my moms face from melted ice cream to take her medications … how many times did she wipe my ice cream face ?
I walked twice today once with my son and once with Koda
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@Michieb125 , great plan for your Nos and Yeses for November !
@snowshoe072 , bravo 👏 to you for getting in the walking, your peloton workout, your strength, and your reading. You need all those things to power that journey with your mom. If you’re on Facebook, there’s a great group - the Memory People, lots of great ideas and strategies. I’ll definitely keep you and your family in my prayers. Like @Gigi _815 said hold onto the memories and when things are bad remember that it’s the disease, not your mother.
@Gigi _815, really great reflection on reverting to an old habit of mindless eating. I found that really inspiring!
@donna25trinity , great work on your activity. Don’t let scale fluctuations throw you off.
Lots accomplished Monday. First strength workout of the month is always worth an extra celebration. 🎉
My emojis : Gratitude journal 📓 : track food 🥘 calorie goal: 🥅 cardio: 🚶♀️, 🚴, 💃, yoga: 🧘 strength: 💪
No to Social Media : ⏱️ No to leftover Halloween candy: ⛔️
November 3 - 📓🚶♀️💪🥘🥅🧘⏱️⛔️
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@snowshoe072 Keeping you in my thoughts.
@donna25trinity Progress pictures are a great motivator! I find how clothing fits is a better indicator than the scale.
@Michieb125 Great list of NOvember habits!
@Gigi_815 Catching yourself, analyzing and making changes is what it’s all about. Great job!
@77tes 👏🏻👏🏻 Celebrating your strength workout!
Great job everyone!!
I did surprisingly well at yogalates. Some of the core moves were tough, but that just tells me what I need to focus on.
My coworker brought in her leftover Halloween candy and it sits on the end of her desk where I see it every time I walk by. Proud of my willpower. NO!
Yesterday I ran after work, actually jogged because my left knee area told me to (fell and bruised it Sunday). Since I wasn’t exerting like I normally do I could actually jog the entire time. Disclosure: I had my timer set for run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute and kept missing the chimes so I just kept jogging. 😂
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Nov goal: 242
11/5:248I did all the things. Glass of water, cleared my mind, slowed my roll, and focused on enjoying my meals. I consumed less calories and felt satisfied. 😊
We experimented with barre at exercise class. I love this class. She provides a variety to help us discover what we like. Kickboxing, Pilates, yoga, barre, Zumba, resistance bands. I haven’t decided my favorite. I think I just like the variety.
I truly enjoy reading about your successes and challenges. We are not alone. 🥰3 -
@hcoleman232 , So cool that Yogalates was doable for you! 🙌 Core is hard for me too, I’ve added crunches to my lifting routine. Bravo 👏 on resisting your coworker’s candy!
@Gigi_815, your exercise class sounds amazing! Lots of variety = lots of fun! Great job of shifting your focus and enjoying your meals. Mindset changes are amazing! 🤩
Meet-up workout at the park with my Curves friends. Then an extra long walk and chat with my sister, I love that we can exercise together even though she’s in the next state. After lunch, my daughter and I replaced the fitness mat puzzle squares in our playroom with indoor/outdoor carpet. Unfortunately, Lucy was enjoying ripping pieces of those mats and eating them. To avoid trips to the vet, we replaced the flooring. That was a lot of work.
November 4 - 📓🚶♀️🥘🥅🧘⏱️⛔️
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