A new year is a time for new beginnings. It’s time to get moving and time to start again. I guess that’s what we all do. I don’t do resolutions, I make assessments and see where I can improve.
Let’s get ‘er done!
I can’t believe it’s been almost a full year since I’ve posted. I have fallen off all the bandwagons and I’m not happy about it. I’ve moved, I’ve opened new accounts, I’ve started a side hustle or two. I’m keeping track of things. I’m shining my sink! There are lots of things I need to do to get on track with my goals.
The long and short of this post? Let’s get ‘er done!
UE-5B964HWAUE
Over the next few days I plan to set up some goals here and then make a plan to get there. I’ll challenge and push myself and perhaps some of you will join in. The first challenge I am going to set up is a no spend month which will happen in February. It’s the shortest month and hopefully be the easiest to do.
Are you ready to reboot? I know we’re already into the month and year but that doesn’t matter. Pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other. Let’s go!
Are you getting enough sleep?
The correct question for this blog post is, “Am I getting enough sleep?” The answer to that would be not only no, but a lot less than I thought! I’ll start by reminding readers that good sleep is absolutely necessary for weight loss. The CDC says you should get 7-8 hours of sleep a night as an adult. I know I need 8.5-9 hours to be at my best. I also know I do not get that much or anywhere near.
The Fitbit One can track your sleep. I know there are other trackers out there that do it too. I have an app on one of my tablets that can track my sleep. I already knew I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I work 12 hour shifts and I’m TIRED as all get out when I do my 3 day run. I recently started tracking my sleep with the Fitbit and I was shocked at how little sleep I was really getting. I’m averaging about 4.5 hours of sleep.
I used to work graveyards. Funny thing that when I did I got MORE sleep than I do now. The good TV shows aren’t on at 7am in the morning, nor did I need to cook or putz around the kitchen. I did what needed to be done and went to bed. There was always this timer going off in my head that counted the hours of sleep I would be getting until I went to bed. I slept through the day as a result of a sleeping pill. It was great! Now, not so much.
Things happen in the evenings. Booster meetings, band & choir concerts, rides to be given here or there, dinner, and then … the TV. Who doesn’t zone out in front of the TV after work. This right here is my downfall. Meh.
Right now I am getting somewhere between 4 & 6 hours of sleep. No wonder I’m so tired and no wonder I can’t lose weight or think. I need to work on getting to bed earlier.
Fibit One
I am the proud owner of a FitBit One. I’ve had it for a few years now. If you don’t have a Fitbit or some other fitness monitor and you’re trying to lose weight or get fit, I HIGHLY recommend one. Doesn’t matter what brand or version you get, even if it’s a free pedometer. Remember you get what you pay for.
Fitbit One tracks your steps and sleep. On their website where all your info gets stored it has some default goals, one of which is 10,000 steps a day. I haven’t been getting anywhere near that, mostly because I’m just too tired from working to get very many steps. I started wondering, why 10,000 steps? I wasn’t sure so I went looking for information. http://www.livescience.com/43956-walking-10000-steps-healthy.html
Since I was so disappointed in never making my goal, I decided to change it to something that would be a TRUE goal at my current weight and fitness level, 2500 steps. It could be argued that I’m not challenging myself enough with the 2500. Got news for you, at this point I’m having trouble getting to 2000 so I think that 2500 steps is just right, for right now. When I can start getting 2500 steps on a consistent basis then I will move the goal up.
Let’s address the sleep aspect of a fitness tracker in another post.
Falling all all the bandwagons kinda sucks. Well maybe not all of them. Once you’ve figured out that you’ve fallen you need to pick yourself up, dust off, reassess and jump back. I mean it really IS that simple right?
It should be that simple, so why isn’t it? I think it’s because you thought you were going along for a while and then all the sudden everything you were doing somehow isn’t working. Maybe it’s because what you were doing was no longer effective. Maybe what you were doing out lived it’s purpose. Maybe you’ve plateaued and it’s time to shift gears. Maybe you just don’t kn ow. I think I just don’t know what to do anymore.
I am starting to feel like I’m swimming in thick fluid and not moving. I know I am moving but it doesn’t feel like it. I think I’ll spend the next few entries reassessing things and see where I am. It’s that simple, right?
I have known that my Good Year 6 months same as cash was ending this month. I paid it off today. I cheated a little in that I paid bills I would have paid with cash and put them on a the new card. Since my card is getting 1% cash back and is currently at 0% interest I’m not feeling so bad. Now I can pay all my extra cash against the card.
Even though I’ve gotten a new card, I will consider this one more monkey off my back.
My youngest daughter moved in with me. She’s been here since the middle of August and I have temporary custody of her until the end of the year. The whys don’t so much matter but what does matter is how much more clutter there is. She and her sister share a room. Her sister is accustom to spreading out in her room. Now their stuff is spreading out into the common areas, the kitchen and all over the bathroom. Yup, you try sharing a bathroom with two teenage girls.
One child is in the band. What instrument does she play? What band would you like to know about? She’s down to 2 instruments that she plays regularly and has collected many more. I think we have about 5-6 instruments at any given time. Some are in her room. Some are under the table. Some are in the living room.
The other child is in cheer. Parts of her uniform can be found in the living room, the bedroom or the bathroom. Makeup? I think there’s a counter under all that. Knee brace? Yup, UNDER the couch. Socks? Oh ya, they’re in my drawer. Why? Because they’re MY socks.
At least you can still see the rug.
How many dishes/cups can 2 teenagers go through in 2 days? Nearly all of them. How many teenagers do dishes without being told 3 times? None of them. How many dishes get left in the living room even after being asked to bring them to the kitchen? Most of them.
Clothes. Oh boy! Might be clean, might be dirty. Location is no indication. Could be on the floor. Could be in the hamper. Could be hung up. Might be folded. Worn once and tossed in the laundry. Has a food stain and it might be in the drawer. I give up. Since my girls are about the same size they wear the same clothes. I don’t know what belongs to whom so I just don’t bother. I fold it and then it goes wherever.
Crafting? Let’s take mom’s stuff and do something with it without asking for permission and then don’t put it away…. for 2 weeks… even after being asked multiple times.
Add all of this to my own paper & crafting clutter and we have a the prime makings for the crazy clutter lady. At least you can still see the rug.
