My habit-tracking showed 2 different halves to the month!
The first 14 days vs the second 14 days:
- Social events: 12 vs 3
- Driving: 5.5 hours vs 40 minutes
- Days of doing at least 4 big chores: 9 vs 3
- Hikes: 3 vs 0
- Crochet days: 0 vs 11
- Reading days: 3 vs 7
It's so obvious what happened. I socialized/traveled so much that I burned myself out and got sick (ah, the curse of an Aspie). I hurt my SI joint hiking a third of the way into the month, and had to recover the rest of the time, and chores that involved bending were super painful, so I spent more time on the couch with an ice pack and a book or crochet hook.
The good news is that I made large strides on the hardest crochet project and committed the entire pattern to memory. I've never seen a huge 1-pound skein deflate itself like that... so satisfying! It didn't move from its spot on couch for a whole week.
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| Deflated skein. |
Other wins!
These things both improved greatly and stayed consistent the whole month:
- Weightlifting
- Cardio
- Meditation
The only thing that was disappointing for the month was weight loss.
I stuck to the deficit, only lost 3lbs, and gained up to 1.5lbs of muscle (if my scale is accurate). First I lost 15lbs over 5 weeks, and then only 3lbs over the next 5 weeks... it's a little frustrating to see such a lack of progress.
Somewhere in there, if my calculations are correct, are about 4 pounds of water weight that are hanging on. This tends to happen when you suddenly start exercising again (increased blood volume), and when you start weightlifting (muscle soreness = inflammation = water retained). I should be past my 2nd milestone by now.
There has been some progress, the kind you can't really measure. This month clothes are suddenly fitting differently (shirts drape, and I'm stepping on pants that hang lower), 4 people have noticed, and my collar bones and deltoids have popped out to say hello.
March's Habits Plan.
I'm pretty much going to continue the same plan as February's, but attempt more moderation with socializing and shorter hikes.
I switched out Aquariums (since I no longer need the daily algaecide, thanks Siamese Algae Eater!) for Budget, because I've taken a few months of detailed grocery data and am going to come up with a formal food budget. My family's new probably-life-long diet is pretty protein/veggie-heavy and therefore not cheap. There are some things that surprised me with the last 2 months' research... for example, Costco's boxed liquid egg whites are a cheaper protein source than whole eggs or protein powder, so there is no reason to skimp on the egg white omelets. Anyway, hacking the grocery budget should be fun.
As for my only "failure" for the month, I'm leaving the plan the same. As tempting as it would be to quit the exercise just to see the number plummet, I want the muscle more. I could cut salt, but man, garlic salt and lunch meat make food satisfying enough to stick to the plan. And so, I just wait out the plateau from hell, trust the deficit, and hope for that glorious water-weight whoosh. Sometime in March, I should be able to share that 2nd milestone with you!
