This April I Will...
themedalist
Posts: 3,218 Member
Hello Spring!
Today was the day I always look forward to. After seeing my small herb garden take a pounding from snow, sleet, ice and wind over the last few months, today I ventured out, brushed away the pine needles, oak leaves and other debris, tilled the now unfrozen New Hampshire soil, and planted my arugula and Spring lettuce. A bit early, I know, but I have great faith in my little plants.
I love Spring! A time for growth, renewal and boundless possibilities.
What would you like to achieve this month? What healthy habit would you like to start or continue to work on from March?
If you are joining us for the first time, welcome! We are glad you are here. Let us know what your goal is and how we can help. And if you're joining us midway through the month, you don't have to wait for May to get started. Start now and you'll be that much further ahead. If you're looking for ideas, our list of previous challenges may be useful.
If it's useful to you, you might frame your goal along these lines:
1. My goal for this month (This April I will...")
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit?
6. What help do you need from us?
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April?
Let's make it happen!
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Replies
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My March goal of getting more sleep has been very helpful to me, so I'm keeping the same goal for April:
1. This April I will aim to get 6.5 hours or more of sleep every day.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: Shower by 10pm, in bed by 11pm
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: my evening shower.
4. How often will you do your new habit: every night
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? When I'm in bed by 11pm, I treat myself to a very minutes of reading.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement. What I always get from this group!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? I'll have cemented the routine of going to bed by 11pm. I'll continue to see subtle, but real improvements in the quality of my day because I'm better rested.5 -
1. My goal for this month (This April I will...") Track my good/drink and stay within calorie limits every day
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal,
Logging everything into MyFitPal every day
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit,
Walking in the morning or during the day
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit?
Kombucha? Lol Maybe listen to music, I’ll have to work on thinking about rewards
6. What help do you need from us?
The advice boards have been helpful!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April?
Ive lost a few more lbs at least, feel less bloated and have tracked everything every day4 -
@themedalist, Thank you for inspiring me to also focus on my sleep this month. I had no idea what I was going to do for April.
1. My goal for this month (This April I will...") To get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal. I have the app Insight Timer and it has bedtime meditations to help you fall asleep.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit. I have set an alarm to remind me to prepare for bed. I usually soak in a hot bath before bed.
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will turn on music as soon as I wake up instead of the news.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? Success will be hopefully a healthier mind and body. My achy body needs rest.6 -
lindsayann135 wrote: »1. My goal for this month (This April I will...") Track my good/drink and stay within calorie limits every day
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal,
Logging everything into MyFitPal every day
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit,
Walking in the morning or during the day
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible)
Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit?
Kombucha? Lol Maybe listen to music, I’ll have to work on thinking about rewards
6. What help do you need from us?
The advice boards have been helpful!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April?
Ive lost a few more lbs at least, feel less bloated and have tracked everything every day
Welcome, @lindsayann135 to our group! I think you have a great goal set for yourself this month. One of our members @PackerFanInGB made this her March goal and she diligently logged her food everyday. And she shed quite a few pounds last month. Logging works!
We are here to support and encourage you. You can do this!3 -
@themedalist, Thank you for inspiring me to also focus on my sleep this month. I had no idea what I was going to do for April.
1. My goal for this month (This April I will...") To get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal. I have the app Insight Timer and it has bedtime meditations to help you fall asleep.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit. I have set an alarm to remind me to prepare for bed. I usually soak in a hot bath before bed.
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will turn on music as soon as I wake up instead of the news.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouragement.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? Success will be hopefully a healthier mind and body. My achy body needs rest.
Excellent @PinkyPan1! I think you'll be pleased what a difference more sleep makes. And I like your "music instead of news" reward!2 -
I LOVed my March goal of scheduling focused time at 12:30 to study every day that I’m home. I will continue that habit but am adding something new related to moving more (that was a previous goal). I read Younger Next Year and realize I can’t slack off any more. I calculated my heart rate goal from 60% to 90% at 5% increments but my Fitbit died for good and the batteries to my Polar HRM couldn’t be revived after a year in the drawer so I couldn’t use them. But I know I still did OK. New Fitbit charge should be here tomorrow🤞
1) my goal for this month: This April I will do 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 6 days a week and keep my heart rate in the desired range based on Younger Next Year recommendations.
2) The small actions Ill be taking to accomplish this goal: do Just Dance. Go outside every afternoon after study time. (Gardening, walking, birding, hiking...all fun active things that will help me meet my 45 minute goal).
3) The trigger or cue remember to do the habit: I will put the coffee on in the morning and do a Just a Dance while it brews. After my study time about 3:00 I’m ready to move so I will go outside or do a DVD then.
4) How often will you do your new habit? 6 days a week when possible.
5) What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I have a monthly chart to keep track of my success.
6) What help do you need from us? the positive feedback and suggestions this group always provides❣️
7) What does success look like to you at the end of the month? I will feel better and have increased endurance level and will working towards being younger next year.
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Because I’m starting the month with a road trip, I feel like I’m setting myself up for failure, but I really want to do this. I can’t really pre-log very accurately when I’m unsure where we’ll be eating the next day. Still, even if the first week doesn’t work, I can try to get it accomplished.
1. This April I will stay under my fat goal at least 3 days per week.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal is to pre-log my meals the night before.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit is sitting down to watch TV.
4. How often will you do your new habit . I will pre-log daily.
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will give myself an emoticon in my food notes.
6. What help do you need from us? Encouraging words and accountability.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? I’ll have a better handle on on my diary.
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Really fun to see everyone’s projects!
1. This April I will...continue to make art/play with art supplies/doodle/swatch art materials & surround myself with colorful playful beauty. I will not try to make perfect art. I will only focus on making my own heart & mind sing. Key Words: beauty, beautiful, effervescent, drawing other creatives in...
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: See 3 and clearing a time each day for this. I will play around to see what time of day seems best. 11:30 works well until around 4 or 4:30.
i will also not over-schedule any particular day as my walk and exercises + food prep/slow eating take time & priority, so I have to save time for play!
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Art supplies on bedside table & in small bag packed ready to go elsewhere & Create. Once I decide if I want to use a fixed time or not, I’ll set a phone reminder.
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible). Daily except a few days in flight/with family. I will likely still do it, but leaving the possibility open as we will be sightseeing & they may not want to stand around as I sketch!
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? The joy of being surrounded by things I’ve made & living my dream - finally. Growth. Improved technique & composition.
6. What help do you need from us? Your friendship. Reminders that self-care is not self-ISH.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? The smile and glow on my face & bright eyes as I peruse through my work!
Thanks! 👩🏻🎤 👩🏻🎨 🎨6 -
Hello everyone! I'm new to this group and am really having trouble motivating myself to exercise as well as to eat better. Worse, I feel overwhelmed and out of control in the majority of aspects of my life, particularly as I am dealing with four aging parents and starting to have my own health issues due mainly to the excess weight I've put on in the last few years. My stress level is out of control and I need a new healthy habit to find myself again, so...!
1. This April I will... get out of my chair and start moving more, even if just for a few minutes some days.
2. The small actions I'll be taking will be to get back to gardening and mowing (push mower) on the nice days - I love "sneaky exercise". For the bad-weather days or when I'm going to be tied up with meetings in the evenings after work, I will put in one of my WII programs - Wii Fit, Just Dance - or one of my many aerobic exercise DVD's in the morning.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my new habit daily - I will lay out my shoes and a tape in the evenings on my computer as well as on my chair.
4. How often will I do my new habit - Daily is the plan, even if just a few minutes of stretching before bed.
5. What reward will I immediately give myself for doing my habit - I will post a comment on my News Feed letting the world know how happy I am that I'm on the road to taking care of myself again.
6. What help do I need from you - Encouraging not only me, but each other as we all do our best to stick with our April habits together.
7. What does success look like to me at the end of April - Feeling better and more fit, able to handle my stress better as I used to because I will feel more in control of at least one area of life.7 -
Welcome @LeslieW77 This is a great group to start this journey. You will get lots of support and love here. Your April goals seem doable and I have complete confidence in you!
@themedalist Hello Dear Friend! I have missed you. Thank you for always inspiring us. Good luck with this month's challenge!
@PinkyPan1 Good Luck!! Soaking in a bath before bed sounds wonderful!
@77tes Have fun on your road trip. Where are you going? Pre logging will surely make it easier. Good luck!
@MadisonMolly2017 Love the reward!! The joy of being surrounded by items you've made!! LOVE IT!
1. My goal for this month (This April I will...") Get more sleep and continue to eat as healthy as I can
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: Have a night time routine and prep my meals
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: Sleep by 10, meal prep everynight.
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) EVERYDAY!
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? I will feel good both physically and mentally.
6. What help do you need from us? Your love and support as always!
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? My birthday so I will have a great month to celebrate another year of life.
Sorry I have been missing in action. Work has kept me busy and when I am off all I do is sleep. You are all doing great and I am happy this group continues to blossom.4 -
@LeslieW77 Welcome! I love your profile pic but I don’t think you’re going to have enough room in your wheelbarrow for all that hay😂 My wheelbarrow is my friend...lol!
Everyone’s goals for this month look so good! I like that we’re generally not too rigid and we can adjust to what comes our way daily while never losing sight of our goals. I’ve learned that missing one day doesn’t mean failure. Good planning, and carry on!5 -
4/1 7.5 hours of sleep5
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Yes, I agree with @nebslp! Our goals for this month look great. More sleep, more food logging, more time for photography and creating art, and a targeted reduction in the macro most of us struggle with, fat, that still accommodates a road trip (in the MG as I recall?) We can do this!
And the warmest of welcomes to our new members @lindsayann135 and @LeslieW77! We are glad you are here! Please post often how it’s going for you. This is a wonderfully supportive and encouraging group and we want to help you succeed!
And huge, gigantic e-hugs to @prgirl39mfp who is returning after needing to settle in to her new job. We have all missed you!!!6 -
Hello everyone! I'm new to this group and am really having trouble motivating myself to exercise as well as to eat better. Worse, I feel overwhelmed and out of control in the majority of aspects of my life, particularly as I am dealing with four aging parents and starting to have my own health issues due mainly to the excess weight I've put on in the last few years. My stress level is out of control and I need a new healthy habit to find myself again, so...!
1. This April I will... get out of my chair and start moving more, even if just for a few minutes some days.
2. The small actions I'll be taking will be to get back to gardening and mowing (push mower) on the nice days - I love "sneaky exercise". For the bad-weather days or when I'm going to be tied up with meetings in the evenings after work, I will put in one of my WII programs - Wii Fit, Just Dance - or one of my many aerobic exercise DVD's in the morning.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my new habit daily - I will lay out my shoes and a tape in the evenings on my computer as well as on my chair.
4. How often will I do my new habit - Daily is the plan, even if just a few minutes of stretching before bed.
5. What reward will I immediately give myself for doing my habit - I will post a comment on my News Feed letting the world know how happy I am that I'm on the road to taking care of myself again.
6. What help do I need from you - Encouraging not only me, but each other as we all do our best to stick with our April habits together.
7. What does success look like to me at the end of April - Feeling better and more fit, able to handle my stress better as I used to because I will feel more in control of at least one area of life.
@LeslieW77, your goal this month really struck a chord with me. Sitting less and moving more is critically important. I wanted to let you know that I run a website, quittingthesitting.org, to promote sitting less. I’m very passionate about the issue, in part because I’ve seen the terrible damage done by excessive sitting on some some of my family members who I dearly love.
I regularly post on our Facebook page (@quittingthesitting) and today I shared this link, a new study that suggests that people who are extremely sedentary can achieve an up to 50% reduction in mortality just by sitting 30 minutes less a day. That’s an amazing and encouraging outcome for such a small reduction in sitting time.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/acs-rst032519.php
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1. This April I will log every bite I eat and be accountable.
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal I will journal in MFP Food Diary everything I eat, as well as my water intake.
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit When I sit down at the end of the day next to my husband, I will log into MFP and make sure everything is accounted for.
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible) Daily
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit? My reward will be completing my Food Diary each evening and seeing the "how much I would weigh 5 weeks from now..." message. I get a kick out of that.
6. What help do you need from us? Honestly, just being here like you are is very helpful to me. I love this group! You are all so supportive and caring. So happy to be a part of this thread. Letting me post daily whether I succeeded or not helps me be accountable also.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April? I will feel like I succeeded if I'm making mindful choices a bit more naturally and if I'm really lucky I will able to wear my wedding ring for the first time in years!
I lost quite a bit of weight last month just by making better choices and journaling everything. It's amazing how much those little "tastes" and handfuls of peanuts add up! Very eye opening for me. I've been journaling for quite some time, but not all the little tastes... Game changer!6 -
@lindsayann135 Welcome! Good luck with journaling. I have been on MFP for years, but in March I really buckled down and journaled every single bite honestly, and it did really open my eyes and I did drop some weight finally. I've been steadily holding and even gaining, which was really getting frustrating! It was so helpful to me, that I'm doing it again for April! WE CAN DO THIS!
@LeslieW77 Welcome! You sure did come to the right group if you want to move more! We have a Move It Monday challenge every week, and @themedalist is a huge motivator! Such special people on this group. One of the first things I did when I joined this group to try to move more was get up during every commercial when watching TV with husband at night and just move during the entire commercial breaks... I found myself getting coffeemaker ready for the morning, putting away laundry, walking in place, going up and down basement stairs, and just generally even just standing next to my chair until commercials were over. Sounds silly, I know, but it got me moving and really made me aware of how much time I sat when I got home from work at night. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Remember to take care of YOU! Stress can really take it's toll on a person. (((HUGS)))
@prgirl39mfp Welcome back!!! So happy to see you! You've been missed!
:flowerforyou:6 -
4/1 Went through my WN, DS, Holbein paints after printing my spreadsheet to add missing pigments & qualities of the paints.
Cleaned/straightened art spaces
4/2 Went to exhibit at art museum, took the tour, sketched what I loved in the show for 90+ minutes (no photography allowed)
Very fun time! Sketches got better with each one...learned: Repeat images: helps me “see” more. To work on: hand and foot poses/drawing. Pleased with my sketches.
Inputted some of my watercolor inventory data online [yellows/oranges] from written notes (on-going)
4/3 art group 2.5 hours, copied my sketches & chose one to paint at my art group, using watercolor, Inktense pencils, and colored pencil. Added permanent ink lines.
Learned: I love fashion art.
To work on: using my best paper. I “cheap out” & use copier paper which just doesn’t work for watercolor. I called it a “practice” but I’m hoping I can dive in more in the future.
Pleased with my “practice”! LOL
4/4 Prepping home & food for Art Group at my house. One will quilt, two will knit... I’m planning to paint & sketch. I might do lots of black line drawings to paint after they leave as I’m sure I’ll be up & down a lot
4/5
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So far so good. I have been good with my healthy eating. This month I am confident I will do this! Thanks guys for the welcome backs! I love this group.6
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So far, so good!
Honest logging of every single bite:
4/1:
4/2:
4/3:
Today I had a tiny silly little NSV...I've been walking my dog more regularly now that it's gotten nicer outside. I only go about 3 mph and walk for about 30 minutes, but between logging my food and being mindful of choices and walking every night at what is a brisk pace for me, I noticed today when I put on my burgundy-colored work slacks that they're not tight anymore! I actually did not feel and do not look like a stuff sausage in them!
Silly little thing, because I basically see the same thing in the mirror that I've seen for years now, but I can FEEL the difference today.
Pretty cool way to start the day...
Have a great day everyone! Thanks for letting me share! 6 -
1. This April I will go to the gym at least 3x a week
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: signing up for classes at my gym, have my mom and boyfriend be my accountability partners
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: driving right by the gym everyday after work, I keep my clothes in my car so there is no reason not to stop
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible): ideally everyday, but so I dont set myself up for failure, Im starting small
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit: logging my workouts and seeing the calories I ate that day disappear
6. What help do you need from us: add me! interact with me! I thrive off of seeing other people succeeding, its so motivating and inspiring. I feel like I'm letting myself and others down if I don't put in the effort to commune and interact with those who put in the effort to do that for me.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April: feeling more comfortable at the gym and finding at least one class I enjoy
April 1 - information about my company's corporate account at LA Fitness
April 2 - signing up for LA Fitness through work
April 3 - My first gym session! I used to be a runner, and when I got on the treadmill I realized how far I had fallen from where I was a couple of years ago.
April 4 - My mom and I have plans to go to the offered yoga class at 4:30 today. It'll be my second time ever doing yoga so I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm excited to try something new!4 -
@lindsayann135, @kaitlinmariel, and @LeslieW77 welcome! It's great to have you in the group. Tracking faithfully and adding in more activity are terrific goals.
Not surprisingly, while on my road trip, I didn't stay under my fat goal (or even close to my calorie goal), but I did try pre-logging each day, and that gave me some idea about a couple of meals. But last night after I got home, I prelogged for today, keeping under my fat goal and have stuck with my plan, and I still have 3 days easy to stay under.
@PackerFanInGB , I love your NSV! And don't be discouraged by the slow walking. You are lapping everyone who isn't walking. I understand the frustration, though. I just decided to walk with my husband on the days I don't do a workout. He walks VERY SLOW, and so I've always avoided joining him. But I know he enjoys having me join him, so I decided I just need to do it. I'm very glad he goes out for a walk daily, and the dogs like it too.
@prgirl39mfp , it's so great to see your smiling face again. I've missed you so much! I love meal prep. When I got home last nigh, I threw one of my prepped meals in the oven and we had a delicious, healthy meal with hardly any effort.
@MadisonMolly2017 , you continue to inspire me. I need to break down the steps for editing my poems because just saying I'll write a poem per day, doesn't take into account the revision process.
@themedalist and @PinkyPan1 getting more sleep is so important, and so hard in our busy lives - great goal.4 -
katlinmariel wrote: »1. This April I will go to the gym at least 3x a week
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: signing up for classes at my gym, have my mom and boyfriend be my accountability partners
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: driving right by the gym everyday after work, I keep my clothes in my car so there is no reason not to stop
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible): ideally everyday, but so I dont set myself up for failure, Im starting small
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit: logging my workouts and seeing the calories I ate that day disappear
6. What help do you need from us: add me! interact with me! I thrive off of seeing other people succeeding, its so motivating and inspiring. I feel like I'm letting myself and others down if I don't put in the effort to commune and interact with those who put in the effort to do that for me.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April: feeling more comfortable at the gym and finding at least one class I enjoy
April 1 - information about my company's corporate account at LA Fitness
April 2 - signing up for LA Fitness through work
April 3 - My first gym session! I used to be a runner, and when I got on the treadmill I realized how far I had fallen from where I was a couple of years ago.
April 4 - My mom and I have plans to go to the offered yoga class at 4:30 today. It'll be my second time ever doing yoga so I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm excited to try something new!
@katlinmariel Fantastic!! How’d you like the yoga?!2 -
4/4 had a great time with my friends.
Painted a face I like, practiced eyes - one is super nice, and began another to work more on tomorrow! I definitely am experimenting & Trying things more!
I also listened to YT art video for half of my morning walk- inspiring!
4/5 work on piece I began later today.
Work on fashion illustration!!3 -
katlinmariel wrote: »1. This April I will go to the gym at least 3x a week
2. The small actions I’ll be taking to accomplish this goal: signing up for classes at my gym, have my mom and boyfriend be my accountability partners
3. The trigger or cue to remember to do my habit: driving right by the gym everyday after work, I keep my clothes in my car so there is no reason not to stop
4. How often will you do your new habit (daily is best if possible): ideally everyday, but so I dont set myself up for failure, Im starting small
5. What reward will you immediately give yourself for doing your habit: logging my workouts and seeing the calories I ate that day disappear
6. What help do you need from us: add me! interact with me! I thrive off of seeing other people succeeding, its so motivating and inspiring. I feel like I'm letting myself and others down if I don't put in the effort to commune and interact with those who put in the effort to do that for me.
7. What does success look like to you at the end of April: feeling more comfortable at the gym and finding at least one class I enjoy
April 1 - information about my company's corporate account at LA Fitness
April 2 - signing up for LA Fitness through work
April 3 - My first gym session! I used to be a runner, and when I got on the treadmill I realized how far I had fallen from where I was a couple of years ago.
April 4 - My mom and I have plans to go to the offered yoga class at 4:30 today. It'll be my second time ever doing yoga so I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm excited to try something new!
@katlinmariel, I think your April goal is terrific! You have a measured approach and starting small is the way to go. Three days a week gym sessions is doable. 7 days a week at an hour or two per session fizzles out pretty quickly. And it’s really great to see your daily progress!
You can do this. And we are here to support and encourage you!4 -
Loose slacks are a wonderful NSV, @PackerFanInGB! Congrats!3
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And great job with the healthy eating, @prgirl39mfp!2
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This was included in one of my recent Daily Calm meditation sessions and it’s a good reminder of the importance of sleep:
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Many of you know what a big fan I am of James Clear. I have learned so much about habits from him! His most recent blog seems perfectly suited to our group. Here’s the first paragraph with the link to read more if you’re interested:
5 Common Mistakes That Cause New Habits to Fail
by James Clear
Depending on where you get your numbers, somewhere between 81 percent and 92 percent of New Years Resolutions fail. Translation: At least 8 times out of 10, you are more likely to fall back into your old habits and patterns than you are to stick with a new behavior.
Behavior change is hard. No doubt about it.
Why is that? What are the biggest reasons new habits fail to stick? And what can we do to make positive changes easier?
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but after two years of researching and writing about the science of behavior change, let me share the most practical insights I’ve learned so far.
Read the full blog
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@katlinmariel Fantastic!! Way to go! Keep it up!
Slept poorly last night and had to go to work to fix something early so woke up very tired. I will do my best tonight and go to sleep as soon as I get home from work3 -
4/1 7.5 hours of sleep
4/2 6 hrs
4/3 4 hrs
4/4 10 hrs2
This discussion has been closed.