Gotta Make Up for Yesterday! 😃 😄

Hello beautiful people! 😘

This post should’ve gone out yesterday, but I totes forgot that yesterday was Monday (this is a blatant lie, but you can’t blame me for trying)! 🤣

Seriously though, I owe you an update on my 3rd weekly challenge and the revelation of my 4th and final weekly challenge for the month.

So here we go …

… but before that, let’s warm-up to my favorite exercise video. I guarantee we’ll have fun 😁😁

 

 

 

Okay, are we warmed up now? 😀

So my 3rd weekly challenge is to eliminate mindless snacking. I picked this as a challenge because I’m trying to be vigilant about weight creep … wait, what is weight creep, I hear you ask? Well, that’s when our weight slowly creeps up, usually inadvertently on our part, due to certain repeated counterproductive behaviors that often become habits. Mindless snacking being one of them.

Snacking mindlessly has got to be one of a SAHM’s bane, because the circumstances are just so conducive for it. In my case, the fridge is always loaded because we are a family that L❤️‍VE sweets!

To me mindless snacking is like weeds in your garden. They grow back, so you have to be watchful and ready to remove them so the garden remains pretty.

When I decided to take this up as a weekly challenge last week what I had in mind was to understand my natural rhythm so I could manage cravings and make better food choices without feeling deprived & miserable.

The steps I took:

1.  I first identified the times I felt naturally hungry.

There’s no point working against natural hunger, especially when like me, you’re exercising on most days. Trying to deny it just makes us focus on food all the more.

I was able to identify that I was naturally hungry at 9AM (breakfast), anywhere between 12N-1PM (lunchtime), then again at around 3-4PM (big snack), and around 7PM (light dinner).

2. I also took note of what I liked to eat during these times.

I don’t know about you, but denying myself something because it’s high on the Glycemic index even if it’s what I want at that particular moment leads to baaaaaad, uncontrolable  cravings later on. I’ve experienced this SO many times already that I’m now schooled in honoring my tastebuds. I found out I needed simple carbs (like rice, bread, pasta) and protein in most meals or else I just wouldn’t be satisfied.

Oh and, a sweet treat from time to time is also a secret to success. (Ladies don’t be in denial, when that PMS rears its stubborn head, hell knows no fury …. Am just keeping it real!) 😄

3. Plan accordingly without sacrifice.

With information on when and what, I am able to plan my meals accordingly. Eating at designated times, even if I wasn’t really that hungry (but adjusting to my level of hunger), kept most cravings, mindless snacking & even over-eating at bay.

I noticed in the past that if I didn’t eat at regular intervals and just waited for my stomach to snap at me, I’d graze on readily available convenience food. I would end up eating too much empty calories and still over-eat at the next meal 😢

So that was my 3rd weekly challenge for April. How about you, do you ever take on a self-imposed weekly or monthly challenge? Tell me about it! 😃

And now the 4th weekly challenge is a blogging challenge; a 3-day Quote Challenge which I shall begin tomorrow.

I hope! 😉

But before I let you go, places everyone! All that talk about meal planning has gotten me in the mood to dance – let’s get our money now, shall we? 😄

 

Weekly Challenge Update!

“You don’t need a New Year to make a change.

All you need is a Monday” 😀

Hey everyone! IssanotherMonday as you might have noticed already and here on OSB&V I usually dedicate Mondays to positive changes and fitness. For April I had the hilarious idea of taking on weekly challenges and so here we are, with week 3 begging for its ration XD

But first, a quick update on the 2 weekly challenges I took on for last week:

Challenge #1:

Improve my wheel pose by investing time in practicing it, preferably on a daily basis.

The pros:

I did get to improve my wheel pose in the sense that it is much easier for me to heave myself off of the mat than ever before, as well as being able to stay longer in the pose enough to make a full mental review of my form.  My wrists are getting on with the program as well, perhaps sensing the solemnity of my intention 😀 And, I was able to practice for 4 days, thank you very much!

The cons:

I found out my lower body is ready and willing to cooperate, but my upper body is not – in particular, my arms and upper back.

I realized I need to invest more time in exercises for opening my back and shoulders. I did this video on some days for warming up:

And it would be a HAPPY day indeed if I can do this ❤ ❤ ❤ (see video below):

Can I possibly get any crazier?! XD

BTW I hope you guys aren’t expecting a before/after picture because then I’ll have to disappoint you – I’m just not there yet LOL! XD XD

Challenge #2:

Finish an online work-from-home course.

I picked this challenge for 2 reasons.

A) It must not conflict with challenge #1 and

B) to broaden my horizons instead of working off of what I already have.

The course I took is Work From Home – 5 Ways To Work From Home and is a free and introductory course on Udemy. It provides an overview of  5 legitimate ways (or business models) to earn income from home and walks you through the personality types suited to each business model, the key elements related to each, and ends with showing the potential income range for each.

But The Mind Does Wander

During the course however, I found myself straying several times to other sites looking for crochet patterns XD XD

That is NOT to say the course is boring! As a matter of fact, I find the instructor very affable and the course easy to follow. At some points during the course a sliver of inspiration would cross my mind that I could earn enough money from home to cover my yarn-sprees 😇 😇 😇

And There Was This Promise

But I would immediately recall the promise I made to myself that if ever I should work again it will be for fun, something that will not come with me to my home at the end of the day, cause me to put too much salt in my Bolognese sauce, nor haunt me in my sleep.

Now for those of you who don’t know it yet, I used to have a corporate job in Marketing in my previous life. Here’s why I left. And I’ve never been happier 😀 😀

I heard a loud clap of thunder and that was that 🙏

What I learned:

Home is a sacred space I do not want to associate with ‘work’ just yet, or maybe ever.  As well, I’m still “detoxifying” – unwinding from the stresses of my previous life, having a ball rediscovering my crazy-playful side, enjoying each day emancipated from time and deadlines, immensely appreciative that my dreams are filled with colorful yarn, gracefully effortless backbends, and copious amounts of heavenly brewed coffee ❤ ❤ ❤

We shall thus move on …

Challenge # 3:

Eliminate mindless snacking on unhealthy food.

Join me back next Monday for updates 👍 🙂

April’s Weekly Challenge #1

Hi-ho sexy warriors! It’s Monday and are you wearing something that makes you look and feel good? Ok, great! Just checking 😉

(P.S. Something red is always a good choice for Mondays especially).

It’s the first week of April and as I sat in front of the laptop pondering what to blog about it hit me – 1st Mondays of the month are always great for challenges. I mean, think about it. Mondays are great for starting something new, generally speaking, but 1st Mondays of the month are more … errr, what shall I say … like it begs/commands/entices you to take up something new for the month. Well that’s how I feel at least 😀

So without further ado, I’m declaring a weekly challenge for the whole month of April. Every week I’ll pick up something new to learn/improve (or maybe undo) so that by month-end I’ll have 4 shiny new feathers of sexiness to add to my bohemian-inspired cap.

Squeal! XD

This week’s challenge is to inch closer to being able to do a proper wheel pose.

yogabycandace.com

I’ve always had a soft spot for the wheel pose. I can do an awkward beginner version of it (see second example in picture) but I want to improve because I want to keep my spine long and strong 🙂

Okay so that is it for this week’s challenge. I’ll let you know how it turns out next Monday and by then I’ll also introduce the second weekly challenge of the month. Wish me luck! 🙂

Make it a great week, y’all! ❤