2018 Objective - One Month In

A few weeks ago, I shared a page and a little about my objective for this year to be healthier by increasing my consumption of some foods, hopefully replacing some poorer choices and by increasing my activity level. 

So how am I doing?  In a couple of areas, fairly well.  I've been eating more chicken and fish and thus less red meat and pork.  Some weeks I have achieved my goal of red meat only once a week.  I would do more fish except my husband doesn't like really any white fish. I love flounder and tilapia but he cringes at the mere mention of them.  So I usually eat these when he is going to be traveling or out for the day.  With the bitterly cold January we have had, he has not been going out as much.  Plus it is just not the time of the year for many activities that would take him or me away for the day.  On the other hand, he could eat chicken every day. I'm the one who gets tired of it.  So I think this 'more chicken and fish' will continue to progress.

Another area that has gone well is, surprisingly, very surprisingly --- cleaning.  There is one problem when you go looking for dirt. You find it! Or at least I did.  Who knew there were so many dust bunnies in this house?  And who gave them a cute name like dust bunnies?  I like bunnies. Maybe that is why I've been so comfortable letting them live with me for so long. Well no more.  I've been vacuuming under and over things, walls and ceilings. I've had to get creative to reach some of them on pitched ceilings.  I'm sure there are tools for this but 1) I doubt I'll be this ambitious forever - it will get warm eventually and I can move onto the outside work and 2) I like the creativity of duct tapping the broom handle to the vacuum wand and adding a dryer sheet to the end to pick up the dust.

DH might not think this cleaning thing is so great because after I finished the main living areas of the house I started on the basement and the office - his spaces or at least what is supposed to be 'partially' his spaces.  Right now, he is in the basement cleaning out and organizing because frankly I couldn't even get to some of my cabinets for his stuff.  I think this is a good thing. I'm sure he would have been happy to step over and around stuff forever.

I have done some of most of the other things on the list including trying a new complex recipe that used several anti inflammatory spices. Chicken Tiki Masala was good but needs a 2nd effort to improve.

So what hasn't worked?  Having too many things to focus on each day.  My list was long and overwhelming.  For February I'm picking out one of the items to really focus on each day and continue with the cleaning and eating less red meat.

The weather has also worked against me in that I haven't gone outside to do any yard work all month.  This isn't entirely surprising but the below freezing temps for several days running is unuual  weather in NC.

On a positive note I'm making progress on a couple of other objectives I set for myself this year.  So I'm pleased with the start of 2018.

Did you set objectives or resolutions?  How are you doing?

Hope you have a wonderful day!