Merrye

PS-Crazy excited to do the next challenge as an official assassin. :-D

I'm still working on putting together my goals, but I do know that the biggest thing I learned is that I can't be vague. Part of my failures (which weren't big) were due to the rush to join the challenge at the halfway point. I need a very specific, detailed daily plan. So I plan on using the next two weeks to get a calendar, journal, and painfully detailed action plan together. Especially with the holidays coming up, I need to really think about eating habits so that I don't feel I'm depriving myself of yummy, delicious holiday foods. I'm also involved (read "test subject") in a scientific study about exercising in a fasted state and the effect of eating directly after a workout on various bodily functions. Being a part of this study means I can't do any leg exercise above and beyond what I typically do. So again, something else I need to keep in mind.

Main Quests 1) Stop eating dairy. = B+ A lot of this was ignorance to ingredients and food prep, but I did sneak some cheese at a couple gatherings. However, I never brought dairy into my home and, more important for me, I didn't have any allergic reactions to it. Yay! 2) Make it through one rep of the basic body weight circuit workout without taking a break = C I made it through a whole rep, but I was terrible about working towards this goal everyday. For the next challenge, I'm going to create a more detailed daily regimen to follow. Life Side Quest 1) Complete the first step in my Kill the Debt quest by paying off my first credit card! = A+ Nailed it! On to the next card. :-) 2) Do not fall behind in songwriting course! = A+ Also on track with this. Yay me! Overall, I'm proud of how I did. Now that I have an idea of how challenges go, I can fine tune my efforts going forward, create more specific plans of action, and track my progress!

Main Quests 1) Stop eating dairy. = B+ A lot of this was ignorance to ingredients and food prep, but I did sneak some cheese at a couple gatherings. However, I never brought dairy into my home and, more important for me, I didn't have any allergic reactions to it. Yay! 2) Make it through one rep of the basic body weight circuit workout without taking a break = C I made it through a whole rep, but I was terrible about working towards this goal everyday. For the next challenge, I'm going to create a more detailed daily regimen to follow. Life Side Quest 1) Complete the first step in my Kill the Debt quest by paying off my first credit card! = A+ Nailed it! On to the next card. :-) 2) Do not fall behind in songwriting course! = A+ Also on track with this. Yay me!

Something to add...if all of your student loans are federal and with one servicer, there is little benefit to consolidating. However, if you're having trouble making payments, you should look into some of the different plans. If you're in public service, some of your loans can be forgiven.

Congrats on the savings account!!! And all the other stuff! Progress feels awesome! And I still made it to work, but I wasn't happy about it. ;-)

So, I'm dealing with a loss of appetite. Not really sure what it's resulting from, but I'm definitely feeling the effects. I recently cut out most dairy and upped my vegetable and protein intake. Over the past few days, I just plain haven't been hungry. I make myself eat light stuff (like sweet potatoes or avocados), but I've been forgetting a lot because there's no hunger signal. I'm staying really hydrated so I'm not too worried about that. Today, I'm crazy tired and my brain is foggy. Anyone else go through this when they started switching up their diet? Any tricks on how to fix this?

Well the good news is that you know where you tend to fail, so plan for that. Make it a goal for month 3 that you'll track your progress much more aggressively. In the meantime, I would say start small. Much smaller than what you have described. If it were me (and it was me), start with going for walks around the block. Or doing 5 push-ups (with or without toddler). Or dancing around the house for 5 minutes. You don't need a gym to be successful at this point. The rule I have for myself is that I can join a gym or fitness activity if I can make it through 3 basic workout reps without taking long pauses. Saves me money and provides me with motivation to do what I need to do before I get to the next step (I want to join an aerial fitness class...FUN!!!) Also, start fixing stuff in your diet...little stuff. There are lots of great posts Steve made about changing your habits, and the trick to making something stick is incorporating little changes, not huge changes.

It doesn't sound like you at all the chocolate in the world, so I say you're good. This week has been tough for me in the same way you're struggling. Thank god, I don't have a car because there is literally no other choice for me than to walk to work. But even today, I stopped halfway up the hill and wanted to throw a tantrum. I blame the weather. :-) Keep it up! You're doing great!

I have severe anxiety disorder, and while I do have propanalol as a backup, I have found meditation to be helpful. First thing is set the mood (if you're not already). Dimming lights, lighting candles, music, etc. Even clothes I'm wearing needs to be comfortable. Music is extremely important for me. Those cheesy, end of the isle stations with the cheap CDs? Some of the music on there is actually gorgeous! Sample some, see what you can find on the internet. If you use them enough in your meditation as a relaxing tool, you can start to train your body to relax to it. Say you're feeling stressed at work. Listen to some of that music, and it's a mini-meditation. :-) Also, for now try cutting back the time to 5 minutes. If you're in the moment and want to keep going, great. But 10 minutes sounds like it might be overwhelming you (or at the very least boring you).

Good for you! I have a fear of needles too, but I've learned how to walk and talk myself through it. My tricks (in case it interests any of you needle phobes) FAR in advance of getting poked: I pinch my skin where the needle is going to go (not drawing blood) just to get a feel for my pain tolerance.Visualize a needle, then try to get your body to relax under high anxiety (I'm a singer, so I've had plenty of practice with this )Think about facts: how invasive will this procedure really be, how long will I actually in pain, etc. IMMEDIATELY before getting poked: Acknowledge that life is going to suck for a few minutes, hours or however long you're exposed to this. This helps me by putting a realistic timeline to how much of an impact this is really going to have (pst! usually not much of an impact).Ask whoever's poking you to talk you through exactly what they're doing. Also, tell them you have a fear of needles. They usually know how to deal with people like you. :-)Think relaxed! (You've been practicing how to physically relax your body, right?)Cry if you need to (you have nothing to prove!). Just as long as you don't get hysterical.If it's a blood draw or something extended, close your eyes and breath through it. I mentally tell myself to relax, and it'll be over soon. Do not look at the vials!!!! That's an advanced move. :-)AFTER getting poked: Analyze what just happened. Was it as bad as you expected? Was the pain intolerable or was it similar to when you pinched yourself? How much time did it take? Banking reality in your mind is a great way to negate fear, especially if you've had one traumatic episode. After a few experiences being poked, compare them to that one moment. What about that moment was different from your others? Was that a typical experience or a one time incident? I'm sure there are other tricks, but these are the skills I've honed for myself over the last decade or so. I say all of this as a person who has had many botched IV lines (often in one procedure), blood draws, and a preemptive strapping down to a table because my dad was more afraid for me than I was and convinced the doctor I was going to freak...I was 6. My triumph with needles happened this summer. I was ask to go on a last minute trip to Morocco (awesome!) but needed 6 different vaccinations in order to do so. By about the 3rd one, it was no longer a big deal. The nurse was so impressed by how relaxed I was able to make my arm. :-) I've avoided flu shots every year despite my luck with catching everything going around because of how terrified I am of needles. This year, I'm planning on getting one as soon as they're available. Hope this helps someone!

I'm not sure what you're journey has been in meditating thus far. Are you trying for large chunks of time or smaller?

Awesome! Thank you! I'll be giving this site a thorough read today.

Yes. I can always predict when it's going to snow because I get headaches. People think I'm clairvoyant. :-D

Welcome! I too joined the challenge late (last week), but I'm amazed at what I've already accomplished. For your savings account, might I recommend looking into high-yield online accounts. They're not as amazing as they used to be, but they're better than what you'll find at most banks. I use CapitalOne 360 (formerly ING) for checking and savings because both are interest bearing with no fees, but there are other online banks out there.