Not quite a month ago my husband and I started the Power 90 program. During these last 30 days, I have learned some new things about myself and grown in ways that I would never expect by starting an exercise program.
All those routines and habits that I have been wanting to form somehow started to fall into place when we started the program and I've learned to manage my time better by prioritizing the big heap of things that I want to accomplish. We started the program a few weeks after I started my first full time job and I thought that I was going to be constantly tired and not have enough time to do the cooking and cleaning that needed to be done plus the 6 day a week exercising along with keeping up doing things that I enjoy. Well, I was wrong. And am pretty happy and excited that I was wrong.
I've learned that it is possible for me to do most of the things that I need to do while also having time for a few things that I want to do. I simply have to decide what is the most important thing that needs to be done, and what I want to be done. I have come to realize that I don't have to have everything perfect. Yes, the apartment is going to have its messy days and yes there are going to be days that I can't do what I want to do. But having life without those days, we wouldn't be grateful for the good days and be happy that the good days outweigh the bad ones. Even though I've learned this, it is still a struggle for me and I have to remind myself. But I also can't let it become me where I don't do anything! There is always a happy medium.
That being said, I resort to my lists! I sat down and wrote out a list of simple things that I would like to get done daily and weekly that would keep life in this small apartment a little bit better, cleaner, and more prepared. For example:
Daily tasks:
Load/unload Dishwasher
Clear and clean kitchen and bathroom counters
Exercise
Update spending worksheet
Pick out tomorrow's clothes
Prepare tomorrow's lunch and anything needed for supper
Ten minute tidy
We've been keeping up with these checklists for a few weeks now and things are going well. I fully expect that our lists will grow and change as needed which will be great! All of these tasks are simple and don't take much time if we do them everyday. But when I let the dishes pile up and the counters get messy then it becomes a chore that I don't want to approach. Having a "ten minute tidy" is great for me. I'll admit that I don't do this quite everyday but when I do it really benefits us. Living in a studio apartment, one would hope that it wouldn't get so messy that ten minutes wouldn't be enough to tidy the place up. Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and go at your whole place or one section that needs particular attention and go at it!
Right now we are exercising after work and before supper. It works for right now but I am hoping that soon we will try working out before going to work in the mornings. This way our evenings will be set aside for supper, relaxing with each other, and any errands or chores that need to be done. We do have time for that right now, but I feel it would be nice to have the whole night in case something popped up like spending some quality time with friends or family.
Along with our routines improving, so have our eating habits. I really didn't have a whole lot of confidence in myself on this topic, however, I have improved but believe that I will never be at a point where I only eat healthy food. I don't think I can ever see myself resisting pizza or biscuits and gravy but I can see myself eating healthier snacks, less sugars, and even minimal Mountain Dew.
Snacks for me now consist of fruit, carrots, or protein bars. I can now eat salads that aren't doused in dressing. I crave them with minimal dressing now! What?! Did she just say that she craves salads? That's right! I actually crave salads now! The thought never even crossed my mind to eat tuna without mayo mixed in it. But it turns out that it is great with extra virgin olive oil, boiled egg whites, and onions on a thin bun with mustard and lettuce. I even crave water more than pop now! I'm seriously not the same person anymore!
All that being said if someone invites us out for dinner, it is nearly impossible for me to say no. But now when we do go out, Jesse and I often share a meal since restaurant portion sizes are always huge. The nice thing about this is that we have been eating out less and when we do we order less so our spending on eating out has decreased by quite a bit which can then help out with our slightly more expensive grocery bills plus have extra! I guess it is time to revise the budget!
On top of these new and exciting changes that have come along with starting an exercise program, I can actually do more than 2 push ups now! ;)
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