Anyone up for a ‘sort yourself out’ supportive encouraging thread?

[SpringOn]

Hi,
I’m 47, feeing old. I’ve very much lost my way with style, exercise, hair, you name it.
I need to:
lose two stone
decide what to do with my witchy mostly grey hair (I’ve been growing out dark brown dye for 10 months, decided to go grey, but I feel so old! Don’t know whether to go back to dye or stay grey).
mu wardrobe is a disaster. I have some decent smart work stuff but my casual clothes are basically lairy leggings and hoodies. I am a size 20.
My house needs a good clean and de clutter
I want to grow veg and have lovely flowers in the garden

Good bits:
I have a great husband, three fab kids and a job I love
I walk the dog for about 20 mins every day

Anyone want to join for self- improvement on an encouraging thread?

I would absolutely love to join you on this! And I love the idea of it being self improvement. So...

-Lose a stone (and therefore be able to wear all the nice clothes in my wardrobe)
-Keep up to eye brows
-Keep house tidy (never dirty but just bloody stuff everywhere!)
-I have 11 weeks to finish my masters dissertation. There is still a LOT to do
Get back to walking an hour every day

You sound like me with an extra kid, l have just joined April Acheivers on the weight loss section otherwise l would.

Grow your hair, it would be a shame to waste the growing out go the hair dressers and get them to make your brown hair grey, l bet it will make you feel so much better.

I’ll join - I’m a similar age. Have much more weight to lose but 3 stone before a big holiday in November would be amazing. I alternate between 2 pairs of blue jeans and a selection of baggy tops only both pairs of jeans now have holes in 😱. Need to up the exercise and keep on top of the house more.

Ah brilliant! I am so pleased not to be on this mission alone!
@Restlessinthenorth A stone seems do-able: I am aiming for just a lb per week. Which I can probably do by cutting out all the snacking. What is your strategy? I do The Organised Mum method (loosely) in the house, I manage the daily 15 minutes most days but some of the other bits slide. And wow on the Masters - 11 weeks to go! That’s great to be so near the end and you will be all done for the summer! I start an MBA in May with the OU - excited but no idea how I am going to fit it all in. What is your Masters in and how have you found it?

@Solongtoshort Ah you will have to tell us how you are getting on with the April Achievers. In most things I am good at starting but then I run out of steam! So hopefully here we can take it a week then a month at a time and see how we get on! Thanks for the advice about the hair - yes, I think I will grow it a bit (it’s quite short at the moment) but I am just so over dying it all the time! I don’t have the money or the time to go to the hairdresser often enough, and the roots start about a week after I get it dyed. I’m going to start on the rest of it (sleep, exercise, healthy eating, clothes) and then think more about the hair later I think!

@Tayegete Your wardrobe sounds a bit like mine! I have totally lost my mojo and I have NO IDEA what to wear any more. If I have a casual night out with friends I am at a complete loss. Any ideas or suggestions of shops? Or online shops to try?

How about we each post a plan for the day, maybe the night before?
Tonight:
Bath, jogging stuff out ready, early night

Tomorrow, I am going to:
Do the first Couch to 5 k session in the am
Have porridge with fruit for breakfast
Not snack between meals

@SpringOn thank you for getting us all organised and motivated.

I think I am going to do intermittent fasting but really need to get organised with filling nutritious meals to go with it. To be honest, it will have to be Tuesday onwards as my bank holiday plans seem to feature around food and drink! Do you have any plans?

I have no structure to how I sort the house so the organised mum method is probably a good thing for me to investigate. Thanks for the tip!

This MSc is healthcare related. Should have been finished aaagggeeesss ago, but life just got in the way. I have a lot to do still but the hand in date is not changing, so a few hard weeks ahead. Your OU course sounds exciting, tho I'm definitely ready for some time away from studying!

Hope everyone has woken up to some sunshine x

So meant to add....I love the idea of a nightly plan. My first will be on Monday nighr!

Sounds like you have a lovely weekend planned @Restlessinthenorth 😁Hope you enjoy it!
No big bank holiday plans here except hosting lunch on Easter Day, but only for seven so not too much hassle!
Good start so far today as I have done the first Couch to 5k run!

Hope you all have a great day!

Oooh me me me! I’ve 7.5 stone to lose (lost one already but 7.5 to go!). I’m also keen to improve my mental and physical health in general.

I’m meditating every night before bed and sleeping so much better for it but I do skip some practices so want to commit to daily practice. Drink more water. Clean eating and fasting. Current doing one meal a day but would like to do one 48 hour fast a week.

I’ve joined my local pool and want to swim at least four days a week. I start this weekend! I’ve also bought a sunbed package (don’t judge me, I don’t drink or smoke or so drugs so this is my only vice and I don’t use them frequently!).

Trying to keep up my reading momentum too - I always challenge myself to 52 books a year but so far I’m at 22 already!

Can I join ?

I need to lose some weight and just motivate myself to look after myself.

single parent with stressful job and big dog etc etc . Feel my own needs and wants are far too down the priority list. This needs to change.

Welcome @Brewskipa Lovely to have you here and well done on a stone lost! How long did it take? I have to go slow and steady and am focused on lifestyle changes rather than weight loss as it seems when I am happier and more balanced in other areas I lose weight. When I am stressed and not looking after myself I put it on.
OMAD sounds really interesting. I have never tried it, I tend to binge and also graze, but don’t eat much at actual meals, so not sure if it would work for me. How has it been for you?
No judgement here on the sun lounger package - I am feeling rather pale and pasty myself so can definitely see the appeal!
What sort of books do you like?

And welcome @PamelaBanisha 😁 What are your goals for today in terms of looking after yourself. I think putting ourselves last is really often the cause of us getting in a rut health and well-being wise. What sort of dog do you have? Mine enjoyed joining me for my run /stagger this morning.

Yes please @SpringOn! I need some accountability. And I love the idea of a nightly plan.

I've put on about 2 stone over past 3 years, and I'm feeling generally unwell and tired. My partner and I are planning to move in together later this year but I need to get my current place ready for sale. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much there is left to do, including decluttering. It's always in a mess at the moment and I want to be tidier.

My plans are:

Every day
2L water
15 min or more of HIIT or pilates
15 min meditation
Hypnosis app for IBS
Bed by 11pm
5 minute tidy up
Clean kitchen sink before bed

Weekly
1 hour on something to prepare the house for sale
Do one thing on weekly and monthly cleaning schedule
See friends/family
Meal planning for following week

I could use some company too, im
feeling I have lost my way a bit. Eat nester and get some exercise going, get more of a grip on the house would be my plans. And a herb planter for the side garden.

@Brewskipa do you use anything to guide your meditation? I have just started meditating and have been using an audiobook by Sharon Salzberg with guided meditations but am wondering about getting an app which might have more variety.

I need to figure out the best time to meditate too. If I do it too late at night I nod off, and if I do it in the morning the kids always wake up and want something. I'm going to try my morning commute when I'm back at work next week.

@SpringOn thank you for the welcome! I’m a binge eater who is obsessed with food and it has worked wonders for me. I keep it low carb which controls my cravings. I eat at lunch time, which means I can switch off from obsessing about food. It’s as if I can now shut my food brain off as I am done for the day. This first stone has come off in two weeks (it will now slow down to a few pounds a week though!). This week has been tricky because of PMS and bloating and also getting a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD for my son but I’ve powered through and so so proud of myself for it.

I read anything and everything! Love a good cheesy chick-lot but also dark twisty gothic thriller types. And childrens books!

Welcome @Crinkletinkle and @RJnomore1

@Crinkletinkle you seem to have a good plan going - how are you getting on so far today? 2l of water is also on my list - I’m putting a slice of water in it to make it more appealing but I’m not a huge fan of water so I have to keep it on my desk to remind me.

@RJnomore1 Would it help to just think of one thing you could do for yourself today, however small? Couch to 5k is amazing, I highly recommend. Free too! Even after the first run I feel fantastic (in my head, my legs always feel sore!).

Also sharing a few thoughts that might help others with weight loss, which have been helping me:

• it is going to take a long time to get to where I need to be, but if I don’t do it now, the time will pass anyway and I’ll be no better off
• if I don’t do it now, I will spend the rest of my life battling my weight
• I’ve been healthy before - before my partner and child came along. They deserve the best version of me. I deserve the best version of me.

My son has a sticker chart on display in the living room that I make for him every week. I made myself a weight loss chart to go next to it so I can see it every day. I colour in a square for every pound lost. I’ve marked on there what weights will see me drop a stone, where I go down a BMI bracket, and every 5% body weight loss. There’s always a milestone coming up which keeps me on track!

Wow @Brewskipa that is amazing! Sounds like me, losing weight is 99% a mental place. As in my brain needs to settle down then the rest of me can, if you know what I mean.
well done on powering through this week too, sounds like you are smashing it.

@Crinkletinkle I have found a meditation podcast called ‘First this’ really fab. I also use the nighttime meditations by the same woman, ‘Nothing much happens’, which help me fall asleep. Meditation is so good for the soul, but like you I often fall asleep even when I am not planning to!

@SpringOn omg I am such a huge fan of those podcasts! I’ve been listening to Nothing Much Happens nightly for three years and it has been life changing!

It is absolutely a mental battle isn’t it. I’m finally in the right frame of mind to be doing this. It helps that I have spent three years stressed about my son and fighting systems to get him what he needs but this year it has all fallen into place. He started a special needs school in January and is already up to full time - it has finally given me mental space to think about myself!

Me!

45, single 5 yrs, 2 young DC.
3 St to lose.
Hair is greying - I posted yesterday for colour advice, can't afford salon.
Clothes all too small. I also have SO many that I wouldn't wear even if they fit
House a mess - also loosely follow TOMM. Desperately need to declutter

Struggle for motivation, between work,school runs, clubs, I'm worn out. I'm anaemic with underactive thyroid but dobt like to use that as an excuse. I have SO much to do I struggle to focus on more than one thing, and ultimately do nothing

At risk of sounding like a dinosaur, how do podcasts work? How do I find them?

@Bemyclementine I use the podbean app. Just search on it for which podcast you want and it will list all the episodes. It will also recommend similar podcasts x

I did couch to 5k a few years ago. I don’t like running but I did it with some pals and that was good.

Im getting my hair done later which will make me feel better.

The house hinders me. I think I’ll do an hour on it after my coffee.

Me too!

I'm 47, have 4 stone to lose before special holiday in November and short term of ' as much weigh as poss!' Before a night out in May!

I've no idea how to dress the size I am, 18, live in leggings. Spend most of my time slumped on the sofa eating chocolate.

After a health scare, no more chocolate. Cutting back on booze, sugar and fat. Also got a peloton bike! Also just started HRT

Really, really need to do this and feel like me again

This is most definitely the thread for me.

I'm on a mission to sort myself out. I'm 52 and a total mess. Starting right now 😁

Wow you've described me!
Basically everything you've said including wanting to grow veg but no dog.
I want to read more and be on my phone less. Just generally do more quality stuff.
I'm ordering one of those mini greenhouses to put some plants in this week.