Fit by 40, Week 5

Have you ever gotten busy and fallen back into old routines? That’s what happened to me in Fit by 40, Week 5! We had a really busy weekend and I fell back into some of my old, less than healthy routines. This made me realize that my new habits are not fully formed yet. It also reinforced that when I plan for healthier choices ahead of time they are much more likely to happen. I learned that when I know a very busy day or weekend is coming up, a little pre-planning will go a long way in terms of sticking with my new habits.

 

What Went Well, Week 5:

1. Exercise: This was something that went well in Week 4, and I was able to improve again in this area in Week 5. I made exercise a priority this week. I got up a little early and exercised before bringing the kids to school. While it was a little challenging, especially with a three year old hanging on my leg, it was worth it. I exercised more this week than I have since starting this challenge. I finally realized that planning to exercise first thing is the morning is when I am usually most successful.

2. Preparing Fresh Fruit: I cut up a bunch of fresh fruits and put them in containers in the refrigerator. That way when I was hungry it was convenient and available. There was literally no excuse to eat anything else! This made it easy to add fresh fruit to meals or to eat as a snack. 

3. Drinking More Water: This has been the habit I am most consistent with. I used to mistake thirst for hunger. Now that I am drinking more water, I am getting better at differentiating between the two. This week, when I felt like I was hungry, I took a moment to really listen to my body. Most often, I was actually thirsty.

Related Post: Fit by 40, Week 6

Areas That Need Work, Week 5:

1. Eating Sweets: I did really well here for the most part…and then I had to bake some cookies for my husband’s work. I was in a rush and accidentally made the wrong recipe, which I didn’t even realize until I was putting in the last ingredient! So then I made the correct recipe and there were left overs, which led to me sampling lots of cookies. We also had a party at our house this weekend and I made a mistake with one of the cakes, so we ended up with two cakes (one not servable, though it was definitely edible) and a bunch of cupcakes. I am definitely planning to bake less next week!

2. Meditation:  This week I started meditating a few times and only successfully meditated once. The other times I was interrupted and never went back to it. I need more discipline here.

3. More Variety with Exercise: I did the same exercise routine all week. It is one I really like and I am going to keep using it, though I feel that I should switch it up a little bit. I think adding some variety will help in two areas: it will prevent me from getting bored and it will provide a more well rounded approach to fitness. I would like to add more weight bearing exercises so that I gain more tone and some muscle mass.

 

Though I had a bit of a setback with some decision making this weekend, I noticed that I am feeling stronger than I did at the beginning of this challenge. I think it’s important to acknowledge that I made a few mistakes, move on and celebrate what’s going well. My celebrations include the fact that my clothes are fitting better and I have a little more energy than before. I am also making better choices overall.

What are you celebrating?