Making one small change each week

[ToriTheStoryteller]

I can't do overhauls, I don't want to count calories but I recognise that I'm living in a way that isn't making me feel very happy or healthy.

So, I'm going to make one change starting today, then add in another next week, and so on. By the end of the year I'm hoping that will ads up to a significant change for the better in how I feel, look and live.

Anyone else up for a more gentle alternative to massive resolutions? I'll update each week anyway even if no-one replies, so I record what I've done😂.

Week 1: No phone use after 8pm. I'm hoping that will improve my sleep, it's got out of hand in the last few months.

Stumbled across this thread this morning. I’m up early as I’m going for a major root canal. I have a few long term health conditions which are playing up, and found out yesterday I need emergency hysteroscopy as I’m having symptoms around ovarian cancer.
And honestly I’ve read every post and it’s uplifted me.
I used to be a lecturer when my health was good. The Japanese use a system in manufacturing called kaizen - stay with me - where small continuous improvements work better than big upheavals.
So I’m going to start today as I’ve been neglecting myself in every way.
I am starting today even though I’m going to have a lovely big swollen face later and can only do soft foods.
It is a lovely day I have a nice garden so I’m going to get under my brolly and read a magazine. Have stacks of them unread.
Facebook - I came off it five years ago I do not miss it one bit. So if you are thinking of leaving have a go.
Thanks to every PP for uplifting me so much.
I’m going to sit in the dentist chair and think of other small ideas which don’t include whacking him with his own equipment.
Because getting arrested for clumping a dentist is not on the list!
Can I be a member of your Kaizen Club?

I was sitting in my garden on Saturday, having a brew and looking at my plants , thinking that I should really go out somewhere . I see so many people having fantastic days out on SM that it makes me feel like I’m missing out in some way, but I’m not, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some quiet time in your own favourite place while the weather is good.
What’s that saying, something about being envious stealing your joy?

@DustyLee123 ”comparison is the thief of joy,” think it was CS Lewis.

Can I join?

i try to stick to some really good habits and have done streaks of good things - like 30 days of yoga with Adriene - but consistency is my downfall, I tend to be patchy. I’m not even sure I want to be as disciplined as doing things every single day (eg I do yoga most days but like to have Sunday morning lazy reading) but I also want to hit the things that should be simple like 10,000 steps a day. I always feel better with a routine and consistency.

Background - post meno, used to be fit but have fallen off it a bit, have very elderly but independent and difficult parents that I worry about and a DS17 doing A levels, and to be fair a v supportive DS who does more round the house than I do. I just feel a bit slow (slower?) and lacking energy and need a pick me up. Had bloods down recently and am also low on ferritin and B12 so trying to address those. On HRT but not convinced it’s making any difference.

Hi @PeggyMitchellsCameo and @MotherOfCatBoy and anyone else who has joined/returned over recent weeks.

I'm preparing for a couple of weeks.leave so really want to focus on getting my home a nicer environment. So my small steps are around small tasks to declutter, tidy, get the bigger jobs booked in. I do think the nicer weather also helps with motivation too!

Do you know, that's so funny @PeggyMitchellsCameo. I have been weeding our college library (so many out of date books) this summer.

6000 books off to be recycled/resold (more than plenty left, so don't worry).

In the 'Business' section was a book called 'Gemba Kaizen'. I have seen it on the shelf for probably over 20 years and assumed it was the name of some management guru.

However, this year I took it down and had a look and thought, well this sounds quite fascinating, I shall keep for future reference.

: ) I can see the potential influence on someone like Marie Kondo.

Just reading an article online about how the principles can make any organisation (even a home) more streamlined. The example they gave was a hospital department doing MRI's and how much it improved things. And it's a bottom up approach. NHS might do well to have a go with this method!

Step one was a declutter (my nemesis).

Funny co-incidence!

My one small change this week is to do my 5 to 10 mins hip and back care exercises each day.

Saw a friend who is in her 80's last week and she said don't leave it until you're my age - start now in your late 40's. She is in pain a lot due to arthritis and carrying weight too.

Any tips on how to keep at it regularly? I seem to do a day or two and then forget again. I need to cultivate a good habit.

@Alltheyearround I struggle with consistency too. I’ve found “habit stacking” is handy - join your 10 mins to something else and eventually it becomes routine. Like boiling the kettle or making porridge or whatever you do for breakfast - can you do it then? I try to do yoga when I come downstairs and then have breakfast so I’ve trained myself to look forward to brekkie after I’ve stretched.

Wow, it's been a long time since I was on the thread! But I'm still determined to break negative habits, so rather than feel sad about not updating it and leaving it even longer, I thought I'd be positive and come back to it.🙂

I hope everyone has some habits that they have stuck with, I've definitely not got the 52 I intended to end up with BUT it's been a year with a lot of shitty happenings, so frankly I'm proud that I'm ending the year with some new positive habits and no new negative ones....that's a big win that i'm taking!!

So, what have I put in place:

• phone use: up and down. There are days where I use it too much but I'm more conscious of it and I'll carry on working on it.
• 15 min walk as early as possible to give my brain the wake-up message. I'm probably doing this 2 or 3 days each week, and doing a workout or swimming another 2 mornings.
• 10 minute self-care morning and night (moisturise, flossing teeth, vitamins, HRT etc). Pretty good and it's probably the first time in my life that cream and vitamin bottles have actually been emptied and not left half-used for years.
• Fruit with lunch. Not bad, I'm having less bread-based lunch anyway so there's usually fruit or salad/veg involved most days.
• Stop overtime. Perfected this one, as my company has been a shitshow all year so I stopped caring.
• Contact a friend or relation once a week. I thought this would be hard but it's enhanced my life so much. I have a better social life now than I did in my 20's and I don't feel dread at the prospect of calling people anymore!
• No afternoon snacking. Hmmmmm......
• Herbal tea at bedtime. Started this but ended up just dropping any evening drink, which has definitely helped my sleep. I was waking between 3-4am beforehand, now I'm sleeping until 5am most days.
• Meal planning. Bit hit and miss, but I'm getting better at it because of school/job changes meaning that it HAD to get better if we didn't want to exist on beans on toast every night.
• Eating at the table. This has been good as it's led to a nicer eating experience: we choose food from dishes on the table, DS adds salad/extra veg most nights, and if I want seconds, I'll usually only add salad rather than the main calorific bulk.
• 5 minutes meditation each day. Completely forgot about this one!
• Water house plants. Very easy and has made me very happy to have them all surviving the year and looking green, healthy and taller!
• Time in the garden every day. Not really managed this one but there's a lot that needs doing to tidy up for the winter, so hopefully I can build on that one.

I didn't think I'd have much to report but going through that list I can see that even this small number of habits has improved my life in lots of ways.

Onwards and upwards, I will carry this on (for my own accountability). My plan will be to add in a new habit every TWO weeks as from January, but for now I'll work on embedding these ones for the last 3 weeks of this year!

Would love to hear how others are doing.

I’m still here OP, still having my green tea every day.
Im looking forward to getting back into routine, and I want to start eating cleaner, but at the moment there’s too much temptation in the house. I’d like to clear it all out, but the rest of the family wouldn’t be happy!
Today is the first day of eating better, I’m not going to think ‘fuck it, it’s Christmas’ any more, no excuses.

I’ve just had a look through my posts on this thread. The green tea has become a habit I’ve stuck with. The apple and orange a day I’ve not stuck with. But the frothy coffees still need to go, that’s got to be my thing to do this year. Stop the frothy coffee and enjoy a freshly brewed coffee instead.

I had good intentions this year that came to little, but (eventually) by about October I did start. Would love to join a 'next year' thread, OP if you start one!

I have been walking every morning and making sure I get out in daylight as much as I can.

Ive cut my sugar consumption massively

Apart from that I've not been great - but I think next year the idea of taking very small steps and trying to improve would help me a lot.

Like you, I've had a year of crappy stuff - mostly my own ill health, but hopefully next year will be better.

Lovely to hear from you and to hear about your new habits.

It feels like lots of us have had a pretty tough year, so how amazing are we to have brought in some positive habits? I've probably eaten 5kg of cake in the last week BUT I've flossed my teeth and moisturised my hands, and walked in the crisp dawn 4 times too, so I'm pretty happy about that.🤣

Onto the new year - I've started a new thread. I'm going to try and be a bit braver and bigger - life HAS been crap for a while but I've had some changes forced on me recently and I need to choose to find time for my own health in a big way!

Shiny new 2025 thread

Just looked back to see what things I wanted to change at the beginning of last year.

Happy to say I achieved the stop eating crisps, switched to brown bread and reducing my sugar.

I did start doing well with the exercise and was doing a work out every other day but then became too knackered and gave up.

So I still need to sort out my sleep, im now nearer 6 hours per night than the previous 5 but still needs massive improvement.

Looking forward to actually reading more books in 2025 only managed 3 in 2024