Sharing My Summer Health Challenge and Changing Up My Schedule

So I’ve been talking about changing some things up. I wanted to start in April but with month-end and so much else going on, I put it off until May. Then as life would have it, I couldn’t get any down time to create the graphics and get it set up by then. So what the hay, if I start on May 5th? Yeah! That’s fine!

I’ve also been talking about shaking up my schedule a little bit because there are just a few things kinda keeping me from being my best self so I want to tweak it a bit so I am a little more fulfilled. The end result being a more healthier me and less stressed me. And I’m sharing these things with you so you can do it too if you want. My guess is that you will want to mix it up a bit and make it your own.

When I set a challenge, it’s based on what I most need to improve on. I don’t stop at nutrition or exercise though, but mental health and productivity too. It’s all part of the makings of a happy, healthy, productive life. I struggle with all of the above, lol! When I set these challenges the purpose is to give a committed thrust of energy to getting them done. It has to be well defined for me and I have to set up tracking and accountability. So here goes.

So let’s dive in.

Summer Mega Challenge

So, I am going to keep track of my weight. I’ve chosen Tuesday. Although not written on my plan anywhere my goal is to try to have a lighter eating day on Monday to kinda help me out there, lol. I’m also keeping track of inches on a monthly basis.

Let me explain about the exercise. I have a problem working it in because my schedule is already overloaded. If I put 30 min in there I will fail. I have never had exercise much into my routine, so I am starting with 15 and maybe can work my way from there. I had done this last year and had it in my routine but then we got busy, and got sick, and then it fell out from there.

Using “My Fitness Pal” App

I’ll be using My Fitness Pal to track calories, sugar grams, and so forth. It has a lot of info in the app. I’m only doing the free option. I entered my weight and height and my goal weight and it gave me my daily calorie plan. And it syncs with iPhone steps and if you walk it gives you more calories, lol. You can also type in a restaurant or fast food name it shows you the items and their calories so you can make a better choice at restaurants. I don’t want to pay for a plan. Here’s how I’ll be using the app:

Altering My Eating Plan

As far as eating healthier may main goals with this challenge will be explained below.

So I’m hoping some of these changes will take me to the next level. I’ve made lots of good changes to healthier eating, but the next level is cutting the snacks and constant munching. Nuts and fruits are healthy but if you eat too much it’s not doing you any good. So this is why I need to track!

Including Productivity Goals in the Challenge

So there are some things that give me joy – like reaching goals and reading – that make me feel alive and that I’m getting to do something for myself. We spend so much of our time at work, at church, helping Mom, the daily to do’s for the house/household. So to have a hobby that stretches your mind a bit and gives you joy is a healthy thing. Doing the blogs and videos also give me joy. And I’m able to work those things in usually. But things like reading every day go to the wayside. And there are those lists of goals, or training to help grow the YouTube Channel or the Blog, that I can NEVER get to. So I am going to schedule it. I’m going to push it through. I’m going to have 1-2 hours weekly for these items. I may have to cut something out to get it done but for the next two months I’m working toward these things. Primarily they include the following projects.

• Color adjusting to video – lessons in Final Cut Pro
• Adding video tag inserts within the video – I think this is simple but I want to watch a video on it
• Deleting old photos/videos from my iPhone.
• Writing in Grandma’s Journal for my grandson.
• Adding Yoast SEO to my blog
• Researching Epidemic Sounds affiliate link program

So I’d be happy with 8 hours in the next two months but shooting toward 16. I want my goals accomplished from this by end of July 5th! 😉 Surely I can work this out!

Schedule Changes

Here’s the deal on the schedule changes:

• Prep for bed by 8:30 to 8:45 at the latest with lights out at 9:00 to 9:15
• Awake and up by 4:15 to 4:30. Seven and half hours of sleep is the goal. Often I end up with 6 or 6.5 and it’s just not enough for me. We sleep in 1.5 hour cycles so eight hours make you wake up in the middle of a cycle and can make you groggy.
• I will blog and sip coffee in the mornings after my shower – just like old times -and after I’m dressed. Then after blogging, I’ll put make up and mascara on and head to work. I experimented this week and I really have enjoyed having personal time to start my day instead of just hopping to the car and rushing to work. You all responded well to this I think. I had more views and more comments it seemed. I also wrote with more engagement of my day. Because when I blog once every 3 days I can’t begin to fill you in and you just get the bottom line.
• Arrival time for work will likely change to 6:45 or 7:00. I had been shooting for 6:30.
• Leave time for work will likely change to be 15 to 30 minutes later as well of course.
• World Bible School will be done as much as possible at lunch time until lunch is over. I can eat and do that pretty easily. Anything left can wait til I get home.
• Once the cat and dog are fed, I will do a daily exercise of 15 minutes. It may include walking, yoga, tai chi, dancing, or having stretching exercise, and an arm day and a leg day (lol). I plan to do a variety to make it interesting. I will have to do this before setting into the video in the afternoons. Once I’m working on a video, it is hard to pull me out of it.
• George and I will eat dinner and usually watch a show until bed time. But here is where it gets dicey – this is where I’d have to work a chapter in! So that is why I gave my self a 15 minute window of bed time.
• I think if we ate lighter dinners we’d lose more and also have more time.
• I’m protecting my Saturday mornings at home except for that Saturday every 5 weeks.
• I plan to spend more of Sunday doing lighter things and less housework. The more I read about God resting on the 7th day really makes me think about myself.
• I may at times allow myself to do church from home on occasion if I feel like I’m totally stressed like I have been the last three weeks.
• George and I have implemented taking Mom on alternate Sunday’s so each of us gets a chance to come home at 11:30 after church every other Sunday instead of us both getting home at 4:00. Mom wasn’t happy about it but there is no reason she should be upset with us. It’s our lives too. She should be happy we are being smarter with our time. Divide and conquer. She doesn’t need both of us at the same time. If she does then we have the answer and it’s assisted living! We are not far from this as it is.

Here’s mainly what I felt like I was missing/needing in my schedule that was playing into my happiness factor and/or weight loss planning. These are the things that made me change my schedule.

1. Morning blog time with coffee
2. Dedicated afternoon video editing time – not sharing with the blog time.
3. Time to exercise
4. Lighter dinners
5. Reading time
6. Saturday morning house blessing time and
7. More time on Sunday’s for R & R, kitchen (chopping food prep) and office time and things that rejuvenate, like reading and watching my favorite YouTube channel, planning, research.
8. Needing more time on Sunday for food prep and meal planning for the week.

Other updates:

George’s colonoscopy went fine today. After all his @$&% was eliminated during the prep last night, I took what was left of George and put him in an Altoid Box. The doc had microscopic equipment and was able to determine all was fine. After the meds wore off – He’s back to his normal self now and full size again and full of it.

That was his joke not mine. His Mom had said when his Dad died she was going to given him an enema and put what was left in a match box and bury him. So really it was him Mom’s joke.

We are happy all is well. Thanks for your prayers.

See you tomorrow. NO video this week, but there will be one next Saturday the 13th. I’m already working on it.

I’m so glad I got the challenge implemented today. It’s been on my list for a while. Now to try to do it! ha.