2026 - Mindful Living and Connection

leftatthetrafficlights

Welcome @Slowdown 😁 well done on cutting down the alcohol 🙌 it's certainly not an easy thing to do but it's worthwhile - although I tend to think 'allegedly' when the cravings are bad!! 🤦‍♀️😂 I think the worst thing is that years ago when I quit (I'm a serial 'giver-upper'!) the cravings were hideous for the first three days and then it all calmed down and I was fine - this time, the first few days were relatively easy but the last few have been really tricky! I'm sure it shouldn't be getting harder!! 🙄😔 Oh well, I shall persevere and hopefully it will stop eventually! 🤞

Yesterday I processed the elderberries into cordial and bottled that (only made around 3/4 of a litre - we really should have harvested earlier; many of the elderberries had seen better days and the recent torrential rain and wind took a lot off the bushes) - we've got it in 2 bottles - one in the fridge and the other in the freezer 😁

We also picked and processed the damsons so today it's just using the fluid to make the jelly and using the pulp to make the chutney - other than chopping onions, garlic and apples it's not too much work! I have some damson 'cheese' in the fridge that I made last year but we're not that keen on so I'm repurposing that into the chutney too!

I was going to nip to the shop to get some sugar as I don't have any brown/demerara but I'm going with the flow and use white - I'm also going to use a flavoured balsamic that I made ages ago (haven't used it as I am obsessed with the blood orange one at the moment! 🙄🤦‍♀️😂). Everything is coming from the storecupboard and garden so a very cheap way to increase stocks of yummy stuff! 😁

I am looking forward to a reasonably quiet day today - I'll do my practices, sort out the moggies and then do some mindful cleaning before I sort the jam stuff - I'm going to leave the kitchen clean until after I've finished making the chutney etc though! 😂

I've decided that I've got enough to do today so I'm starting my walks tomorrow - Monday is always a fairly busy day for me as it's my 'cleaning after the weekend' session so it takes a few hours minimum - it's harder now that I have grandbabies at least every other weekend and a house full of cats! To be honest, I should do more at the weekend on the house but I'd rather spend it doing stuff with dh - however, now the footie season is underway, I think I'll do weekend cleaning when its on and not just read or cook!

Anyway, I digress! Point is, I want to start my walks again. I'm two weeks in to my withdrawal from toxins, I've been pretty consistent with a healthy diet (I've had a couple of questionable meals but nothing really dodgy), reasonably consistent with asana practice and am definitely more active than I was so now it's time to step up a gear on my healthy lifestyle.

From tomorrow I want to do two weeks of consistent walking and build up my distance then I'm going to start the C25K challenge - I think that it will be beneficial to my stamina and I'm also going to do home 'gym' sessions on the days I do the challenge as I'll be out of the house for less time than on my normal walks 😉 I also want to increase my asana sessions to two a day - I should be able to do this without too much difficulty, I think alternate days will be the way to start it though so I'm planning on doing them on the days I don't do the C25K and seeing how that pans out 🤔

I'm tired just writing all of that - it does not bode well!! 😂😂

Have a fab mindful day! 🐌😁

KajiKita

I think you are doing really well. So hard quitting two such pleasure centre lighting up substances at once.

I think with the exercise I would dial it up more slowly. Include more rest days to start with - home gym every 3rd day for example and don't walk seriously on those days. Though do walk for 20 minutes after lunch and dinner every day, if you can as that is shown to make an appreciable difference to weight loss. When do the cats go back? I think you'll have more head space and energy once they are no longer with you.

KK

Brie

Now you've got me thinking smoothies and I'm wondering what to put in them. I don't generally like green ones, i.e. no veg, so it would be fruit and yoghurt maybe. I don't like bananas in them either as I don't do freckled 'nanas and they always taste freckled once mashed IYKWIM.

Maybe if I get some apples, peel those, add in some of the frozen cherries whole and then thin with some orange juice? Any other suggestions?

It would be nice to have something easy for breakfast given that the strawberries etc are now past their best unless one pays excessively for imported.

leftatthetrafficlights

@Brie - my smoothies have watermelon, frozen berries, apples, kale or chard, ginger, turmeric, nigella seeds, amla powder and flax seed in them. I also dislike bananas in smoothies! 🤢

If its just fruit, watermelon is a good base - it's a lot of fluid and helps everything blend. Apples, frozen berries, mango, papaya, pears, plums etc can be added as a mix or individually - any fruit really! Mango and lime is nice; apples with cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup is a lovely autumn flavour; papaya with mango and a bit of chilli is a lovely sweet and warm mixture- the combos are endless! 😉

Wednesday2000

I used to think green smoothies sounded really weird, but I usually have a banana, spinach and apple one and I don't taste the spinach at all. I really like pineapple and orange ones too with some plant milk and ice cubes. Very refreshing in the summer.😍

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks @KajiKita 😁 it is tricky but I'm determined to stay on the straight and narrow 😉 don't worry about the fitness programme - I'll always listen to my body and it's partly aspirational! 😂 The provisional date for the moggies to leave the building is the end of this month but I'm not counting on anything just in case!

@Wednesday2000 - I've never put plant milk in a smoothie - just fruit and veg 🤔 I am quite fussy with smoothies though; can't have banana, mango or pineapple - I like them as individual fruits but not mushed in a smoothie 🤢

So, today is day one of my 11 week fitness programme that I have designed for myself. I have done my asana and meditation practices and am currently drinking my smoothie. I'm not doing too much today - this week has been horrendous for sleeping so I'm taking it easy and hopefully I'll get a snooze in 😉 This weekend we have the grandbabies and a birthday event to attend so it's going to be challenging to do what I'd like - I'll just have to rearrange timings and muddle through as best I can! 🫣😂

Financially, I'm doing okay - dh seems to be addicted to going to the shop so we've spent more of the grocery budget than I would have liked - I'm thinking that I may have to take that over again as he goes almost daily at the moment! We do go through a lot of fruit so several trips a week are generally needed but I'm not sure that everything is needed 🤔

I have some damson and apple jelly to make over the next week or so, I'm really impressed with the first batch of damson jelly - I know there's masses of sugar in it but I don't care - it's the first time I've had a successful set in ages!

I have really enjoyed preserving this year - I have decided that I am going to do what I can to build this in the future. I'm definitely getting a pressure canner next year (or perhaps earlier) so that I can really ramp up the preserving of our home grown produce - I was going to order it today but it's gone up quite dramatically in price so I'll just wait until it reduces again 🤦‍♀️ I really want to get it before the winter holidays - although it's predominantly going to be used for home grown stuff, it would be nice to have it available for the cheap veg deals 😉

I've also been looking at dehydrated 'camping/backpacking meals to make - I'm thinking that in the event of a power cut, having some 'just add water' meals would be useful 🤔 I'm determined to get as big as store as is reasonable of ambient foods - I'd really like to be able to have as many no shopping days as possible during the winter and a good emergency store too - I'm going to start dehydrating meals leftovers occasionally to see what works 😉 I'm hopeful that my ds will have moved on by the end of this year and I'll have a great deal more storage space again! 🤞 Ideally, I'd like to change our small spare room into a 'pantry' now that my grandson doesn't do sleepovers anymore but I think I'd receive too many objections!

Right, time to trawl youtube for some music 😁

Have a fab mindful day! 🧘‍♀️😁

debtfreewannabe321

Morning @leftatthetrafficlights I've just read through your thread and will follow along ❤️. I'm trying to bring mindfulness and meditation back into my life. I'm unsure why I neglected the practice of it in the first place tbh. I'm guessing it was just 'life' and once it's not a habit any more it's hard to bring back. I've been meditating and journalling consistently for a week or so now. I always find September is my reset month to start new things and drop unhealthy things.

Talking of which I've just tried to cut down on caffeine and omg the headache was worse than any hangover I've ever had?! So I'm back on it, albeit weaker and less of them to wean down 🙈🤣.

Ps my fave go to reiki music is Reiki Gold. I found it about twenty years ago at a meditation group and immediately bought it on CD and listen to it all the time when I need a bit of calming music 🎶.

leftatthetrafficlights

Welcome aboard @debtfreewannabe321 ! 😁 I'm glad you're trying to revisit mindfulness and meditation- it is tricky to get back into but it really does make such a difference 🧘‍♀️😁 I feel the same about September - it does feel like the end of a 'period' with the kids back at school, the weather changing etc so it feels right for a reset 😉 Caffine headaches are awful - I don't drink it often now but I remember being very unimpressed! 😖 Hopefully your new tactics will help 😉

Grandbabies have gone home, birthday event done and house no longer in total chaos! 🤪😂 the rest of this afternoon is going to be spent decompressing - I'm exhausted! 🫣😂

Next week I want to get full on with the flylady thread - the moggies are relocating at the end of this month and I want to have the house as close to decent as it can be when they leave so that the deep clean won't feel so overwhelming! 😳 I'm getting all the debris out of the house (I'm clearing out the wardrobes this week and getting the animal rescue/charity shop/recycling/bin stuff done) so that the decks are cleared and I'm going to give myself a day or two once they've left to be sad about them leaving before I eliminate all traces of them being here (although it's going to take a while as the place needs redecorating and re-carpeting but the cleaning can be sorted! 🙌)

Right, I'm going to mooch at some diaries - have a wonderful mindful day! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

I've spent the last two days with a pounding headache so achieved nothing! 🤦‍♀️ better now though so I've cleaned the house, made chutney and done half of the lawnmowing before the battery died so need to finish that once it's charged!

No asana or meditation done since Friday 🙄 it's really difficult when the grandbabies are here as I can't use the yoga room and the front room is always covered in toys (and the babies!) - my bedroom isn't conducive to asana practice either due to the lack of stretching out space! 🤦‍♀️ I'll just have to accept that kid weekends are going to be asana free until the moggies have relocated 🤷‍♀️ I didn't do Monday or Tuesday due to feeling pants and the house was soooo scary this morning that cleaning had to take precedence!! 😳😂

I'm going to sort my budgets once I've finished everything - I made the decision to buy a pressure canner so that we can have ambient food available and utilise all our home grown produce - it's a significant outlay but will save us a fortune long term so worth it! Probably should have bought it at the beginning of the season but it's going to be handy when the veg is cheap for the winter holidays! 😉

I'm looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow- it's been a six and a half hour clean already and I'm not quite finished yet! 😳 I'm going to do my practices first thing then go for a mindful walk - hopefully the weather will stay nice! 🤞

Right, time to get the rest of the lawn done - have a lovely mindful day 🐌😁

debtfreewannabe321

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with canning. I was debating getting into doing that. But not really sure I have enough home grown stuff yet 🤣 need to get better at that first.

I bought the fly lady book and have worked my way through the whole thing now, still a fly baby though 😉✨😁 but it's really helped turn chores into a bit of fun and I've been able to keep the house clean. And even on the days I neglect things a little (or a lot) I've managed to pull it back without too much issues.