When I posted my goals, I was not intending to post a monthly progress report, but I do have some progress, and I'm in need of something to post about, so there you have it!
The Health Department
First up--and I don't think I went public on this one, but as of January 25, I am now on the decaf. And I'm trying not to be all sad-face about it--after all, doesn't this now mean that I can enjoy coffee whenever I want? Why did I decide to go decaf? The main reason was my head. I have known for years that I am very sensitive to caffeine. I gave up colas about twenty years ago, and since then, coffee and chocolate have been my main sources of caffeine. I drank coffee on and off during my three pregnancies and nursing time. I would occasionally venture into the 3 o'clock cuppa to get me through the dinner hour. Sometimes I would enjoy the second cup in the morning--but always, always with the knowledge that this must be either a very, very rare occurrence, or it must happen at the same time every day in order to avoid the dreaded headaches.
Any deviation in my caffeine intake results in a headache. The maintenance became too much. I love coffee. I love super-dark, almost chewy coffee, with sugar and cream. I love the smell of it, I love the taste of it. I have several different favorite coffee mugs. But lately I could feel my body preparing itself for that morning caffeine rush, and I decided that it's time to cut the caffeine. I am never (I know, never say never) going to give up chocolate, so I decided to switch over to decaf.
I began weaning myself on January 1, and as of the 25th, I'm fully decaffeinated. The only real bummer is that Rob has not gone decaf, so on weekends, I have to make two pots of coffee. I've had to spend some extra time in the coffee aisle to find a dark roast decaf, but it exists!
The IT Department
I learned how to back up my phone pictures onto my laptop. Now I need to remember to delete unnecessary pictures from my phone, because my phone storage is still almost full. I also purchased Microsoft Office for my laptop.
The English Department
I have successfully completed an online book club course through edX.org. I took a course on Jane Eyre, and I enjoyed it. The first lesson I learned is that I should have been at least halfway through the book before the course started because I had to play catch up that first week. Each week there was a homework assignment that required me to research something about the author or the book and post it to the discussion board. Then I had to post comments to at least two other students' postings. There were also five or six discussion questions posted each week, and there was a short weekly quiz. It was fun, and a little strange to be going through my week secretly contemplating Byronic heroes and Gothic literature!
I'm already signing up for the next course/book club for February, A Room With a View.
The Physical Education Department
I received a new Fitbit for Christmas. I knew right away that the 10,000 step daily goal was a stretch for me. I estimated that I could aim for 8,000 steps for 5 out of 7 days and then 10,000 for the other 2 days of the week. And I kept missing the goals.
And then, I changed my daily goal down to 6,000 steps per day. And I hit or exceeded the goal every single day.
After a week, I bumped it up to 7,000 steps per day. And I've been hitting or exceeding it every day. It's like I love to just crush the goal, and I try to see how early in the day I can meet the goal. No lie--on the Sunday we were shoveling out, I hit 7,000 steps by 10 a.m.
I think I will have to lower my increments as I continue to increase, because on a weekday, there is only so much walking I can do in between my many rounds of driving kids to activities. I will let you know how this plays out.
The Keeping It Real Department
One of my goals is to post here three times a week. That has been a fail so far. Sometimes I think that, like Gretchen Rubin, I'd do better here if I posted daily. Then there's no room for error. One reason I don't post daily is content: what would I say every day? I don't want this to be an online diary, and I'm sure nobody wants to read an online diary! In order to successfully post even three times per week, I'm going to need a game plan. The link-ups are easy--built in content, I know what I'm going to say then. That's why this is a goal. You will be able to see the progress throughout the year.
So there you have it--some early progress. See you again soon!
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