Back in the beginning, I said I would be doing a weekly review of my progress. To measure this, I am using my trusty Fitbit for the steps and sleep statistics, and to track the days I meditate. I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty disappointing start on my journey, but this is exactly why I’m doing this. No matter the level of my success each week, accountability happens here in the roundup.
Fitness Challenge
I only managed to reach 10,000 steps on five out of the ten days. I did come down with a little bit of sickness for a few of those days. And, I find it is harder for me to walk and exercise more on the weekends despite having so much free time. I tend to turn into a blob for at least one day, recovering from the work week. More movement would help me feel better so I just have to try harder to be active. I did manage to increase my step average to 8,000, which is nice to see.
Starting average: 7,500 steps
Current Average: 8,000 steps
Goal Reached: 5/10 days
Stress Relief Challenge
I surprised myself a little with the meditation challenge. I thought it would be the easiest of my goals to reach. However, I only meditated four out of the ten days. Initially, I practiced before bed with the idea that it would also help my sleep. Instead, I would forget until I was about to fall asleep and would choose not to. I also realized I didn’t like the app I was using. I prefer guided meditation, but there was too much talking. So, I’m trying a new app to see if it’s more to my liking.
Goal reached: 4/10 days
Self-care Challenge
To increase the length of my sleep, I started going to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual. I was successful at sticking to the new bedtime every single night. Unfortunately, it didn’t help my overall sleep. I’m maintaining my average of six and a half hours of sleep a night. For this next week, I’m moving my bedtime up another 30 minutes. Hopefully, that will make a difference.
Starting Average: 6.5 hours/night
Current Average: 6.5 hours/night
Goal Reached: 4/10 nights
Weight
I honestly wasn’t sure I would be tracking this metric. Yes, I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to be ruled by the scale. However, it is an easy way to measure change and I’ve found that easy works best for me.
Starting Weight: 260.4 pounds
Current Weight: 258 pounds
While I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted to, I believe this is pretty realistic for me. And, if I’m being honest, I’m surprised at the progress that I did make. There may be room for improvement, but isn’t that always the case? Despite my disappointment, I’d say this was a relatively successful start.