CakeBanisher

Ending up in speech path is kind of a long story, tbh. My undergrad was initially just violin performance - but I have too many injuries, and didn't like the whole negative job security of a musician thing. So then I was pre-physical therapy, but again, realized I had too many injuries. But at that point I had tons of extra classes, so ended up with music and psychology degrees, minors in human bio and math, and no idea what I actually wanted to do, lol. People kept suggesting speech path, so I talked to some and liked what they said. It's this really cool intersection of science and language and teaching and therapy. And the music actually helps, because I have a really good ear for subtle differences in sound at this point I applied to a local program, because the deadline was coming up and I knew I had to stay local for a few years because of my grandmother. It was one of those things where everything just sorta fell into place On a food-related note, environment is sooooooo important! I live at home, and my brother and parents (and boyfriend) eat very differently than I prefer to... Having something around that I can grab and eat in 30 seconds is critical, especially when I'm rushed/tired/starving/etc. because of school. Preparation is essential Also once I go about 3 days of eating healthy, if I suddenly eat junk (even just a few bites) goodness does it make me sick. So, there's also that added motivation to avoid junk, lol. ___ Anyway! Had a day of not tracking yesterday (and didn't do great on Halloween...although I did at least try). My baking is my weakness, lol. So, I have consumed cookies...too many cookies...and yes, yes they did make me very sick. I did it anyway, because occasionally I apparently have no self control. But I'm back to tracking now We'll see how school today goes, I brought food but didn't realize one of the things apparently went bad and none of us noticed...sooo...yeah. Oh well. I'm also still running. Have one planned for today. I'm going to redo my last interval set, because it was a significant jump in effort for me last time, and I think I should do it again. In other, unrelated news, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. Maybe I'll "win" this year. Maybe I won't. Who knows!? I'm MusicNerd over at nanowrimo.org if anyone wants to join me

Update! Running is going well Even in a week, I can feel a difference, so that's pretty sweet I'm a little concerned about my right Achilles tendon...I suspect my shoe rubs, and it's been hurting a little - although honestly I've mostly been attributing any and all pain to the fact that I just haven't run in forever. This weekend was a splendid example of well-laid plans being thwarted by life. My parents have been out of town, but both got back on Friday, and decided not only were we celebrating my one grandma's birthday, but also two other family birthdays. And doing family pictures. All on less than two days notice. And my mom tends to worry about the house, so this led to a frantic period of cleaning wherein nothing else got accomplished. But the house looks great Anyway. Point is, I just let it happen instead of fighting to adapt. This led to two things. I didn't get any observation work done...so that'll have to happen more this week. And I ate junk. I tracked it on Saturday, but yesterday just sorta gave up. I'm the family baker (have been for years - my grandma taught me to bake the holiday pies before I could see the top of the counter, lol). So, all of Saturday was spent baking. And if cake is a weakness for me, cookie dough is even more so. I managed to track and sort of manage my food on Saturday. Sunday...not so much, lol. But man, can I feel it today...I do not feel good! Let that be a lesson, kiddos - don't eat stuff if you know it'll make you sick! But today I'm back! Back to tracking, I've got a run scheduled for after work/errands/class, and there will be no school food consumed!

Challenge is going well! I was finally able to "run" again last night, so that was pretty fantastic. It's funny, I actually really look forward to these runs, this one was almost like a reward for getting through this week of exams. The hardest part is convincing myself to actually get started and go, especially with the weather turning bad (and me having no idea how to dress for different conditions). But after I start, it's great Also, still tracking everything, and still no school (or work) food. I'm planning to spend some time this weekend doing research for my observations.

Ooh, linguistics is cool! I wish I'd taken more of it... My undergrads are in unrelated fields, so I'm doing the deficiency courses this semester, and just one grad course. There's still time for speech path if you so choose My phonetics professor right now is Canadian, and doesn't believe the way we pronounce certain things, lol. I honestly don't know why these phone calls are so hard...maybe it is because they're personal? It's a good thought Also, "long time ago" for me is just anything that took place before my most recent exam - so, right now, anything before Monday, lol. It is a most excellent idea! I may use it next challenge... --- Today! Tracked everything, and brought food to school. Didn't run, but was planning on that because of my schedule on Tuesdays and the massive grad exam I have tomorrow. I'm not certain if I'll be able to run tomorrow, either - I have another huge exam Thursday morning, so may just prioritize studying tomorrow. If I have time, I'll run tomorrow after classes. If not, I'll run Thursday, then again Saturday. This should be the last really bad week for school for a little while, but even so I should still be able to do my three runs

@Leejus I feel that picture on a spiritual level... I'm usually fine when I'm shopping with others. The problem is when I shop by myself, lol. I drive past a drugstore on my way home from work that is a perfect place to buy cookies...it's less than ideal, lol. I did that a while back, and was surprised how well it worked I'm using my phone timer right now, but just got a fitbit that has an interval workout function, so am about to start using that as well. I also find that the breathing makes it a lot easier to not focus on unpleasant things while running (or walking, lol). It's very zen ___ Day 2 successful! Tracked all my food, and no school food. I made up a nice lunch to take to school...and then forgot it in the fridge...so I was quite hungry by the time I got home, and also ended up with an even lower calorie count. Whoops. I might go have a snack before bed, but I'm really not hungry...so we'll see. For running, it was a rest day - I walked around on campus, and had a good yoga session though Nothing done for observations. I have a couple huge exams this week, I won't be doing anything on this goal until probably Friday...

You have a very similar meal planning approach to me. I just sort of get food for a week or so, and am like "well, I'll eat this in some order over the week" and go with it I also tend to eat exactly the same thing for breakfast every single day, lol. So sorry about your water! That's gotta be super annoying And I'm sooo sorry about your class! I have a grad class right now that's somewhat similar, although it isn't discussion board based. We have our first big exam on Wednesday, and the people who've taken it before are literally just saying "sucks to be you, his tests are totally irrelevant to what you do in class so good luck." He's also one of the most disorganized professors I've ever had. Anyway. Can you ask the TA for additional clarification? Do they maybe have specific comments, or can tell you which points they're claiming you didn't address? Or, you know...anything even remotely helpful? If you have the full syllabus, maybe just read a week in advance to try and mitigate your teachers failures? A slow start does not the challenge decide - you have excellent goals, you will totally succeed despite your water and your professor!

Thanks guys! I tend to be way too ambitious with my goals and fall apart after a couple weeks, so tried to do something more realistic this time around. Thanks for the encouragement, it helps! I don't know what it is about this sort of phone call that I hate so much, honestly. I have to cold-call lots of customers/companies for work (I do inventory/ordering), and I have zero problem with that. But the last call I had to make for speech path I literally started dialing, then had to stop and get through a panic attack - when I finally made the call, it was a super fantastic experience, they were super happy to talk to me and it was overall just lovely. So why are they so difficult?!? GAHH. *ahem* okay, I'm done whining... Update! Tracked all my food. Just what I ate, and the calories. All reasonably healthy food, totaled around 1200 calories. I know, I know...that's too low. Honestly, when I'm eating healthier, there are days where I literally struggle to even hit 1000 - I've gotten to where I almost always hit 1200, but it's taken some work. I average 1200-1400. Also the no school food goal was irrelevant today, because no school. I didn't order food/eat the free candy they give us at work though, so there's that Didn't do anything for observations today... My plan to "run" this morning was rudely foiled by my grandmother's alarm going off as I was heading out the door...and then not shutting off no matter what I did. I had to make one of the dreaded phone calls (grandma can't talk on the phone anymore) to try and sort that out, the alarm company woman was not happy with me, lol. Anyway. Had to change my plans, so ran this evening instead. Total walked about 30 minutes, and did 5 cycles of run 30 sec/walk 60 sec after a 5 minute warm-up walk, which actually felt pretty fantastic I didn't push too hard - I could've done a couple more cycles, but not at a "conversational" level of breathing, which is apparently a thing runners should pay attention to. Plus I'm really trying to ease in and not go too fast this time. So, yeah. Anyway. I have a plan that involves increasing times gradually over a couple weeks before I start doing more C25K-type intervals As a note - I'm calling them "runs" even if I do very little actual running, lol. And when I "ran" tonight, the time was almost the same as when I just do a brisk walk. Even if I'm just going for a walk, I treat it like a run - I feel like it helps it feel more "real" if that makes sense? More formal, or something. Like it's a part of my day, not just an "eh, I guess I'll go for a walk."

That's a smart way to do it. Short, sweet, and effective. Thanks!

I love your "One & Done" list! And the way you set up your goals with the point breakdowns is really fantastic - it makes it so simple to see exactly what to do

Are you, by chance, a fellow knitter? I love how straightforward your goals are! Actually I just love your goals in general, tbh. They're all goals I may steal in future...

That's some A+ Spongebob use if I've ever seen it! You've certainly thought this through! How do you do your sheet for tracking challenge commitments, if I may ask? I've been trying to develop a method of tracking goals, and have so far not managed one that I'm really happy with. Also I love your Materia goal - I may steal that one for future challenges... Best of luck!

Hi! Long time no challenge. My bad. I've recently started graduate school, so am still figuring that whole thing out. So far I'm enjoying it, despite all the stress More to the point, I'm suuuuuuper overweight. I'm a 5'2 female, and currently weigh somewhere just under 210 lbs. I've got lots of injuries from my music undergrad, so I have really bad chronic pain - the whole overweight thing is definitely not helping on that front. Not to mention there's no way this weight is healthy in any way. It's high time I got that sorted. Plus I actually really enjoy working out, if I can convince myself to, you know, actually work out. My highest weight was 215, so I've lost a bit since starting. I do a pretty good amount of yoga, and am getting back into running. Seems like a good time to join a challenge, to keep me on track Goal 1 - track everything! In my experience, if I have to write it down, I make better choices. I track food, calories, and workouts. I'm still fine-tuning my system, currently use a mix of myfitnesspal, mapmyrun, and a handy-dandy spreadsheet that seems to be working pretty well. Doesn't matter if it's healthy, or if it's an entire packages of chips ahoy (...listen...I have no excuse...) IT GETS WRITTEN DOWN. Tracking macros and whatnot won't happen just yet, it's too involved for me at this point. I'm planning to just track the name of the thing, and the calorie content. Goal 2 - no school food! Pretty self-explanatory. My school doesn't have great food options (and everything is expensive). I'm going to prep my food for while I'm at school ahead of time, and not get any school food. Goal 3 - run 3x a week Okay, maybe not run per say...I'm too out of shape for that. But I'm doing walking/running intervals (a la C25K). I'm actually not doing C25K, I'm doing shorter/gentler intervals to avoid wrecking my back again (and also because my cardiovascular fitness is basically nonexistent). This is the goal that I know will be hardest for me to keep up with. It's also the one that I think will make the biggest overall difference for my mental state. I just gotta get out the door and start, after that I'm golden Life Goal - set up observations Part of my program (speech-language pathology) involves getting 25 clinical observation hours in various settings before I start my own clinicals next year. The first half I'll research places, the second half I'll work on setting them up. I have really bad anxiety about phone calls like this, so the first half is as much about working up my courage as it is the actual research...I WILL set up observations for at least two locations/demographics during this challenge. I will also do something each week.

Welp. Challenge over. It had its ups and downs. Some things I'm really happy about, some a bit less so. Yoga has been good. I've been doing more practice on my own, and it's been really good. It helps a lot. Planning was okay. Not great, not terrible. Same with paleo. It could've been better, also could have been worse. I think overall that progress was made, if not as much as I'd have liked. But yeat, progress was made, at least I just...didn't write much at all. Whoops. I've been doing other things, but not my fiction writing persay. My bad. One thing that has started happening though, that I'm still sorta getting used to, is that I've started falling back on yoga/exercise instead of stress eating. I've always been a stress eater, and I've been dealing with a ton of it recently. When I had bad days historically, I'd bake (and eat) a batch of cookies. I did fall back on baking once, but I've been using more and more yoga instead, which is starting to be really helpful. So, yay that Now to evaluate and plan for the next challenge...

Man, I continue to not be very active on here... I'll have a "final overview" post at the actual end of the challenge, but I figured I'd check in briefly now anyway I'm applying for Speech-Language Pathology. Not sure quite what I want to do yet though...at this point, I'm mostly applying because I'm getting fee waivers and I may as well keep the option open in case I want it in the future @demosthenes131, thanks for the encouraging words! I agree, the meal planning is critical. I'm getting better, but I'm not quite there yet...but hey, I'll take better as an intermediate stage And yeah, adjusting is key, I think. The problem I always have is walking the balance between keeping something long enough to really build a habit or really see if it's working or not, and holding on to it for too long because "maybe I just don't get it yet." I'm still working on that... I was doing really well for a couple weeks, and I felt pretty great Then this last week...wasn't great. My birthday was last week, and I went into it planning to enjoy and not stress about eating a piece (or two...) of cake, because hey, we have cake like three times a year and I love me some cake, lol. Then we had a big music party over the weekend, and mom got cheesecake...and if there's something I love more than cake, it's cheesecake. So my planned cake day turned more into a cake week...cheat days do not work very well for me, I have learned. Good to know. On the other hand, I'm still good on the yoga front. I'm not doing the videos every day, but I am doing yoga just about every day. It's fun being able to free style my practice - I've started learning what moves will help specific pains or tensions, and oddly enough which ones tend to help on an emotional level. I've also started building in about half an hour for it right before I go to bed (in addition to my earlier practice during the day), and it's seriously helping me with my anxiety. Not to mention helping with my chronic pain. Yoga, FTW! Also, my heels have started touching the ground in down dog - my left more than my right, and not fully solid contact, but still. It's a cool feeling

Hey @demosthenes131, thanks for checking in! I haven't been very present here...whoops. The short update is: yoga is great, planning is decent, paleo is meh, writing isn't great. I've been doing a lot of yoga. I've had a super emotional couple weeks, and I've been using yoga as a coping mechanism. I'm actually kind of proud of myself, because historically when I have times like this, I end up having panic attacks, then crying uncontrollably for a few hours, and then eating approximately five brownies. Then repeat. Not fun. But I've been doing yoga instead (at odd hours, I'll get up in the middle of the night and do it sometimes), and it's really helping. Not a single brownie has been consumed, my anxiety is way lower, and that's a big accomplishment for me My meal planning has been going okay. I'm still getting in to the habit, there are days when I just forget all about any plans I'd had and don't make more plans, which trips me up a little. But I'm getting better. I've been to the store a couple times, and have been planning ahead to figure out what I'll want, what I'll take for lunch, etc. And it's helping, because the days I slip up with planning, I also don't do so great on the paleo front. My bad. So, these two go hand in hand, and the planning is the one I really have to finish building the habit on. I'm starting to sort of enjoy it - I went to bed last night excited about cooking up food for today and tomorrow, and scheming about what exactly I was going to do. So I'm making progress I haven't done any writing. I just...haven't been thinking of it at times when I can actually write (i.e. while not driving, at work, teaching, etc.). In my defense though, I have been doing grad school applications. Which in hindsight really is the life goal I should have had this challenge - and they involve a decent amount of writing, too But yeah, I'll hopefully do more with my writing the next part of the challenge...

Thanks for the support, @fleaball! Yoga is going quite well, and I'm loving it I've finished Day 7 of the 30 days, and have done shorter, self-guided practices on days when I didn't follow a video. I've been doing it in the mornings, before I go to work, and it's glorious. I tried that with my workouts a couple years ago, and it was not nice (left me totally exhausted the rest of the day, which to be fair could have been because I didn't understand how low calorie diets worked...), so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I'm enjoying earlier practices. The other goals aren't going quite as smoothly, although they are going. I did manage to do planning and shopping, but living with three other people makes execution tricky sometimes (my dad likes cooking and tends to forget what's mine, lol). I don't mind it, it just makes it a little more challenging. My bigger problem is I'm not yet in the habit of actually following through with said plans, so I have caught myself a number of times mindlessly eating something I'd prefer not to (i.e. cookies, etc.). But I'm still calling it progress, because I'm noticing it and can therefore start shifting my tendencies, if that makes sense... But as far as taking good food to work, I'm doing pretty well. So I've been doing okay with the "prepare paleo" but not fantastically. I give myself a B on that front. Also I haven't been writing...my bad... So yeah. All things considered, I could be doing significantly better on some fronts, but I'm also happy with what I'm doing. Onwards!

Happy New Year! So, my last challenge was very meh. I did stuff, if not as much as I’d have liked. But it helped me form some more specific goals for this challenge, so I’m excited to keep going Goal 1 - yoga every day Pretty self-explanatory. I’ve had yoga goals before, but right now it really has to be a priority. So, yoga I’ll be doing this playlist, which I’ve done before and totally loved - my goal is to finish it by the end of this challenge (which gives me a few cushion days, since I’m starting early). Goal 2 - meal planning Plan ahead, go to the store, and prepare meals ahead of time. Basically, always have something I can have last-minute that’s healthy. I’ll plan, shop, and prep at least once a week, and more if I need to. Goal 3 - only prepare paleo I live with three other people, who all have very not-paleo diets. I’m not quite ready to not eat what my parents make for dinner, but I will only prepare healthy, mostly paleo food when left to my own devices (I'll still probably eat occasional dairy, or a bit of rice) Life Goal - write 10,000 words a week I love writing, but I haven’t been doing much of it lately and I miss it. The 10,000 words can be part of anything that’s not journaling. My general goal is 2,000 a day (so I can technically miss a couple days a week and still hit 10,000, although I’d like to just hit 2,000 a day), and I’d like to finish the first draft of a story I’ve been working on for a while. So, there you have it. My goals for the first challenge of the year! I’m excited! Onwards!

Welp. Challenge over. Not my worst, but also certainly not my best. I kept getting sick, or some weird injury, or something, and I let it impact me. Whoops. Had a fantastic Christmas nonetheless Anyway. I didn't do yoga every day, but I did do it a couple/few times a week. So, not great, but I did at least still get some decent practice in. I started out strong with the meditating and working out, but the workouts faded when I got sick (weird cold, it actually was super stubborn and working out sucks when you can't breath) and the last week and a half or so of the challenge I could have, but just...didn't. My bad. I also just sort of forgot to be doing the mindful eating and meditation, especially towards the end. Whoops. But oh well. It got my foot in the door of me trying to be healthy again, so all things considered, there was a pretty fair amount of success despite a failure on paper. The real test will be how the upcoming challenge goes... I'm actually kind of excited. This challenge gave me some ideas about what I could do that will help me even more, so that should be fun. Thanks for the support guys! You rock!!

Thanks @Laghail and @IAmInfinite! I really wanted to do a paleo goal, but honestly, I know myself too well...paleo and Christmas baking is just not gonna happen this year, lol. I love baking, and it's one of the few things I can still do with my elderly grandmother, and I'm not prepared to sacrifice that I'm hoping come new years I can drag my family down the paleo path at least a little Update time! So, I started off strong, and then proceeded to get quite sick...then as soon as I started recovering from that, I had some dental work that ended up being waaaay more painful than usual, for way longer than usual. That's finally now clearing up, and I'm getting back in the game again I didn't totally fall off the bandwagon, at least. I started off strong - yoga and meditation every day, started working out again, was doing okay at the mindful eating thing. When I got sick, then again with my tooth, I wasn't really doing yoga or exercising. Just really didn't seem like a good idea. The meditating also sorta fell by the wayside for a few days. Whoops. Anyway. I'm now mostly recovered, so getting back in the game I'm sorta cheating and counting doing snow for two houses as my workout for the day...but man, it was intense, lol. Did my first long yoga practice in about a week, and it felt sooooooo good! I've found I quite like meditating for a while before yoga, it just makes the whole process really enjoyable for me So, onward! This week I need to try and establish more of a workout routine, I think. Also maybe be a bit more mindful about the mindful eating... But I probably will try and prioritize exercise in the upcoming week. That's the plan, at least Also man, do I use a lot of smiley faces...

Yay, Challenge! Haven't been here in a while. That seems to be a pattern with me...whoops. I'm trying to adapt to not being a student, and it's weird. Not sure how I feel about it, if I'm totally honest. I always had a love-hate relationship with school, lol. Anyway! My goals for this challenge won't be super diet-based, because I know myself and I'm not ready to say I don't eat Christmas cookies yet...Instead, this challenge will be more about physical things, and forming some good life habits. Goal 1: Yoga Every Day I really need to do it every day, and I'm out of the habit (currently I practice 2/3 times a week, but I've been getting steadily lazier about it...). I'll probably be doing 30 Days of Yoga again, I did it last year and really loved it. Goal 2: Exercise 3x a week I want to get back in to working out, as I seem to recall actually enjoying it at one point I've had injuries in the last year that have prevented me from doing things like push-ups though, so I've been avoiding it. Probably shouldn't be. I'll likely do either the Beginner Bodyweight Workout, or Angry Birds, and try and scale push-ups so I don't hurt myself (I'm generally pretty good about recognizing if something will be problematic). Goal 3: Eat Mindfully I did this a while back, too, and enjoyed it, but majorly got out of the habit. Basically, this is "do I really want to eat this? If yes, sit down and properly savor it. If no, carry on." Life Goal: Meditate Every Day I've done meditation on and off for the last year or so, and I feel like this is something that would be really beneficial to develop a good, consistent practice in.

Yay new challenge! I figured I’d go ahead and start now, no point in waiting Short backstory: I’m finishing up my undergrad, with degrees in violin performance and psych, and minors in human bio and math. Because of the amount of school I’ve had, I prioritized that over my health, and I have a lot of longstanding issues because of music (pinched nerves, muscles spasms, etc.) that prompted me to be very paranoid about hurting myself and led to me getting super out of shape and overweight. I am now in the process of correcting that, and I’m much happier for it I’m currently obese, and need to lose about 30 pounds to be considered “overweight” which I’m hoping to do this year. I’m also working on getting stronger, and building up some endurance. Goals! Goal 1: workout 3x a week I’ve been doing yoga pretty much every day, and am loving it! But I want to start adding in some more intense physical activity. I’ll be experimenting some with what works, but my general gameplan is to follow an Angry Birds-esque workout, pulling from other places to sort of customize it to me. I like the structure of programs like 100 pushups (which I’ve been doing on and off for a while), so I’ll probably incorporate that sort of thing. Regardless, I want to start building in regular workouts, the yoga is great but I use it more for pain management than strength building, so I want something more intense. Goal 2: Only eat when sitting That might sound weird. But I’ve noticed a lot of the junk/excess food I eat tends to be while I’m standing, cooking my actual meal, walking around doing other stuff, etc. It’s mindless eating, and it doesn’t mean I eat less at meals, but it definitely impacts how much I eat on any given day. I’m hoping that by sitting to eat anything (literally, anything) I can also bring back some mindfulness to my eating. Goal 3: Eat 80% paleo I’m a big fan of paleo. I ate pseudo-paleo for a while (still ate occasional oatmeal, rice, and small amounts of dairy) and felt sooooo much better for it. About 80% seems like a fair number to aim for, so that’s what I’m doing Life Goal: routine This is a carryover goal from last challenge that still needs a bit more time. I’m trying to establish morning and evening routines (brush teeth, wash face, vitamins, etc.) I feel like it’s important I do that, so I’m going to continue what I started last challenge. Looking forward to this challenge!

PollyannaAgain, I've been trying to measure portions when I can to get an idea of portion sizes and whatnot. For some things, I can be pretty accurate, but for things that are harder for me to measure I'm still figuring out how to have better estimates. Thanks for the tip! I might try the 80/20 thing at some point - that's neat that you can estimate by sight what you need to keep within it! So, final update: This challenge has been sort of hit or miss...but still highly educational, which I count as at least a partial win Yoga went fantastically! I only missed a few days, and I'm loving it! And I can definitely notice I'm stronger and have a better range of motion, even with just a month of it. Calories...had good days and bad days. I think next challenge will have less of a calorie focus, that will likely work out better for me. For tracking, I've sort of got everything except workouts (which I haven't been doing) consolidated into a single google doc, which seems to be working. I'm still not using it quite as consistently as I'd like, but I'm getting better and have it much better organized. My routine goal isn't sticking - I did really well with it part of the challenge, and was less consistent at other times. So yeah - happy I did this challenge, even though my goals didn't all work out as I'd have liked. Hopefully, I can learn from this and better set myself up for success next time around

Man, I have not been checking in here, have I? My bad...school has been super busy, leading into the end of the semester, so I've been prioritizing that. It's now finals, and I'm putting off differential equations by finally doing an update here... My main issue is all my stuff was scattered across multiple documents and notebooks. This was especially problematic in summer, because traveling with everything was super confusing and I'd end up just not doing stuff. I also need at least food to be digital, sine I can't always carry a notebook but do have my phone. You've got some good ideas, thanks for sharing I think having the two things may be the way to go. I only do measurements once a month, so what I'm tending towards right now is that spreadsheet, a document for general notes (food, how I feel, etc.) and one for my workouts (...when I get back into doing that...next month is the plan ). Koaladle, you're so sweet! <3 Thanks for checking in with me! Update: So, this challenge has been sort of hit or miss thus far. Some days are good, some not so great (other than yoga - yoga's always great ) Yoga - I've missed a few days this challenge, just finished day 14 today, but I've mostly been consistent and man, I feel soooooo much better for doing it! I didn't do it Sunday or Monday (first real "miss streak" this challenge) and boy, I could feel it today...so I did about 45 minutes and now my whole body feels so much better, it's really incredible. This definitely needs to just be a part of my life forever, it works so well for me and makes me feel good and happy Yay yoga! Tracking is going okay, although I wouldn't say great. Probably B range, if we're looking at grades. I've got occasional blank stretches in my records, but I'm getting better and sorting out what works and what doesn't. Also, the routine was going really well the first week and a half, then I sort of just...stopped doing it for no good reason. Whoops. Time to get back on the bandwagon Calories aren't going great. Some days I'm well under 1400, some well over - there's no consistency, and I tend to fall into either the "I've already blown it, may as well go crazy" or "I don't know exactly how many calories are in this, better massively overestimate everything for a few days and then feel exhausted" traps. Part of it might be I don't like the goal, because I know counting calories isn't really a healthy, sustainable way to lose weight, and I'm rebelling? I dunno. I have this goal because I need to lose a lot of weight, and counting calories was how I lost about 30 pounds a few years ago. More on that below. Basically, I think I'm going to keep this goal, but with the mindset that it's a way of figuring out more about what works and what doesn't, if that makes sense. It'll serve as research for new, improved goals next challenge I wonder if my problem is that I fall back on counting calories to lose weight because "I know it works for me," but I'm a different person now than I was in high school when I lost weight before? Maybe the issue is that even though it hasn't worked for a couple years, I keep doing it because it worked before, and I'm stubbornly sticking with that instead of re-evaluating what will work for who I am now? I might have just had a slight epiphany writing this, lol. Because really, I'm not the same person I was in high school (which I'm good with), but I haven't adapted for who I am now and there's a disconnect. The way I self-motivate is vastly different now (and much healthier, I think). So, maybe I need to take a step back and sort out what will work for me now

I’m back for more! I’m posting a couple days late, I know…but I have been doing the challenge. Last challenge was good for me, so I’m excited to be continuing on in this one Brief background on me: I’m finishing up my undergraduate degrees (violin performance and psychology, minors in human biology and math). I had a lot of injuries from music in high school, and though college, which had me paranoid about my body. I got super weak and super overweight (obese, in fact), and I am now trying to get myself back together from that. I’ve got a lot of chronic pain I’m trying to manage, and getting in better shape and losing weight is probably the most important thing I can do. Also, I’ll be cosplaying for the first time later this year, and I want to be a bit more comfortable in my body by then Goal 1: 30 Days of Yoga Grading: finish/very close = A This is a continuation of last challenge. I really enjoy yoga, and I think it helps with some of my chronic pain, but I don’t quite have it established as a habit yet. So, I’m doing another challenge of including yoga I’m using this playlist, I find it helps me to have some guidance. I’m allowing the occasional missed day due to unforeseen circumstances, but the idea is I’d like to try and get through the whole playlist without missing a day. I did day 4 Sunday, and finished day 6 yesterday (doing 7 when I get home tonight) Goal 2: Calories. Grading: grade each week, final grade is the average This isn’t an ideal goal. But I need to lose weight, and I need to do something to sort of get me into gear. I had success with tracking calories before, so hopefully this will serve to sort of get me into the right mindset. I’m setting a loose goal of about 1400 in a day, but if I have the occasional day that’s off from that, I’m okay with it. I also might alter that number depending on how I feel. We’ll see. Goal 3: Tracking System Grading: not sure - suggestions welcome This includes developing and using a tracking system for everything. This is maybe a slightly convoluted goal, but I need to do it. I’ve tried various things before, but everything is scattered across multiple notebooks and google docs. I need to find a way to have everything consolidated, and work out a system of recording stuff. “Stuff” includes everything I eat, all yoga/physical activity, general notes about things, etc. This goal isn’t just about developing a system, it’s also about using it SMILEY Life goal: Morning and Evening routines Grading: by week, average at end Basically, establish and stick to a routine morning and night. This includes the usual “brush teeth, floss, etc.” as well as weirder things like “brush my hair.” I may also work some stretching into my routines as things get more established. So, those are my goals this challenge! I’m looking forward to it!

So, final thoughts! Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this challenge went. Some things worked better than others, and some are more likely to stick, but I think I did a pretty good job with everything and, more importantly, was able to get some good insight into what works for me and what doesn't. Grades: Yoga - A Ritual - A School food - A Write - A- So yeah, pretty happy! Yoga's been feeling good, and I really enjoy it. It's not quite solidified as a habit yet, but it's getting there. This goal may carry over into the next challenge for me. Ritualizing eating made a huge difference for me, and it's well on its way to becoming a natural part of my life, which is nice. It made a much bigger difference than I expected - and it also had the unexpected side effect of giving me a much better idea of foods I like and don't, and why, some of which were kind of surprising. The school food goal went really well except for one day when I packed my food and left it on the counter...other than that, it was good. As for writing, I missed a day a couple times (thus the A-), but I wrote a lot more words than I technically needed. Got a couple more chapters written, which is nice - but I don't feel like this is something that's going to stick. I haven't written since the challenge technically ended - it's the only goal that's not carrying through. Maybe this summer, when I have more time, I'll come back to this one? T;DR is I'm happy with how this went, I learned a lot this challenge, and I'm super excited for the next one!