2023 - Positivity And Progress!

leftatthetrafficlights

It's the last day of the month and I'm feeling very positive about the month ahead! 😁 

Financially, the slush fund and savings have taken a larger hit than expected from buying the bed and mattresses - slush fund has gone completely and savings are down £100 😳 however, they are a necessary expense, the bed and mattress for my grandbaby are a long term investment as they will see him through to adulthood due to the amount of use they will receive and our new mattress will hopefully give dh a better night's sleep so worth every penny! 

I will refill the savings account first then go onto the 50/50 slush fund and DNF plan. The grocery bill is pretty good at the moment- we're still working our way through the freezers and I am repurposing leftovers. Dh is away next week so it should be a reasonably cheap week for me - however, I won't be able to use anything from the freezer as everything is frozen in too large a quantity so it will be fresh stuff only. Thankfully, I'm planning on a detox month for April anyway so it suits me well really! 😉

I'm restarting the 30 day Center practice tomorrow and I'll be following the April practice calendar too - I'll be doing the Center practice in the morning and the other in the evening. I really want to get myself sorted in April, I've done pretty well in March but have had a few distractions here and there which have thrown me off course temporarily- not for long but enough to annoy me!

So, April is my 'total commitment' month - I'm going to be entirely indulgent health wise and concentrate on self-care. I'm looking to lose weight by eliminating all rubbish; build strength and flexibility through asana practice; clean out my insides by eating simply and cleanly; take better care of my outsides by moisturising, using hair and face treatments; clean out my head by meditation and being in nature. 

I'm also having a break from the internet and TV - other than updating this thread and the others I subscribe to here once a day, I'm staying away from my phone and the TV will only be on for yoga videos and music. I've got a number of books I want to read so I intend to get through them in April. Obviously dh will not be participating in the TV free month but we don't watch the same things anyway and I am very capable of being totally absorbed in reading and not even noticing the TV is on! I've also got my yoga room to retreat to if I feel the need 😉

I'm really looking forward to the peace that April promises to bring, it feels like a fresh start! 🙌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Day one has gone well! 😁 

I started my day with a lemon water then had a smoothie for breakfast- watermelon, apple, strawberries and frozen mixed berries - it was very nice! 

I had a late lunch of salad leaves, strawberries, grapes, tri-colour quinoa and dark speckled lentils cooked in stock with mixed herbs and dressed it all with a  balsamic glaze. 

I was going to have broccoli spears, cauliflower and the quinoa/lentil mix with tarragon tonight but to be honest,  I'm just not hungry now so I will have that for lunch tomorrow instead...

Asana practice also went well- I did day 1 of Center this morning and day 1 of the April calendar this evening - I've got to say that I'm pretty tired now so I'm about to go and have a shower, exfoliate and moisturise then have an early night! There's a music video on YouTube that I find really relaxing so I think I'll put that on to meditate and fall to sleep to. 

No money spent today so I'm pleased with that and all food taken from stores 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

I was away last week for a few days and managed to pick up yet another cold so haven't had any energy for the past couple of days 🤦‍♀️ suffice to say that I didn't get to day 3 of the asana practice as a result! However, I'm feeling quite a bit better now so normal service will resume tomorrow 😉 

I had a lovely day yesterday- did a couple of bits in the garden then sat down on the swing seat for most of the day just taking in the peace, listening to the waterfall and birds and watching the squirrels, pheasants and a deer - it was really good for my soul! ❤️ 

Today we are finally planting the veg seeds - but other than that and making morroccan lemon and potato casserole I am having a day of chillaxing and reading - I'll be spending nothing and having another perfect day! 😍😁

Blackcats

Your April plans sound very good.  

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @Blackcats 😊 

I've had a busy couple of days- my cleaner is on holiday so I've had to do my own housework!! 😳😂 Yesterday I did all the stuff that I've needed doing for a while - cleaning the hallway grout, removing marks from doors, deep cleaning of some other areas upstairs, sorting the wardrobe and sorting the grandbaby's bedroom. Today I have emptied and cleaned the fridge and deep cleaned the hob. Later I'll finish off downstairs and give everything else a quick once over. It's been busy and tiring - it's reasonably simple doing the day to day stuff but the deep cleaning stuff is hard work! What it has brought to the forefront though is my need to keep on top of stuff - my cleaner does a good job with the day to day stuff but I'd completely taken my eye off the ball of the other things - having a cleaner has made me complacent- so I need to make sure that I am more aware of things and do them as they arise as opposed to when they become shockingly apparent!! 

Food wise we're still finishing off the soup - it will be a soup and salad night for me tonight then tomorrow it's back to reducing the freezer contents- dh is out tomorrow night though so I'll either get something out that is a 1 portion thing or stick to salad. 

We got all the veg seeds planted on Monday that we wanted to sort - the kitchen table is pretty much covered in plant pots etc - I'm really looking forward to watching them grow and then eating the results! We've got flower seeds to put in this weekend and a few bulbs. 

Asana practice etc has been put on hold until Friday- I'm still feeling a bit washed out from the cold (and still have symptoms) so with the energy expended on the house, I don't think it's wise to push myself too hard. I'm okay with that though- having a clean house is massively important to my mental well being so I'm happy with the trade!! 

leftatthetrafficlights

My cleaner is back today!! 🙌😁 I'm looking forward to handing the baton back 😂 

I've had a very productive few days in the garden and really enjoyed the sunshine - the difference it makes to how I feel is much more apparent now that I rarely leave the house - it's made me realise that the 'nature' part of my day is probably more important than the other bits so I'm going to start doing a walk daily...I used to walk loads when I had my dogs but rarely do more than to and from the car these days 🤦‍♀️ 

Thursday is the New Moon - and I'm having a day of indulgence!! I've got a session in a sensory deprivation tank booked for the morning, a jaunt around the city following that and then an evening alone as dh is at a friend's 😁 I'm going to do asana practice plus a hair and face treatment on the evening and go to sleep with the sounds of waves or the forest on YouTube. It's going to be fab!! 😍

leftatthetrafficlights

It's been a while! 😳🤦‍♀️ 

The sensory deprivation session was okay but nothing special unfortunately and my day of indulgence didn't work out as dh was unwell - best laid plans!! 🙈😂😂😂 

Things have been going pretty well other than incurring a back injury which has meant that I've had to avoid most excercise for the past 10 days - it's improving now though so I'm hoping that I can do some gentle practice from Friday. 

Money wise, things have been mixed - dh got a bit of a bonus at work but I've had to spend quite a bit on a variety of things - not a real issue as the money is available but I'd rather be saving it than spending it! 

Food wise, things are changing - I've decided that I'm going to more of a wholefood vegan diet. I've been watching a few videos/lectures/films etc recently (including Dr Greger) and have decided that if I'm going to start taking my health seriously I need to make some changes, starting with my food intake. It's not a massive change for me but I'm sure it will be enough to make a difference. 

I'm going to see where I am in three months sticking to all the recommendations - I have a few days away that will mean that I am unlikely to be able to stick to it on those days but it should be embedded enough by then for me to be able to be pretty much on point. 

I'm looking forward to starting it on Friday - I'll do some shopping tomorrow to stock up on things I need - it may end up costing a bit more but it will be worth every penny if it protects/improves my health 😊 

leftatthetrafficlights

The wholefood plant based diet is going well and I'm starting to feel better in general - I've not stuck to it 100% - I've had a few days where I've eaten things which are off plan but only a few bits here and there so no real impact from those. I've not been as active as I would like to be - I've done a bit of work in the garden but I really need to get back into a regular routine. I've got my grandbaby for a week so will start doing more once he goes home again at the weekend. It's lots of fun though even if it means my plans for me are temporarily on hold! 😁 

In general, I'm happy with where I am, I feel better than I have done physically for a while, I'm in control of the finances, my garden is coming together nicely and I'm living a really good life 😁 

leftatthetrafficlights

I've been really busy over the past couple of weeks getting stuff sorted ready for a 'fresh start' in June...the major 'frog' of sorting the beds in the front garden has been completed- we have cleared them all and topped them up with fresh compost today - tomorrow we will do the replanting and prettying them up. The house is a bit of a mess at the moment but I'm okay with that - we're away next week so other than a quick whizz around tomorrow, it can wait until the end of next week when we're back. 

I've not done asana practice or kept to the wholefoods this week due to being so focused on other stuff but I've filled the house full of the things that will be needed to get back on the wagon once I'm back home so I'm happy with the progress made! 😁

Blackcats

Have a nice time away