Resolution Check-in: Month Two
Slow and steady might win the race
At the beginning of February, I decided to check in with myself on my resolutions. As I mentioned in that post, most people have let go of achieving their resolutions by February. I’m still going, but it’s definitely not easy.
Exercise
After seeing my statistics on the number of steps I took each day, my main goal for this month was to increase my average step count up to the next increment of one thousand. I can happily say I achieved that goal, increasing my average number of steps not just to the next increment, but by a full thousand.
I also lost a little weight last month — a pound — though weight loss is not my primary goal; it’s one way of tracking the impact of my increased exercise. Sadly, I didn’t keep up with my other exercises — the core and balance exercises I had hoped to pair with my walking. All told, I only exercised sixteen out of twenty-nine days, all walking except one day of a core workout.
So it’s good news, bad news. I can do better. This month, I’ll keep increasing my step average, up to the next increment of a thousand again. And I will aim to exercise twenty out of thirty-one days and not worry about whether that’s walking or something else. That’s not much of an increase, but I want my goal to be realistic, and I missed it this month, so it makes sense to leave it the same. As the weather improves later this month, I should be able to add in some water activity and other exercise.
My bingo card
I put my resolutions on a bingo card. The squares are small things that are part of larger goals. I filled in another square this month and I’m close to filling in some other squares.
I set out to write ten blog posts. I’m now only one away from that goal. In fact, after I post this, I will have achieved it. I will see if I can write another ten posts, treating this goal a little bit like my walking goal, gradually adding on to lead to a much larger goal.
I have a square on my card that says “Make a meal from a country I’ve never been to.” It’s a weird goal, I know, but I thought I could push myself out of my comfort zone with this one. Originally, I had planned to make empanadas, but instead, I made ramen a couple of weeks ago, which let me fill that square in.
I also started putting some effort into organizing my office, setting aside twenty to thirty minutes each day to work on it. I even checked out the Swedish Death Cleaning book from the library for some inspiration (I think I need another post to explain my feelings about this book). I’ve made some progress, but there’s a long way to go. It’s not particularly fun, even if I know the outcome will feel good.
Results
I’m going at a slow but steady pace. I’m hopeful that taking the baby steps that I am will lead to lasting results. But it’s hard. Honestly, February has always been the hardest month for me to get through. It’s cold. There’s the promise of spring but it’s still so, so far away. I’m actually proud of myself for accomplishing anything.
