Buttercups & Burlap

If you are new to my blog; I have been setting three small goals each month. In January, I focused on my physical health. In February, I focused on my mental health. “I made the most (of what I started)” in March and I tried to “finish what I started” in April. 

May is my “birthday month” so as I head into my 37th year I just want to stop and take a moment to think about what I have accomplished so far and how I have set myself up for another trip around the sun. Ultimately, over the past four months I have been able to make real changes in my life! I am still consistently getting exercise (and have even improved my yoga practice), drinking more water than I normally did in 2022, making smarter choices when it comes to eating. As a result I am down 20 pounds and feeling great. I am still journaling, meditating and reading everyday –those things have become an unconscious practice. I was also able to scratch something off my ‘bucket list,’ give up coffee and develop better sleeping habits. 

The goals for this month don’t have a theme, perhaps they are about the “little things that make a big difference!”

1. Curbing tendency to “binge”
   I struggled with binge eating in my youth and over the years I have noticed that I have an addictive personality; I even took a test –I am in the “moderate to high” category. I have been addicted to food/not eating, to exercise, to hobbies, etc. During the pandemic I binged watched A LOT of shows on Netflix; and then as I got more streaming services; it only got worse. We all joke about “binge watching” but I have lost that ability to “savour” a series. I think restoring a little balance in this respect will help me with balance overall. So I am going to only allow myself to watch ONE episode of a show each night.
   
2. Improve posture
   I chronically slouch; my back and neck are always sore. I do a lot of yoga (lately) and that helps release the tension but once the session is over I am back to slouching. There really isn’t an easy fix for this, it is going to take a lot of conscious attention on my part. I looked up some TIPS.
   
3. Get new bras
   We have all heard that most women are wearing the wrong bra size and that a “good bra” can improve confidence, prevent sagging and other issues. I am the worst when it comes to my bras; I buy them and then wear them until they literally fall apart; and this is NOT hyperbole! I just threw out all my bras; most of which I bought over a year ago and ordered some new ones that actually fit properly!

What goals are you setting this month?

I can’t believe how fast April flew by!  I have been setting three goals each month since the New Year; I focused on physical health and then mental health and then I “made the most of” March. For April, I decided on the theme of “Finishing What I Started…,” because I felt like I was losing a bit of momentum and I was unable to fully accomplish my goals. To keep myself accountable I’m checking in monthly with you all. As a refresher, my goals were…

1. Continue to work through the 113 yoga workouts on the NTC app.
2. Switch to tea.
3. Re-visit my sleep routine. 

How did I do?

In terms of goal #1, I managed to make it through 94 workouts and I am feeling fantastic. Originally, when I set the goal there were 109 workouts and then NTC added 5 more workouts. Technically, I am only doing 113 of 114 because one of them is a handstand prep sequence and I am not comfortable doing that. 19 workouts left!

In terms of goal #2, I set a goal in January about decreasing coffee so this was a throwback to that; although I accomplished that original goal by reducing consumption to one cup a day. But since my tea order arrived I have been starting my day with a cup of tea and to be honest I don’t miss coffee. My skin is looking better and I think the effects have carried over into improving my sleep.

In terms of goal #3, over the course of the month I researched and tried out some small tactics to prevent myself from feeling tired when I woke up. Which included: no reading on my ipad before bed, mint oil on temples, switched up the linens on the bed and my pillow, consistent bedtime and increased the darkness. I definitely think that it will take a bit of time to see the results from this and it will be an ongoing process.