health

Checking in on Those 2023 Intentions- A January Review

It’s already February 1st y’all, and for the first time in a hot minute, I ended January on a very high note. I don’t know what lit the fire under my ass this year as opposed to the past several, but I’ll take it. I’ve seriously settled in to my 2023 intentions, and I feel like a new penny as my grandmother used to say. So, let’s take a look back at this month and review:

Health/Personal

  • I’m trucking along on this one and the results are evident. I did Dry January, and the improvements in my energy, sleep, anxiety, and mood were off the charts. So, it looks like a 90-95 percent reduction of the hooch is the plan going forward.
  • I worked out 5 days a week (except once when I had to support my neighbor during a hospital stay), and watched/recorded what I ate. As a result, I lost 11 dang pounds!
  • I reduced my phone/scrolling time by about 50 percent, and I think there still room for improvement there.
  • Finally, I stuck to my “Three to Thrive” and hit my target every day. I defined these as skincare, hitting my water goals, and taking my meds and vitamins every day. Good times, all around.

Kitchen 

I have been rocking it in the kitchen, which is making the Husband and Heathen’s very happy.

Books

I read six books this month, (not pictured is a romance, Twisted Games that I read on my Kindle).

  • When in Rome-Cute, lighthearted, low-stakes romance loosely based on the movie Roman Holiday, but with a happy ending. Fluffy beach read.
  • The Comfort Food Diaries-a memoir of recovering from toxic family and alcoholism by travelling to friends and extended family, cooking, reconnecting, and letting go. Kind of an Eat, Pray, Love vibe. I liked it overall, but felt some parts were rushed/glossed over that made the pacing a little uneven. Otherwise, I enjoyed it.
  • Heart Bones-I thought this was ok, but not my favorite by this author. Damage childhoods and coming of age romance typical for this author, but uneven character development in my opinion.
  • Other Birds-I’m biased because I love Sarah Addison Allen novels. A little magic realism, uncovering secrets of the past, finding a place to call home, beautiful settings.
  • Abandoned in Death-Despite how formulaic these books have become, I’ll always come back to them. This one, however, was better than some recent volumes.
  • Twisted Games-Steamy princess/bodyguard romance, ’nuff said. It was the second book I’ve read in this series. It was ok enough that I’m on the third, so take that for what it’s worth. Not shouting from the rooftops about it though.

Fiber Arts

  • Still working on that damn sweater, but I am about 30% through the second sleeve, so the finish line is in sight. I also wound the yarn I ordered to hopefully finish my Shift cowl once the fu%&ing sweater is complete. So, that fits under my intention to finish at least two WIPs this year.
  • I got my spinning wheel set up and tried to practice with the Malabrigio Nube fiber I ordered, and promptly felt like an abject failure. I watched dozens of videos and could not figure out why I was struggling so much. Well, a little time on Ravelry promptly educated me as to why this particular fiber needs to be pre-drafted into submission. Because if the dyeing and prep, parts were damn near felted, and the rest was compacted like crazy. So, pictured above is how it arrived, versus several hours of pre-drafting. It also shows that the dye only hit the outer layers of the fiber, and there was a lot more undyed than the braid would lead you to believe. Now that it’s (in theory) workable, I’m going to try again later this week.
  • Made progress on the Christmas stocking, but will need to pick up the pace if I want it done in time to submit it for finishing, thus making it ready by the holidays.
  • Best part? We booked our hotel for Rhinebeck, aka New York Sheep and Wool Festival in October! This means I’ll have to miss DFW Fiber Fest this year, but I’ll somehow survive. Excited doesn’t even begin to cover it.

So, that’s the January Recap. I’m using my Commit30 planner to its fullest, which helps me keep track of how I’m doing. Highly recommend, as always. Now, I need to keep the momentum going.

So, wrapping it up, it’s February, and we are deep into Mardi Gras season, and crawfish are coming on (though it’s still a little early so prices are a little high). I better pick up a King Cake before Friday, because the Heathens may riot soon, and we have a crawfish boil/oyster roast fete to attend this weekend. Now, if I could just figure out what I need to bring, but that’s a conversation for another day.

My 2021 Theme: “Reset” (or how I plan to correct epic derailments, a crippling snarly attitude, and my too-tight pants)

It’s a cold, wet, dreary day here in Louisiana, and I’m sitting by fire, basking in a few cozy minutes before I get back to accomplishing my daily goals. I had to take Bean to the doc first thing because she woke up with a bad cough, but luckily, her covid test came back negative. However, after spending the morning in the fifth circle of hell, otherwise known as the busy pediatricians’ office, I’m struggling to get over the feeling that my day has already derailed. Instead of getting in my workout, paying some bills, and tackling the laundry pile, I just want to sit here, maybe with a good book, or my knitting and Netflix.

But alas, I can’t give in, which means no more cozy-time until I complete my intended daily goals. As part of my resolutions this year, I finally committed to commit, which sounds kinda silly as I’m typing it. But honestly, as I mulled over my intentions for the year, the concept of “reset” kept surfacing. The past few years brought many, many challenges with them (blessings too), but over time, I found my healthy coping skills worn down significantly. After a while, it seemed easier to blow off good habits and positive routines, because I let any negative or difficult challenge become an excuse to go off the rails…very…very far off the rails.

I think the best way to describe it is toxic apathy mixed with pessimistic resignation, and a heavy sprinkling of “f**k it.” Add in the Dumpster Fire that Was 2020 on top of my already stressed reserves, and…well…I could write the book of how NOT to handle “these unprecedented times,” as every dang commercial seems hell-bent on reminding us. I wasn’t rising above, I was sinking. And come December, I finally had enough.

So, come the first of the year, I was ready to climb out of the hole, and I made “Reset” my made-up theme for 2021. I need to reset my health, my routines, and my attitude. The pandemic isn’t ending anytime soon, and I already know we have even more challenges on the horizon, so I can’t use the “when this is all over”  or “if I can just get past this” excuse to keep putting off the work I need to do.

I vowed to break the concept down into logical small steps that I hope, over time, will rebuild an all-around healthier me. This month’s goals are simple: I committed to a “Dry January,”  spending less time on my phone, and getting in 30 minutes of activity a day, even if it is just walking on the treadmill while I watch trashy shows on Netflix. I guess you could say that, if the year’s theme is reset, the January sub-theme is “creating a foundation.” Every time I’ve made a positive, significant, and lasting change in my life, I did so by starting with a small, manageable goal, and only adding a new one after the first goal stuck. A reward system helped too.

So, that’s the plan for now, and so far, it’s going strong. I’m feeling better, more focused, and motivated, and the small goals prevent the discouragement that can come from trying to do too much too soon. I also feel like I’m getting more accomplished each day.

Now, if I could just muster up more enthusiasm for cleaning. But that’s a goal for another day.

 

Bayou-Mama Tries Yoga and Gets Her Butt Handed to Her

So, as part of my whole spring reboot, I decided to finally check off one of those things I wanted to try but never got around to: a yoga basics class at my local studio. My experience with yoga extends only to that time I played WiiFit, despite the doctor telling me for years I needed to take it up to help my back be less of a a**hole sometimes. I bit the bullet and paid for a drop-in class, convinced that I would hit up Planet Fitness or the rowing machine afterward for a “real workout.”

So, I walked in to the class, which was full of senior citizens, sure that I was going to breeze through this basics gig and sign up for the more advanced classes on my way out.

I….WAS…WRONG. SO VERY WRONG.

By the time the hour was up, my muscles were shaking, I was sweating to an embarrassing degree, and my Fitbit told me I burned over 300 calories during what I assumed would be a glorified stretching hour. Meanwhile the experienced (and way more limber) senior citizens probably took bets on whether I would fall on my face before the class was over.

I survived…barely. Thoughts of my “real workout” went out the window as I mentally ate my humble pie and hobbled right out of there on wobbly legs. Glorified stretching, my butt. To add insult to injury, I had not had a pedicure in months, so my hobbit-like feet were on full display to further my humiliation.

However, as much as I was dyyyiiiinnnggg after the class, I keep going back. Hopefully, it will be another tool in the toolbox for rebuilding my fitness and health.

Something must be working though, because I convinced my husband to give it a try. He will be joining me tomorrow.

This should be interesting.