Week Three
Week Three went well. My stress levels have been greatly reduced because I have put into practice more meditation, prayer, and quiet times. I have revisited “The Little Book of Hygge; Danish Secrets to Happy Living” by Meik Wiking. The soft lighting, the use of different textures, the slowing down and savoring life through good food, warm lighting, good friends, etc. is the way I want to live my life.
The book talks about enjoying sweets, but that is one area that I am choosing to skip. My husband and I are staying away from sugars and most simple carbohydrates. He has lost over 20 pounds, which is wonderful. My weight loss has been a lot slower. I did lose one more pound this week – and that’s going in the right direction.
I have increased my exercise to walking 35-45 minutes per day. I find this a challenge, even with walking our dog, because winter has arrived making the pathways icy and dangerous. After researching online, I have decided to use the stationary bike as an alternative to walking outside. If I ride the bike for 7 to 9 minutes, it is equivalent to walking 35-45 minutes. I have been walking around our yard, which is good for both me and our dog. She follows me around (running circles around me as I walk). I have been averaging at least 4 times around the yard. I have also added squats and wall pushups to my daily routine. Next week, I want to add even more exercises.
One area I still struggle with is consistently scheduling in my workouts. After watching Amy Landino on YouTube, she has given me the great idea of writing out all the daily activities, plus weekly ones, and even bigger projects that I am doing. She is a big advocate for using the calendar blocking method. I plan to spend some time in week four to develop lists around everyday tasks, when to schedule them throughout the day, using this calendar blocking method. Since exercise is now a part of my daily routine, I plan to spend some time developing my daily schedules that include exercise as a non-negotiable habit.
Each week brings new challenges and new ways that work well for me. Even though my weight loss is slow, if I continue to lose just one pound per week, that will be 12 pounds by the time I’m done with this 12-week program. I am learning how to make these changes a permanent part of my life.