athousandwords

Totally get that - this morning felt like a Saturday and no one was happy that it was actually a Friday instead. 🙃 The painting is coming along really well! Sounds like you got a lot of time to work on it yesterday. Hope your knee cooperates soon!

Jealous! That sounds like a blast!

How's your week going to far? Able to settle into your routine again?

Friday Habit 0: Run four times a week ✅✅✅ Habit 1: Practice Yoga twice a week ✅✅ Habit 2: Intermittent Fasting (16/8), six days a week ❌✅✅✅ Habit 3: Work on home projects for 4 hours a week Total: 30 min Habit 4: Start a new book every Monday ✅ You know where I'm really falling behind? Those home projects. 😬 I had 2 blocks of time scheduled in the evenings to work on different things this week, and skipped both of them. I'm just exhausted by the time I put the kids to bed lately and end up going straight to bed. And once there, do I finish the book I started on Monday? Nope. I scroll Facebook on my phone. Ugh. Exactly the wrong habit to be in. I should have some time this weekend to play catch-up, but the real goal here was to make progress during the week, not try to cram it all in at the weekend. Also I feel like I should really prioritize making a Dr appt and getting labs run because maybe it's not normal to be so exhausted at 8pm? 🤷‍♀️ Still haven't decided on where to go for the birthday trip, and waiting on my parents to get back to me about whether they can watch the kids. Baby girl is still sick and heading to the doctor today to make sure it's not Covid. I moved yoga practice from morning to afternoon today so I could watch her while I work (well, catch up on slack and emails), so I need to keep myself accountable and actually do it this afternoon - I have a bad tendency to blow off afternoon workouts once my day has started. (ETA: updated after I did finish yoga)

That's definitely a possibility! My kids might be a little too young to enjoy the indoor/ticketed events, but IIRC there's a lot you can do outside without needing tickets. Good to know they're still requiring facemasks though! Aww thanks! To be continued in the next challenge... And yes, I feel like most of us are missing travel and adventure by now. Hopefully we all get a break soon! ❤️

Thursday Habit 0: Run four times a week ✅✅✅ Habit 1: Practice Yoga twice a week ✅ Habit 2: Intermittent Fasting (16/8), six days a week ❌✅✅ Habit 3: Work on home projects for 4 hours a week Total: 30 min Habit 4: Start a new book every Monday ✅ This morning was unusual: baby girl is sick with a fever, so she's home today. My husband had a call he couldn't miss, and the weather was decent, so I took her outside and we walked about 2 miles. As we were heading home, I got a call from big brother's teacher letting me know he spilled his lunch and needed us to bring him a new one. So I packed his lunch, dropped baby girl off with DH, and literally ran the .5 mi to daycare with a lunchbox in hand, then ran the rest of my 3 mi. 😆 In other news... I seem to have manifested myself a vacation. I decided to take off Feb 28 - Mar 2 for my birthday - thinking I'd just bum around the house, or maybe go to IKEA or something. Then DH realized he had some PTO that was about to go away if he didn't use it, so he's taking those days off too. So now we have a 5 day weekend and daycare coverage for 3 of those days. So we're debating taking the kids out of daycare on family trip ...or maybe asking my parents to come watch the kids while they're still in school so we can take a couple's trip. The big question is where, since we're not comfortable flying, I don't want to spend half a day in the car, and I'd rather go somewhere southern so it's warmer. That limits us to basically Virginia, but a lot of southern/rural VA is still pretty Covid-rampant. And also it's 2 weeks before my half-marathon and I don't want to throw off my training plan, so this weekend will somehow need to include a 12 mi run and lots of recovery (somewhere with a hot tub perhaps?).

Nope. Bad idea. Forgot I had a 12 meeting so I didn't eat until 1ish, and that made my 2pm run rough. Felt like my stomach was churning the whole time. 😩 I did all 5 miles but I'm still grumbly about it.

Following along because your paintings are gorgeous and I'd love to see progress updates. Also love your goals! I feel like I could have written them myself, except for the horsing and painting and yeah ok you're doing a lot more than me. 😅

Have you looked at Cosmic Kids yoga? My kids are young, so I'm not sure what's cool with the elementary set, but they might enjoy following along with the adventures! Also, I found that normal speed was hard for my 5 year old to keep up with, so I set the videos to play at .75x speed (though your kids might not have this problem since they're older!)

Welcome back! Forums have changed a bit in 4 years, but hopefully you'll settle right in! Not too shabby at all! Love your goal to get outside and keep it up - you'll hit 1K in no time!

Nice challenge! I feel like routine makes all the difference - seems like you have a solid plan! Also that gif is strangely mesmerizing... 👀

❤️ Hope you both continue to test negative (and also I'm a little jealous that you have such regular access to self tests! 😭). Feel better soon! Mine are technically an ok-almost-5 year old and ok-almost-2 year old! 🤫 But I round up because they both have birthdays in the next couple months and are sassy enough to be in the next age group anyway. When does your toddler turn 2? Wow, all that and still got a workout in! Seriously impressive! I hope you got some good rest after your busy day!

Habit 0: Run four times a week ✅ Habit 1: Practice Yoga twice a week ✅ Habit 2: Intermittent Fasting (16/8), six days a week ❌✅ Habit 3: Work on home projects for 4 hours a week Total: 30 min Habit 4: Start a new book every Monday ✅ I don't have much to add here today, but I'm trying to get in the habit of updating regularly again. It's cold here this morning, but supposed to get up to 50℉ today (10℃) so I'm saving my run for the afternoon so that I can run outside. This is one area where IF kind of doesn't work, since I like to run fasted. Ideally I'd eat around 10am and then go for a run around 12 so my stomach isn't as full, but then I wouldn't be doing an 8-hour eating window. So I'm going to try and eat at 12 and wait until 2 for my run, which sort of messes with my work day, but I can deal with it since I'm not too busy today. Thank you and thank you! ❤️ I'm being self-indulgent and writing my own narrative this year. By the end I hope the challenges form a complete story (of what? I have no idea. We'll see where the year takes us!)

Following along! I keep trying to do this as well, but I think I've given up. I think it was more motivating when the whole forum did it than when I track it individually. 😭 SAAAAME. Did you see there's a reading challenge thread?

Just found this thread! I have a 50 books in 2022 goal that roughly translates to "start a new book every week." I give myself permission to give up on any book that that doesn't grip me after the first night of reading, though. Life's too short. I love the idea of the Book Riot Read Harder challenge - I'll have to incorporate that into my list as the year goes on! At the moment, I've got about 4-5 books coming soon in my holds list at the library, plus a few books I've bought sitting in my TBR pile... so I've got my hands full for the next month or so! So far this year I've read: Malibu Rising The Simple Path to Wealth The Other Black Girl Sing, Unburied, Sing Kindred and I just started Gold Diggers.

Love your trackers - so colorful! 😍 Looks like a good challenge you've set up! My partner uses Zwift too and it keeps him motivated! Hopefully you have good luck with it. And big kudos on cutting back on alcohol; I feel like that one's SO hard in the evenings when I just want a shortcut to relaxing!

Um, hi. Your dangerous duo has been hanging out around my brain a lot - could you please keep them under control? Or maybe I should just follow along and learn how to fight them myself... 😄 Very cool challenge set up - looking forward to following along!

Happy to be following along again! I'm so impressed that you've already started this year with a competition - great job! And thanks for sharing the video, I'm eagerly following along as someone who would love to learn KB and become one of those parents-who-kettlebell-and-are-recovering-from-burnout or whatever the group is named. 😆 Speaking of parenting - YES! Just +1 to all this! I think 3 years ended up being the perfect age gap for our family because Mr. 5 is just so sweet with little Miss 2, and more mature to be able to help out with her care. The other day he made her breakfast and I about died. 🥰 And watching her copy everything is does is hilarious; he loves the way she looks up to him. I mean, it's not all sunshine of course, but I'm really happy we are where we are now.

I literally schedule it in Google Calendar — mine looks like this at the moment: And I set reminders on my phone to go off 10min and then 1 min before an event, to cue me into doing the thing. It definitely doesn't work all the time though! (Hey look, I should be working right now...) I try to do the 2 minute rule: start the thing and just do 2 minutes. After that I can stop/get distracted/whatever. Usually I find that 2 minutes isn't so hard that I can't start... yet it's just long enough to get my brain to shift gears and keep doing the thing after the 2 minute is up.

Love your challenge and theme! I feel like you really have a handle on what works vs what doesn't - scheduling shorter workouts and giving yourself permission to change up your routine is a good way to ease into regular exercise! I've been on my own ADHD journey, and nowhere near the finish line! But there are a few things that I've learned work well with my brain: 1. Read the book Atomic Habits (or read his blog) - this was such a game changer to me in terms of how to create habits I'll actually do consistently! 2. I find that calendar blocking helps me get started with something I'm inclined to procrastinate on. Other people like the pomodoro technique, but I just won't even start that timer. 🤷‍♀️ 3. Leave my phone somewhere else - upstairs or next to my bed or anywhere but close at hand. Out of sight, out of mind. 4. Cart cooldown - when online shopping I leave things in my cart for 24 hours to decide if I still really want them Of course, none of these work perfectly all the time! But, in general, I've been able to be more focused and productive. Also - just working with your brain helps! I get bored doing the same workout over and over, so I do a different yoga video every time! Maybe working out can mean going outside for a walk on a sunny day or staying in and doing squats while watching a movie. Listen to what your impulses want to do and find a way to make the challenges fun. This sounds SO adorable! I have two kids in nursery and I love that you have such a good relationship with the kids there already - it's what all the parents hope for! ❤️

Welcome back! I've gone waaaay longer than 2 months of inactivity - well done on pivoting to get back on track quickly!

Habit 0: Run four times a week ✅ Habit 1: Practice Yoga twice a week ✅ Habit 2: Intermittent Fasting (16/8), six days a week ❌ Habit 3: Work on home projects for 4 hours a week +30 min Habit 4: Start a new book every Monday ✅ Yesterday was a lovely Valentine's Day for our little family. I made the kids pink milk and red sprinkle yogurt in the morning, which was the perfect mix of "special" and "very little effort required." 😆 They came home excited about exchanging cards with their friends (and the toys and candy and stickers that came with), and were happy to just play while I cooked. I surprised my husband with a steak dinner and homemade baked mac and cheese - I think he was just planning on leftovers - and then our 5 year old put on a "show" that was mostly just singing at the top of this lungs and striking superhero poses. I love this age. Anyway - it was a good day to start the challenge! My run was a little "blah" yesterday morning, because I was spoiled by running outside all last week and had to get back on the treadmill when the temperature dropped 20 degrees. 😞 But! We got our new workout room set up in the basement, which made the run easier because now my tread actually faces the TV, and I had so much more room for yoga this morning. We still have work to do (like getting rid of the shag carpet and dressers), but it's nice to have dedicated space instead of having to move 50 kid toys out of the way to do yoga in the living room. I squeezed in 30 min of anchoring bookshelves to the walls before the kids came home, which is something that badly needed to happen but I probably wouldn't have found time for without this challenge pushing me on, so yay there. IF didn't really happen because I had a romantic drink with the hubby after the kids went to bed. We lounged in the jacuzzi tub and drank raspberry stouts while I read my book, which was a very nice at-home date night. This week's book is Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian and is funny and intriguing so far, I'm looking forward to finishing!

credit: Still Stuck with you. by PascalCampion CHAPTER 2: AThousandWords is a Constant Refrain "You didn't even look?" I frown. The door at the train station has been in the back of my mind all day — the missed opportunity, the cost of not peeking through that clouded glass. Your own child crying at the crucial moment when you might have reached out to touch the door handle... until reality snaps back in. Hungry toddlers. A juice box spilled on the pavement. No time for doors or adventure. I shake my head. "We'll walk back up that way again tomorrow. I'll take a peek then and see if it's anything interesting." My husband shrugs, accepting the ordinary solution for an ordinary problem. He wasn't there to feel the light-as-a-dust-mote prickling that made you doubt whether the door was there at all. "It's just weird, " he says after a minute. "We're at that train station all the time. I feel like I would have seen a door like that." "We're always busy, right?" It's the constant refrain of parents everywhere. "We probably just didn't notice it. But," I hesitate, and he raises his eyebrows. I'm debating whether to explain the pull I felt, the sense that something is coming closer. I wonder if I'm just being melodramatic: imaging myself at the precipice of a cliff, unsure of whether it's safer to remain where I am or catapult myself off. It must play out on my face because my husband drops his eyebrows into a concerned look. He can always tell when I'm making myself smaller, sanding myself off at the corners. "Well. It would be nice to go somewhere," I say finally. "Get out of here for a while." He hums in agreement, then smiles at me until I find myself smiling back. But we walk to the train station the next day and the door is gone. This challenge is all about accepting what we can't change, I suppose. Last month was a struggle: between snow and quarantines I think we had a total of 7 full days of daycare out of the entire month. And then last week we we learned that under-5 vaccines won't be submitted for approval until April and the small thread of hope we'd had for travel and normalcy this spring is put on hold again. I'm stretched thin between demanding work and unrelenting parenting, I miss spending time with my husband and friends, and I find myself wishing so badly we could get out of this day to day routine and go adventuring. Instead we're treading water and the best I can do this challenge is just to focus on what I can control. Half-marathon training has become a small lifeline of personal time, and I'm starting to feel ready. I ran 11 miles last weekend and this challenge will be ending the weekend I run the real thing: 13 miles. Inconceivable to the me who started the Couch 2 5k last summer. It also feels like a light at the end of the long tunnel of winter: travel, family, community. So this challenge I'm going to do my best to be ready for it, avoid injury, and picture myself crossing the finish line. You'd think flexibility would be key here, but I'm running the opposite direction. I'm going to try and nail myself to a schedule and let consistency take me through the rest of winter. I'm hoping there will be warmer days ahead with more breathing room and joy, and setting habits in stone now will keep me on track for the rest of the year. Habit 0: Run four times a week I will commit to running all the days and distances in my training plan: Mon, Weds, Thurs, Sat Bonus: Figure out what comes next after I finish training for this Half Marathon Habit 1: Practice Yoga twice a week I will complete a 30 min yoga class from the Peloton app on Tuesdays and Fridays, after daycare drop-off Can switch this to evening practice only if my morning is booked Habit 2: Intermittent Fasting (16/8), six days a week I will only eat during an 8 hour window (usually 12pm - 8pm) for 6/7 days a week Coffee + creamer or water allowed outside this window (I can't give up my morning coffee! 😆 ) Habit 3: Work on home projects for 4 hours a week On Monday morning, I will schedule 4 hours of projects with goals of what to accomplish for during that time Habit 4: Start a new book every Monday I will ensure I have a new book ready to read on Monday nights and spend at least 1 hour reading before bedtime Finishing the previous week's book is obviously preferred, but not required! Tracking will be done here! Live! No habit apps or spreadsheets, just forcing myself to get on to NerdFitness, say hello, and stay aligned with my goals. Cheers, all - to the last challenge of winter and hopefully the start of something new.

Maybe! But also just making NF my primary tracker has worked for me, too. And don't you curse February like that! That's a good system! Right now I'm adding everything because it gives me more flexibility when meal planning - I use a program that keeps recipes and meal plans integrated together. Then I rate them with a star rating once I've made them so I remember how well we liked them! But yeah, I can see how only keeping the faves is a good idea!

I love the idea of a reflection thread! I wasn't around much for this challenge, so I'm hoping to make NF more of a priority for the next challenge. Still, plenty to look back on! SUCCESSES - Defining small, concrete habit builders, like "Fill my water cup when I make coffee in the morning," had big impacts on my water intake for the rest of the day! STUMBLES - I used a task tracker to record whether I'd done my habits... which meant I didn't need to get on NF to log anything, so I didn't post as much as I should have while still technically doing my challenge. I feel like I'm more successful overall when I post more on NF, so decoupling tracking from posting just doesn't work for me. SET UPS - Tracking through NF, for sure. But also doing less during my workday (I had 2 work-specific goals that got off-track when I had crazy workdays due to daycare closures and Covid).