2022 - Goals Update…

[arthur_p_dent]

Meant to do this yesterday - I had a regular Wednesday post going for a while, so I figured I’d pick that up again and do an update on how I’m doing with the goals I’ve set for myself this year. 

The overall target for the first few months is to improve physical health. I know, pretty cliche right? But the bottom line is that I’ve been increasingly unhappy with the direction I’ve been going over the past several years, and I’m determined to turn that around. The first week was a disaster, and I ended up getting a daily planner so I had some traceability. This has already been very beneficial - being able to see the good and the bad, and seeing patterns emerge.

Food-related items are going surprisingly well. I’ve only missed my daily limits on caffeine and alcohol once so far, and portion control on meals is heading in the right direction. The struggle with these things is that they can all turn into coping mechanisms very easily - it hasn’t happened yet but I need to be aware and recognize if this starts being an issue so I can deal with it.

Other things are much more of a work in process. Daily exercise is on the list, and when I do get started in the morning I enjoy it (always have). The motivation to drag my butt downstairs is still somewhat lacking however. That falls under “getting into a routine”, and I expect it to get easier over the next couple weeks.

The other thing affecting exercise is sleep, and this will be my biggest hurdle for the foreseeable future. Getting to bed and actually getting decent sleep has been a big problem the past year+ (Covid isolation wasn’t the cause, but it certainly made me cognizant of the issues that are). So far, sleep is the area where I’m seeing the least progress. And the noticeable pattern is that failures in other areas immediately follow nights where I’ve missed my sleep targets. Keeping a close eye on this one.

Today is starting out on the right foot. Despite missing my sleep target by about an hour, I did manage to get downstairs for some exercise (I chose the stationary bike so I could write this at the same time), and I’m feeling more energized already. Hopefully work doesn’t bring anything that might slow the momentum. =]

This post was on the long side, but future updates should be a bit lighter. Enjoy your day everyone - see you next time!

Comments

[ex_flameandsong751]

I think wanting to improve one's health is a worthy goal, it's why I'm trying to go meatless one day a week [eventually two to three days a week but this needs to be gradual with the way my brain works].

[arthur_p_dent]

Yes, a worthy goal to be sure. Coinciding it with the start of a new year - that’s the cliche.

Couldn’t do meatless on any regular basis. Too much of a fan. But we are adding more fruits and veggies, and dialing back the carbs. Baby steps.

[dustbunny105]

Improving physical health may be cliché but it's still a good goal. Good to hear that you've had some success already and sorry to hear of the struggles. Best wishes that you'll see all the improvement you're looking for :D

[arthur_p_dent]

I expected struggles - that’s one of the reasons I’m only tackling a portion of my overall list for now. Besides, if it was easy I’d already be doing these things!
Thanks for the encouragement. =]