elisanns

I took a bubble bath and it was lovely.

On to the goals:

🌟Did a yoga for weight loss video today and was happy to wrap up the week with one that was a bit more challenging than what I've done previously this week.

🌟Posture was good, nothing to note really. I keep having to remind myself to put my shoulders back, but that's nothing new.

🌟Came in under my MFP target. Woo!

🌟No take out. Will probably have some tomorrow if the boyfriend comes over, so that will be a nice treat.

Not much to say about today. The boyfriend usually comes over tonight, but he's not feeling well.  You'd think I'd use this as an opportunity to have another perfect MFP day, but you'd be wrong. That being said, I definitely ate less than I would have had we had our usual date night tonight, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction.

🌟Did a short 15 min yoga routine at lunch before I knew I'd have my evening free. Still, got that yoga time in, so I'm counting it as one of my five days.

🌟Posture was good until I hit a 3pm wall and stopped being as mindful. I kept having to correct myself once I realized I was slouching.

🌟I'm over the MFP target, but slightly under what today probably would have been anyways. I have trained myself to see Thursdays and Saturdays as "days off." I can't decide if that's a healthy outlook or not tbh.

🌟But I didn't get take out! I just made a bunch of pasta.

Happy Wednesday! I've noticed the sun has been setting later and later, and my solar-powered self is very happy to not feel exhausted at 4:30.

Today's goals:

🌟Did my usual yoga routine. Focused on something slow that would reduce anxiety, rather than something super faced-paced that was more of a "work out." Considering some work nonsense that happened today, this was probably the best choice for me.

🌟Posture was a bit better today, I can't say I was perfect 100% of the time, but my back was definitely less sore overall.

🌟I came under my MFP target. I also weighed myself, and am currently at a lower weight than I was before working from home started. I only really want to lose a couple more pounds, so I'm pretty happy with how things are going.

🌟No socializing with others, therefore no take out. I'm actually so surprised how hard it was to get back into this mindset. It's like one bad day made me crave everything from every restaurant in walking distance.

How is it only Tuesday?

🌟 Yoga work out continues, same as usual

🌟Posture was a bit better today, but honestly things were mostly the same as yesterday

🌟Came under MFP goal

🌟Meal planning went as planned, and no take out.

Today was certainly a day. It was actually pretty good until around 3, at which point everything just became incredibly frustrating. However, in terms of my goals, everything went well and I'm proud that the blahs of earlier didn't impact the goals overall.

🌟 Today was crow work out day. I took the "easier" alternative suggestions in the videos instead of going all in, but it still felt like quite a work out.

🌟Posture: shoulders are less painful, but it seems to have moved to my lower back. I don't know if that's progress. I did remember to keep posture up while walking.

🌟Came in under MFP goal, which is always the hardest one when I'm stressed out.

🌟Got groceries and did some meal planning, so no take out for me.

55 minutes ago, Elastigirl said:

Woot, great job on Sunday! I  really like how after you had a bad few days, you got right on track, starting out slow and building momentum.

Thank you!😊 I'm really, really trying not to beat myself up if I go off track for a couple of days. Sometimes feeling guilty really just makes you dive deeper into your worse habits.

Weekend recap!

Saturday:

🌟No yoga

🌟Didn't keep posture, but also wasn't really moving around a lot

🌟Ate over MFP goal

🌟Got take out, but was with the boyfriend so it was within the parameters of the challenge.

Sunday:

🌟No yoga

🌟Was much more mindful about posture today, and was able to keep shoulders back while walking

🌟Ate within MFP goal

🌟Planned ahead which removed the take out temptation

So the last few days haven't been great. Definitely did some food bingeing, put the yoga routine aside and was just generally not in a place to do much other than focus on work and then go to bed. Today I was sort of able to get out of that mental state, though not as on the nose as previously...

🌟Did a 15 minute, easy yoga video over my lunch break

🌟Kept up posture for most of the day until around 3pm when work was wrapping up

🌟Ate over MFP goal, but only by a little bit. Compared to the last few days, which was WAY over, this is still pretty good. I'm trying not to get bogged down in guilt over this since I'm prone to all or nothing thinking and will only dig myself deeper.

🌟I did get take out by myself for the first time in quite a while a few days ago. Now I crave it again and while I haven't gone back to ordering it all the time, my soda habit is back with a vengeance

And now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go to bed.

🌟Did a hands-free yoga video today which was surprisingly challenging.

🌟Posture was still rather difficult today but I definitely corrected myself a few times throughout the day so...I suppose I have enough awareness now to catch myself.

🌟Came under MFP goal today.

🌟No take out. I got groceries today, and have some meal planning done.

33 minutes ago, Defining said:

I use a shoulder brace for a few hours each day

Not a bad idea. I'll have to see what's out there...or if I have something around my place I can use as a similar reminder. Thanks!

Today was a good day. Not only did I check off everything on my list, I made another candle and started working on a short story. 

But on to today's challenge...

🌟Today was crow pose day! I actually found last week's attempt easier, I'm not sure why. I wasn't extra sore or anything today. It just felt much more strenuous.

🌟I kept catching myself when it came to posture today. Any tips for reminding myself (especially when standing/walking) would be appreciated!

🌟Came under MFP goal and ate some very yummy soup for lunch. February is a great month for soup.

🌟No take out.

Weekend recap time!

Saturday:

🌟Even though I committed to yoga 5 days per week, I did a bonus video on Saturday morning because I was really in the mood.

🌟It's so much harder to be mindful of posture when I'm not working at a desk. If I'm just lazing around, I forget most of the time. Walking is still especially challenging. I keep trying to be mindful of not looking down at the sidewalk like the little introvert I am.

🌟Did not come under MFP goal--another date night means lots of food and wine. I did try to be more mindful of what I consumed throughout the day.

🌟No take out! Even the date night food was tasty stew the boyfriend made.

Sunday:

🌟No yoga today, just chilling out and enjoying some down time. I did my five days plus the extra one, so I'm fine with this choice.

🌟Was more mindful of posture and keeping my shoulders back while eating meals. I keep forgetting while walking though! It's ridiculous.

🌟Came under MFP goal, even though I ate pancakes this morning.

🌟No take out.

So happy it's a long weekend. Can't wait to sleep in tomorrow morning and generally have a bonus day of relaxation!

Happy Friday! So glad it's the weekend...and a long weekend!

🌟Did a very stretchy yoga video today. I was pretty stiff, so that felt really nice.

🌟Posture was easier, but I really noticed how tight my chest/shoulders were while doing the yoga routine today.

🌟Came under MFP goal today.

🌟No take out!

Well, I need a nap. Or a guess bed in general. It's like 10:45 here, so I suppose that's what I really mean. But before that...

🌟Did yoga over my lunch break since I knew I would be busier tonight.

🌟Posture today was easier! I'm not sure what made today so different from yesterday, but I found my back hurt a lot less. Keeping the shoulders back/lowered is still a challenge, and that's also where I get the most sore after too long.

🌟Did not come under MFP goal for today. 😔 The boyfriend came over and made pizza, so that plus wine put me over. We have date nights twice-ish per week, so I suppose it's a matter of either planning ahead a bit better, or accepting  that these will be the days I can't be as strict.

🌟But no take out! So still sticking to that. Honestly, the weather being absolutely awful definitely makes it easier to not go outdoors.

20 minutes ago, Defining said:

do you have any strategies to address that?

In terms of take out, since I still let myself enjoy it with other people I think I can still enjoy Saturday night without caving in on my own the rest of the weekend. I find I've actually been pretty good at avoiding it for the most part. I live across the street from a pub which became a serious problem for me when working from home first started but I've definitely got a better handle on things now.

🌟Did yoga today as per usual

🌟Posture today was actually very difficult. My back/shoulders were incredibly sore for the morning and didn't ease up until I walked around for a bit and came back after lunch.

🌟Came under MFP goal for today.

🌟Still not eating take out, etc. With a long weekend coming up, I think that will be when the temptation will really strike.

So somehow I lost track of time and thought the challenge started today....

I somehow lost track of the date. In my defense, there's been some life stuff distracting me. Let's get this started a bit late:

🌟Did crow pose practice. I know I said I would do it on Mondays, but since I missed Monday because calendars are hard.

🌟Tried to sit with back straight while working today. I found I caught myself slouching and immediately corrected it. I found walking with good posture to be  much more difficult. I didn't remember until I was walking home from getting groceries that this was something I was supposed to be thinking about.

🌟Came under my MFP goal for today. I've been getting better at doing this and am happy with how I feel.

🌟Still not eating take out/at restaurants without friends/family/etc. This really is getting easier and I don't find making meals as much of a hassle as I used to. 

5 hours ago, Defining said:

FWIW, anyone who spends time at a desk/in front of a computer will likely have tight pecs.

I'm discovering that! For some reason February has arbitrarily become my health updates month (also got my glasses lenses changed, getting my jaw looked at, etc) so I just feel like I'm finding all the new fun things I should be working on.

5 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

There we go. *resumes stretching*  

At this point I'm strongly considering just putting alerts into my phone to remind myself to do that  

Today I got my jaw looked at and the tightness of my pectoral muscles was brought up, so apparently I have to stretch those as well? I'm beginning to think everything from the waist up is just kind of a mess as this point...

I've been trying sitting straight for the last few days while working pretty successfully, and then I hit today and...ooof.

Around noonish my body just gave up. My back/shoulders couldn't take it today.

Looks like you are off to a great start! 

Got really inspired to wake up earlier and read before work, which has been a huge help in getting the time in. I just started 20, 000 Leagues Under The Sea since I got a free copy.

20 minutes ago, Defining said:

Ah, posture, our old foe.  It really is 'whole body chain' stuff - don't forget the hips!

The real question is, how on earth do shoulders even work?

9 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

At first glance, it looks like there could be a lot of overlap between your yoga goal and your posture goal. This is a good thing... because, as you said, everything is connected.

I certainly hope they'll help each other out!

5 hours ago, Novaurora said:

Well, good thing I set myself up well yesterday night because (as expected) this getting up at 5am was not on the agenda after it took me hours to fall asleep last night (if you don't have a long sleepy time guided meditation, get one!) 

Glad to hear your found a long sleep meditation that works for you. They almost never last long enough...or the voice over gets annoying after a while lol!

This new challenge is all about exploring the habits I’ve been working on since I respawned here back in November. A little poking, a little prodding, and not being afraid to see what happens when I shake up the habits I have to make something new.

Habits I’m bringing over from last challenge:

🌟Only eat take out or at a restaurant if I am with other people or involved in some kind of social event. This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, and I feel so great knowing I can go into a kitchen without blowing something up.

New habits to form and challenges to take on:

🌟 I’ll be keeping up with my yoga practice, going at least five days per week. However, Mondays will be dedicated to learning crow pose. I’ve found some videos that will hopefully help me on this journey. Even if I don’t fully accomplish the pose, I at least want to start to learn something new and grow from there.

🌟 Posture. I have terrible posture and with my TMJ problems getting worse, I think my body could benefit from me caring a bit more about how I sit. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered as I get help dealing with my uncooperative jaw, it’s that everything is connected in so many subtle ways. It’s been so interesting to see how the neck/back/spine has been impacting my jaw, and I want to see more progress there. Plus, maybe it will give me a confidence boost, and I won’t say no to that.

🌟 Meet my My Fitness Pal calorie targets…most of the time, and continuing to track no matter what. I don’t want to be unreasonable, because that sounds like the quickest way to failing and ending up back where I started. I have some good food habits and some bad ones, and I want to eat better over all and lose weight, but I also want to learn what works while not totally removing the enjoyment from my life. Grabbing pizza and a drink on the weekend with friends is not off limits. The goal it to simply keep track, and not overdo it with the mindless snacking/stress eating/boredom-work-from-home-cupboard-adventures on a daily basis.