NikkiB

I am all over the place today. Not usually such a fidget-brain, but got some exciting news from my PT over my lunchtime appointment: I'm cleared to start with Bodyweight level 1 (from the women's academy side)! ...which is super-nice, because you already know how I actually started doing most of those things on Monday. 1A 3 x 10 bw squats 3 x 10 elevated push-ups 3 x 10 bw row (doorway row suggested) 3 x 30-sec farmer's walk (PT approved using my 10# KBs, which I've missed fiercely) 1B 3 x 10 good mornings (hands behind head, so bw only) 3 x 5 standing wall walk (duplicates a PT exercise) 3 x 5-sec one-leg balance (per side) 3 x 8 wall slides (also duplicates a PT exercise) 3 x 20-sec front planks (graduating from hands and knees!) The "Boss Battle" for advancement to Level 2 is probably 80% manageable right now, but I rejoice in the fact that the elevated push-ups are the only exercise I have to modify to any degree for this program. Would like to give it a few weeks and possibly graduate to kneeling push-ups for the Boss Battle. We'll see. SCHEDULING these workouts is likely to be an exercise in frustration until school is out on May 20, but that's not so long to be patient and opportunistic. I'm also on to week 6 of a 30-week (slow ramp) running program similar to C25K. 14 minutes brisk walk, followed by 10 reps of 45-sec run/30-sec walk, and then 6 minutes brisk walk followed by cool-down. Exercise is starting to fall into place. Smart choice for lunch today: ate the lunch I packed for myself (quality protein and fresh veg) instead of the surprise pizza offered! Another smart choice: brought workout clothes so I can change out of work attire on my way to the soccer game, which sets me up for movement opportunities WAY better than yesterday. Third smart choice: asked hubby to manage dinner at home tonight, since he's got an unprecedented day at home. Hard to say what he'll cook, but it's a task I won't have to worry about now, and he always cooks large batches so I know there will be leftovers waiting for me! Fourth smart choice: brought a banana to the soccer games, so I'd have something tasty and nutritious when I got hungry. It also helped that the concession stand was closed. SUCCESS: Got my run/walk session in, and did box jumps, BW squats, and incline push-ups because I couldn't remember the 1A sequence. Need to remember to put that in the memo section of my phone. Tomorrow will be a rest from BW work.

Tuesday was stunningly low on steps (only 5,755) due to a day with lots of meetings and then a soccer game, which included the concession stand Hot Dog of Regret that ended my evening. Zero activity minutes recorded. Thankfully, today is the final game of the regular season, and forgive me for rejoicing that they probably won't play more than one game in the post-season. She scored another goal last night (in the varsity game!) and is ending the season on a strong note personally. Give them another year or two and they'll be doing much better together, I think. Did a lot of "desk yoga" yesterday, which felt good. Pretty mild DOMS from Monday's BW session are very encouraging. Got killer sleep after crawling into bed by about 9:30p, and woke up with reframing ideas in my head, so I'll call yesterday a Learning Day rather than a Failure.

I ought to have reminded myself of the specific goals I had for this week before this morning, because I was thinking I'd had a very successful Monday, only to discover that I'd been a teensy bit off-target. Ah, well. Favorite part of the day was when I went for a (remarkably smooth) run/walk session and followed it with a bodyweight workout: 4 sets x 10 reps each: BW squats, incline push-ups, box jumps, crunches, and inverted BW rows. Felt challenging but manageable. No pain today...just predictable and balanced soreness that tells me I did the work properly. Push-ups were done against the fence, so inclined to about waist level (?), which is an awesome shift from wall push-ups. Hadn't tried BW rows since injury, so they were super crazy upright and I'm still really excited to have done them. Soccer games this evening, so I'll get in some running on the bleachers and lots of walking as I can.

Not a bad start. Week one tracking MAJOR EDIT, inspired by Tuesday failures and backing up to look at the bigger picture: How could I have forgotten how off the rails May gets, with end-of-school stuff that pulls nearly every weeknight into chaos? Gotta restructure so I can feel like I have moments of influence and success. Activity minutes (weekly metric) -- keeping this one because I can still theoretically flex with things over the course of seven days. Fruits/veg -- Adjusting this one to *involve* fruits and veg in every meal, and to find one opportunity every day to *improve* my choice at a meal or a snack. For example, yesterday I had a cup of Greek yogurt (the kind with fruit) and some almonds instead of a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Workouts -- On a given day, I'll do *at least one* activity that moves me in the direction I want to go, whether that's a walk/run, some BW work, mobility work, or TKD forms. This gives me the flexibility to seize positive moments at any time of day, even when the schedule goes tits-up. ADDING: Sleep. When in doubt, just go to bed. I will never regret getting more/better sleep and it does wonders for my ability to cope with the next day. ADDING: Something of a "cut it out" goal, inspired by that ill-advised hot dog at last night's soccer game -- If I'm within a couple of hours of food that supports my goals, I need to NOT EAT something that doesn't support my goals just because I'm hungry at the moment. I didn't have to buy that hot dog at concessions, but I talked myself into it and ended up with a monstrous stomachache such that I didn't eat anything else once I got home. So, not only did I spend $2 on something that didn't do me any good, but I also effectively *prevented* myself from ingesting anything else that would support health and vitality later in the evening. SRSLY. I was too nauseated and crampy even to drink much water.

Following -- can't wait until I can do TGUs again!

A few years ago, I helped to facilitate a ritual that was about balance -- how it's not a static state to be achieved once, but something that needs to be cultivated and regained time and again. We used balance boards, bicycles, tightropes, and bunch of other things as physical demonstrations and metaphors. Metaphors work for me...so I'm thinking of this journey back to "fighting strength" as getting back on the bicycle. Gotta keep putting energy into it, keep pointing where I want to go, and try not to over-correct. Had mixed success with the last challenge, but I'm very glad to be back on the boards and reading what all the Monks are doing. You guys are so good for my attitude. KEEPING, Activity Minutes (250+ per week) -- this is getting easier to reach as I add walk/run time and get outside more to mow the lawn or whatever. It speaks more to quality of movement than a step total does, though I really do like the smiley face I get from fitbit when I hit 10k steps daily. It's just a bit off-target for me to hit that number without actually logging meaningful activity. REVIVING: 5-6 servings of fruits/veg per day -- happens without too much difficulty if I plan ahead and remember to eat breakfast ADDING: Ten minutes of TKD training per day (forms) -- I have eight forms to relearn. First week, I'll focus on the first two, and then add two for each week. By the end of week four, I aim to have renewed my familiarity with all eight forms. Can't quite do them all with proper force -- outside blocks on the right, I'm looking at you -- and it's hard to say whether the learning curve will follow the plan, but I can certainly get that muscle memory and meditative value back. (When I move slowly, forms and stance work are also an excellent dynamic warm-up.) ADDING: Mobility work in appropriate formats, pre- and post-workout, so that's 3-4 times per week. For this summer, I want to harness the willpower to get up in the morning for a walk with Old Dog, followed by forms and mobility work, before I start a given workday. Most other times I say I'm going to do something in the morning, I'm lying to myself, but the vision of this habit makes me smile so much that I think it's worth continuing to strive for. Just a few more weeks until the shift to summer schedules and different kid-driven obligations. By end of summer, I'd like to be able to return to some degree of TKD practice at the studio.

Yeesh. Let's sum up. Though work and home life have kept me offline for most of the last couple of weeks, I got my feet back under me for most of these goals by the end of the challenge, but I think I need longer to work on solidifying the baseline habits before I get too fancy. To recap: Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): I do not always hit this daily average, but I have consistently gotten 200+ minutes of activity per week. Tracking (3 days/wk): Absolute, fiery failure on this right now. I hate the app on my phone, usually can't manage to update at work due to connectivity issues, and then just don't log in at night. I do not currently have the willpower banked to change those behaviors, but I need to come at the nutritional rehab another way because it's important. Still thinking...will probably focus on prep cooking and planning out my workday foods to make sure I get enough fruits/veg again. Very much need to shift my thoughts toward some weight loss as well. Workout (4 days/wk): Doing pretty well here, actually. I'm progressing with my walk/run program and started "playing" Ingress with hubby as togetherness/walking time. I also keep getting invited to fitbit challenges with the very few friends I'm linked with, so my trash talk needs are met. Bedtime: Really nice win here, actually. The bedtime supplement I'm taking is fucking magical. Still some work to do around the *time* I get to bed, but ease of getting to sleep and quality of rest is MUCH improved.

What an apocalyptic stomach bug. Finally getting back on track this week. Got over 200 minutes of activity last week and managed my hydration goal, but didn't manage to eat much of anything and now it's low tide before paycheck on Friday. In positive news, the concussion kid is cleared to play again and gets to be on the field for tomorrow's games. Coach is mostly going to play her JV this week but she should be back starting varsity next week. She's so very happy! Dancer girl is back at it as well, discharged from PT and working her way back to all the leaping all the time. Next competition is weekend of May 7. Whew. I'm going to stick with what I can this week and probably end up repeating much of this same challenge for next round. Clearly, I have a lot of work to do. to normalize these behaviors. And that's okay. I was also happy to get an email from the TKD folks today. They're prepping for the annual hometown tournament and wanted to know if I'd be willing to emcee again. So happy they thought of me! I'll be excited to see everyone again, and glad to be of service. (This is the tournament I sparred in last year. Le sigh.)

(( sigh )) I think the theme for this week is "two out of three ain't bad." Aiming for not-zero effort in all goals, but not fully successful in all of them just yet. Since everything was seeming like such a horrendous struggle, I focused hard on hydration and sleep yesterday. WIN on the hydration, and I broke into a sleep supplement I picked up from the chiropractor last week. While it doesn't taste like the delicious fruit flavor advertised, it's no yuckier than a Tums, and OMG was it ever magical for my rest last night. Ingredients are just the 5-HTP previously recommended for the brain weasels that tend to keep me awake, plus some melatonin (which I'd never used before). I took it probably a bit later than ideal (given the 8 hours recommended for dosage effects), but fell asleep without problems and stayed asleep really nicely. Difficulty waking up can be attributed to sheer greediness for More Sleeps, but I am pleased not to have felt *drugged* at all like I do with old faithful Benadryl. Very possibly, that shit will be worth every penny. Working on nutrition today -- getting those fruits/veg and also tracking today's intake on MFP. By the end of this week, I should be back on track with exercise as well, for a baller week four!

Oh, YES. They'll lug mulch and pretty cheerfully help with spreading it. That's part of the Mother's Day prerogative. Finally feeling much better, thank you. Egad. Got lots of activity outside over the last couple of days and made really encouraging progress on garage and shed re-organization. Next weekend, we'll finish building the raised beds and then I'll be ready for DIRT! Dancing daughter has her last PT appointment for her knee, and is delighted with the results. Concussion girl is phasing back into practices according to protocol but probably won't be cleared to play for another week. I'm going to get in a run/walk session tonight after work and look at some grocery/meal planning so I can get back on track with veggies this week as well. Two months until my lab re-testing...time to start really letting go of habits that lead to excess weight.

Oh, my lord. Glad that the Zero Week was good, because this week is shot. Kira and I continue to improve our partnership at dance competitions, with some notes about how we want to improve nutrition and hydration support after this weekend's experience. For example, we're going to bring a couple of gallons of bottled water to have with us, because water bottles empty quickly and then it's hard to scoot away from the dressing room to wherever the eff the nearest fountain is. And then, in the wee hours of Monday morning, I got hit with a nasty stomach bug. Was halfway productive from home on Monday, but Tuesday was worse and I lost the whole day. Yesterday, I went in for the morning, but ended up coming home for the afternoon. Continuing low-level nausea today has me WFH again so I don't share germs. Lots of people at the office are out sick this week. Hard to say what's going on, but it's taking hella long to recover and I'm crazy grateful it's not hitting the kids (knock on wood). It's less disheartening for me to not track anything at all, so I'm focusing on naps and sitting out in the sunshine while I drink tea. Broth is awesome, and so is toast. I'm nearing the end of my official time with the physical therapist, so I need to start thinking about how I want to gradually re-enter strength training. Medically, the surgeon is reaching a point where he'll say I'm "recovered," but I'm nowhere near where I want to be. Running is approved and manageable. Stuff like Tai Chi will probably do me a lot of good, as will less-intense exploration of TKD forms. I feel like I need to establish some baseline strength through unloaded ROM before I add much weight or resistance training. May do some MovNat research. The yoga place here in town is nice, but the instructor isn't really trained to work with me through these rehab concerns, and there's some budget limitation too. Coming into gardening season, too. How weird is it that I'm sad I can't haul around my own mulch and dirt right now?

Today's rebellion is cancelled on account of pain. Lots and lots of pain. I should have noticed last night, when I kept losing things and forgetting what I was saying...by this morning, I couldn't block it anymore and just getting into the car was awful. I got to PT ten minutes late and he said, "you look miserable." Instead of exercises, he hooked me up to the e-stim machine, wrapped me up in a warm pack, and left me in a dark room for about 20 minutes. He didn't think there was cause to worry, since progress has been so awesome and sometimes thing just splinch a bit on the road to recovery. We'll keep an eye on it. Since then, I've been counting the minutes until I can safely take some Percoset. (It will be about 8:30p, because that's when the soccer bus gets back to school. Note to self: make friends with other soccer team parents soonest, so somebody else can sometimes give the child a ride home.) Hydration is about the only thing I can keep my brain on right now. Hydrating like a mofo. Arranged to WFH in the morning tomorrow, so I don't have get moving real swiftly in the morning. I mean, I'll have calls and work to accomplish, but I can shower and dress slowly, which is a real luxury with one functioning arm.

It's been pissing me off, these last few days, that fitbit doesn't "unlock" activity minutes until I hit 10 minutes of consecutive activity. After that, it'll add all the little minutes of life's daily hustle and bustle, but NOTHING before that magical 10-minute block of time. I got home just before 8:30p from kiddo's orchestra concert with close to 7k steps logged, but ZERO minutes of activity. So I'm stomping along the sidewalk, raging about the injustice of it all, because dammit I'm going to *get* those minutes and steps, when a very quiet and snooty voice in my head suggests that MAYBE it would be an option to just walk for ten minutes first thing in the morning so the clock will count all those minutes of racing around I do every day. Still mulling that over. Concussion kid is doing better. She had a good day at school, and her guidance counselor is helping her to coordinate a catch-up plan with all her teachers, so she doesn't bruise her brain by trying to do it all at once, for all teachers. And the dancer's knee is doing MUCH better, just in time for a competition this weekend. I'll be covered in glitter. Egad. Just wait until the day you have to consider the most effective way to tape your seventh-grader's little boobies so her nipples won't show and her beginner-level rack won't bounce under a costume. Super fun.

Negotiated some bedtime agreements with hubby last night. He has no trouble at all falling asleep. He can go from laptopping to oh, let's turn off the lights, to sound asleep in a matter of a few minutes. I need some transition, because I'm frequently Doing Things up until bedtime. What we're in agreement on is that I'll settle in by about 10:30p and he'll go lights out by 11:00p, with the understanding that I'd like to ease back to lights out at 10:30p in the relatively near future. He's not *against* sleep, but he's distractable and genuinely functions better on less rest than I do. My sleep was so effed up over the last several months, but now I don't have the sleep with Mount St. Pillow or use heavier pain meds anymore. This is a return to habits we'd worked on last year. Not so hard. I forgot my sneakers for lunchtime walking -- these boots look great, but would be shit for a longer walk. Also, there's an orchestra concert this evening. Could be a challenge to get in the steps and minutes. We'll see.

Yeah, the resentment was definitely a thing. Glad things lined up better for the rest of the evening. Got to grill pork chops with hubby and got my run/walk in! And I think the Concussion Kid called her day before things got too miserable...by dinnertime, she was well recovered and in good spirits. Trying to line up another adult to be on call if she wants to try again tomorrow, but we won't make the final decision until morning. Gotta not have any headache to consider it. She's lined up a ride with a friend, so she won't have to deal with commotion on the bus. There's only so much sensory input she can take before it's too much, you know?

Naw, it's cool. You were concerned, but not like a concern troll.

Oh, no. No no no. She's not PLAYING again yet. There are some pretty strict protocols in place for returning to practice or contact, never mind competition, even with a mild concussion. The coach is willing to have her sit on the bench with him during games for team pride and because she's got a pretty good eye for the game, but she wasn't even able to make it until lunchtime at school today before calling me to pick her up. (( sigh )) Until that background headache and sensitivity to light/motion go away, there isn't a whole lot she can do but rest and be bored. YAY. So I found another parent to handle my volunteer thing at tonight's home game, and we'll stay home instead. Today had a lot of "willpower leaks," as Kishi put it. I packed my car with lunches and work snacks for the week, as well as workout gear for the day, but didn't make it but three hours into the work day before Fiona called. On the plus side, I won't be over-scheduled tonight, but it meant I was *home* for lunch instead of where all my excellent lunches were. Dinner is still YOYO, because I hadn't figured I'd be around, but now I might get in my run/walk workout a little earlier than dark. And my PT noticed that I was really clenched up with resentment about it all (perhaps selfish, yet still true) and worked on thoracic extension. I was able to clasp my hands over my head (arms extended) for the first time since October! Though I haven't been as excellent as I could be with home PT, he says I'm making improvements every time. My upper traps feel pleasantly sore and tired now, but I'm not in any other pain. WOO.

Well, yesterday turned itself around. Puttered around the house for much of the afternoon (which was worth about 4k steps on its own) and then, right about 6p, I felt like going for a walk. BOOM. Ended the day with more than 15k steps. Grateful for longer days, pleasant weather, and a relatively undemanding weekend. I could get used to not having soccer games AND dance on the weekends! Yesterday's prep cooking also allows me to pre-log a lot into MFP, which will perhaps set me up to track a bit better this week. I have a good idea what I'll be eating for breakfast, lunch, and any snacks at work. Dinners for the week aren't yet established, but hopefully I'll be able to plan that later this evening. PT at 4p, followed by home soccer game and dance. I might not actually set foot in my house until about 9:30p, but I've got food and workout clothes packed.

Eh...it's slow but steady progress. That primary headache is finally going away. She's back at school today, which I'm not 100% certain was an excellent idea, but she was starting to do too much at home, so... I'm on alert for a call at lunchtime to bring her home. There's a home game tonight and I've promised to take her to it if she wants to go, even if she has to leave school earlier in the day. She's a center defensive midfielder and -- even though she's a freshman -- it's easy to see how the center just unravels when she's not in there. Might be more distressing to watch the game than to stay home.

Setting up for Week One Sunday Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): WIN, with 60+ minutes of activity(correction: 82 minutes!) Tracking (3 days/wk): didn't track today, but did a lot of prep cooking, which will set up easier tracking for the week Workout (4 days/wk): +1 with W2D3 of that "slow and steady" running program Bedtime: WIN, with a cool shower before bed and lights out before 11p Monday -- also hit six servings of fruits/veg and 64+ oz of water Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): WIN, with 47 minutes so far! Tracking (3 days/wk): giving myself a +1 here, since today I planned and entered workday breakfasts and lunches through Thursday (just finished logging my food for the day -- hahahahahaha -- only good thing I can say is that I got 130g of protein) Workout (4 days/wk): +1, with W2D4 of "slow and steady" Bedtime: not so bad. I was all done with my bedtime routine by 10p and ready to go lights-out at 10:30 and then hubby came in all chatty from his Legion meeting. They're only once a month. Will do better tomorrow. Tuesday -- success with hydration but not so much with veggies (made it to four servings) Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): Sort of a WIN. Made it to 37 minutes today so far, and I'm about to take my fitbit off for a luxurious bath as I aim for bedtime. Still ahead of the curve for the week. Tracking (3 days/wk): +1, but damn. No wonder I have gained weight. It's a good thing I'm not aiming for macros yet, is all I've got to say right now. Workout (4 days/wk): +0.5 -- did a purposeful walk to the liquor store to get steps and minutes. Bedtime: Had myself through evening routines and settling in to wind down by about 10:15p, with lights out at 11:00p. Not ideal yet, but not bad. Wednesday -- big success with hydration and made it to five servings of veggies (note to self: pick up some V8) Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): WIN, with 46 minutes Tracking (3 days/wk): +1 -- got close to 90g of protein and overall calories were in range, but carb grams are still outta hand Workout (4 days/wk): +05 -- went for a long walk after the orchestra concert specifically to get s Bedtime: Settled in bed to log now, just before 10:30p. Should be able to hit lights out by 11p. Very late night, for pretty splendid and sexy reasons. I regret nothing. Thursday -- mostly putting the rebellion on hold today on account of a lot of shoulder pain. BREATHING hurts. Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): It's been a relatively busy day -- nearly 7k steps just bustling around but of course I don't have that ten minutes of consecutive activity, so nothing has registered yet. Just the heel strike of a normal stride is painful, so I doubt I'm going to go for a walk later to capture any steps or minutes. On track with weekly minutes, though. Tracking (3 days/wk): NOPE. Workout (4 days/wk): NOPE Bedtime: Will probably win this one, on account of Percoset planned for once everyone is home for the night. Friday Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): Tracking (3 days/wk): Workout (4 days/wk): Bedtime: Saturday Activity Minutes (avg 45 mins/day): Tracking (3 days/wk): Workout (4 days/wk): Bedtime:

Hi, RP! It's good to see you too. Followed you during the last challenge. I don't know. It's sort of astonishing, how tapped out my energy and willpower reserves are, still. Today, I slept until NOON without even trying and now I want a nap. SMH. Focusing on meal prep and the basic household things that help me feel settled and ready for the week. Basic is important.

This might be a "give in graciously" sort of day. Last night, 9th-grader reported concussion symptoms after a few hard headers during her soccer game. Got evaluated and diagnosed with possible mild concussion and neck muscle pain. The effect of one over the other is pretty difficult to distinguish right now, so she's home for the day with mommy while we observe. Primary symptoms are mild sensitivity to light, a moderate headache, and some pretty impressive vertigo. We'll know more about her recovery curve by the end of the day. No reading, no screen time (phone, laptop, or TV), and no music through the earbuds. I'm grateful for the flexibility to work from home to keep an eye on her -- especially because she's so dizzy -- but for now she's twitchy like a twitchy thing. Not allowed to do things that make symptoms worse, which for now includes stuff like...you know, standing up and walking around. At least the nausea has passed? I give her three hours before she starts stressin' about homework. The big dog is taking her role as nursemaid very seriously, though, laying all 160 pounds of smelly dog love all over the girl and following her to the bathroom. Which gets crowded with a dog that size who doesn't know how to back up or turn around in tight spaces. (( sigh )) Meanwhile, I haven't had breakfast yet. Hard to say how many of my goals I'll accomplish today. I think I'll focus on making my choices non-sabotaging at the very least. A low-calorie, low-activity day once in a while doesn't seem to do much harm in the long term.

I'm starting on some of these habits this week, since this is still a return to "normal" for me and should be sustainable...nothing particularly strenuous I should need a recovery week from. It still really bothers me that I can't lift heavy, but I try to think of it as NOT YET instead of NEVER AGAIN. I'll work on what I can work on when it's in front of me and just have to be patient about the rest. Big changes are likely doomed to failure or injury. UGH.

following!

Using this as something of a measurement and numbers game to get me back into things a bit more, now that I'm feeling awake and lively again. (I went on an impromptu geocache tonight! In the dark! And I found that little fucker!) Prior to the start of this challenge, I'll get my measurements. I'm starting to do some things that might begin to yield results, so I may as well get a 2016 baseline for further doctor data. I'm counting on these steps improving my blood profile, but the that's a lagging indicator. Have to keep the faith that these are the right actions to yield those results. After this challenge, I will probably put a lot more focus into weight loss in the weeks leading up to my re-check so I'll have another objective indicator of change in risk factors. Hydration is solid, but I'll keep logging and tracking that with my fitbit because it's an easy thing to slide away from. It's also assumed that I'll keep up with the six servings of fruits and veggies per day. I am fortunate that the trifecta of recommendations made by the doctor are things I wanted to return to anyway. While the orders chafe, the behaviors themselves feel really good and I'm excited to be on the road back to awesomeness. Boost to 300 minutes of activity/week (~45 minutes/day): I *like* seeing that 70k step number, but activity is what I want to boost now. Aiming for 300 minutes of activity per week (my tracker measures Sunday-Saturday), up from 250 in previous challenge. I'm starting to take longer walks with the weather getting nicer, and mixing in some jogging too. The last couple of days have seen 50+ minutes of activity each, and I got 343 minutes last week, so it can be done. And, if I'm getting in that much activity, the steps will be there. Track nutrition on MyFitnessPal at least three days each week. My diet isn't all that varied, and I think that might be a good "minimum effective dose" to keep me focused on making choices in line with my goals. There's a distinct possibility that I'll start shifting my intake to get my "magic three" number back to the sweet spot I remember: ~1900-2000 calories, 90g or more of protein, and 120g or fewer carbs per day. Add an actual, structured workout at least four days each week, for 30 minutes each session. I've got that run/walk program and a MovNat mobility starter series I can follow, both of which are set up to be four days per week. This isn't so much about energy output as setting aside the time and attention to a program. MovNat on its own won't take 30 minutes, but on those days I can return to (gentle) practice of my TKD forms, kicks, and stances. I will not be able to do all the punches and blocks with proper intensity, but I can certainly start rekindling the muscle memory. When I start paying for classes again, I want to be ready to learn new things, you know? That will require some strength and aerobic recovery as well as memory of...well, everything. Do small things to improve bedtime. This one might need to be baby steps, because it's 10:07p now and hubby isn't home from work yet. As the daylight lengthens, so do his work days. Setting a precise lights-out time might not be the low-hanging fruit right now, but I need to start improving my rest again -- in hours and quality. May quantify this goal with numbers soon...right now, it's a priority to start thinking about again. Life goal: follow and cheer on some of my fellow monks. Remembering to do that makes a big difference!