September Monthly Challenge: This September I Will...
themedalist
Posts: 3,218 Member
Theme: Healthy Practices
Challenge: “This September I Will”
I am so excited about our new monthly challenge series as I believe it will help us make sustained progress on our health and fitness goals!
But first, I need to back up a bit. When I took over as group leader in May 2017, I wanted to change the focus of this group. Having read extensively and taken several courses about how habits are formed, I wanted this group to help people create and sustain healthy habits that would make their lives better. We ARE our daily habits. Our habits can help us get what we want out of life, or they can hold us back. I also believe that health and wellness extend beyond just diet and exercise. Our mindset, our happiness, our stress, as well as many other factors interplay and directly impact our health. We shouldn’t ignore these other aspects of our lives.
Overall, I’m very happy with this group and what we’ve accomplished. Our weekly challenges let us “test drive” a healthy behavior that we may not have considered before and see if it’s a good fit for us; something we might want to keep doing and make into a daily habit. But there are some shortcomings to the current structure, that came to light as I was reading your “New Year’s in August“ resolutions. For many of us, we are still pretty far from accomplishing our health goals and I’d like to change that.
Here’s what I see are the downsides of our current challenge structure:
RELEVANCY: Although I try to cast a wide net in the kinds of challenges we work on, they may not be what you believe you need to focus on.
LENGTH OF TIME: Despite popular belief, habits don’t magically form in 21 days. How long it takes to develop a habit depends on a number of factors, but it’s clear that habits are created through repetition over time; by doing something over and over again until it becomes second nature to us. One week isn’t a lot of time to form a new habit, so this new approach will lengthen the time frame to a full month.
THE “READING ABYSS” It’s easy to think that by reading about something, that we’ve done something about it. Or that if we read and gather enough ideas, then we’ll be ready to act. But if you only read our weekly challenges and follow the comments of those who are participating and posting, I don't think anything will change for you. It’s our actions that change our lives, not what we read about and contemplate doing. You already have enough information. You don’t need more ideas. We just need to commit to our goals, lay out a plan, roll up our sleeves, and do the hard work that is changing our lives for the better. This new monthly challenge will help us do just that.
Our New “This month I will...” Series:
Each new month is like a mini New Years. It’s a clean slate and a fresh start and an opportunity to make real progress on the goals that we have. Let’s seize this great opportunity by specifying and committing to a personalized goal that we have for ourselves. What do you want to accomplish this September? What do you need to do to move your health and your life forward? How can we help you achieve your goals?
Try to frame your goals along these lines:
Please don’t dismiss an action as too small to have any real impact. Swapping a 20-ounce bottle of soda every day for a calorie-free drink should result in 25 pounds lost over a year from that change alone. Taking a 22-minute walk every day will make your heart, brain, and lungs function better, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll feel better. Why 22 minutes? Because if you exercise for just 22 minutes a day every day you’ll also be meeting the public health recommendation to exercise 150 minutes a week. We change our lives through our daily habits and we change our habits through small sustainable actions.
Moving forward, we will be kicking off each new month with this customized challenge. Over the course of a year that’s 12 new habits you’ll be creating for yourself. Talk about forward momentum! Our regular weekly challenges will resume after this first challenge, but we’ll be starting each month with a personalized goal that we want to work on!
This Month’s Challenge: Please post one goal that you have for yourself this month. Be specific and identify the action steps that you’ll be taking to accomplish goal. Don’t select something you think you should do, but really don’t want to do. Habits are much more likely to stick if you choose something you want to do.
You’ll also be more likely to reach your goal if you make it public by posting it here. Why? Well, social scientists tell us that we all have a need to be seen as true to our word. If we make a public commitment to something, we are more likely to follow through than if we keep it to ourselves. When you post, others can learn from you and your experiences and we can all support and encourage you as you make changes in your life.
Let’s get to it! What are you going to accomplish this September?
............................................................................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
What a Lion Tamer Can Teach Us About Focus, Concentration, and Taking Action:
https://jamesclear.com/how-to-focus
Try Something New For 30 Days:
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days/
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Challenge: “This September I Will”
I am so excited about our new monthly challenge series as I believe it will help us make sustained progress on our health and fitness goals!
But first, I need to back up a bit. When I took over as group leader in May 2017, I wanted to change the focus of this group. Having read extensively and taken several courses about how habits are formed, I wanted this group to help people create and sustain healthy habits that would make their lives better. We ARE our daily habits. Our habits can help us get what we want out of life, or they can hold us back. I also believe that health and wellness extend beyond just diet and exercise. Our mindset, our happiness, our stress, as well as many other factors interplay and directly impact our health. We shouldn’t ignore these other aspects of our lives.
Overall, I’m very happy with this group and what we’ve accomplished. Our weekly challenges let us “test drive” a healthy behavior that we may not have considered before and see if it’s a good fit for us; something we might want to keep doing and make into a daily habit. But there are some shortcomings to the current structure, that came to light as I was reading your “New Year’s in August“ resolutions. For many of us, we are still pretty far from accomplishing our health goals and I’d like to change that.
Here’s what I see are the downsides of our current challenge structure:
RELEVANCY: Although I try to cast a wide net in the kinds of challenges we work on, they may not be what you believe you need to focus on.
LENGTH OF TIME: Despite popular belief, habits don’t magically form in 21 days. How long it takes to develop a habit depends on a number of factors, but it’s clear that habits are created through repetition over time; by doing something over and over again until it becomes second nature to us. One week isn’t a lot of time to form a new habit, so this new approach will lengthen the time frame to a full month.
THE “READING ABYSS” It’s easy to think that by reading about something, that we’ve done something about it. Or that if we read and gather enough ideas, then we’ll be ready to act. But if you only read our weekly challenges and follow the comments of those who are participating and posting, I don't think anything will change for you. It’s our actions that change our lives, not what we read about and contemplate doing. You already have enough information. You don’t need more ideas. We just need to commit to our goals, lay out a plan, roll up our sleeves, and do the hard work that is changing our lives for the better. This new monthly challenge will help us do just that.
Our New “This month I will...” Series:
Each new month is like a mini New Years. It’s a clean slate and a fresh start and an opportunity to make real progress on the goals that we have. Let’s seize this great opportunity by specifying and committing to a personalized goal that we have for ourselves. What do you want to accomplish this September? What do you need to do to move your health and your life forward? How can we help you achieve your goals?
Try to frame your goals along these lines:
- My goal for this month (Maybe phrase it as: This September I will...")
- The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal
- How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible)
- What help do you need from us?
- What does success look like to you at the end of September?
Please don’t dismiss an action as too small to have any real impact. Swapping a 20-ounce bottle of soda every day for a calorie-free drink should result in 25 pounds lost over a year from that change alone. Taking a 22-minute walk every day will make your heart, brain, and lungs function better, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll feel better. Why 22 minutes? Because if you exercise for just 22 minutes a day every day you’ll also be meeting the public health recommendation to exercise 150 minutes a week. We change our lives through our daily habits and we change our habits through small sustainable actions.
Moving forward, we will be kicking off each new month with this customized challenge. Over the course of a year that’s 12 new habits you’ll be creating for yourself. Talk about forward momentum! Our regular weekly challenges will resume after this first challenge, but we’ll be starting each month with a personalized goal that we want to work on!
This Month’s Challenge: Please post one goal that you have for yourself this month. Be specific and identify the action steps that you’ll be taking to accomplish goal. Don’t select something you think you should do, but really don’t want to do. Habits are much more likely to stick if you choose something you want to do.
You’ll also be more likely to reach your goal if you make it public by posting it here. Why? Well, social scientists tell us that we all have a need to be seen as true to our word. If we make a public commitment to something, we are more likely to follow through than if we keep it to ourselves. When you post, others can learn from you and your experiences and we can all support and encourage you as you make changes in your life.
Let’s get to it! What are you going to accomplish this September?
............................................................................................................................................
Suggested Resources:
What a Lion Tamer Can Teach Us About Focus, Concentration, and Taking Action:
https://jamesclear.com/how-to-focus
Try Something New For 30 Days:
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days/
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Replies
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This September I will develop a brief 5 or 10 minute pre-bedtime yoga routine
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal:
Every evening I'll try out a few new yoga poses to see what works best for me.
How often you’ll be taking these actions:
Nightly
What help do you need from us?
If you have a favorite yoga book, I'd love to hear about it!
What does success look like to you at the end of September?
This nightly practice will be something I look forward to. I'll either have settled on a few poses that I want to do every day, or I'll have identified those poses I want to rotate in regularly.
Most of all, this new habit will be something that relaxes me and gets me ready for a good night's sleep!4 -
As I’ve lost weight, and given away clothes that are too big/unflattering/too worn, I realized I wanted to design & sew my new clothes & alter/redesign a few items that I love, so they fit the New Me.
This September I will spend a minimum of 60 mins daily doing some combination of the following small actions: learning, finding resources, dreaming, illustrating, painting, sewing, repairing, transforming/altering, and creating clothing that is flattering to my body.
What help do you need from us? If you know of any great videos of fashion design/alteration/sewing techniques and/or on-line resources for fabric, notions, patterns, I’d love to know about them.
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I’ll have at least a jacket that fits with new buttons & other touches & *possibly* a new coat-inspired dress made from a jacket that is too large. I will have many drawings (in marker and/or of original designs) completed. I will have also begun a mood board for my new wardrobe: color palette, styles, sketches of designs, accessories, etc.
I’m very excited. I began a few days ago!
8/30 sketches a dress & a close up of a piece of the dress; decided embellishments on snaps could change the look of a blouse/dress/jacket etc.
8/31 went to fabric store, perused patterns, fabrics, buttons. Bought button for jacket. Bought two fashion illustration how-to books!! Looked & studied them.
9/1 For over an hour: sketched & painted a dress design with face/hair & a silhouette & a 2nd design (much better than the first!)
SO fun!
@Orphia
Who might also enjoy this September challenge!6 -
This September I have pledged to exercise daily in order to raise money for Cancer Research.
The small actions I will be taking; Getting up at 6am to make time to exercise before I get ready for work.
What help do I need from you; nothing except for a bit of cheering on and cheering up when it feels impossible.
What does success look like at the end of September; Knowing I have raised money for such a good cause and started the habit of doing some exercise daily. It doesn’t have to be a full on session at the gym or a half marathon. It can be as simple as going for a walk or a swim.5 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »As I’ve lost weight, and given away clothes that are too big/unflattering/too worn, I realized I wanted to design & sew my new clothes & alter/redesign a few items that I love, so they fit the New Me.
This September I will spend a minimum of 60 mins daily doing some combination of the following small actions: learning, finding resources, dreaming, illustrating, painting, sewing, repairing, transforming/altering, and creating clothing that is flattering to my body.
What help do you need from us? If you know of any great videos of fashion design/alteration/sewing techniques and/or on-line resources for fabric, notions, patterns, I’d love to know about them.
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I’ll have at least a jacket that fits with new buttons & other touches & *possibly* a new coat-inspired dress made from a jacket that is too large. I will have many drawings (in marker and/or of original designs) completed. I will have also begun a mood board for my new wardrobe: color palette, styles, sketches of designs, accessories, etc.
I’m very excited. I began a few days ago!
8/30 sketches a dress & a close up of a piece of the dress; decided embellishments on snaps could change the look of a blouse/dress/jacket etc.
8/31 went to fabric store, perused patterns, fabrics, buttons. Bought button for jacket. Bought two fashion illustration how-to books!! Looked & studied them.
9/1 For over an hour: sketched & painted a dress design with face/hair & a silhouette & a 2nd design (much better than the first!)
SO fun!
@Orphia
Who might also enjoy this September challenge!
Wow, what a great goal for September! It's a need directly related to your weight loss (way to go, BTW!), it will nourish your creative side (lots of brain benefits to creativity!) and you'll deepen your happiness which is always a good thing health wise!
I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress and encouraging you on!1 -
Jinantonix wrote: »This September I have pledged to exercise daily in order to raise money for Cancer Research.
The small actions I will be taking; Getting up at 6am to make time to exercise before I get ready for work.
What help do I need from you; nothing except for a bit of cheering on and cheering up when it feels impossible.
What does success look like at the end of September; Knowing I have raised money for such a good cause and started the habit of doing some exercise daily. It doesn’t have to be a full on session at the gym or a half marathon. It can be as simple as going for a walk or a swim.
Fantastic goal, @Jinantonix! Exercising for a good cause is a great motivator!
Regular cheering on coming your way!
"It doesn’t have to be a full on session at the gym or a half marathon. It can be as simple as going for a walk or a swim."
Totally agree. It all adds up! The hard part is usually starting. Getting in the habit of devoting some time each day to a habit we want to develop is a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT!
Go you!2 -
themedalist wrote: »This September I will develop a brief 5 or 10 minute pre-bedtime yoga routine
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal:
Every evening I'll try out a few new yoga poses to see what works best for me.
How often you’ll be taking these actions:
Nightly
What help do you need from us?
If you have a favorite yoga book, I'd love to hear about it!
What does success look like to you at the end of September?
This nightly practice will be something I look forward to. I'll either have settled on a few poses that I want to do every day, or I'll have identified those poses I want to rotate in regularly.
Most of all, this new habit will be something that relaxes me and gets me ready for a good night's sleep!
Look what came in my inbox today!
https://www.verywellfit.com/yoga-poses-for-evening-downward-facing-dog-35671725 -
This September I will improve my nutrition and heal the emotional eating pattern I developed in highschool.
The small actions I will be taking: I am already working out in the gym 6/7 days and cooking for myself. I will be eating mindfully using the left hand (I am right handed) or eating a meal in 20-30 minutes without hurrying.
What help I need from you? I don't have friends, so I hope I could make some with whom I could share my journey. I would be glad if you'll also show your support by telling your journey.
What does succes look at the end of September? Being lean and connecting with other people. Also, not even thinking of eating when emotionally down.5 -
Like you, @themedalist , I want to commit to yoga in September. I've done yoga before and really like it. However, I really struggle with keeping to it. I like the link you shared.
I'm going to commit to doing at least 10 minutes of yoga or Qigong each day. It can either be regular (on a mat), standing (like qigong), or chair yoga at work.
"The Reading Abyss" reminds me that back in the day before I got serious about changing my lifestyle, how my daughter teased me that my approach to dieting was "buy a diet book." The humor in her observation was how spot on it was.3 -
This September I will pledge to meditate 5 minutes each morning and 5 minutes before bed.
The small actions I will take will be to use the Calm app or YouTube for Nidra Yoga.
What help can I expect from the group? Any information, apps or suggestions on mediation would be appreciated.
What does success look like at the end of September? I hope to relieve some stress, slow down and perhaps get more sleep.3 -
@themedalist, I think I've shared this before, but I love these videos. I always go back to them especially when I haven't been doing yoga for a while. BTW, I have downloaded the Calm app - haven't used it yet, but maybe this week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzonBs06mX8&list=PLEs9dX8UXFZqbJf-Cbm3zYDVkS53PlThW 2 -
I aim to 'go dry' this month - starting this week! I am developing a beer belly and my size 12 jeans have got far too tight!6
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This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.5 -
@themedalist, I think I've shared this before, but I love these videos. I always go back to them especially when I haven't been doing yoga for a while. BTW, I have downloaded the Calm app - haven't used it yet, but maybe this week.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzonBs06mX8&list=PLEs9dX8UXFZqbJf-Cbm3zYDVkS53PlThW
I'm going to check this out this evening, @77tes! Glad you've downloaded Calm!1 -
carolbrady1 wrote: »I aim to 'go dry' this month - starting this week! I am developing a beer belly and my size 12 jeans have got far too tight!
Great goal, @carolbrady1! Lots of calories in alcohol.1 -
AlexAndreiMircea99 wrote: »This September I will improve my nutrition and heal the emotional eating pattern I developed in highschool.
The small actions I will be taking: I am already working out in the gym 6/7 days and cooking for myself. I will be eating mindfully using the left hand (I am right handed) or eating a meal in 20-30 minutes without hurrying.
What help I need from you? I don't have friends, so I hope I could make some with whom I could share my journey. I would be glad if you'll also show your support by telling your journey.
What does success look at the end of September? Being lean and connecting with other people. Also, not even thinking of eating when emotionally down.
Hi @AlexAndreiMircea99, what a great idea to eat with your non-dominant hand! It will slow you down a bit, encouraging more mindful eating.
One suggestion, when you're feeling down and want to eat to feel better, what could you do instead? Maybe go for a quick walk? Do something else that you enjoy such as listening to music or something? We are going to be taking a deep dive into habits all throughout October and we'll be learning how habits work and how we can modify our bad habits. But for now, I think if you focus on something you can do instead of eating when the mood strikes, over time and with practice, the urge to eat for emotional comfort will lessen.3 -
This September I will make small changes to help curb after dinner eating and snacking that just ends in me emotional eating non stop. I will start having a snack after work and making my suppers more protein rich so I'm fuller. Then focus on NOT eating much after dinner and getting sucked into the black hole of eating abyss.2
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Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
@Heidijens123, great goal and a great choice of actions that support your goal. No, the putting a sticker on the calendar isn't cheesy at all. Seeing our progress is critical to habit formation and visual progress is great feedback. I track my progress on almost everything I do and visual feedback is my favorite kind!
One of my hobbies/goals is playing the guitar. I started playing on October 2015, by practicing every single day for 15 minutes a day for a full year. Each day when I practice I turn on my timekeeper app and record the time, duration, and any milestones achieved during this practice session.
Here's a screenshot of what it looks like:
I love scrolling through all the days seeing when I practiced and now I know I've logged over 77 hours this year becoming a better guitarist.
Finding a system to document your progress as you work toward your goal-- something that gives you a quick "High Five! Way to go me!" -- is a great way to help your fledgling new habit wannabe take root and become a healthy habit that is part of your lifestyle change.
So kudos on the calendar!
2 -
purplicious86 wrote: »This September I will make small changes to help curb after dinner eating and snacking that just ends in me emotional eating non stop. I will start having a snack after work and making my suppers more protein rich so I'm fuller. Then focus on NOT eating much after dinner and getting sucked into the black hole of eating abyss.
Fantastic goal, @purplicious86! Stopping the late night snacking was my top priority when I lost weight here on MFP in 2011-2012. I lost 50 pounds. I make a concerted effort not to eat junk food or snack when watching TV at night. I will not be resuming that bad habit!
Great choice for a September focus!1 -
themedalist wrote: »Heidijens123 wrote: »This September I will go to the group fitness classes at the gym every week day. Which means getting up early as with my schedule it's best if I do the early morning (5:15 am) classes.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal : Setting my alarm early enough to get there in time, getting my workout stuff ready the night before. Telling my husband and teen age daughter I'm going then so they can hold me accountable. Also making sure I go to bed early enough the night before.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible) every week day as that's when the gym has classes.
What help do you need from us? Cheer me on, ask if I made it to class or just how was class today?
What does success look like to you at the end of September? I'm going to put a sticker on the calender every day I go. Sounds cheesy I know but it will give me visual proof that I went. Also hopefully I will notice good changes to my body. And feel better about waking up early.
@Heidijens123, great goal and a great choice of actions that support your goal. No, the putting a sticker on the calendar isn't cheesy at all. Seeing our progress is critical to habit formation and visual progress is great feedback. I track my progress on almost everything I do and visual feedback is my favorite kind!
One of my hobbies/goals is playing the guitar. I started playing on October 2015, by practicing every single day for 15 minutes a day for a full year. Each day when I practice I turn on my timekeeper app and record the time, duration, and any milestones achieved during this practice session.
Here's a screenshot of what it looks like:
I love scrolling through all the days seeing when I practiced and now I know I've logged over 77 hours this year becoming a better guitarist.
Finding a system to document your progress as you work toward your goal-- something that gives you a quick "High Five! Way to go me!" -- is a great way to help your fledgling new habit wannabe take root and become a healthy habit that is part of your lifestyle change.
So kudos on the calendar!
Thank you!!! I hope your guitar playing goes well!1 -
This September I will pledge to continue working on myself, from the inside out. I will no longer neglect my emotional/mental health so that I can continue to get healthy on the outside. Eating and exercising and taking care of me. I too was an emotional eater so I want to steer away from going back.
The small actions I will take will be to keep reading, researching but most importantly putting into practice what I am learning. Talking about my mental state to break some of the stigma and talking about women's health issues that are not just in my head but that are real.
How often?: This is a daily event. I need to do this every day. Listen to my body, pay attention to my mind and focus. Do what has worked before as long as I need to and can.
What help can I expect from the group? As always, support, suggestions in terms of books or research of food, emotional health, anxiety, menopause, relationships.
What does success look like at the end of September? Success looks like me being in complete control and happy! Very, very happy.
Good luck everyone! I am confident we can all succeed.6 -
September seems so long but it will go by so quickly. @themedalist I love what you said about having enough information already. It’s time to commit, make a plan, and do the hard work.
In September I will remember that my strength lies deep within me. I can choose to focus on the moment and decide to love myself with better choices...not perfect ones, but I can start by choosing food from the earth more often...fruits, vegetables, and healthy meat choices. When I want to make an unhealthy choice, I will stop and feel what is driving that choice. Is it the flavor, am I craving salt, am I feeling sorry for myself about a situation I haven’t dealt with, do I just not care enough about myself at that moment? Also, I want to get back to exercising regularly.
Small step and how often? 1) Stock my fridge and cupboards and prepare food in advance as often as necessary. Probably once a week since I don’t get to the grocery store often. 2) strength train 2-3x/week, do classical stretch 5-6x/week, and walk my hills again. 3) continue reading books that are helpful in my quest, 4) And possibly THE most important step is journaling every day.
I would love it if more members would respond to my posts. I need to also be more responsive in turn but it’s disheartening when I post about a serious issue and get one or two responses when I know this is a big group. That’s when I almost make the decision to leave the site, but old friends and ties with them keep me coming back, just to stalk sometimes!
Success to me is having a sense of peace within that I’m doing OK. I like the sticker idea so I will try that and see if tracking my actions will help. This is an inside game for me that has outward results.
You all have great ideas and plans. I cant wait to see how this month goes for everyone. 🌹4 -
The medalist wrote this and I tried the quote thing again but...oh well. She said:
Look what came in my inbox today!
https://www.verywellfit.com/yoga-poses-for-evening-downward-facing-dog-3567172[/quote]
@themedalist Hmmm...don’t you love it when things like that happen!?! Pretty amazing how often those “coincidences” occur😍3 -
@prgirl39mfp I hear you loud and clear! This is definitely an inside game and until something there changes, the outside will stay the same or worse. You are very wise and know what you need to do. Sometimes we don’t listen to or express that inner voice for whatever reason. I read “The Untethered Soul” and have to admit it seemed pretty far out there, but putting the ideas into play have shown me otherwise. Now I’m listening to “The Power of Now” which is another one that is not on the entertainment easy reading list but very insightful. I also listen to some amazing podcasts. I feel like I’ll never be in complete control and that’s probably for the best but I think we can be happy in spite of that...or maybe because of it.3
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What an awesome OP and challenge! Thanks so much, @MadisonMolly2017 xx
I've reached maintenance and held it for over two years. I've run or walked every day for 3 years, and have been doing yoga/handstands for 5 minutes daily for 3 months. This group sounds like my cup of tea!
I've been going by the mottoes of "Challenge your thoughts. Don't believe everything you think." And "Don't wait around for motivation. Just *kitten* do it."
This challenge is a nice way to add structure to the process. Thank you!
This September I will: Draw every day.
The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish my goal: Using my iPad Pro and Pencil to draw when winding down for the day, and spending less time on Facebook. On weekends do some drawing on paper. I want to do more portrait "tracing" line drawings and paintings, and fashion design.
How often you’ll be taking these actions (daily is best if possible): Daily, around 15 minutes a day.
What help do you need from us? You've helped already.I will check the OP again and again. Clicking like on my posts is always appreciated.
What does success look like to you at the end of September? Daily entries in Todoist and a folder of drawings in the Procreate app, and additions to my Instagram page.6 -
@prgirl39mfp & @nebslp
For me, and this is just my perspective, I spent decades trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and remained obese (called it heavy or overweight, but I was, in fact, obese.)
In fact, I was just fine inside. I just didn’t make HEALTH a high enough priority. I made Work & Being a Mom my priorities, and was great at both, but paid huge prices medically.
I also always failed because everything (WEight Watchers, etc.) had fat goals that I just could not do. I’d be so hungry, that most diets failed or if they worked, I immediately regained. So, I gave up after reading that yo-yo dieting was worse for my health then being “heavy.” There was no such thing as “healthy fats”
Enter Health & Baby Steps (gradual changes)... gave myself 3 years which will be 1/1/19 to change my habits. Down about 67 lbs & figuring out when I should stop. Determined never to regain...
Amazingly, I DO feel in control now. Completely.
* I know I need a large breakfast by 10 AM (before I lay in bed until 1 or 2 on weekends/summer & then went out & ate a huge lunch “because I didn’t have breakfast)
And many more...fiber, healthy fats, water, movement, mindfulness, small plates, two routine meals with a third that varies, sel-care, etc.
My most recent discovery is that I’m not a sugar or white flour craver! I can control those easily now. And while I never thought of myself as a salt person, if I do go over 1500 mg a day, I get hunger signals & a “mouth hunger” ie not hungry but my mouth is.
It’s a fascinating journey!
3 -
@themedalist You're awesome!
I love your goal. I started the Handstand Challenge in June and have been practicing yoga/strength/handstand exercises for 5 minutes daily for 96 days.
I find that recording a video of each session is a great way to check progress and form. You can also take screenshots from them to share and ask questions from others.
My routine changes over time, and it may be more gymnastic than you're looking for but you might find it interesting to get to know me from.
This was today:
https://youtu.be/AMX-99YCcHQ 4 -
@prgirl39mfp & @nebslp
A specific goal such as logging all food accurately, daily, helped me lose 80 lbs and keep it off.
Reading the "Helpful Posts" Must-Reads often in the General Weight Loss forum helped me to that properly.
Nice to meet you!
I'm seeing professionals about my anxiety and it's been so helpful! That, and exercise, parkrun, self-care, quitting alcohol, and commitment to goals have given me so much more confidence compared to 5 years ago.4 -
@themedalist You're awesome!
I love your goal. I started the Handstand Challenge in June and have been practicing yoga/strength/handstand exercises for 5 minutes daily for 96 days.
I find that recording a video of each session is a great way to check progress and form. You can also take screenshots from them to share and ask questions from others.
My routine changes over time, and it may be more gymnastic than you're looking for but you might find it interesting to get to know me from.
This was today:https://youtu.be/AMX-99YCcHQ
This is just awesome, @Orphia! Your determination and commitment is palpable.
No matter what our goal is, if we practice it daily we are going to get better at it. What we focus on and give our attention to improves.
As for me, mobility and gait challenges from birth (cerebral palsy) limit how well I can do something, but as I've learned, NOT whether I can do it or not. I know I can find yoga poses that will work for me...I just need to give it some time this month.
I'm really glad you've joined our group!2 -
September seems so long but it will go by so quickly. @themedalist I love what you said about having enough information already. It’s time to commit, make a plan, and do the hard work.
In September I will remember that my strength lies deep within me. I can choose to focus on the moment and decide to love myself with better choices...not perfect ones, but I can start by choosing food from the earth more often...fruits, vegetables, and healthy meat choices. When I want to make an unhealthy choice, I will stop and feel what is driving that choice. Is it the flavor, am I craving salt, am I feeling sorry for myself about a situation I haven’t dealt with, do I just not care enough about myself at that moment? Also, I want to get back to exercising regularly.
Small step and how often? 1) Stock my fridge and cupboards and prepare food in advance as often as necessary. Probably once a week since I don’t get to the grocery store often. 2) strength train 2-3x/week, do classical stretch 5-6x/week, and walk my hills again. 3) continue reading books that are helpful in my quest, 4) And possibly THE most important step is journaling every day.
I would love it if more members would respond to my posts. I need to also be more responsive in turn but it’s disheartening when I post about a serious issue and get one or two responses when I know this is a big group. That’s when I almost make the decision to leave the site, but old friends and ties with them keep me coming back, just to stalk sometimes!
Success to me is having a sense of peace within that I’m doing OK. I like the sticker idea so I will try that and see if tracking my actions will help. This is an inside game for me that has outward results.
You all have great ideas and plans. I cant wait to see how this month goes for everyone. 🌹
@nebslp you have a great goal for September backed up by concrete, doable actions. You have a very thoughtful approach to changing the habits you want to change. And I'm glad you are returning to journaling.
And I hear you on wanting more feedback on posts, especially posts that are difficult to write. This is a large and supportive group, but I think it can be hard to know what to say sometimes, especially for issues that are deeply personal for the poster. I sure am glad you are still with us!
I don't think there's a better marker of success than a sense of peace. You are so right---it's an inside job!2 -
I'm new to the group, but I think this is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm working to establish healthier habits after having fallen off a while back and generally would like to build a community of supporr.
In September I will write in my journal daily. Beginning each day with journaling helps me stick to my daily goals, so that's what I'm focused on in September. Each day in my journal, I'll be committing to moving my body and making good food choices.
The small step I will take will be to get up when my alarm goes off (no snoozing).
What I'm looking for from the group is encouragement and celebration.
Success will look like daily entries in the journal (two full pages). Other results I expect are a feeling of empowerment, moving my body six days per week, and increased energy.
Thank you for having me! 😀5
