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Posts Tagged ‘goals check-in’

It is Monday, yet again, and today is my first update since starting my June challenge. I know…I know…I wrote in my last post that I would write more about these goals and how I planned on working on them. Well, I was a busy bee and ran out of time. However, the good news is I worked on several of my goals which I will share with you now, dear reader.

[Time Track the entire month. Eliminate scrolling mindlessly on social media.] I successfully tracked my time for the entire first week of this month. I documented 8 hours and 28 minutes of specifically playng on my phone and scrolling on social media. Wowzer! Funnily enough (or not funny enough), my scrolling usage would be higher if I included phone time while doing other activities (eating, watching tv, riding in my car, etc.). That is A LOT of wasted time.

[Keep a food journal for the entire month. Primary focus is to cut out added sugar and sugary processed foods.] Admittedly, this goal is the TOUGHEST one on my list because I am addicted to sugar. Keeping the food journal is not too bad since I am primarily focusing on sugar. I am recording the food and beverages that I am eating and drinking, their sugar content as well as their added sugar content.

According to the American Heart Association, consuming no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day is the recomendation for women and kids over the age of 2. For men, consuming no more than 36 grams (9 teaspoons) of added sugar is the recommendation per day. I am thrilled to report that I was below my recommended daily allowance of added sugar EVERY single day with Sunday being my highest consumption at 15.7 grams of added sugar. It was NOT an easy week. Going cold turkey and cutting back significantly on added sugar did make me Miss Crankypants around Thursday.

[Try to cook at least 2 recipes that are high protein/low carb or no carb.] My son Barry and I made a cottage cheese wrap for dinner on Wednesday evening. I will do a separate post about this adventure. So, one recipe down and one to go.

[Add running intervals to walking routine at least 3 days per week.] I did running intervals as part of my walk on Monday morning, and I felt terrific. Then, I did it again on Wednesday morning after my Lower Body Foundations workout, and I felt slight pain in the inner part of both knees by the end of my walk. UGH! I am frustrated with myself. I should NOT have worked out beforehand, especially since it was a lower body workout. I doubled up because I had reading and productivity sprints on my channel Wednesday afternoon. I should have waited until Thursday to do my running intervals. In addition to poor planning, I was not impressed with the instructor of the lower body workout. It was my first workout with him as the instructor, and he went too fast and kept losing count. I am on Block 5 of BODI For Beginners, so I know to go at my own pace. Since my knees were still bothering me on Saturday morning, I decided to skip my 3rd day of running intervals for week one. I thought for sure by this morning I would be able to try again, but sadly I am still nursing my knees and will forgo running intervals this week as well. I am bummed out.

[Complete gut protocol (Spa728).] I am doing well with taking my daily gut protocol which I am recording in my food journal. I add 1 scoop of Carboxy to an 8 ounce glass of water which I drink on an empty stomach after I complete my morning workout. I take 1 capsule of Refresh with breakfast. In the evenings, every other day, I take one capsule of Renew with dinner. Then, sometime between 7:00 and 8:00, I drink an 8 ounce glass of water with 1 scoop of Intestinal Restore.

[Complete BODI For Beginners Only Block 5.] I completed Week 1. ✔

[Get a massage.] I have not gotten my massage, yet. However, I plan to call Paris Parker tomorrow to schedule my appointment. I am hoping the massage therapist will have an opening on Friday, 19 June.

[Declutter/Organize Scrapbook Room to prep for annual scrapbooking event this month with friends.] I decluttered about an hour in my scrapbook room on Tuesday and about a half hour on Sunday. I am disappointed that this task was not completed last week because I wanted to start prepping this week. Maybe, I should have used the time I scrolled on social media on decluttering my scrapbook room instead.

[Work on establishing a consistent Wake-Up time.] I am struggling with this goal. Ideally, I would love to get up by 5:30 AM, take care of my dogs, put on my workout clothes, and exercise at 6:00 AM. Except for Wednesday night when I went to sleep at 11:10 PM, I have been going to bed on time. I do not sleep well in general, and I wish I could figure that out as well.

[Find a primary care physician that aligns with my healthcare goals. Started this process in May.] I had a thought this past week that instead of finding a primary care physician, I would switch gears and look for an endocrinologist. If there is something wrong with my thyroid, I would need to see an endocrinologist, so I might as well get established with one now. Endocrinologists also treat conditions related to cortisol and hormone function, both of which I also need to address.

Well, dear reader, that is a brief update on how I am doing so far with my June challenge. I do plan to write more in depth about a few of these goals as the month progresses. With the exception of injuring my knees, I am pleased with the first week of my challenge. I do enjoy tracking my progress and looking over the data. I am learning more about myself, and it is inspiring me to want do better going forward. Happiness!

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The first quarter of 2026 has come and gone, and I am currently ankle deep into April, dipping my toes into the second quarter. As you know, dear reader, I created a 26 for 2026 list with aims and activities that I want to explore this year. Even though I have been super busy these past three months, I have not made much progress with completing items on my 26 for 2026 list which disappoints me. I was hoping this year would be better, and in some ways, it has been better; however, I am still struggling with keeping up with everything I have going on in my life. Before I share my thoughts on where I missed the boat and how I think I can course correct, let me share what I did accomplish in January, February, and March.

Out of the 26 items on my list, I have started 11 aims or activities and have completed one activity. That one activity I completed was #22 Vincent van Gogh Conqueror Challenge which is a virtual, fitness challenge where I walked 56.1 miles (tracing van Gogh’s path from Arles to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France). I started the journey on Sunday, 01 March and completed it on Monday, 30 March (Vincent van Gogh’s birthday). This walking challenge was enjoyable and a highlight of my first quarter of the year. I earned a medal upon completion, and it will be mailed to me at some point this year.

11 Items Started

  • Alphabet Adventures (books, movies, outings, restaurants, etc.)
  • Dermatology Appointment
  • Finances 101 (create budget/track book spending)
  • Home Library (complete organization)
  • Kat’s Novel Adventures (film/release 26 videos in 2026)
  • Lunch Dates with Friends (6 in 2026)
  • Scrapbook Sessions (scrapbook 26 times in 2026)
  • The X-Files: Season 1 Rewatch with Barry
  • Unhaul Books (donations, giveaways, and Pango)
  • Writing Sessions (write 26 blog posts in 2026)
  • Zero to Well-Read Podcast

I am keeping track of the books I am reading, the movies I am watching, the songs I am listening to, and the restaurants where I am dining for my Alphabet Adventures. I went on 2/26 outings in March (Little Shop of Horrors at the Columbia Theatre and a Tea at Southeastern University Library). My Dermatology Appointment is scheduled for May 8th.

As for Finances 101, I have only kept track of my book spending. I spent a total of $435.23 on 48 books for myself/channel. I spent $139.56 on 28 books for gifts and $43.06 on books for my son Andrew. I want to keep track of how much money I am saving by using my libraries. I started keeping a list of the audiobooks, ebooks, and books I have checked out of the library since the beginning of the year, but I have not calculated how much I have saved, yet. I should also keep track of the books I have received as gifts as well as the free books I have received through Scholastic and volunteering at the FOTL store.

My Home Library is still a work in progress. I have added more books on bookshelves, bought an additional bookcase that needs to be assembled, and bought a few baskets to fill with books and put on top of the bookshelves. I also need to purchase additional shelving from Lowe’s to add more shelf space to the bookshelves in my office.

I have filmed/released 5/26 videos (4-January/1-March) on my YouTube channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I have had 2/6 Lunch Dates with Friends. Kelsi and I had lunch together at La Madeleine in January to celebrate our birthdays. Michelle and I had lunch together at Spudly’s Super Spuds in March. As for Scrapbook Sessions, I had 4/26 at a retreat I attended in February with my friends, Donna and Heather. Barry and I have watched 1/24 episodes of The X-Files: Season 1.

I have made a few donations (Mom’s books) and given away a book (Dark Sisters) as a giveaway on my channel for Unhaul Books; however, I am making a stack of books for future giveaways as well as a stack to sell on Pango. I really need to go through Shelly’s books and the rest of my mom’s books and make some decisions. As for my Writing Sessions, I wrote 3/26 blog posts (3-January). I listened to one episode of Zero to Well-Read Podcast (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald), and I really enjoyed it, so I will continue listening to this podcast.

Writing all of this out to share with you, dear reader, has made me realize that I have accomplished more on my 26 for 2026 list than what I am giving myself credit for, especially considering all of the other things that have kept me busy since the new year started. In addition to my 26 items, I participated in some other projects. Some of these projects have been completed and some of them are ongoing until the end of the year. I am doing wonderful with the #Move26in26 Challenge. I move at least 26 minutes every day through working out with BODI and walking daily. I am on track with my Goodreads Challenge. I have read 27/100 books (January-March). However, I am extremely behind in my book reviews. I completed Frugal February and saved some moolah.

As for YouTube, I am hosting my weekly Wednesday and Saturday sprints. I am also keeping up with buddy reads and book clubs. I hosted Nevermore in January, Folklore February in February, and cohosted the Mardi Gras Readathon in January/February. I also participated in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Readathon and the BookTube Besties Retreat in February. In March, I participated in Week of Weird: Round 7 along with Middle Grade March and March Mystery Madness.

I spent a good chunk of my time on my YouTube channel’s reading events and participating in reading events run by my booktube buddies. I REALLY need to reflect on my YouTube journey, its overall impact on my life, and how it influences my goal-setting in the future. I want to create a balance between my channel and other areas of my life. I think I need to make a realistic plan to designate aims/activities per quarter. That is where I missed the boat in the first quarter.

Therefore, to get back on track, every week when I plan on Friday, I should be looking at my 26 for 2026 list, so I can work on some of my aims. I know I am busy with YouTube projects (January-May), and I realize that I might not start some of the aims/activities on my list until June: however, there are aims on my list I can work on a little bit at a time. I can choose one aim, like decluttering my scrapbook room, and chip away at it a little bit each week until the aim is complete. No multitasking! At the end of the day, it is about priorities. If I want to complete these aims, I have to make an effort to schedule them into my planner. I think time tracking is needed now to help me get a more accurate picture of where my time is being spent. In the meantime, I have included a video about my 1st Quarter Progress Report below if you are interested in hearing more of my thoughts about my first quarter progress.

Well, dear reader, here is the good news. It is still early enough in the year for me to course correct and get back on track, so I can end the year successfully. Knowing that has renewed my excitement. This upcoming Monday, I will start time tracking, so the following week I can choose one of my aims to incorporate in my schedule to work on to completion. Let me know in the comments if you, dear reader, set any goals, aims, or projects for yourself this year and how you are doing with them. Happiness!

“A few moments of inner peace and quiet allows the brain to reset itself. You become more centered as this happens, since the brain is clearing out distractions and too much “cross talk.” ~ Deepak Chopra

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