# 2015 Healthy Living * JAN 1st Start *



## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

Started a similar thread over the holidays and thought with the New Year coming up it might be a good time to reboot! :smthumbup:

Bit of Background: Everyone who stuck with the holiday thread wound up getting closer to their goals (lost weight, gained muscle, moved more, etc.) which was awesome! I even lost 7lbs which has never happened to me over Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

*Timeline is 13 weeks from a 1/1/15 start date - plenty of time to build new habits to carry us through the rest of the year! *

The premise is easy-
1) Set a healthy living goal (fitness, weight loss, nutrition, etc. Could be one goal or several - whatever works for you)
2) Begin on Jan 1 2015
3) Finish on April 1 2015 (13 weeks)

Ideally you post your progress here at least 1x week. If you like, you can also add a ticker in your signature regarding goals. Posting when you need motivation/encouragement/support is *always* encouraged. 

Also (I hope this is ok) while this is the ladies lounge I would like to open this up to gentleman as well who are working on similar goals. Doesn't seem like it should be a problem as long as we are all encouraging and respectful.

Set goals below if you are interested and I hope that 2015 is your best year yet!


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

My goals:

1) Start every day with stretching, meditation, a healthy breakfast, and my vitamins
2) Work out 3x per week
3) Lose at least 1lb per week

Baby steps.......


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## SignOfLife (Aug 13, 2014)

Some of my goals are;

1.) Slow down my thinking and be more in the moment and aware. 

2.) Take my time. One thing at a time. 

3.) Speak softly. 

4.) Organize, purge. 

5.) Resolve financial struggles.


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## 1971 (Mar 7, 2013)

First let me say congratulations Bravenewworld on your weight loss so far.

My goals for these 13 weeks would be to become an emotionally stronger person. ( on my way to ) 

Losing 5kg. ( about 11lb ) 

Taking surfing lessons ( it's summer here )

.


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## heartsbeating (May 2, 2011)

How did the 13 weeks come about - as in, why that number of weeks? I love the idea.

Kicking off the New Year, hubs and I will be going for a 6mile / 10km walk with some friends. Even I was surprised about this! I'm wanting to get back to strength training. Expecting to join the gym around Feb. The purpose is for general health and well being, to drop body fat and build muscle.

I'd like to wake earlier. I'm already attempting this simply because I like the idea of being up as daylight begins to emerge and enjoying the peacefulness of the morning.


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## heartsbeating (May 2, 2011)

bravenewworld said:


> I even lost 7lbs which has never happened to me over Thanksgiving and Christmas.


Fantastic! Well done :smthumbup:


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## primavera (Sep 4, 2014)

I like this idea Bravenewworld!

My goals are:

1) to write down three things I'm grateful for every day. I know this next few months could be stressful and difficult at work and sometimes I need help to keep in perspective how lucky I am.

2) to step away from the biscuits and cakes at work (especially as I'm an emotional eater...)

3) to make time to take exercise, as the times I feel least like doing it are the times I need it most.

4) by doing 2) & 3) to lose 1lb a week. If I can achieve that over the 13 weeks it will take me (back) to where I'd like to be.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

heartsbeating said:


> How did the 13 weeks come about - as in, why that number of weeks? I love the idea.
> 
> Kicking off the New Year, hubs and I will be going for a 6mile / 10km walk with some friends. Even I was surprised about this! I'm wanting to get back to strength training. Expecting to join the gym around Feb. The purpose is for general health and well being, to drop body fat and build muscle.
> 
> I'd like to wake earlier. I'm already attempting this simply because I like the idea of being up as daylight begins to emerge and enjoying the peacefulness of the morning.


The 13 weeks came about as everything I've read says it takes about 12 weeks to build a new habit and I figured why not that + 1 extra for good luck. :smthumbup: 

Love the waking up earlier idea. The peacefulness of the morning has become one of my favorite moments. I've been working a lot of night shifts and sleeping in until around 9-10am. Trying to train myself to go to bed earlier so I can be out and around 7-8ish instead. 

My first week was good. I'll admit, I totally screwed up on New Year's day and the day after (too many leftovers and tv binge watching) but the rest of the week has been pretty decent. Lots of veggies, water, stretching, and meditating. No alcohol. I could stand to work out more but did manage to get some strength training and a walk or two in. 

One thing I have noticed - poor eating/sleeping/exercise habits from xmas-nye gave me a HORRIBLE case of acid reflux. It's amazing the aftermath you can have after a week or two of "going off the grid" so to speak. Last night I thought I was having a heart attack. Nope. Acid reflux. So crazy. I'm going to use this bout as motivation to stay eating healthy and moving! 

How is everyone else doing? 

Also - if anyone else would like to join, it's not too late!


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

One thing I was thinking about - why do I feel the need to be "perfect" when I start anything new or attempt to change my habits? 

I knew I was suppose to post today, but was kind of dreading it because I wasn't "perfect." I didn't work out super hard, and while my eating was 75% good that's still at least 1/4 of the time I really could have made a better choice. I'm sick of putting too much sugar and processed food in my body. It's something I have to wean myself off I suppose. 

But still, isn't doing something better than doing nothing? Not looking for a pat on the back. Just wondering if I learned to accept my failings with a bit more grace while putting most of my energy into my successes, I might see better results......

I don't want to let myself off the hook....but at the same time Rome wasn't built in a day.....


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## 1971 (Mar 7, 2013)

I know what you mean about being "perfect" I struggle with that a lot. I find faults in everything I do. I was looking through some photos that were taken a few days ago, some were of me some of my kids. I picked every fault I have, I can barely look at the photos of me. Because they are not "perfect"

On a brighter note, I wrote that I have been wanting to learn how to surf. Well I haven't managed that just yet but I did go Stand Up Paddle boarding, it was fantastic. I could even stand up, it was much easier than I thought. Even my kids could do it. Lots of fun. We are going to go again next week.

I am still not able to start back at bootcamp just yet because of my headaches but I'm seeing a new physiotherapist tomorrow, I'm hoping that may be positive. I have been a little sad over Christmas and New Year but there is no point feeling sorry for myself any longer. I'm going to start back walking 5km each day again as of tomorrow. Helps me think happier thoughts.

.


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## DoF (Mar 27, 2014)

Thing about healthy living....is that it's something that should not have a DEADLINE or ever stop. Setting an end date = mistake IMO.

Thing about "new years resolutions" and the reason I don't like them....is that people look to it as some kind of magic tool or something that will help them accomplish goals. Mind you, it does work for some/many.......but my theory is, if you are going to change you would've done so already. You don't need NEW YEARS....or Monday......or birthday as a start date.

DO IT WHENEVER. Sooner the better!


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

1. Meditate more

2. Go to bed earlier


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## DoF (Mar 27, 2014)

# 2 alone will do wonders to one's health/well being.

This is a must see for any parent with a teen (and not for a second don't you think it doesn't apply to adults).

Inside The Teenage Brain | FRONTLINE | PBS

Watch it


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

I am childfree but do not function well at all without good sleep. I don't think anyone does. Parent or not, teen/adult, etc.


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## DoF (Mar 27, 2014)

Jellybeans said:


> I am childfree but do not function well at all without good sleep. I dont think anyone else. Parent or not, teen/adult, etc.


Agreed

And what was the last time you went to a doctor and they asked you "are you getting enough sleep before I give you some pills"?



PS. Even if you are not a parent I would recommend that video. Brought back a lot of childhood memories and connected a LOT of dots on my end. hehe


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

Pills for what?


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

DoF said:


> Thing about healthy living....is that it's something that should not have a DEADLINE or ever stop. Setting an end date = mistake IMO.
> 
> Thing about "new years resolutions" and the reason I don't like them....is that people look to it as some kind of magic tool or something that will help them accomplish goals. Mind you, it does work for some/many.......but my theory is, if you are going to change you would've done so already. You don't need NEW YEARS....or Monday......or birthday as a start date.
> 
> DO IT WHENEVER. Sooner the better!


So it does work for some/many but if you were going to change you would have done so already? Huh?

Not asking for clarification - just pointing out that sentence is unnecessarily negative and makes no sense. 

If you disagree with the thread/concept of focusing on building better habits over a set period of time, no worries. I suggest you start your own thread rather than rain on everyone else's parade.


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## DoF (Mar 27, 2014)

bravenewworld said:


> So it does work for some/many but if you were going to change you would have done so already? Huh?
> 
> Not asking for clarification - just pointing out that sentence is unnecessarily negative and makes no sense.
> 
> If you disagree with the thread/concept of focusing on building better habits over a set period of time, no worries. I suggest you start your own thread rather than rain on everyone else's parade.


I don't disagree. 

And don't get me wrong, change is good, knowing the issue and dealing with it is great too. So I don't want to discourage anyone here.

I just think that it doesn't have to happen on new years. Over the years, I experienced and seen TONS of people use New Years as some kind of a savior. It's not, and don't look for it to be. Most are short lived, so if it doesn't happen, don't be afraid to start ANYTIME.

I like to use Gyms as a great example of this. You go there in January and it's PACKED. As weeks go by, people are filtered out and by the time it's Feb........it's back to normal hehe

That's all.


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## soccermom2three (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks for starting a new thread, Brave. My daughter and I completed one round of training, (3 months). I didn't lose weight but I could tell I gained muscle and felt more firmer. We took off for about the last 3 weeks of the year and I ended losing 1 pound over the holidays without trying, lol.

So now we are starting round 2. The program is 3 days a week, so for the other 3 days we are going to do something cardiovascular. She plays soccer once or twice a week and I will probably walk on the treadmill for an hour on an incline. I also bought a FitBit and started up with MyFitnessPal again. Some things I really want to work on:

1) Drink more water. When I'm at work I get so involved in what I'm doing, I forget to drink water.
2) Reduce sugar intake. Over the holidays it got crazy, got to get back to healthy choices.
3) Find new healthy recipes to make for the family.


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## heartsbeating (May 2, 2011)

bravenewworld said:


> One thing I was thinking about - why do I feel the need to be "perfect" when I start anything new or attempt to change my habits?


Ah well, this is a big difference between my husband and I. I'm the type to express goals such as 'I'll go to the gym and work towards being super fit and doing pull ups!' 

Meanwhile my husband will simply take things a day at a time and as they come. He won't set out with that type of goal but instead he simply decides to move a bit more or eat a certain way that day. Thing is, his day-to-day at a time actions ends up adding up to him achieving. For him, it's not about setting an expectation but knowing where you want to be heading, and then being in the moment with that by simply accepting where you're at _today_ and that makes for his success and doesn't seem to bring that feeling of 'I didn't do this thing that I'd promised myself'. He will jokingly say _The dude abides_. Not sure if this makes sense but it does to me... yet I'll still express my inspirations as goals. Perhaps to him, it's less about what is expressed and more about what is actually done. It's in the actions. I'm a dreamer and a talker and while I put actions into place to make those dreams and words a reality, there are expectations attached.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

Hearts, if you went winery-ing with me, you would not have a cuppa in your hand. Just saying. 










Me to Hearts: "Drink up, sweetie."


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## heartsbeating (May 2, 2011)

As for healthy living.... my body feels like it needs a detox after all that. Soft cheeses and wine are my weakness. The Chardonnay is in the fridge ready to be shared in a couple of weeks with a good friend. Until then, I'm all about the green tea.


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

I love soft cheese, and beer! Drinking a kolsch right now and wishing I had a nice slice of humboldt fog and crostini to go with it.....

No weight change really - BUT I wore a pedometer for my last few waitressing shifts and realized I walk between 7-9 miles per shift. So basically, I'm walking at the bare minimum 40 miles per week. Made me feel really good!!! #smallvictories 

How's everyone else doing??


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## bravenewworld (Mar 24, 2013)

OMG, that Prince dancing gif! #iloveit


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