Review time

Since I spend a lot of time beating myself up here over my challenges (there I go again!), I've decided to review my progress and see what I'm doing RIGHT! Yeah Xena.

1. Taking my multi-vitamin (almost) every day. I wasn't doing this before kripalu in jan/feb, but have been since then - I bring it to work with me at the beginning of the week in a little baggie and take one each morning. Yeah Xena!

2. Walking outside almost every day. I decided that this spring would not be another lost 2 months like it has in the past due to my work/home schedule. I try to get outside every time it's nice, even for a few minutes. It's been helpful as well since I was sick for basically a whole month and couldn't do anything more strenuous. Yeah Xena!

3. Eating at least one piece of fruit each day. This has been more recent, and I've gone off/on this track over the years. This past week I've been averaging 2-3 pieces/day. Yeah Xena!

4. Eating veggies every day. Ditto from 3, although I've been doing slightly better with higher fruit numbers than veggie. I definitely do better when I'm bringing food from home or eating dinner there instead of going out. Yeah Xena!

5. Getting enough rest each night. This week has been a little tough, since we've been getting home late from the gym and/or softball and don't even have dinner sometimes until 8:00 or later, so the resulting cleanup etc. puts me into bed an hour or so later than I should. But I've been more aware of my energy level and getting into bed when I need the extra rest. Yeah Xena!

6. Doing yoga 1-3x/week. It keeps me sane. My left wrist has been achy for a few weeks now, so it's been challenging to do downward dog, table, etc. and I'm not sure if I'm making it worse by not babying it - I have to keep an eye on this one. Can't do massage without my wrist! Well, yes I could, but it makes things easier to be able to utilize it for some of the techniques. I've been in tears several times at the end in relaxation, and think it's mostly due to releasing the negative emotions that build up at work. Yeah Xena!

7. Trying to "feel" my emotions as they are happening, and not "saving" (=stuffing) them for later. This can be really challenging for me. I don't like feeling yucky feelings. Eating chocolate makes it all better, even though it doesn't really. It sure feels good in the moment, though! Anyway, I'm working on this every day, and probably will be for a good portion of my life. But I'm proud of myself for taking this next step - it's huge! Yeah Xena!

8. Looking for/using healthier alternatives for me and my family. Although it's more expensive, I try to get organic and less-processed or not-at-all (it's really challenging with the kids' snacks for school). This is one area that worries me when I reduce my income in 281 days, but I will have my priorities. We don't really do vacation trips or expensive hobbies or spend a lot of our disposable income, except maybe going out to eat, so I think it will be fine - I'll just have to be more diligent about the sales, and look into more homemade things, assuming I have the time. Yeah Xena!

The List of The Things That I Would Like To Add To My Successes:

1. Daily or regular meditation. So far I'm doing it once/weekend, which is a step in the right direction. Go Xena!

2. More water. I don't do awful in this area, and I don't drink much outside of water and coffee/teecino anyway, but I would like to be more consistent. I'm good about bringing water when I do yoga or ellipt/lift weights. At work it depends on what is going on, so I would like to bring more awareness to this. Go Xena!

3. Brushing/flossing every night. I was in this habit when I got back from kripalu, but it has gone by the wayside, especially the flossing. I feel taken care of when I do this before bed, so I would like to bring the habit back. Go Xena!

4. Not buying junk food for the house. Mostly it's been ice cream, which I could eat every single night. If it's there, I will usually eat it and not portion it out, or even if I do, I go back for more, so just not having it available at all is what works for me for now. I can go out for a cup of it now and then instead of having it be a nightly habit. Go Xena!

5. Keeping up with my paperwork. My kitchen island is my clutter hotspot, as FlyLady would say (she's a little zealous but I like many of her housekeeping techniques) - the place where the mail and bills and kids' school papers/notices/etc and my projects all end up. Once the pile starts, it often increases exponentially like little bunny rabbits in the rapture of spring. How it does this continues to be a mystery, but happen it does. It contributes to my feeling when I first get home of "why the hell bother - just have a sitdown and chill, babycakes", which doesn't work well for me most of the time. I have it mostly under control right now but there are a few things that I need to take care of before it multiplies again. Go Xena!

I think those are reasonable goals. Of course, once school starts, I don't know what will get pushed to the wayside, but I hope to start off with a clean slate on June 1!

GO XENA!