Getting Back On Track, Mentally and Physically

At the beginning of the year, I made a goal to lose 2 lbs a month. That’s a total of 24 lbs for the year and would bring me to a healthy BMI. “Shouldn’t be too hard. What’s 2 lbs a month?!” I said to myself. It’s now December and from 155 lbs I lost about 8 lbs, currently at 147. Not too bad, but far from my goal.

After Thanksgiving, I haven’t joined the 5 am Club. I've become a bit lackadaisical about going to bed early and getting up super early. The old habit of watching Netflix after the kids go to bed has crept back and I find myself getting ready to sleep around 11pm. I’m definitely not getting up at 5am.

This has left me feeling off both mentally and physically and I want to, need to, get back on track. Here’s what I’ve I decided to do about it:

1. Before bed, write down what I want to do and accomplish for the next day. I have learned that writing things down makes me more committed, frankly accountable, to doing them.
   
2. Keep my daily accomplishments very achievable. For example, I’ve been trying to learn piano the past year, and instead of 30 minutes of practice, I’m just going to shoot for 20 for now. Consistency is better than quantity.
   
3. At the end of the day, check off the things I accomplished. This gives me a sense of progress - I’m focused on moving forward and away from feeling like progress has to be by leaps and bounds. I added a reward too by topping off with half a glass of wine. It may help me ease into sleep easier.

Lastly, remind myself that life could be a struggle, and overcoming the struggles builds a better me, a me I’m learning to truly enjoy and appreciate with age 🙂