Taking Stock
This is a long post filled with me thinking out loud and waffling on ... you have been warned!!
I've made so many changes to my life over the last year. Some changes have been successful immediately, the majority have been tweaked and evolved until I am happy, and quite a few have fallen by the wayside. I'm not complaining, but now I want to pause and take stock.
I've made so many changes to my life over the last year. Some changes have been successful immediately, the majority have been tweaked and evolved until I am happy, and quite a few have fallen by the wayside. I'm not complaining, but now I want to pause and take stock.
All the changes to do with the home have thankfully been successful. I'm happy with how my home looks and the atmosphere I've created in each room. There are some minor tweaks still to happen when funds allow, and I haven't completed the decluttering yet but on the whole all home issues are heading in the right direction.
I'm still looking for some help with the garden.Ced was the gardener so coping alone is a work in progress. I may have found someone who can advise on the aspects of the garden maintenance I could easily do myself if I'm shown exactly what to do but I still need to find someone to do the heavier work for me. On the whole the garden issues are manageable and I am working towards finding a solution to the problem.
So far so good. I have plenty of time to keep on top of home and garden related tasks and still have the social life I am seeking. This is the part of my life which has seen the most changes and a couple of friends are querying whether I am doing too much which has prompted me to pause and evaluate all that I'm doing.
This all came to a head last night when P & L asked why I was doing so much which lead to us drawing grids to prove that, although it sounds like a lot, I actually still have plenty of free time. P worked it all out so I am going to bore you with it now ... assuming 8 hours sleep leaves 16 hours every day, which equals 112 hours in a week or 448 hours for a four week month. Realistically I'm not busy for the full 16 hours we allowed in each day but just go with it for now please. Looking at what I do every month it adds up to about 80 hours spread over the month. Not every week is the same but even if this is rounded up to 100 hours in case I've underestimated, it still leaves 348 hours for 'me time', which equates to 21.75 days every month when I have no plans or committments. In the end P grudgingly agreed that I wasn't that busy!
Keeping in mind that I live alone I am currently asking myself if my current social arrangements are enough. At the moment, I don't know the answer to that question, but it's something for me to keep in mind. I won't add any more regular group activities (except the family tree group which is 2 hours once a month) until I am sure that the U3A groups are fulfilling their designated role in my life. I'm still in that newbie stage where it will take some effort on my part to get to know the other group members, a situation which has it's own particular stresses, so I will wait until I feel completely at ease until I decide whether I need or want more things to do. On paper I think I do, but on paper doesn't take account of energy levels, health, general moods etc. so time will tell on that one. I don't want to be rushing through my days and I obviously still want to have time for all my hobbies and interests.
One of the other important areas I need to address with some urgency is to improve my fitness levels and lose weight. I was losing weight steadily but recently have plateaued so need to re-evaluate and decide what to do next. I have no idea so any suggestions will be very much appreciated please ... I didn't get on with Slimming World and don't fancy the Weight Watcher's plan. I also need to resume exercising without aggravating my knee problems so again, any suggestions will be appreciated .... but not swimming!!
I've run out of steam and am not sure that I've covered everything that's on my mind. It's a good start though and it's confirmed that my focus needs to be on fitness, weight loss, and tweaking my weekday routine ... so that's where I'll start. A round of applause if you got this far. Now go and have a hot drink and a choccy biccy as a reward!
I'm still looking for some help with the garden.Ced was the gardener so coping alone is a work in progress. I may have found someone who can advise on the aspects of the garden maintenance I could easily do myself if I'm shown exactly what to do but I still need to find someone to do the heavier work for me. On the whole the garden issues are manageable and I am working towards finding a solution to the problem.
So far so good. I have plenty of time to keep on top of home and garden related tasks and still have the social life I am seeking. This is the part of my life which has seen the most changes and a couple of friends are querying whether I am doing too much which has prompted me to pause and evaluate all that I'm doing.
This all came to a head last night when P & L asked why I was doing so much which lead to us drawing grids to prove that, although it sounds like a lot, I actually still have plenty of free time. P worked it all out so I am going to bore you with it now ... assuming 8 hours sleep leaves 16 hours every day, which equals 112 hours in a week or 448 hours for a four week month. Realistically I'm not busy for the full 16 hours we allowed in each day but just go with it for now please. Looking at what I do every month it adds up to about 80 hours spread over the month. Not every week is the same but even if this is rounded up to 100 hours in case I've underestimated, it still leaves 348 hours for 'me time', which equates to 21.75 days every month when I have no plans or committments. In the end P grudgingly agreed that I wasn't that busy!
Keeping in mind that I live alone I am currently asking myself if my current social arrangements are enough. At the moment, I don't know the answer to that question, but it's something for me to keep in mind. I won't add any more regular group activities (except the family tree group which is 2 hours once a month) until I am sure that the U3A groups are fulfilling their designated role in my life. I'm still in that newbie stage where it will take some effort on my part to get to know the other group members, a situation which has it's own particular stresses, so I will wait until I feel completely at ease until I decide whether I need or want more things to do. On paper I think I do, but on paper doesn't take account of energy levels, health, general moods etc. so time will tell on that one. I don't want to be rushing through my days and I obviously still want to have time for all my hobbies and interests.
One of the other important areas I need to address with some urgency is to improve my fitness levels and lose weight. I was losing weight steadily but recently have plateaued so need to re-evaluate and decide what to do next. I have no idea so any suggestions will be very much appreciated please ... I didn't get on with Slimming World and don't fancy the Weight Watcher's plan. I also need to resume exercising without aggravating my knee problems so again, any suggestions will be appreciated .... but not swimming!!
I've run out of steam and am not sure that I've covered everything that's on my mind. It's a good start though and it's confirmed that my focus needs to be on fitness, weight loss, and tweaking my weekday routine ... so that's where I'll start. A round of applause if you got this far. Now go and have a hot drink and a choccy biccy as a reward!
For exercise when there's a knee problem (or similar) I wonder if swimming is the way to go. It's very supported and pretty calorie burning as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of way would you like to go with food? I can appreciate that SW and WW don't work for everyone. If you're into home cooking, how about getting the Pinch of Nom books and basing a few weeks on the recipes in there. They are pretty good and calorie counted as well.
I'll have the hot drink, thanks, but maybe an apple? :-)
xx
Thanks for reminding me. I have the Pinch of Nom book (the first one) so that can be my starting point. I can also use Slimming Eats and Two Chubby Cubs recipes as well. It's a good weekend for a bit of recipe planning ... it's too windy to venture outside.
DeleteSwimming isn't a good activity for me I'm afraid. I'm only comfortable doing breaststroke but the leg action aggravates the knee problem. The physio confirmed that my knee isn't currently stable enough for any swimming.
If you're having an apple, may I have your choccy biccy please?
A grid to show what you are doing sounds like hard work!.........maybe you are over thinking it?
ReplyDeleteI just go with the flow - but then I'm a lazy cow!
The grid was only done to settle an argument and prove I was right 😊. It took P about 15 minutes to do and he had to do the washing up when he was proved wrong so I won ... not that we are childish or anything. It also provides me with back up visual information in addition to the daily info I have to record for the next time I go to the doctor.
DeleteAh, my favorite type of posts, where you think out loud. :) Add me to the list of friends who have wondered if you are doing too much, simply because it sounds like a lot to me. I know you have your reasons for wanting to engage in various activities, as they help you to get out of the house, meet people and socialize, etc. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I admire your efforts to do so. As for me, I am happy to just stay at home, all day, most days! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for improving fitness and losing weight - I'm afraid I'm hopeless at that! I haven't had much success with the walking and I haven't been able to lose any weight! If swimming is out, could you do something like water aerobics?
Thank Bless. It does sound like I'm doing a lot but in reality the the socialising takes up a less time than you think and I actually spend most of my time alone.
DeleteI'm just going to have to be stricter with myself on the losing weight side of things as that will help with the knee problems. Although I didn't specifically mention water aerobics with the physio I think the lack of stability in my knee would still be an issue.
I like that you are open to letting your friend look at the schedule with you :) Some people just need more in-person social interaction than others. You'll find your own water level as you live into your schedule, and your friend will be there with an outside eye if you need it :)
ReplyDeleteI have several friends who have lost weight by reducing carbohydrates. They aren't on any of the diets but have just tried to eat fewer carbs in the day. Less bread, less sugar, etc, has made a big difference for them.
For exercise, have you tried yoga? There's even chair yoga! I'm a big fan of yoga as a type of exercise suitable for anyone because it's adaptable. If you see a group offered for Tai Chi, that's also an excellent form of exercise that's not strenuous. Another type of exercise that is easy on the knees is using upper body strengthening exercises using light weights. You can do them standing still, or you can even sit for those.
I'm quite happy to discuss plans and ideas with friends but in this case it moved from chatting about recent changes to explaining in detail how my time was allocated each day because my friend's husband was being a bit of a know it all and pontificating about the mistakes I was making!
DeleteCoincidentally I've been reviewing the food diary I've been keeping for the doctor and wondered whether too many carbs is part of the problem. I'm re-doing my meal plan with this in mind to see if it makes a difference. Thanks for the suggestion.
I haven't done yoga for years but it's something to consider. I've been looking on YouTube for some seated exercises and also online to see if there are any additional exercises to strengthen my knee.
Sounds like your friend's hubby might need a lesson in boundaries ;)
DeleteI like Dr. Jo's Youtube channel. Here's a video from her that covers 7 knee strengthening exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOrc3zADC7k I need more focus on hip strengthening, and her videos have been helpful for me.
Thank you for the link. I'll have a look tomorrow.
DeleteYes, P oversteps the mark sometimes but I think his heart is in the right place.
I think you should only take on what you want to take on. If there are social activities that you enjoy - do them, but if there are some that are so-so don't be afraid to stop doing them. I admit I'm not a very social person. I sometimes wish I could summon up the courage to attend new things - good for you for doing that - but then I wonder whether it would become something I'd feel obligated to attend rather than doing it for enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I am only taking on things I want to do and if I change my mind I will just stop going and will try something else instead. The one thing that all the activities have in common is that there is no committment required from any of the group members ... everyone is doing it because they want to and if they need a break, then they take one. Maybe the socialising is more important to me because I live alone and would never see or do anything if I didn't make the effort.
Delete.... never see anyone or do anything ....
DeleteHi I am useless at swimming but really enjoyed aqua aerobics. The water supports your body and you are working against the force of the water. Check with the physio first as you do not want to do any damage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion Moira.
DeleteI will check with the physio but I think it may still cause problems with my knee. I've decided to concentrate on strengthening that joint by doing specific exercises to target that problem before I try anything else.