No Microresolutions for the Rest of the Year

After writing the last few posts about stretching/massage/physiotherapy and the skin issues I've been having, I've decided to pause microresolutions and goal setting on this blog. I have a lot going on right now, and I don't have the mental space to be working on anything else. Besides, I'm quite proud of myself for taking the stretching seriously and making a point of doing it almost daily (the only days I didn't were when I was too sore after a massage).

I do hope to revisit using them at a later time. But for now, I'm going to remove the stress of worrying about them from my life and focus on the physiotherapy process (and on rebuilding some mental resilience!)

Oh yeah, skin issues...

In the middle of everything else that's been going on, I've also been fighting some eczema/dermatitis. This all started back in February. My skin got dry from the cold weather and I developed a few little dots by my thumb. I've had this happen before, and normally I moisturize a whole bunch and they go away. Well this time, the dots sort of migrated to my little finger and refused to go away. And they started getting worse and worse. I fought this on my own for a few months (even using some of the cream I had to help me with the skin reactions I get with continuous glucose monitoring devices) but I was never able to clear it. Finally in May, things got really bad that I had to consult medical help. I made an appointment with my doctor, but it was so bad that I ended up getting in with a nurse practitioner first. She prescribed Protopic, which is a non-steroid cream. I was to use it for six weeks and hopefully that would deal with the problem (she told me that Protopic, being non-steroid, is safer for your skin to be using. Plus you can take a brief break from it then use it for another six weeks).

The Protopic seemed to work beautifully. By about the fourth week, the eczema seemed to be gone, and I felt silly to still be using the Protopic (but I intended to use it for the full six weeks. I happened to miss one 24 hour period while I was on vacation in June, and the eczema came back with a vengeance. So in early July, I made another appointment, this time with my doctor, to get some more help.

My doctor right away thought I had "Dyshidrotic hydrasia," a form of eczema. He knew of a compound that should work specifically for dyshidrotic hydrasia, so he gave me a prescription for that. Unfortunately the eczema just slowly got worse and worse. I went back to see him about a month later, and he recommended I use the Protopic again to clear the eczema, then use the compound to hopefully keep the eczema under control. Again, the eczema wasn't really 100% cleared, and slowly came back even under this regiment. Thankfully during that visit, my doctor also referred me to a dermatologist at that time. Unfortunately it took a few months to get in, so I've been doing my best to keep the eczema at bay in the mean time. 

I saw the dermatologist a few weeks ago, and he confirmed that I have dyshidrotic hydrasia (he also mentioned that it is caused by some sort of irritant; unfortunately I've had high stress, grief, and skin problems from continuous glucose monitoring devices, so who knows what could be causing the eczema). So he gave me a prescription for a stronger steroid (Clobetasol, which I actually used in spray form back when I was having issues with the Freestyle Libre). So I'm going to be using this for a few weeks to hopefully get the eczema under control, then switch back to the Protopic to hopefully keep it under control and finally clear it up. If that doesn't work, I'll be heading back to the dermatologist for next steps.

In terms of possible irritants, I'm doing my best to wash my hands mainly with olive oil soaps (and to wash my hands less often than I have been in the wake of Covid). I already wash dishes using gloves, so that's a good thing. I'm trying to get my stress levels better under control and hopefully build some mental resiliency back up. So the daily stretching will hopefully help (daily activity that is somewhat like yoga). Plus I was able to cut out a major stressor from work, so that was good (it's just taking me longer than I expected to destress from it!) I happen to have a few days off right now, too, so I'm going for another massage, and taking some time to read, relax, and maybe take a few things off my mental to-do list where possible (like updating this blog!)

Massage and Physiotherapy

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been stretching more lately. This is a bit of a convoluted story as to how I ended up stretching consistently every day. And it all started when I was last visiting my chiropractor. I mentioned to her that I have really tight muscles. I read in a book (I think it was Diabetic Athlete's Handbook by Sheri R. Colberg, but I'm not positive now) some time ago that people with Type 1 Diabetes like me are prone to having tight muscles. I've never been a super flexible person, and I just assumed this is something that I will have to deal with as being naturally inflexible AND having diabetes. My chiropractor, who had previously recommended some stretches to me for my right calves (which have not been working even though I've been doing these stretches every day before bed) recommended that I go see a massage therapist who was new in her clinic and taking clients. 

I should note, my partner has recommended that I go to massage therapy in the past as well, but I honestly just never got around to it. I was going to try a massage therapist someone I know tried, but they didn't have the best results with that particular therapist, so I was really hesitant to try them. 

This was my first time visiting a proper massage therapist ever. The lady I saw seemed to really know her stuff. The first time I went, I booked a shorter appointment because I had no idea how long I should book (the second appointment was longer). I told the massage therapist that my back had previously been injured, so she set to work on trying to correct that. At the end of the first appointment, she gave me a list of muscles that she wanted me to stretch every day. At that time she told me to Google the muscles to find appropriate stretches, which I did. I had to wait a few days because I was really sore after the massage (she warned me that would happen); after a few days I started stretching those muscles every day until my second appointment two weeks later. The second massage didn't hurt nearly as much (nor for as long), which I thought was due to all the stretching I had been doing, but my massage therapist said that was also because she had more time as the second appointment was longer. At the end of that visit, she recommended I visit a physiotherapist to get some extra help in the stretching department.

I was able to get in with a physiotherapist at the same clinic about a week later. The physiotherapist was fantastic! With her help, I discovered not only that I am crazy stiff, but I'm putting all my weight on my left side when I stand (and no one else has noticed this!) So even though I've had more pain in my right calf muscle, it's my left side that's tighter (probably from compensating more for my right side). So my physiotherapist gave me a series of eight stretches to do every night (unfortunately I can't do two of them right now - I'm waiting for a foam roller that I ordered to arrive, which I need for these two) which includes "nerve flossing" (a term I was unfamiliar with, but basically stretches to gently mobilize a compressed or irritated nerve). I asked her how often I should do the stretches, and she said that the gold standard is twice a day (though once a day is probably more realistic). She also said that some of the exercises can be done more often through the day, but the nerve flossing should only be done a maximum of twice so I don't irritate the nerve more.

So while I've only been doing the particular stretches that my physiotherapist gave me for about 4 days (and I've been able to do them twice a day two times!) I've been doing more consistent stretches almost every day for three weeks now! I also noticed that I have what feels like a tiny bit more mobility since I started. It isn't much, but I'm excited to be feeling results, especially when I've been doing the stretches my chiropractor recommended for a number of months now and didn't feel like they were helping much. I'm going to trust the process and stick to what my physiotherapist recommends for now, but I am hopeful that I'll be moving better than I have in a long time with her help. :)

I'm also feeling more realistic about everything now, too. Most likely, once I gain some more mobility in my joints, I'll probably have to fight to keep it (and so continue to do some stretches every day or most days for the rest of my life). But thanks to using the Finch app, I've already started building more exercise into my day, so I'll hopefully be able to use it to build more good routines in the future. :)

Weight Updates from the last little while

With everything that was happening in my life last month, it took me a little while before I even thought to/cared about checking my weight, never mind actually posting it here....

November 25:

weight: 234.0
fat percentage: 56.2
hydration: 30.1
muscle: 21.5
bone: 10.4
cal: 2434

December 4:

weight: 234.0
fat percentage: 54.5
hydration: 31.2
muscle: 22.3
bone: 10.4
cal: 2434

One thing that I found interesting was that, while my weight remained the same between these two check-ins, my fat percentage dropped a little and my muscle increased a little. I'm hoping that isn't a one-time fluke; right now I'm crediting that to an increase in stretching, which is itself another story...

What's Been Happening....

There's been a lot going on over the last few weeks, so I wanted to give an update on everything.

Intelligent Change

In October I finally bought myself one of the Intelligent Change 5 Minute Journals (I specifically bought the Fit Edition). I've been wanting to give some of their products a try for a long time now, and since I feel like I've been really struggling with my health over the last few years, the Fit Edition journal seemed like the one to choose. I've only been using it for a few weeks now, and I've been finding it challenging to fill out the evening portion of the day (what did I do to take care of myself today), especially since...

Vertigo

I had a vertigo flare-up at the end of October. I noticed that my head was feeling a bit wonky in the week before it happened. Then I didn't drink enough water on the weekend of the 31st and sure enough, I woke up I think on November 2nd and the room was spinning. That was also the weekend of the time change, so I'm sure that didn't help. Thankfully the flare-up was short lived. I was careful not to move my head too much for a few days, used a bit of the betahistine the day it happened, and have since been trying to stay better hydrated, and it seems to have helped. My head still feels a little off from time to time, but there's been no serious vertigo since that day. Which is lucky because...

Grief

This last week someone else in my family passed away quite suddenly. :( I haven't really been sleeping well all this week, so I was worried that my vertigo would flare up again as a result, but staying hydrated seems to be keeping the vertigo at bay. Of course, at this point I'm doing my best to keep to my healthy habits, but it's been really difficult because I'm grieving and having a hard time caring about things. But luckily I signed up for...

Finch

A number of months ago, a friend at work showed me the Finch App, where you create a little bird (or "burb" as the app calls them) who goes on adventures when you power them up, giving them energy every time you successfully complete a self-care goal or task. Thanks to the app, I've slowly started adding more activity into my morning routine (doing a few shoulder rolls and wall pushups to start), and used the app to help curb snacking on Halloween treats during breaktime at work. And wanting to check in with my little burb friend a few times a day helps me keep these mini-goals top of mind. :)

Karin Dimitrova's New Program

Karin Dimitrova also released a new program a few weeks ago called "Deep Squat." I've enjoyed her teaching methods in the past (I loved Reset) so I was already excited to try a new program. But even more exciting was the focus of it. I've been trying to improve my leg flexibility a little at a time every day (I successfully set a microresolution back in June to stretch my calf muscles daily after I brush my teeth, and I am happy to report that I've continued to stick to that habit!) But adding in some bigger and targeted stretches a few times a week is going to really help.

I also like that Deep Squat is so focused on legs. I have her Beyond Flexibility program as well, but right now I'm a little overwhelmed thinking of my health and how I need to work on so many things; changing my focus for now to just improving my leg flexibility is helping to calm that anxiety. I'm hoping that once I can comfortably hang out in a deep squat, I'll be able to work on just maintaining that flexibility and can then focus on improving another aspect of my physicality. 

October Microresolutions Update

In October I set two microresolutions:

• I will put my food down between bites at dinner to savour what I'm eating.
• I will stop looking at screens at least one hour before bed

I'm still struggling with the first one, though the idea of "savouring" my food has really helped. (Though this microresolution has also been thrown off recently due to my grief - I'm having even more trouble remembering it). So I'm going to keep working at it through November (and beyond if needed).

The second microresolution is, overall, going well. Most nights I am quite happy to put my phone down (and on silent) around an hour or so before going to sleep. It also helps that I'm now writing in my Fit Edition journal every night, so I have little need to be on my phone. Though there have been nights when I can't wait and look something up (this has specifically been happening since I've been grieving), plus there are the odd times when I'm playing video games with my partner late still. 

So I'm going to keep working on both of these through November. I'll reassess at the end of the month, and will hopefully feel confident that at least one of them have become a habit at that time. :)

More Weight Updates from October

Here are my remaining weight updates for October:

October 23:

weight: 233.0
fat percentage: 54.5
hydration: 31.2
muscle: 22.3
bone: 10.5
cal: 2428

October 29:

weight: 234.8
fat percentage: 57.3
hydration: 29.3
muscle: 20.9
bone: 10.4
cal: 2438

The first one was following Thanksgiving (with all the yummy leftovers), and the second one was right before Halloween (where I found myself eating more snacks). After Halloween I tried to make more of a point of eating more healthy food and limiting chips more; hopefully that will start to make an impact soon!

Cholesterol Update

So last time I talked about my cholesterol, my most recent bloodwork at the time showed my cholesterol levels to be elevated; I started taking statins in September. I just did more bloodwork this week, and I'm happy to report that my cholesterol has plummeted! After just two months, my LDL is approximately where my medical team wants it to be! This was actually the lowest my cholesterol has been since I started checking my results online many years ago!

I'm very thankful that they seem to be working. I'm also thankful that I have not, at the time of this writing, seen any indication of the negative side-effects that can occur with statin use. So hopefully this will remain the case, and my cholesterol will stay low with the current dose I'm on for now. 🤞

October Microresolution Check-in

It's been about two and a half weeks since I set my October microresolutions, and about two weeks since I reworked one of them. Time for a check-in!

My first microresolution is now "I will put my food down between bites at dinner to savour what I'm eating" is working better than it was when I first set it (this is the microresolution that I reworked). The idea of "savouring" food is resonating with me, and I'm having an easier time remembering it. That being said, there are still times I'm struggling, like when I'm out for dinner with other people. And sometimes I just forget through dinner. So I'm thinking this one is going to take a lot more work (probably longer than the month) before it becomes a habit. I may need to rework it a little more too, but right now I'm going to focus on trying to remember better. I had the idea to write a note to help me remember it, so I'm going to do that and see if it helps.

My second microresolution, "I will stop looking at screens at least one hour before bed," has been fairly successful....except during the weekends. On weeknights, I have no problem disengaging from my phone and other screens about an hour before bed. But on a weekend, it's proving to be more of a challenge. My partner and I have played video games right until bedtime, so I end up on my computer until I'm getting ready before bed. I enjoy spending the time with him, but then I feel more unsettled when I'm trying to sleep. I'm not quite sure what to do about that at this time - do the weekends become an exception? Or should I try to find a way to disengage from screens sooner? My gut is telling me I should do the latter, so I'll need to think on how better to do that for next weekend.

Reworking an October Microresolution

 A couple of days ago, I set two new microresolutions for October. I've been having some trouble with the first one, "I will put my fork down between bites of food during meals." I found I never remembered it when I was eating! :( So after a bit of thought, I decided to try rewording it so it will hopefully resonate more with me; I'm going to change it to "I will put my food down between bites during dinner to savour what I'm eating." I originally was thinking I would change "utensil" to "fork" to better cover meals (for example, eating soup for dinner means using a spoon, not a fork). But that doesn't cover foods like sandwiches, burgers, and pizza that you don't use a utensil for.

Making the switch to talking about "savouring" food seems to have really helped. Today at dinner, I had a better time remembering about this microresolution. I didn't put my food down between every bite, but I did put it down between most bites, so that was a victory in itself. I also noticed that I seemed to get full faster (in a satisfied way), which is exactly what I was hoping, that I wouldn't be overeating. Hopefully this change in language will continue to resonate and help me make this a habit!

The second microresolution, no screens an hour before bed, has been fairly successful already. With the exception of last night where I was trying to show my partner something, I've had no problems with stopping the use of my phone and computer before bed. I've got my alarm programed in for the work week, so I don't have to worry if I set my alarm right. I've also programmed my phone so it can be set to silent and the people closest to me can still get through if it's an emergency. So now I've had about an hour where I've mostly been journaling before bed (which becomes another added bonus of writing down things that are bothering me, getting them out of mind before bed to help with a better sleep), reading, and doing word puzzles offline. It's been great and I feel quite sure that this will be an easily kept habit before long. :)

Weight Update for Oct 8

 As promised, here's a weight update from the other day:

weight: 232.4
fat percentage: 54.5

hydration: 31.2
muscle: 22.3
bone: 10.5
cal: 2424

I'm glad to see that my weight has continued its downward trend since the end of September. My muscle has also increased slightly and my fat percentage has dropped a little. Hopefully that continues, too!

Time to Talk Goals...

I can't believe there's only three months left of 2025! With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at the goals I last set for myself, and look at what I'd like to do for the rest of the year.

For August and September, I set two microresolution goals:

1. I will get up out of bed immediately with my main alarm (continued from June).
2. Three breaths of box (4/4/4/4) breathing or 4/7/8 breathing every day after work.

Neither of these really worked for me. I really like lounging around in bed for a bit, especially when my cat comes to hang out with me in the morning. And outside of a few days, I never really remembered to do the breathing after work - I needed to chain it to another behaviour but never did. I also don't feel comfortable with the neighbourhood where my work is now located, so when I get to my car, I just want to get out of there as fast as possible, not take a moment for a few deep breaths. 

I also got majorly derailed while on vacation. So that didn't help in trying to set two habits like these.

So for October, I decided to discontinue working on these right now. I'd like to work on some other areas of my life, but I may revisit these ideas in the future (with some tweaks!) What I'd really like to start tackling right now is my weight. My weight has been steadily rising since 2022, and that's been doing a number on my mental health. I keep feeling like I'm trying, but I feel like nothing is working. So maybe it's time to use smaller microresolutions to try to stop that continual weight gain?

My first thought is to focus on eating. I was originally thinking of measuring everything, but instead I am going to make the microresolution to put my fork down between bites of food. I have long been a fast eater, and I worry that eating fast means I end up shoveling more food into my body than I really need to (or really want to). I've been feeling like I've overeaten on a few occasions lately, so I want to see if slowing myself down will make a difference.

The second microresolution I am going to make for the month is to stop looking at screens one hour before bed. I'm hoping that will help me sleep better - I hadn't been sleeping well recently, and I know that I am normally more hungry when I am tired. There are going to be some exceptions to this: my insulin pump is a screen, and that is okay to look at. I may also end up looking at my phone when I'm low during the night and trying to keep myself up until my glucose level is high enough to go to sleep again - when I'm low, I find that I have a hard time concentrating on reading and other activities that take a little more brain power. Also, in the case of getting an emergency phone call during the night, it is also okay to be looking at my phone (I've got my phone set to silent except for specific people and circumstances, so it really will only be an emergency that gets through once my phone is on silent).

Well, that's my plan for October. I'll give these both a try for the next week or so and check back - it'll be good to see if anything needs to be tweaked at that time.

More Weight Updates

 Here are my last two weight updates:

Sept 25:

weight: 234.2
fat percentage: 55.7
hydration: 30.4
muscle: 21.7
bone: 10.4
cal: 2436

Oct 1:

weight: 233.2
fat percentage: 55.4
hydration: 30.6
muscle: 21.9
bone: 10.5
cal: 2429

I'm planning to do another weight in the next day or two.

Weight Updates from the Summer

 Here are some older weight updates from the summer.

July 26:

weight: 229.8
fat percentage: 55.7
hydration: 30.4
muscle: 21.7
bone: 10.5
cal: 2410

Aug 8:

weight: 229.8
fat percentage: 54.0
hydration: 31.6
muscle: 22.6
bone: 10.5
cal: 2410

Sept 3 (right after coming back from vacation):

weight: 234.2
fat percentage: 55.3
hydration: 30.7
muscle: 21.9
bone: 10.4
cal: 2436

Sept 11 (accidentally right before my period):

weight: 234.2
fat percentage: 56.0
hydration: 30.2
muscle: 21.6
bone: 10.4
cal: 2436

My period is now over, so I'm going to do another update later this week. 

Cholesterol Update

Well, I knew this day would come: I'm now taking cholesterol meds. I've been taking them for about a week now; thankfully I haven't experienced any side effects so far. It helps that the dose is really low. We'll see if it's enough to lower my cholesterol level enough.

After the downward trend in my levels in May, I was really disappointed to see that they were elevated again in August (to a point that they were too high even if I didn't have diabetes). So that, coupled with my age, meant that cholesterol meds were happening whether I liked it or not. But I've had some good conversations with doctors and other members of my diabetes care team over the last few years. It sounds like the level they want a person with diabetes's cholesterol levels at are nearly i possible to obtain. Someone told me you would have to be an olympic-level athlete to achieve them (if you're lucky). Someone else suggested that if I ran 5km 3 or 4 times a week and went completely vegan, I wouldn't make the level they want. So that was comforting in a way: the target is very difficult (or quite possibly impossible) for most people to achieve. Couple that with me having grandparents on both sides of my family with higher cholesterol, and so a genetic predisposition to higher natural cholesterol levels, and the odds of me hitting the cholesterol levels they want for people with diabetes drops even further. 

A friend of mine asked why my cholesterol levels were going up when I eat fairly healthily (lol at least compared to other people they know who don't deal with cholesterol levels). A doctor told me that, for lack of a better term, people with Type 1 diabetes have "sticky blood" - they're more prone to LDL cholesterol buildup in their bloodstream. So that would have also made it hard for me to lower my cholesterol on my own (and may also have contributed to my elevated LDL levels? I'm not sure, but that makes semse to me if it does). That, along with my genetic pdedisposition to higher cholesterol levels, probably explains what's been going on. Oh, plus the level that the medical community recommends for people with diabetes is incredibly stringent compared to the level for people without diabetes.

So if you're living with diabetes and fighting cholesterol levels, please know that it's not your fault! Do your best, but know that you might need a little help along the way from medication. As someone told me, it's often part of the journey of having Type 1 diabetes. 

But I also know that is much easier said than done. While knowing all of this helps me feel better about the situation, part of me still feels like a failure. I've been trying as hard as I can over the last few years to eat as healthy as I can and to be as active as I can. My partner and I were eating a lot healthier over the last year, but it wasn't enough to keep my cholesterol at a lower level. :(

Ultimately though, I chose to accept the help that I need. I would much rather be taking another medication than risk a heart attack or stroke due to elevated cholesterol levels. And hopefully, with the aide of exercise and diet, I won't have to be on too large of a dose of cholesterol meds.

Summer Microresolution Update

I don't know where the summer is going, but we're already almost through July! I kept thinking that I needed to do an update on the June microresolutions that I set, but just never got around to it before now.

I set two microresolutions for June: 

1. Stretch my calf muscles daily right after I brush my teeth before bed.
2. I will get up out of bed immediately with my main alarm.

The first one has worked out really well! It's basically a habit at this point. Though after the first week or two of doing it, I started doing the calf stretches as I was brushing my teeth, so now if I don't do it when I'm brushing my teeth, I sometimes have a hard time remembering to do it right after. 

Linking a new behaviour with an existing one, especially something that's a really entrenched habit, seems to work really well! I'll have to keep this in mind for future microresolutions.

The second one, however, I've been struggling with. I don't like getting out of bed in the morning, and it's much worse when my cat is hanging out with me. Or when I'm super stressed and tired. So I'm going to have to rework that one and try again.

I'm also having a lot of problems with stress lately (mostly from work). I'm hoping the stressors will mainly be gone by the end of the year, but I need to get through until then. So I just went looking at some ideas to help calm yourself down and stumbled on 4/7/8 breathing. It was suggested in a Reddit post (the same person suggested that if they're not able to start with 4/7/8 breathing, they start with box breathing (4/4/4/4) then switch to 4/7/8 breathing once they are calm). So I think I'm going to try doing either box or 4/7/8 breathing every day after work for a minimum of 3 breaths. I'm hoping that will help me decompress after work (and maybe help me not carry my work stress home with me).

I do have some vacation coming up soon, so I'm going to try these two microresolutions through August and September.

July Weight Updates

 Here are some weight updates from earlier in July:

July 3:

weight: 233.0
fat percentage: 57.0
hydration: 29.5
muscle: 21.1
bone: 10.5
cal: 2428

July 10

weight: 231.0
fat percentage: 56.3
hydration: 30.0
muscle: 21.4
bone: 10.5
cal: 2416

My period started a little earlier than expected this month, so I'm hoping to do another weight update either tomorrow or on Sunday to see how things are going.

Missing Weight Updates

Whoops, I did have a few more weight updates for May and June:

May 29:

weight: 233.2
fat percentage: 55.5
hydration: 30.5
muscle: 21.8
bone: 10.5
cal: 2429

June 5:

weight: 234.2
fat percentage: 56.2
hydration: 30.1
muscle: 21.5
bone: 10.4
cal: 2436

I'm glad to see that my fat percentage on June 26th was a bit lower than on June 5th, even though the weight has remained the same. :)

Weight Update for June 26

Just a quick weight update for today:

weight: 234.2
fat percentage: 55.9
hydration: 30.3
muscle: 21.7
bone: 10.4
cal: 2436

While my weiggt itself is a little higher than it was mid-May, I'm glad to see that my fat percentage is a little lower. :)

Second Microresolution for June

After thinking about it for a few days, I decided on my second microresolution for June: every work day, I will get up immediately with my main alarm. I always set two alarms during work days. The first one is a bit earlier, so I wake up, but can lounge around in bed for a little. Then the second one goes up at the time I should be actually getting out of bed. But more and more, I've found myself lounging longer and longer. So I'd like to reset that habit and actually get up when I'm supposed to!

I do have a week of vacation this month though, so it might take a bit longer than 4 weeks for this to become a habit. I'll just have to see how things are going in July, and stick with it longer if need be.

May Goal Update

 Oh, after I wrote that post on microresolutions, I went to my Current Goals page with the intention of adding in some stuff about microresolutions rather than goals. I completely forgot that I set some goals for the month, so I thought I might as well take a look at how those have gone.

First, I wanted to continue stretching my calves daily. This was unfortunately a failure. As the month has worn on, I've become a bit lax with this unfortunately, and I've been missing a few days in a row, stretching one or two days, then missing a few again. I've missed chaining this to an existing habit, and doing it when I have been (right before bed) has proven too easy to miss (I do sometimes remember once I'm in bed and trying to sleep, but at that point I haven't wanted to get up and do it). So I need to tie that to a better cue.

Second, I wanted to measure food portions for better carb counting. This actually hasn't been a complete failure. I've started measuring rice because if I don't, I find it too hard to control my blood sugar. And I measure trail mix all the time so I know exactly how much insulin I need (that's also the reason I prefer foods like trail mix coming from bags or containers with the nutrition information on them). I made this goal too vague - did I want to measure all foods? What do I do for times when it is hard to measure (like if you're at the show munching on popcorn, or out at a friend's place for dinner)? In the post where I set this goal, I said I wanted to "focus more on proper portions. I've been measuring everything more to better help with my carbohydrate counting. So those are going to be my goals for May, and I'll reassess in June." So by measuring some stuff, did I succeed? I guess so?

So maybe those are two things that I can use microresolutions to better help me with - I can cue the calf stretches to an existing habit, and choose exactly what I need to measure and when. I'm definitely thinking of working on the calf stretching one for June, but I might hold off on the measuring one for a later date.

Microresolutions for Habit Change

I've been reading the book Small Move, Big Change by Caroline L. Arnold, which talks about making microresolutions to slowly change your life for the better. She argues that if you start with really small and seemingly easy resolutions, you can slowly change your automatic habits, one at a time. Some of what she talks about I remember reading in other books (such as James Clear's Atomic Habits), such as cueing a habit up with an existing one. She argues that trying to make big sweeping changes (such as at New Year's when we resolve to be better at something or do better at something) often fails because it comes up against our automatic habits that we've been using for years without notice. So changing one small thing at a time until it becomes a habit will slowly help to change your life for the better.

The more I read books like this, the more I feel like I am learning about where exactly I'm going wrong with my habits and goals. While setting rewards has helped me a lot with keeping something up for a month or two, I haven't been successful in getting anything to permanently stick. (Also, truth be told, setting rewards hasn't been super appealing. Other than getting a nail polish colour or getting a few songs, nothing has really motivated me very well). So maybe it's time to give setting microresolutions a try?

Arnold's 7 rules of microresolutions are:

1. They're easy
2. They're explicit and measurable actions
3. They pay off up front (no later rewards necessary!)
4. They are personal
5. They resonate with you
6. They fire on cue (cue them up with another routine or a day)
7. Only do two at a time (max! You can stick to only one at a time if you want)

She recommended needing 4-8 weeks on average to turn a microresolution into a habit (this of course depends on the individual microresolution - some may become habit sooner, and others will take a lot longer). She also spoke about not being afraid to modify them as necessary (which is something I am really bad at - I set my goals and feel wed to them, even if I realize they aren't working for me). 

I'm going to take a few days to sit down and really think about what I want to try approaching (and, more importantly, how to cue them into my day or week). My goals on this blog have always been to live a healthier life through exercise and healthy eating, so I want to try to find one or two small habits I can start building towards that larger goal.

Weight and Cholesterol Updates

First, some weight updates from earlier in May:

May 2:

weight: 231.6
fat percentage: 54.3
hydration: 31.4
muscle: 22.4
bone: 10.5
cal: 2420

May 13 (I weighed myself a bit earlier in the day than normal):

weight: 233.4
fat percentage: 56.6
hydration: 29.8
muscle: 21.3
bone: 10.5
cal: 2430

So these are fairly consistent with what my weight has been over the last while. They're not great, but at least my weight doesn't seem to be increasing.

But in better news, I did bloodwork yesterday and my cholesterol levels are in! While still high, my total cholesterol level has continued its downward trend since the high in November. My total cholesterol and LDL levels specifically are actually lower than they were last July; they're slightly higher than what they were in April of last year. And my HDL is actually a bit higher than it was last time (I normally see that when my LDL drops, so does my HDL, but this month's bloodwork has a higher HDL than February's!) So I am happy to say that whatever it is that my partner and I have been doing (I think specifically eating more home-cooked meals with lots of vegetables and tofu or chicken, eating out less, and trying to walk more) is working! 

March and April Update

I started writing an update in March, but never finished it and therefore didn't post it....

Unfortunately things weren't going well in March. I haven't gotten back to Beyond Flexibility like I planned because I keep injuring myself! Now my knee has had some issues, and I have another blister on my foot! So that's very annoying, but I'll get there.

I was cleaning up my emails at the end of March (it's ridiculous how many we get!!!) and I found an activity from Betty Rocker where you sit down and plan out your year for your "main character" (aka you). While I've missed the first few months, I sat down with the video and tried to plan out my next few months. I then promptly folded that sheet up and haven't looked at it since :(

So I just pulled it out to see what I wrote. For April I planned to: 

• do Beyond Flexibility 3x a week again
• focus on fibre in my meals
• journal more

Needless to say, I did not do any of those things. :(

But what I did do was start even smaller. I've had pain in my calves for quite awhile now (they're super tight). At the beginning of the month I mentioned it to my chiropractor, who recommended that I do some stretches every day to help lengthen them. Since that time, I've only missed doing the stretches about 5 days. It's been slow going, but my calves aren't hurting as much anymore, so things are definitely getting better!

So for May, I need to primarily continue what I'm doing with the stretching. I am also thinking that I need to focus more on proper portions. I've been measuring everything more to better help with my carbohydrate counting. So those are going to be my goals for May, and I'll reassess in June.

Weight Updates for March and April

Here are some weight updates I forgot to post:

Mar 20:

weight: 232.4
fat percentage: 53.8
hydration: 31.7
muscle: 22.7
bone: 10.5
cal: 2424

Apr 3:

weight: 232.4
fat percentage: 56.9
hydration: 29.6
muscle: 21.2
bone: 10.5
cal: 2424

Apr 9:

weight: 233.2
fat percentage: 55.0
hydration: 30.9
muscle: 22.1
bone: 10.5
cal: 2429

Apr 17:

weight: 234.0
fat percentage: 54.6
hydration: 31.2
muscle: 22.3
bone: 10.4
cal: 2434

I'm getting really frustrated with myself: no matter what I seem to be doing, my weight keeps going up! I am going to need to take a good, hard look at what I'm doing and see what I can change to turn things around.

Yoga!

I haven't been very active at all lately because I've either been sick or hurt myself (most recently my knee), so even though I know I need to be more active, it's been very tough. But today I did yoga for the first time in quite awhile, and it felt so good! Not only did it help that spot on my back that I hurt a few years back (which has been quite tight and sore lately), but it really helped my mind as well. I've been stressing a lot about work, the world (what's happening politically in North America right now has me quite worried), and pretty much everything, and it felt good to just breath and stretch for a little bit. 

Early March Weight Updates

Well, I'm continuing to struggle this month. I was feeling better, but I've hurt my knee. Now this weekend my stomach is bothering me (I suspect something I ate, though I'm not sure). But this is where I'm at:

Mar 6:

weight: 229.8
fat percentage: 53.3
hydration: 32.1
muscle: 22.5
bone: 10.5
cal: 2410

Mar 14:

weight: 232.4
fat percentage: 54.2
hydration: 31.4
muscle: 22.4
bone: 10.5

cal: 2424

Needless to say, I haven't really resumed Karin Dmitrova's  Beyond Flexibility yet. So hopefully I will get there by the end of the month.

I do want to actually do some yoga for my back though again. It's been a bit sore lately (probably because I haven't been as active).

February Weight Updates

 Yes, I'm once again late with the weight updates:

Feb 3:

weight: 232.6
fat percentage: 55.5
hydration: 30.5
muscle: 21.8
bone: 10.5
cal: 2425

Feb 12:

weight: 234.8
fat percentage: 55.0
hydration: 30.9
muscle: 22.1
bone: 10.4
cal: 2438

Feb 16:

weight: 233.2
fat percentage: 54.2
hydration: 31.4
muscle: 22.4
bone: 10.5
cal: 2429

I need to find a more consistent day to weigh myself - I haven't been consistent since my work schedule changed a few months ago.

Update on What's Been Happening - Winter 2025

Yikes, it's been awhile. This has been a really bad winter in terms of illness - I think my partner and I have had one weekend since Christmas where we were both healthy! :(

Needless to say, I have really fallen off the exercise wagon. Part of that was due to illness, and the other part was due to getting a weird blister on the sole of my foot, then a few weeks later bruising the arch of my other foot in an accident (I slipped in a pool and stepped down on a step I didn't realize was there). My foot is still a bit sore and bruised, but hopefully that will be healed soon.

I also did bloodwork in the middle of February, and spent the week worrying over the results (specifically over my kidneys and thyroid). Thankfully my doctor dispelled my fears - all is fine on those fronts right now. My cholesterol is still high though, so he was most concerned with that (I was actually less concerned with my cholesterol because thankfully it has come down from the high I saw in November - it's still too high, but moving in the right direction). So that was a huge worry that is now mitigated.

One good thing that happened though was that I've actually made it out a few times snowshoeing and skiing! The weather this winter has been pretty awful (it was either -30'C or like +7'C), so it was really hard to go out in the snow. But over the last few weeks we've had some more stable moments, and I've taken full advantage of that! I even went out skating for the first time in many years this winter, so that was fun (lol and a bit scary - it took a while to gain confidence on skates again). I'll need to go looking for a different pair of skates though - I grew up with figure skates, but ended up with a pair of hockey skates this time around, but they were hurting my feet. I'll have to try to find a different pair for next year.

As I'm still recovering from illness and a bruised foot, I need to take it easy for a little longer. My main focus for March is to recover from this and get back on track with exercising. By the end of the month I hope to be back on track with Karin Dmitrova's Beyond Flexibility program (I wasn't able to do any of the squats because my feet have been hurting, so I stopped). And hopefully keep up with other outdoorsy activities, whether that be snowshoeing, skiing, or walking should the snow melt again.

I was trying to think of a good reward for doing so, but honestly can't really come up with anything fitting. So I'm going to just see how things go this month, try to get back on track, and reassess in April. :)

Jan 18th Weight Update

Whoops, I missed posting this:

weight: 232.6
fat percentage: 53.7
hydration: 31.8
muscle: 22.7
bone: 10.5
cal: 2425

It's very comparable to my weight on the 12th.

I haven't done another weight because my period ended up starting a little earlier than I expected. I'll see how things are going once it's over. :)

January Goal Update 3

I'm really excited - today I completed my second goal for the month (making plans for when I am prone to falling off track with food and exercise, or what I am now calling my "coping strategies")! I came up with a list of 9 common times that I am prone to stop thinking about my health (when vertigo flairs, during my period, times when grief is bad, holidays, feeling overwhelmed/too busy, when it's too cold or icy to be outside, when I'm sick, when I'm super tired, and times when I'm incredibly angry), and tried to brainstorm things I can do to try to stay active and eat more healthily. These initial plans are all works in progress - if I find something in them doesn't really work, I can adapt them to something better. But at least I have something in place to work with. :)

I also, as I mentioned in my first update for these goals, I've also added to my list of possible rewards. I tried to focus on some non-monetary ones, since my original list had all monetary rewards (and I found that I didn't actually go through with some of them - for example, I was supposed to buy myself a new Solitudes album last summer, but I didn't bother until about a week ago! It wasn't really a reward at this point). So hopefully I'll have some good ideas for how to motivate me to achieve my goals. :)

In terms of Yoga, since starting Karin Dmitrova's Beyond Flexibility program, I've stayed pretty consistent with it. I'm on track to finish the month having done something yoga-like at least twice a week. :)

January Goal Update 2

We're a little past the halfway mark for the month, so I thought it was a good time to look at how things are progressing.

In terms of Yoga twice a week, I actually decided to start Karin Dimitrova's Beyond Flexibility program last Saturday. I've had the program for a long time (since January 2021!) but never really used it (I did both the Full Body Mobility and the Destress Yoga once, but that was it). To start this time around, I chose to stick with the program three times a week since I wasn't sure I'd be able to fit it in consistently more than that (there was a three times a week or five times a week option). I'm also doing the "I'm a Complete Beginner" option because I haven't been doing much consistent mobility work in the last few years outside of the yoga for my back routine, and so wanted to build a good foundation. I'm proud to say that I successfully completed the first week's worth of routines, so hopefully I can keep it up!

My partner took some pictures of my current mobility in touching my toes, squatting, and downward dog; I'll get him to take the same pictures in a couple of months to see if there's much change. :)

For my second goal, I haven't written up any more coping strategies since last week, but I did start brainstorming some things for when I am sick. I'm going to write that up tonight along with a few other ideas I've had through the week, and hopefully one or two more once that's finished.

Weight Update for Jan 12

This is a little late, but here's my weight update from the weekend:

weight: 232.6
fat percentage: 53.8
hydration: 31.7
muscle: 22.7
bone: 10.5
cal: 2425

A little bit better than my Jan 5th weight, but still fairly comparable.

January Goal Update 1

I just wanted to write a quick update on my main January goal (making plans for all the times I'm prone to falling off track). We're a week into January, and I've already come up with a couple of plans (or what I am now calling "coping strategies")! So far I've got one for when vertigo strikes, one for exercising during my period, and one with ideas for what to do when it's too cold and icy to be outside in the winter. I've also updated my list of possible healthy rewards, adding a bunch of non-monetary ideas, as well as adding a list of certain things that I am never going to use as a reward. I'm very excited with my progress!

Unfortunately the yoga goal hasn't been going well so far....I probably should tie a reward to it to help me out!

First Weight Update of 2025

This morning I weighed myself to see how things are going after the holiday season:

weight: 233.4
fat percentage: 54.1
hydration: 31.5
muscle: 22.5
bone: 10.5
cal: 2430

So definitely not great. This isn't quite the largest weight I've seen (that was in July 2024), but it's up there. :/

Intentions

In the lead-up to January 1st of this year, I kept coming across people talking about "Intentions." Most specifically, Intelligent Change has been talking up intentions instead of resolutions. They argue that resolutions focus on outcomes (I want to do x by y), and that you set yourself up for failure when life inevitable throws you a curve ball. But intentions focus on meeting yourself where you are now and helping you become a better person by focusing on the who and how.

I will admit though, this whole "who and how" thing doesn't quite make sense to me. Isn't it still kind of a "what"? 

• Like the example they give in that article I linked to above is:

Resolutions focus on the what. Example: “I’ll get a promotion.”

Intentions focus on the who and how. Example: “I’ll approach my work with curiosity, dedication, and purpose.”

The way I read that, you're still "approaching your work" - or looking at the what. I also don't really see how this shifts your mindset to the present moment - you're still looking to the future, just in a less vague way than when you make a resolution.

Needless to say, I did fill out the Intelligent Change Reflections and Intentions sheet that came with their Habit Tracker bundle that I picked up out of curiosity. And I set the intention "I want to be the healthiest version of myself that I can be." So I'm going to use that as my intention for 2025, and see how it goes. Maybe it will help direct me to make healthier choices throughout the year?

January Goal

So as I said in my 2024 Year in Review, for 2025, I think I need to stick to monthly goals. So for January, I'm going to set two goals:

1. Aim to do yoga twice a week - I want to get back into the habit I had started last summer.
2. Make plans for all the times that I am prone to falling off track, such as when vertigo strikes, when I hit sad anniversaries, etc.

The more I was thinking about it, the more I realized how important getting some plans in place is going to be for me, especially now that I seem to have a seasonal patterns of vertigo. I'm also going to sit down and plan out some good rewards (preferably non-monetary) to use for meeting goals.

Weight Updates Galore!

As I mentioned in my Year in Review post, I forgot to post the last several weight updates. So here they are:

Nov 18 (My schedule changed, so this was taken at a different time of day from normal):

weight: 231.6
fat percentage: 56.3
hydration: 30.0
muscle: 21.4
bone: 10.5
cal: 2420

*I made a note that this one may not have been accurate as well

Dec 5:

weight: 229.0
fat percentage: 54.1
hydration: 31.5
muscle: 22.5
bone: 10.5
cal: 2405

Dec 12:

weight: 227.6
fat percentage: 52.8
hydration: 32.4
muscle: 23.1
bone: 10.5
cal: 2397

Dec 19:

weight: 231.2
fat percentage: 54.0
hydration: 31.6
muscle: 22.6
bone: 10.5
cal: 2418

*another note that this one may not have been accurate either

Hopefully I'll remember to post my weight updates a little more often in 2025!

2024 Year in Review

Happy New Year! I'm a little late getting to this review post this year. I usually like to have it done for the end of the year, but life was particularly crazy over the last month and I just never got to it. (Oh crap, I also just realized I never posted the last several weight updates, so I'll have to get on that as well!)

I tried different methods of goal setting for the year. I started 2024 off with trying some quarterly goals:

• From January to March, I wanted to lose 5 lbs, which, at the time, would have brought my weight down to 219.8 lbs. This was failed - at the end, I had actually gained a bit of weight from my starting goal and was up to 228.2 lbs.
• Then from April to June, I focused on healing my back - I wanted to be going to see the chiropractor every four weeks, rather than every two or three. This was a success! I consistently was doing yoga for my back weekly, which seemed to help!

From there, I decided to set a six month goal, then monthly goals:

• The six month goal was to lose 18lbs by Dec 31st. The plan was to lose 3lbs a month to the end of the year; I laid out all the monthly goal weights, and came up with some rewards to help me achieve them. Unfortunately, I failed to make any of those goal weights, and completely failed this goal. :(
• For July, the monthly goal was to do yoga for my back twice a week. I succeeded. :)
• For August, the monthly goal was walk once a week, with a bonus goal of continuing to do yoga for my back twice a week. This was also a success (in both parts!) I was very happy, as this month I managed to build on the previous month's success.
• For September, my goal was simply to continue doing yoga for my back twice a week, and walking once a week. Unfortunately, this is where everything fell apart. Between vertigo flare-ups and the anniversary of losing a loved one, I wasn't able to keep going with the successes I'd had in July and August. I stopped setting goals for the remainder of the year. :(

Based off of what happened, I think I need to try to stick with monthly goals (specifically with rewards built in). I seemed to have a lot of luck with those when I was setting them. Though I also need plans in place for when I may fall off-track (specifically when vertigo flares, or around certain times of the year that are significant for my lost loved one). I don't seem to do well with long-term goals, and, right now at least, I haven't been doing well with weight-loss goals that work towards a particular number. I'll probably be better off setting goals towards starting and maintaining healthy habits.

However, I am really pleased to see the successes I had in July and August of this year. In face, 2024 is the year that I've actually had the most successes with the goals I've set for the year, so that's super encouraging. :)