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?

Morning all, another lovely day here. I'm about to head out for a walk with mum and sis.

@BunsenBurnerBaby I also struggle with what to do with the stuff. I hate waste, and am struggling financially too so am trying to sell stuff but its so time consuming. Lack of time is a major problem for me. Also, sonerhing that helps this is not letting more stuff into the house.

Today-

Long walk.
Meal plan
Tackle one room/area. Possibly all the kids stuff in my room
Put the Xmas Dec's away. (Yes really)

I'm feeling achy today (excessive housework caused this) so taking it a bit easier. Need to tidy up, fold washing, iron the other washing, and go for a walk. Nothing too strenuous. Might de-dandelion the lawn as well, the buggers are flowering.

Feeling lazier today....so keeping the bar low....
Meditate (well I chant really)
Eat healthily, with easter cake treat allowed.
Exercise.
Bemyclementine, me too on the xmas decs....box to loft sometime soon!

Welcome to @CliffsofMohair @Doro371 and @Rshard
This thread seems to be speaking to a lot of people!
I am tired and achy too @ColdHandsHotHead . Partly because of all my efforts to deep clean the bedroom and partly because my chronic illnesses make me ache and partly because I haven't been disciplined about doing my back exercises!
I have been at church this morning and will be with friends this afternoon so having a quick lie down in between.

Nice article here about stuff to try! https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/09/blooming-marvellous-56-small-ways-to-spring-into-action

Never answered this - sorry! No, not a teacher - was scrabbling for a user name after a NC and had recently been thinking about chemistry (kid doing gcse)

Also: low low energy today. Will look at that article- thanks for posting!

Leave them for the bees!

I’d love to join. I’ve just left a job that was no good for my mental health, so now I’m ready to start rebuilding myself. I’ve developed some terrible eating habits to cope with the stress, so that’s something I want to tackle. At this point I’m not even that bothered about losing weight. Just breaking the bad habits would be a result.

My plan for today:

• stop eating at 10
• make most of my food choices healthy ones (it’s Easter, so let’s be realistic!)
• row every other day
• do something fun most days

My short term goal is to fit in some jeans that I’m sure were an ok fit only a month ago 😬 and to just generally feel a bit better about myself.

I’ve already spent some time in the garden this morning, with a cup of tea listening to bird song, so that’s 3 things ticked off that Guardian list 😇 I love the idea of a new spring like perfume, if anyone has any suggestions.....

Just wishing everyone a lovely Sunday. Yesterday I did a huge amount of decluttering, my usual exercise routine but still felt very deflated, so I wanted to say that you will have up and down days and it's ok to feel not ok. I am still looking into therapy as I really want to try and know myself better, I feel I have lost myself in the last decade and a half. I'm surviving but I need to thrive more in the next half of my life!!

This is exactly the kind of thread I've been looking for 😀!

I've been on a mission to sort myself out for a few months - in a slow permanent change way rather than my usual all/nothing/boom/bust approach. I was definitely feeling like I needed some company!

DC have left school - one at uni (20), one living and working from home (18). I work but not quite full time (averages 35 hours a week and short commute). Married. Plenty of time on my hands now but I've definitely been wasting it. I'm overweight and unfit and have been wallowing in that rather than sorting it out. Very much a yo-yo dieter. Do not want to do that anymore!

House is 'finished' in terms of big jobs (extensions etc) but I'm inconsistent with housework beyond the basics and I have some outstanding DIY jobs I'm capable of) that I've been putting off for too long.

I've made a good start in a few areas - dental, sleep (don't use the snooze button anymore and get up earlier on working days), routine on working mornings. I'm pretty consistent with the basics of housework - laundry, dishes, tidying, basic vac and swish swipe clean but beyond that is very inconsistent and usually very overdue. I drink much less now but that is a work in progress. I've started having piano lessons (played to a pretty basic level as a kid it has been a while).

This week I've reduced what I eat - especially snacking. Brought back some intermittent fasting and making the effort with better choices (often to what I really want but it just takes that big longer...). Weight has started to go down...going to weigh myself in an ad hoc manner and try not to go all regimented.

I'm going on a bit - sorry! Anyway - today - did some gardening this morning and I'm going to challenge myself to have no wine today (had some yesterday), no boredom eating, deep clean something, mend something, go for a walk...

I'm leaving the speedwell for the bees. The dandelions are coming out ; )

Can I drag myself in to join you? Just got back from a holiday in quite a glam resort and
I was one of the fattest there ... as I was last year! I really don't want to be in the same position again next year.
I also feel that I finally have a bit more time in my life and want to spend it productively on looking after myself to make sure that I'm fit & strong for the second half of my life.
Age - 46
Weight - 11st 5
BMI - 27.8
Fitness levels - dire
Flexibility - slightly better than a year ago as I have been doing Pilates

I have got an appt with the GP next week and am hoping to get prescribed HRT as I am sure I am peri. I have also booked a cut & colour next week as fly hair isn't helping the haggard & unkempt look! I may also book in for keratin smoothing treatment as I am generally a frizzy mess.

I need to lose a stone but, for now, 7lbs would suffice. Actually, even seeing 11st would leave me dancing with joy as I've been trying to lose to lose weight for 18mths now and never lose more than two or three pounds before I have a slip up and bounce back again.

Ok, so tomorrow actually is a bad day to start because we spend it at my PIL's and that always means a lot of booze and food and just sitting around doing nothing.
But no more excuses. My plan for tomorrow is
-drink 3 big glasses of water before we leave and 1 liter of herbal tea when we are back.
-when we are home I'll go for a walk, not long because it is supposed to rain, but swiftly! If it pours, Yoga with Adrienne instead.
-I'll declutter and clean the cupboard in the bathroom. It won't take much more than 15 minutes and I've wanted to do it for ages!

Thanks for the welcome @EducatingArti

Can very much relate to the spare time but no using it @IWasGlad or using it constructively @fullofeasterchocolate. This is one of the bad habits I want to tackle

Tired and achy today too and didn't sleep well. Done a few cleaning bits this morning. Really fancying chocolate and annoyed I didn't treat myself to an Easter egg but didn't want to fall off the diet. Need to finish the floor in the en suite but run out of adhesive so will have to pop out for that tomorrow.

Thanks 😊

Can I join?
I’ve got a couple of stone to loose. Have been drinking loads more water in the last fortnight, have stopping binge eating and have already lost a pound. Have also done a bit more walking over the bank holiday. I need motivation to start decluttering my spare room now…

I'm here! Would love to join.

Also have a stone to lose and already down a couple of pounds having stalled for a long time on low carb/Fast 800!
Last glass of wine tonight for a week!
Some HIIT training most days from tomorrow - glad of the support!

What's everyone planning for tomorrow? I've kept on track for two days with food, which is a good start, but I got no exercise today as I was tired out. So tomorrow:

• 10K steps
• 2l water
• keeping on with carbs once a day, no sweets, crisps or cakes
• clearing out spare room (I've got someone coming to stay, great incentive)
• ironing.

Hello!

Welcome to @CliffsofMohair , @Doro371 , @FurryFerrets33 , @IWasGlad , @JaneJeffer , @OhCobblers , @Rshard @SparkleHard , @Tayegete and @fullofeasterchocolate

Sorry if I have missed anyone - it’s moving fast now!

So great to hear of the positive steps lots of us on the thread are taking.

I hope you have all had a lovely Easter Day.

It’s clear that lots of us have many things we’d like to accomplish, including weight loss, an exercise habit, a clean house, a social life and a less cluttered living space.

But it is also clear that we’re exhausted, with busy packed lives and not good at looking after ourselves - even when this would help us feel better and cope better day-to-day.

This thread is about identifying and carrying out CONSISTENT but small steps to move us towards where we want to be. Marginal gains, if you like. Nothing too massive, not loads of things at once. Small, manageable things, but every day.

So my plan is to identify three things each night that I want to do the following day, along with the basics of:
Take my vitamins
Do couch to 5k (except on rest days)
Drink 2l water

So tomorrow as well as the above I will:
Clear and clean my bedroom (we’ve been away and I haven’t sorted the unpacking properly so it is all over the floor)
Write a couple of thank you letters
Do 1 hr of work

What about everyone else?

And well done @ColdHandsHotHead on the food - not easy on a celebratory weekend. I may have partaken of some chocolate…

No exercise done today as I am full of cold and have felt rubbish all day. Fortunately, we didn't have any plans so I could have a quiet day.
In bursts of energy, I did manage to dust all of the edges of the ceilings where a load of cobwebs seem to have sprung up, sorted out the first aid kit and medicine cupboard and DS' clothes. I also did my toenails and used my Philips Lumea for the first time in months. When I use it consistently, it really works so I need to get back into the habit for the run into summer.
I'm also quite proud of myself as, for the first time ever, we didn't have any Easter cakes or desserts or similar, just a couple of eggs for the DC and a creme egg and a caramel egg for me. I have a sweet tooth, DH and DC1 are much more savoury focussed and DC2 doesn't really care either way. Therefore, if I'd made any sort of Easter cake or dessert or even just bought some hot cross buns, I would have eaten 80% of them. I feel slightly guilty for not having provided any such goodies but nobody other than me missed them and I don't need them

I went to my sister’s last night and didn’t drink woo hoo and tho did overeat did so less than normal.

Today:
Accept food won’t be ideal and not stress about it
30 minute walk in between rain showers (I hope)
Do some coursework
Maybe look at Flylady for a domestic task

Low energy again today. Would be happy to hide on sofa under a blanket.

Morning all! Yesterday was my day “off” the diet - I had two cheese and black pepper hot cross buns for breakfast, then a carvery lunch, and an Easter egg. I indulged, but I didn’t binge, what was huge for me. I had planned out what I wanted and I enjoyed every second of it guilt free. As soon as I’d polished off the egg, I stopped the indulgence because I’d had what I wanted, and switched the fasting back on (about 4pm). Woke up this morning and had lost half a pound!!

At about 4pm yesterday I noticed DS was very fidgety and full of energy (ADHD/ASD) so we went for an impromptu swim which was lovely. I want to make more decisions like that. Spur of the moment based on what I think we need rather than planning everything so far in advance!

Treated myself to a very early night and did a meditation before listening to a bit of a new audiobook.

Today we are off trampolining and then to a local historical dockyard for a day out. Lots of fresh air and time with good friends. My goals for today are to drink lots of water, get 10,000 steps and fast until 7pm.

Have a lovely day all!