Invest in Myself: Week 6

Welcome to the recap of Invest in Myself, Week 6!

Last week's word was sick; this week's word is recovery. This cold we all caught has staying power and has sapped us of our energy. We still have lingering coughs, but we're over the worst of it.

Let's review my week...

Motivation & Accountability

I lost 0.9 pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss to 6.2 pounds.

During this week's Real Appeal online session we focused on nutrition facts labels. I signed the commitment contract for Week 6:

• Use the Real Appeal shopping list at the grocery store as a guide
• Read Nutrition Facts label to make healthier choices
• Examine ingredient lists to identify foods with healthier ingredients at the beginning and less healthy ones towards the end (or not at all)
• Continue my other healthy habits to the best of my ability

Nutrition

I continued to plan my meals ahead of time and stick to my plan. This is the first week that I found myself feeling really hungry in the afternoon/early evening. I think I need to switch things up a bit to address that, but I haven't decided on how, yet.

Exercise

I recognized that my body was still recovering from being sick and didn't push it. I did yoga three times, walked once, and played Just Dance with my son once.

Self-Care

I did a lot in the way of self-care this week. Like last week, I focused on getting enough rest. One of my resolutions for February is to go to bed before 10:30 each night.

I made some other resolutions/changes for this month, too. Our Happiness Project focus for February is energy - making small changes to increase our energy levels. I will:

• go to bed by 10:30 so I get enough sleep
• make my bed each morning - when my bed is unmade, it subconsciously signals to me that I don't have enough time, which makes me anxious and saps my energy 
• not play games on my iPhone/iPad - my weaknesses are Wordscapes and Two Dots

I've also overhauled the layout of my phone to increase my productivity and energy. My brother sent me an amazing article on how to do this. I've adopted at least two-thirds of the suggestions and it's had a significant impact on me already. 

Looking Ahead

Next week has some challenges that will take me out of my routine.

• Monday night I have a Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run committee meeting
• Thursday/Friday I have a Board meeting at work, which means I'll be away from home and under stress for a prolonged period of time

I need to anticipate the energy drain this will have on me, and balance it by bringing healthy food options with me to the Board meeting, and finding a calming yoga routine I can do in my hotel room. I'm thinking 7-minute bedtime yoga by Adriene:

See you next week!