Time got away from me…but I did accomplish some things
I had every intention of publishing a blog post last week. I even started writing one, but then life got busy and time got away from me. Now I realize that not only has the week passed, but very nearly another month…which means we are approaching the midway point of 2024. How is that even possible? Weren’t we just celebrating the New Year?
Anyway, rather than finish the blog post I started last week, I decided to jump in with my monthly goal updates. As a reminder, instead of New Year’s Resolutions or a Word of the Year, this year I am setting monthly goals that support my core values: 1) health and fitness, 2) joy, 3) learning and growth, and 4) relationships.
Health and fitness
June progress
1. In preparation for my initial appointment with a new primary care physician, I have decided to track some important health vitals (e.g., blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen level) and lifestyle habits (e.g., food, physical activity, and sleep). MIssion accomplished. As planned, I used a combination of iPhone and Apple Watch apps, a blood pressure monitor, and an old-fashioned notebook to measure and track these vitals. I went into my doctor’s appointment able to present a bigger picture of my health and ask somewhat intelligent questions. The appointment went well, and I am happy to report I now have a new primary care physician.
2. I added another goal partway through the month: to reduce the highly-processed foods in my diet by a) replacing my previous peanut butter with a more natural peanut butter; b) replacing flavored yogurt with plain greek yogurt; and c) replacing my nightly treat (usually a store-bought cookie or ice cream) with homemade treats. If you are interested in learning more about how I am making those changes, read this post. I am pleased to report that I am making excellent progress on this goal. In fact, I would go so far as to say that items a and b are permanent changes. I don’t see myself ever going back. As for item c, so far so good.
I have baked homemade treats for the past two weeks, and while I realize that some of the ingredients are highly processed, at least I know exactly what those ingredients are; I control the portion size; I put some effort into the preparation; and I enjoy them more than the store-bought items I was previously consuming.
July goal
Now that I have established a primary care physician, I will have my routine blood work done and schedule my annual mammogram.
Joy
June progress
Find a new nail technician and get some nail art.
Mission accomplished! I found a nail technician that does a lovely job and is enjoyable to visit with…so win/win. These are my Pride support nails. I plan to go with a 4th of July theme next month.
July goal
Meditate at least 20 minutes every day. I have been meditating most days for many years now. The duration varies from 5-15 minutes. I decided it’s time to get more regular with my practice. Many studies recommend 20 minutes a day, so that’s the goal I am shooting for.
Learning and growth
June progress
Start the mindbodygreen integrative wellness coaching course.
Mission accomplished…as in I have started the course. After completing the orientation sessions, I confess I am a little nervous about the time commitment and the vulnerability of trying something new…but I am doing it. Wish me luck!
July goal
Continue with the mindbodygreen coaching course. Completing this course will be my Learning & Growth goal for the remainder of the year.
Relationships
June progress
1. Go golfing with my husband. Okay, so I didn’t think this one through very well when I planned to go golfing during a heatwave. Most outdoor activities that don’t include water are a no-go right now. We did, however, go out to dinner a couple of times and spent a few afternoons running errands. That counts as going out, doesn’t it?
2. Donate blood. Mission accomplished! My blood donation went off without a hitch and is currently in storage with the American Red Cross, waiting to save a life.
July goal
Donate my old jigsaw puzzles. Since I retired, I have taken up jigsaw puzzling as a hobby. My sisters, grandchildren, and I exchange puzzles with each other. Still, I have managed to gather quite a collection of nice puzzles that I no longer need, so I’m thinking there may be other people or organizations that could enjoy them.
Your turn
And that’s it for me. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to.
- What have you been doing in June?
- Do you have any fun plans for July?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
Hi Christie – it sounds like you ticked most of your goals for the month – and already have a vision for July. Good luck with your course and keeping up with it all – I’m sure you’ll do really well. As far as jigsaws go, I borrow mine from my local library and the senior cits centre, so they may be possible locations for you to donate yours to. Have a great rest of June and enjoy the sunshine (it’s raining here).
Thanks for that suggestion, Leanne. I will check with the care center where my MIL lived, as they were so good to us and I know they have puzzles in the game room. I hope you are enjoying the rain. We could sure use some around it. I can’t remember the last rain we had.
Well done to you, sounds like what mattered most did go well. Finding a new doctor and liking them is a challenge. We have, fortunately, come back to Sydney, and have been able to return to our local General practice (we call our day-to-day doctors) GPs with the person who knew us from the time we still lived in Sydney. We pay more these days to see a doctor as it used to be ‘bulk billed’ but GPs can rarely afford to do that these days.
Enjoy your July. We dip into real winter this month and next but the days are getting a little more light.
Take care,
Denyse
Thanks for the encouragement, Denyse. It always lifts my spirits. I’m glad you were able to get back to a day-to-day doctor with whom you are comfortable. I really did like the Nurse Practitioner we saw and am hoping to work with her for years to come. Happy July to you too! Take care.
I love that you’re donating puzzles – hospitals might want them? Or aged care? Good for you on the processed foods subs. Little by little is easier than all at once.
I hadn’t thought about hospitals for the puzzles, Lydia. That’s a good option. I was thinking about the care center that took care of my MIL. I’ll call around and see who would like them. I agree with you that changing habits is more successfully done little-by-little in most cases. That’s what I intend to do in regards to processed foods.
I’m taking a leaf out of your book for July, Christie, and setting some goals to tick off. I’m feeling less than par in myself so it’s back to basics.
Good luck to you, Jo! Back to basics is always a good place to start.
Hi Christie, you’re doing so well with setting goals and hitting them! I too have tried to replace some snacks that had snuck into my eating habits. I was having a chocolate and nut muesli bar as a sweet treat. It started as once per day but got out of hand. I’ve stopped buying them and instead have made some healthy protein balls which are delicious and sweet and a fabulous replacement. One step at a time! I need to get outdoors and walk more often but we’ll see how I go – I need to not set expectations too high on myself at the moment while life is rather hard. Thanks so much for linking up with #WWWhimsy – enjoy the rest of the week and have a fabulous weekend! xo
Ooh Min, I need to look at some recipes for protein balls. If you have one you especially like, I’d love it if you could share. I couldn’t agree more that you need to go easy on yourself during this time. A walk outdoors when you can sounds like just the ticket.
Hi Chrisite, time does fly doesn’t it? I see some similarities with us at the moment. Health check ups, healthier eating by reducing processed foods, learning, golfing (I played mini golf with my grandsons this week, does that count?). With Mike having Type 2 Diabetes I’ve been trying to find ‘sweets’ that are sugar free and I’ve come across a product line for a chocolate fudge brownie which is Endocrinologist has approved. It’s a win/win because he does have a sweet tooth and now doesn’t feel like he is missing out. Good luck with the course and just take it at your place – you will be fine. Have a great week. x
Thank you for the words of encouragement, Sue. And I definitely count mini golf with the grandsons. It sounds like loads of fun! I’m going for blood work next week and hoping that my A1c has come down from last year. I recently learned that low thyroid and Vitamin D levels can contribute to high blood sugar. Since I’ve been treated over the past year for those two items, I’m hoping for an improvement.
It’s a really good thing to have blood work done every 6 months, Christie. Just to keep on top of things before any issues arrive. Hopefully your A1c has come down. Enjoy your weekend. x
My husband and I had the blood draw yesterday. I haven’t spoken with the doctor yet, but I see my A1c and cholesterol are down from last year, but still on the high end of normal. I like to consider my diet and exercise relatively healthy, but I may have to get more serious about it if I want to avoid medication.
Look at you smashing your goals! Love your nails and your home baked treats look delicious. I love a good jigsaw puzzle and it’s so nice to be able to give your “retired” puzzles to others who will be able to enjoy them. Hope you have a joyful July!
Thank you Sammie. It has been a good month. Here’s to a joyful July for both of us!
You accomplished many things in June. I especially like your new nail art, unique and goes with everything. I don’t have any goals set up for July, but will jump into anything that seems like it might lead to a healthier lifestyle… so. maybe that’s my goal! 🤔
Thank you, Ally. I was really pleased with the colorful nail art. Good luck with any steps you decide to take toward a healthier lifestyle…whether it’s a leap or a tip toe.
Love your nail art Christie. I keep meaning to make regular appointments for a manicure at my neighbouring facility except that I don’t really like them. But now that the summer is here and my toes will be visible, I must make haste to get them dealt with!
Even though your course is likely to be demanding of your time and energy, I hope (and suspect) that you will really enjoy it and make the most of the experience.
I intend to plan a new routine to prioritise my writing.
Thank you, Debs. After one week of orientation and another week of actual classes, I am enjoying the coaching course. I know it will get more challenging as we go along, but I am feeling energized…at the moment at least. Good luck with your new routine for prioritizing your writing.
Christie, I like your focus on a few things. Something I need to embrace!
June for me became “support hubby knee surgery recovery”. The surgery was moved up 5 weeks; hubby was ready for it, so jumped on the earlier opening in the schedule. It modified my plans significantly, but I went with the flow of things. Although my support became a combination of picking up his daily house chores, getting ice for the ice machine, and just being there with him as he was flat on his back with leg elevated for days on end!
Like you I’m taking on a learning program this summer. Mine is less formal. I’m looking to better understand plants locally. As in what will really work best in my yard. And then slowly moving my yard to those plants. It’s amazing to me what information you can find on-line… a number of master gardener talks were done this way (versus live) over the pandemic. As I’ve listened to a number of talks, it’s made me realize I probably do NOT want to go the master gardener journey. There’s too many topics on that journey I have little to no interest in! One of the things I love about retirement is the ability to only do things I enjoy doing (as much as possible). I’ll be interested to hear how your learning program progresses!
Oh, I love your nail art! And yes, running errands together counts as together time. Hey, the other day, a big outing for hubby was going to the grocery store with me! Unfortunately, I think it was too much walking too soon, so he’s back to shorter walks. But healing progresses on his knee.
Hello Pat. I am happy to hear that your husband’s recovery is coming along. I suspect you’ve been a bigger support than you even realize. I know the change of schedule can be challenging for planners like us, but the good news is, the surgery is behind you now! Your local plant research sounds very interesting. I look forward to seeing how your yard transforms. I completely agree that it is lovely to be able to try new things…keep what sticks and modify or discard anything that doesn’t.
Hi Christie! Congrats on your progress with your goals. I love your rainbow nails, but somehow missed they were for pride support. Duh! And I’m proud of you for taking on the coaching course. You will do great! The course is different than what I thought at first, more for physical health than mental/emotional health. I look forward to hearing more about it as you go along.
Thank you, Cindy. The course I am taking is coaching for integrative health and wellness, which means it considers the connection between mind, body, and spirit. The focus is on physical health, but includes stress control and emotional thriving in the mix. One week in, I am enjoying it.