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This September I Will (Have No Snowballs)....

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themedalist
themedalist Posts: 3,215 Member
edited August 2023 in Social Groups
9dz9pzkb95iz.jpeg


Hello Habit Builders!

As we let go of summer and transition to fall, now is a great time to reassess where we are, how our goals are progressing, and what we need to do to wrap up 2023 as we intended back in January.

Summers have a glorious way of meandering us off track. And in some sense, that's what summers should do! But off track suggests getting back "on track" and sometimes new (bad) habits develop real momentum. They are like snowballs!

They all start innocently enough.

You join in your family’s nightly ritual of snacking while watching TV at night, despite a pledge to yourself that you’ll close your food diary and stop eating at 7pm. Or your schedule gets thrown for a loop one day causing you to skip your workout and before you know it, you haven’t exercised in 3 weeks. Or maybe wine just on the weekends has morphed into a nightly event?

Arghh! You’ve got a bad habit brewing and it needs to stop. This is the month!

Bad habits, just like good habits, are formed by repetition. We do something once, then a few more times, and before we know it, it’s become part of our daily routine, and often something we do without being consciously aware that we are doing it. As with good habits, bad habits are triggered by a cue, such as nightly TV watching, and cemented by the enjoyment or benefits we get from doing the habit. But unlike good habits, the pleasure we get from bad habits is usually immediate, which makes them especially sticky and easy to pick up. Sure, we know that regular exercise gives us lots of health benefits, but a plate of homemade cookies is delicious NOW.

So this September, if you’ve started doing something recently that is working against the health and fitness goals that you’ve set for yourself, step in and break the cycle. Let's stop those habit snowballs!

Looking forward to hearing what you'll be working on this month!


🌷Denise & 🌸Maddie
@themedalist & @MadisonMolly2017


New to Habit Building?

Please review our Newcomer’s Guide and our Nuts and Bolts of Habit Building as it will help you get started. Set a reminder to check-in periodically with us. Check-in daily, weekly, or as often as works for you, but let us know how you are progressing! We're here to support and encourage you, but if you don't post, we can't cheer you on.

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  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
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    Morning beautiful people!!!

    All the best with September!!!

    Here are my goals!

    1st Sep
    -Pretrack to not go over maintaince.
    -Track every BLT! Y
    -Dedicate 5 min a day to reading posts in mfp. Y
    -Manage my stress and time and take regular breaks understanding work is not everything! Y
    -After 4pm I will not start any new projects to ensure I leave at 4.30pm for my date with bub! N/A
    -Plan my work outs for variety. Y
    -Plan an activity to do with bub after work N/A

    Have a great day

  • TerriRichardson112
    TerriRichardson112 Posts: 18,327 Member
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    Good evening, my fine friends. I’m still pondering on exactly what I’m focusing on for September. I am, of course, sticking with my daily goals, so may just concentrate on fine tuning them this month.
  • TerriRichardson112
    TerriRichardson112 Posts: 18,327 Member
    edited September 2023
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    BHH September I will …..
    🪴🍁🍂🍁🪴🍁🍂🍁🪴
    🪴🍁🍂 September 2023 🍂🍁🪴
    🪴🍁🍂🍁🪴🍁🍂🍁🪴

    I am a person who values the health and fitness of body mind and soul

    Habits keep me going when motivation flags.

    September I will …..
    September focus:
    ]
    📍Consolidate Solid Habits
    🪴
    Mighty oaks from little acorns grow!!!
    vr1awsjfroqv.jpeg

    Daily Solid Habits:
    💎Right This Minute: Anti procrastination strategy
    💎Just DO it!!!
    Morning Routines:
    💎Daily Meditation
    💎Walk/Make beds/Shiny Sinks
    💎Post Sole Mates steps
    💎Weigh < 140/log
    💎Monitor %age Fat/Muscle
    💎Log CI<CO/Balance macros
    💎Herbal tea/supplements
    💎Self care
    💎Quality time with DH
    💎Ablutions/dress/Shiny sinks
    💎Breakfast
    In between:
    💎Intentional exercise > 60 minutes
    💎Cardio > 5000 steps
    💎Strength > 15 minutes
    💎Flex > 15 minutes
    💎Active hours > 6
    💎Zone minutes > 25
    💎Declutter > 15 minutes
    💎Daily chores
    💎paint/draw/write/read
    💎Craft/crochet
    💎General chores
    💎Gardening
    💎jigsaw/puzzles/TV favourites
    💎Meet with friends
    💎Quality family time
    Evening Routines:
    💎Sole Mates evening reminder
    💎JGM10Ds/JFT/UAC/Hogwarts
    💎Close Fitbit rings/Zone minutes
    💎Building Healthy Habits
    💎Duolingo Latin
    💎Update Women over 50
    💎Switch off screens at 11.15pm
    💎Clutter Sweep

    YOU are worth the effort!

    Terri🦄
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,105 Member
    Options
    Very beautiful, insightful, and timely opening for September, @themedalist !! Thank you!

    I know I have a few I need to turn around:

    Eating out after a sad time with my dad and/or as a mood lifter.

    Even as I’m eating these things & the frozen yogurt I’m telling myself, “This is grief. Food won’t fix it.” True, but it does make me feel better.

    Frozen yogurt after eating out

    Not logging my food

    My plan: Reduce my stress

    1) Tonight, after 11 nights, I finally got dad moved to a new room, away from another patient who would call out loudly for hours day & night.very horrendous things.
    I finally said, “enough” after dad called himself “ dumb” and another time said he was a “jerk.” Nothing could be farther than the truth. Those were things his roommate yelled about himself, poor guy.

    2) Decided that dad needed both memory care & advanced assisted living (not at home, as none of us have a medical background.) Visited 4 places for dad to move to, and placed a hold on a room for him.

    3) Told him & showed him the video I took of his lovely new space. He trusts me & seemed happy. He did not ask to go home.

    4) since nothing will happen because of Labor Day Weekend, I will have a bit of a respite & just enjoy visiting him. I might go & take the measurements of his new place to draw up a floor plan, using furniture from his home.

    5) i will track all my food this weekend.
    Then..
    6) I’m get off sweets until back in my maintenance range
    Then,
    7) I’ll figure out a healthy lunch that I want to eat.

    ❤️❤️



  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,972 Member
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    Dear @MadisonMolly2017 , hugs! You are dealing with some very difficult and stressful situations. How kind of you to work so hard to improve your dad’s living situation. I’m glad you are also prioritizing your own health while dealing with your dad.

    @themedalist , what a great suggestion for a theme for September. I’ve got a snowballing bad habit that I need to deal with, so thanks for the inspiration.

    This September (and hopefully into the future) when I get up in the morning, I’ll get dressed right away like I used to do when I was working for a living.

    If I don’t get dressed right away, I tend to spend hours drinking coffee in my pajamas. This means I don’t get to exercise or to housework or anything except being on the computer.

    My goal is to be dressed before I leave my bedroom.
    September 1- Rise and Shine 🌅
    September 2- Rise and shine 🌅
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,972 Member
    Options
    @TerriRichardson112 , I love your daily solid habits, they are always an inspiration to me. Here’s to fine tuning those great habits. 🥂
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    2nd Sep

    Pretrack to not go over maintaince. Y

    Track every BLT! Y

    Dedicate 5 min a day to reading posts in mfp Y

    Manage my stress and time and take regular breaks understanding work is not everything! N/A

    After 4pm I will not start any new projects to ensure I leave at 4.30pm for my date with bub! N/A

    Plan my work outs for variety. Y

    Plan an activity to do with bub after work. N/A
  • TerriRichardson112
    TerriRichardson112 Posts: 18,327 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    @77tes I tend to do my chores before I get dressed as I often get hot and sticky.

    @themedalist 🥰 the suggestion for a theme for September. We need to be constantly checking/adapting habits to fit our changing circumstances.

    @MadisonMolly2017 (((hugs)))! It’s heart-breaking when our parents begin to decline. You are working so hard to improve your dad’s quality of life. It’s good to know that you are also taking time for self care.
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,105 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:

    My plan (began Sep 2):

    1) REDUCE my stress.
    a) NEW as of Sept 3:
    One Visit to DAD per Day LIMIT
    This may well be a marathon according to Dr. AS, so PACE Yourself.

    b) NEW As of SEPT 3: make getting your orthotic your top priority as well as continuing icing & massage of your pirformis so you can relieve stress through WALKING

    c) sept 2: make time to call friends (yes you think you are too tired to, but you are always energized afterwards.)✅

    d) sept 2: continue to make your sleep a priority✅


    2) Return to your weight control habits
    a) sept 2: yes it will feel selfish, but you HAVE to place your own health first (and not do what you did earlier in your life when grieving)
    b) AS OF SEPT 3: goals: no weight gain, limited eating out, monitor salt, monitor high sat fat foods )#healthfirst.
    c) Sept 3: No harming the kidney EM gave you from her body♥️ Note: Dad always said speaking on the phone with him - rather than visiting - was okay to keep you from getting COVID. “I know what you look like” with a chuckle. He would not want you to suffer negative health consequences because of his decline. Really.

    FOOD
    a) AS OF sept 2, i will track all my food that I eat.✅
    b) AS OF sept 3, I will not eat foods with sugar until I am back to my normal BMI. 164. Sugar is not necessary (just like alcohol) and it increases your eating & makes healthy foods taste less good to you.
    C) AS OF sept 2, clean and pack containers of healthy foods to have with you while visiting dad.✅
    D) As of sept 3, clean & prep all foods for the entire day.
    E) As of Sept 4: Enter what you will eat in your online diary in the morning & then adjust as necessary.
    ❤️❤️


    Thank you @77tes , @donna25trinity, and @TerriRichardson112 for your supportive comments & for being such great role models!♥️
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    Options
    3rd September
    Pretrack to not go over maintaince N
    Track every BLT Y
    Dedicate 5 min a day to reading posts in mfp Y
    Manage my stress and time and take regular breaks understanding work is not everything! N/a
    After 4pm I will not start any new projects to ensure I leave at 4.30pm for my date with bub! N/a
    Plan my work outs for variety. Y
    Stay under maintaince on Thur to Sunday night n
    Plan an activity to do with bub after work. N/a
    Face care routine n
    Moisturise body y

  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    Options
    MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »
    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:

    My plan (began Sep 2):

    1) REDUCE my stress.
    a) NEW as of Sept 3:
    One Visit to DAD per Day LIMIT
    This may well be a marathon according to Dr. AS, so PACE Yourself.

    b) NEW As of SEPT 3: make getting your orthotic your top priority as well as continuing icing & massage of your pirformis so you can relieve stress through WALKING

    c) sept 2: make time to call friends (yes you think you are too tired to, but you are always energized afterwards.)✅

    d) sept 2: continue to make your sleep a priority✅


    2) Return to your weight control habits
    a) sept 2: yes it will feel selfish, but you HAVE to place your own health first (and not do what you did earlier in your life when grieving)
    b) AS OF SEPT 3: goals: no weight gain, limited eating out, monitor salt, monitor high sat fat foods )#healthfirst.
    c) Sept 3: No harming the kidney EM gave you from her body♥️ Note: Dad always said speaking on the phone with him - rather than visiting - was okay to keep you from getting COVID. “I know what you look like” with a chuckle. He would not want you to suffer negative health consequences because of his decline. Really.

    FOOD
    a) AS OF sept 2, i will track all my food that I eat.✅
    b) AS OF sept 3, I will not eat foods with sugar until I am back to my normal BMI. 164. Sugar is not necessary (just like alcohol) and it increases your eating & makes healthy foods taste less good to you.
    C) AS OF sept 2, clean and pack containers of healthy foods to have with you while visiting dad.✅
    D) As of sept 3, clean & prep all foods for the entire day.
    E) As of Sept 4: Enter what you will eat in your online diary in the morning & then adjust as necessary.
    ❤️❤️


    Thank you @77tes , @donna25trinity, and @TerriRichardson112 for your supportive comments & for being such great role models!♥️

    Love this sucess Plan and not selfish at all!!! You can not be there for others if u yourself are not caring for urself!!! No guilt or self bashing allowed my friend! Your doing great mads!! You got this!!! @MADISONMOLLY2017 XOX
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,972 Member
    Options
    @MadisonMolly2017 , I love your self talk! You’re right, your dad wouldn’t want you to suffer negative health consequences.

    @donna25trinity , good plan to keep stress at bay by maintaining work/life balance.

    @TerriRichardson112 , I’m sure you can clear house in your pjs, for me it just signals my brain to have another cup of coffee and 5 minutes more on games because that a weakness of mine. 🤪
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,105 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    9/3/23 I made good progress! I craved more food but only ate when truly hungry. Also got more veggies & healthy foods in fridge!

    Thank you for your support.

    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:
    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:

    My plan (began Sep 2):

    1) REDUCE my stress.✅
    a) NEW as of Sept 3:
    One Visit to DAD per Day LIMIT✅ Yay!!
    This may well be a marathon according to Dr. AS, so PACE Yourself.

    b) NEW As of SEPT 3: make getting your orthotic your top priority as well as continuing icing & massage of your pirformis so you can relieve stress through WALKING
    Sent email ✅

    c) sept 2: make time to call friends (yes you think you are too tired to, but you are always energized afterwards.)✅

    d) sept 2: continue to make your sleep a priority✅✅


    2) Return to your weight control habits
    a) sept 2: yes it will feel selfish, but you HAVE to place your own health first (and not do what you did earlier in your life when grieving)
    b) AS OF SEPT 3: goals: no weight gain,
    limited eating out, ✅
    monitor salt, ✅
    monitor high sat fat foods ✅
    )#healthfirst.
    c) Sept 3: No harming the kidney EM gave you from her body♥️ Note: Dad always said speaking on the phone with him - rather than visiting - was okay to keep you from getting COVID. “I know what you look like” with a chuckle. He would not want you to suffer negative health consequences because of his decline. Really.✅

    FOOD
    a) AS OF sept 2, i will track all my food that I eat.✅✅ yay!!
    b) AS OF sept 3, I will not eat foods with sugar until I am back to my normal BMI. 164. Sugar is not necessary (just like alcohol) and it increases your eating & makes healthy foods taste less good to you. Stopped at 1/2 cookie✅
    C) AS OF sept 2, clean and pack containers of healthy foods to have with you while visiting dad.✅✅
    D) As of sept 3, clean & prep all foods for the entire day.✅
    E) As of Sept 4: Enter what you will eat in your online diary in the morning & then adjust as necessary.
    ❤️❤️

    .

  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    Options
    4th September

    Pretrack to not go over maintaince Y

    Track every BLT Y

    Dedicate 5 min a day to reading posts in mfp Y

    Manage my stress and time and take regular breaks understanding work is not everything! Y

    After 4pm I will not start any new projects to ensure I leave at 4.30pm for my date with bub! N Left 15 minutes late! Not too bad!
    Plan my work outs for variety. Y

    Stay under maintaince on Thur to Sunday night N/A

    Plan an activity to do with bub after work. Y

    Face care routine Y

    Moisturise body Y

  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    Options
    Good night team xo
  • donna25trinity
    donna25trinity Posts: 3,064 Member
    Options
    My number 1 goal this month above all the goals I'm working on is to track honestly! All the picking, grazing etc! I have not been able to break the habit so next best thing is to track it all! I'm also trying to be more active in the 3 mfp groups I am part of so I can support my fellow friends and also for the motivation and inspiration I get from them. Finding the right time is a challenge as time is something I lack through the week. I am going to hve to find a good time in the day to do this as i spent a little too long reading comments today so only can go on a quick 30 min jog.

    Have a great day guys!! Hope u slay your goals today. Xo
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,215 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    I am so happy to hear that the “no snowballs” theme has resonated with so many of you! @MadisonMolly2017, you are dealing with so much stress right now with your Dad and I’m so glad you are taking care of your health! Also, I got an ankle-foot-orthotic several months ago and it has definitely made walking easier for me since it improves my balance. I hope your orthotic is just as helpful to you!

    This is my delicious snowball:

    qlijkgdx6tr0.jpeg

    I live in northern New England and discovered these amazing Maine candies about 2 months ago.For people who love coconut, it’s pure heaven. Coconut with mashed potatoes (not kidding) and dark chocolate…just the perfect morsel and only 120 calories each. One is plenty for me.

    But I’m not really helped by a nightly candy habit. So I’m moving this off the daily list and sidelining it as a once a week treat. No snowballs!
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,105 Member
    Options
    donna25trinity wrote: »
    4th September

    Pretrack to not go over maintaince Y

    Track every BLT Y

    Dedicate 5 min a day to reading posts in mfp Y

    Manage my stress and time and take regular breaks understanding work is not everything! Y

    After 4pm I will not start any new projects to ensure I leave at 4.30pm for my date with bub! N Left 15 minutes late! Not too bad!
    Plan my work outs for variety. Y

    Stay under maintaince on Thur to Sunday night N/A

    Plan an activity to do with bub after work. Y

    Face care routine Y

    Moisturise body Y
    What a great day, DONNA!

  • CuckooGMA
    CuckooGMA Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    New to discussion today.

    In September, I will:

    1. Continue StepBet challenge to increase mobility

    2. Adhere to bedtime/arise times

  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,105 Member
    Options
    9/ 4,5 /23 I am reducing calories, not eating sugar either day. Eating 1/2 of some items if not too hungry & eating the rest later…

    Lost the water weight I gained last week.

    Thank you for your support.

    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:
    BUILDING MY SUCCESS PLAN:

    My plan (began Sep 2):

    1) REDUCE my stress.✅✅✅
    a) NEW as of Sept 3:
    One Visit to DAD per Day LIMIT✅ ✅✅
    Yay!!
    This may well be a marathon according to Dr. AS, so PACE Yourself.

    b) NEW As of SEPT 3: make getting your orthotic your top priority as well as continuing icing & massage of your pirformis so you can relieve stress through WALKING
    Sent email ✅✅✅

    c) sept 2: make time to call friends (yes you think you are too tired to, but you are always energized afterwards.)✅✅✅

    d) sept 2: continue to make your sleep a priority✅✅✅


    2) Return to your weight control habits
    a) sept 2: yes it will feel selfish, but you HAVE to place your own health first (and not do what you did earlier in your life when grieving)✅✅✅
    b) AS OF SEPT 3: goals: no weight gain,
    limited eating out, ✅✅
    monitor salt, ✅✅
    monitor high sat fat foods ✅✅
    )#healthfirst.
    c) Sept 3: No harming the kidney EM gave you from her body♥️ ♥️♥️ Note: Dad always said speaking on the phone with him - rather than visiting - was okay to keep you from getting COVID. “I know what you look like” with a chuckle. He would not want you to suffer negative health consequences because of his decline. Really.✅✅✅

    FOOD
    a) AS OF sept 2, i will track all my food that I eat.✅✅✅✅ yay!!
    b) AS OF sept 3, I will not eat foods with sugar until I am back to my normal BMI. 164. Sugar is not necessary (just like alcohol) and it increases your eating & makes healthy foods taste less good to you. Stopped at 1/2 cookie✅✅✅
    C) AS OF sept 2, clean and pack containers of healthy foods to have with you while visiting dad.✅✅✅✅
    D) As of sept 3, clean & prep all foods for the entire day.✅
    E) As of Sept 4: Enter what you will eat in your online diary in the morning & then adjust as necessary. NOT YET
    ❤️❤️

    My father is making significant progress cognitively & physically. Could it be as simple as he is sleeping well the last 4 nights since I got him moved away from a poor soul who called out horrible things all night long? It took 10-11 days to get them to move dad. Grrr. Still, I’m so HAPPY!

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