Happy New Year!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with family and friends, and that you made some wonderful memories.
I’m trying to get back into some sort of a routine myself. I’m sure it’ll be easier now that January is here. I do have one more family function on Saturday the 7th, as we will be celebrating Ukrainian Christmas at my older sister’s house. We’re planning on taking family pictures as well; the first since Ukrainian Christmas 2020.
A lot has changed in our family since then. Some changes were good; some were not. But had even one of those changes not happened, it’s hard to say what I’d be doing now. Chances are I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this post.
But, it’s not a time to dwell on the past, or wonder what could have been. I’m working on concentrating on the here and now, and looking forward to the days ahead. And those days will turn into weeks, months, and years before we know it. Time does have a way of passing us by, doesn’t it?
With the new year comes a list of resolutions for many. I myself stopped making resolutions years ago. I figure if I don’t make them, then I won’t feel so shitty about myself when I don’t see them through.
I am taking a new approach; or rather modifying one I have been working on for the past few years. My approach to the new year is simple: do better than last year. Whether it’s exercising more consistently, spending more time with family and friends, or simply being grateful for what I have.
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Instead of concentrating on being X amount of pounds by a certain date, I’m going to simply add a few minutes to my exercise goals each week. The way I see it, if I watch what I eat and burn some extra calories I will be gradually losing the excess weight. By not focusing on the scale reading (which I find myself doing more than I should) I should be able to notice the difference in how my clothes fit.
Muscle is heavier than fat, and not seeing the numbers drop can be disheartening. I do need to remember to pay attention to how my jeans fit, as opposed to being aggravated when the scale says I haven’t dropped much. It’s hard to not step on the scale every morning, but I am going to try and limit myself to stepping on it once a week. The daily ups and downs of the numbers makes me feel like I’m not making any progress.
It’s why I’m working on designing a planner/journal that will help me focus on the progress I have made, rather than on what I didn’t do. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the week so I can start recording my steps, active minutes, water intake, etc. My exercise record will obviously be different from yours, but I think I have a good start on what to include.
The photo below is of the Daily Page in my Planner-in-Progress. What would you include based on your lifestyle/exercise routine?
I added the puzzles as a placeholder for other information. I do have the ability to include different puzzles if it’s something you would like to see in a planner. Sometimes we just need to have a little fun too, instead of work, work, work. Plus brain games are good for us too. We need to exercise our minds as well as our bodies.
By making the little changes (hence the habit tracker) we can gradually become healthier versions of our current selves. I know I’m on the right track, and I hope I can help you get to where you want to be as well.
50 Something Yoga 