What’s been on your calendar?
I promised myself I would not start this post with “another month has flown by” or any other commentary on how fast time passes. Suffice it to say that it is time once again to check in with the What’s Been on your Calendar crew and to report on my monthly goal progress and set some new ones for August.
Health and fitness
July progress
Now that I have established a primary care physician, I will have my routine blood work done and schedule my annual mammogram. Mission accomplished! I had my mammogram, and there is no sign of trouble there. I also had a full blood work up. The only concern was my cholesterol, which has always hovered at the high end of the normal spectrum, has now tipped over into too high at 211 mg/dL.
Because I do not have any other risk factors for heart attack or stroke, my doctor and I agreed that I should try some lifestyle changes before turning to medication. In practical terms, that means limiting intake of sugar and saturated and trans fats and eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, poultry and fish, beans, olive oil, and nuts. Physical activity is also important; however, I am already meeting the American Heart Association recommendations of three to four sessions per week of at least 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, so for now I will focus on nutrition.
August goal
In addition to continuing with my recent dietary changes to reduce highly-processed foods, I have also begun tracking my saturated and trans fat consumption and will continue through August. In line with that, I will do some research on the recommended amount of those types of fat for reducing cholesterol. I will also add fruits and vegetables to my tracker. I feel like I am consuming a reasonable amount, but since I am not actually tracking produce, I may be giving myself more credit than I am due.
Joy
July progress
Meditate at least 20 minutes every day. I modified this goal slightly as the month wore on. The revised goal is to participate in 20 minutes of mindfulness activities each day, with at least 10 of those being formal meditation. For me, mindfulness activities include yoga, floating in the pool, getting a massage…anything in which I am intentionally focused on being in the present and quieting my mind. Based on this change, I can state “Mission accomplished!”
August goal
Because 20 minutes of daily mindfulness is still an active goal, and not something that I yet consider myself to be in the maintenance phase of change, I plan to carry this goal over for another month. So succinctly stated, August’s Joy goal is to participate in 20 minutes of mindfulness activities each day, with at least 10 of those being formal meditation.
Learning and growth
July progress
Continue with the mindbodygreen coaching course. This goal is going well and has been my major focus for July. The first four weeks of the course consisted of virtual classes, reading, watching videos, and taking weekly quizzes. I successfully completed all of those activities without undue stress. Now we are getting into the challenging…for me…work, which includes lining up coaching clients and doing real-world coaching sessions. I confess I have questioned my decision at times…worrying about the time commitment and whether the stress of this is worth it for a voluntary course that I am not necessarily going to parlay into a second career. I briefly toyed with dropping out, but, when I got real with myself, I accepted that the largest obstacle for me was my fear of failure or looking foolish, so I pushed through and have scheduled my initial client sessions. (On a related note, if you know someone that would be interested in free health coaching with a student coach, please let me know, and I’ll provide further details.)
August goal
Continue with the mindbodygreen coaching course.
Relationships/connections
July progress
Donate my old jigsaw puzzles. Mission accomplished…sort of. While the puzzles are, at this moment, still stacked on my desk, I have found a home for them, and I am working on scheduling a meetup with the new owner.
August goal
Talk to someone new at each Orangetheory Fitness class. I see many of the same people each time I go to the gym, some of whom say a friendly “hello” and offer an encouraging comment to me. Those kind words always lift me up. Being the introvert that I am, initiating these types of conversations doesn’t come naturally to me; yet I want to spread the joy in this simple way and believe it will be worth any initial discomfort.
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 July?
- Do you have any fun plans for August?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
It’s wonderful that you’ve found a new PCP and had a visit and tests. That’s a big deal and takes forever anymore. I like the perimeters of your new healthy diet plan, try to do the same thing. I’m a slug about exercise though.
My July was one of big money expenditures, new car, new luggage, new vacuum, and one new board game just for snorts and giggles.
Fingers crossed that we’ll go somewhere for weekend getaway in our new car, using my new luggage, leaving the vacuum at home of course. But it’ll depend on my husband’s work demands, he’s retired BUT not entirely retired yet.
Yes, Ally, I am happy to have my annual exam and lab work done for the year. Hopefully, I can get on top of this cholesterol thing.
Congratulation on the new purchases! I hope you get to put the car and luggage to good use this weekend. Of course, even vacuuming can be fun initially with a new vacuum.
You have been busy! Both mentally and physically. I admire your “sticking with it”attitude. How long is the life coach course?
Like you, my bad cholesterol is always a little bad, but my good cholesterol is great! I’ve always felt like I eat pretty good, and exercise almost every day. My doctor also said I’m pre diabetic, by .1 percent, This really surprised me. I had already decided to cut out most processed foods. (I’m a copy cat.) But since I was told this I’ve been watching my fat and sugar really close and eating lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains etc. I don’t know if it’s helping my sugar and cholesterol levels, but I’ve lost a few pounds. 😏
Keep up the good work sis!
I have felt busier than usual this past month, Cindy. The course is 20 weeks, and I am one-quarter of the way through now.
Good luck with your nutritional goals. We can support each other! I’m sure our struggles with sugar and cholesterol are genetic. We can blame it on Mom and Dad. 😂
You seem to be doing well with your monthly goals Christie – they’re very specific and intentional which helps you to determine whether you’re meeting them or just faffing around on the edges. Good luck with August and with keeping your cholesterol at a manageable level – it’s good if you can avoid taking statins for it.
Thank you, Leanne. Being specific and intentional definitely helps keep me on track. I will be curious to see if these small changes make a difference in my cholesterol numbers, or if I will need to be more strict with myself. Fingers crossed!
You’re doing so well with your monthly goals. Intentional mindfulness has always been something I struggle with too, but active meditation is, I think, just as valuable. Here’s to more goal kicking in August.
Thank you, Jo. I have found that a combination of meditation and mindfulness in other daily activities works best for me. Here’s to an awesome August for both of us!
Hi, Christie – Thank you for joining us for #WBOYC. Your goals and progress are very inspirational! <3
Thank you for hosting #WBOYC, Donna. I always look forward to it. I know I’ve had some trouble with people not being able to access my site through the link. I’m working on that and so appreciate those who have taken the extra step to get to my blog in other ways.
Hi Christie, I’m so happy your mammogram results were good and although not so good on the cholesterol side of things you may be able to manage with lifestyle changes as you suggest. As I have family history, my cardiologist has me on a low dosage statin which I’m okay with taking. Despite my healthy lifestyle – eating and fitness it wasn’t enough to stay off medication to reach the levels he wanted. You are kicking all of your goals so well done you! Thanks for sharing at #WBOYC? and have a lovely weekend. x
Thank you for the encouragement, Sue. It is a little disappointing to feel like you are living a healthy lifestyle and then not seeing that reflected in your lab work. That said, I know there are things I can improve, and I want to try that first. If I reach a point where medication is warranted, I will definitely do that. I’m happy to hear the statins are working for you. I am so grateful for medical professionals and scientists that have made discoveries which help us live healthier, longer lives. Happy weekend to you too!
We’ve been travelling the greater part of the past month. Like you I’ve given up sugar and saturated fats but staying in hotels and eating out constantly (especially in a country where vegetarian meals seem a rarity and there’s a heavy emphasis on red meat and full fat dairy products) certainly turns daily consumption into a challenge. I’m glad to say I rose to the occasion but it was sometimes tricky. Good luck with your own quests – it sounds like you are overcoming the hurdles with grace and determination.
Traveling can definitely wreak havoc on our healthy lifestyle goals, Caree. It sounds like you tackled the challenge though. I commend you for that!
I can see how pleased you are with your progress and applaud your efforts Christie.
I am on a few medications for which I am grateful and continue to do well.
Take care,
Denyse
Thank you, Denyse. I’m glad that the medications are continuing to work for you. I too am grateful for good medical care.
Hi Christie, you are going well with your goals. I do understand how you have been feeling with your course. I tend to get a bit of imposter syndrome at times, when trying something new. We have just returned from holidays, so that was the July highlight. For August, I’m planning to get my blogs organised and up to date.
Thank you, Jen. Well said, I hadn’t thought of this experience in terms of imposter syndrome, but that definitely has a lot to do with how I’m feeling. I’m happy for you that you were able to get a holiday in this month. Good luck with your August organization goals!
Hi Christie, I always enjoy reading your updates and you’re really kicking goals! Your course sounds interesting and I understand the feeling of being out of your depth or the old imposter syndrome but you seem to getting past that :). I tried the lifestyle changes in relation to cholesterol (and high blood pressure) but being hereditary I ended up having to take a low dosage of medication, which I must say is working well.
All the best for August and your gaols for the month. Thanks for joining us for #WBOYC
Hello Debbie. I am working through my feelings of overwhelm, and if nothing else, I think I will benefit in the long run from facing my fears of doing something new and not necessarily being good at it right away.
I’m glad the medications are working well for you, and if the lifestyle changes don’t do the trick for me, I will be okay with taking medication. There is definitely a hereditary component at play in my situation as well. I’m happy to have options for living the healthiest life possible. Here’s to a healthy, happy August for both of us!