Lobster Shorts Pens and Ink, weight loss

Forming a Workout Habit With Rewards and Small Changes

Sometimes I struggle with forming good habits. I will be great at doing something for a few weeks, a month, maybe even a few months, but if it’s not enjoyable, I stop. This is what happens when I workout.

I was watching Masterclass (I recommend it), something I like to have in the background if I’m working on crafts, or writing a letter. I played James Clear’s class about small changes. He discussed how we focus more on the end goal than the changes we need to make to get there. That is very true for me, especially with weight loss. I focus on a number, not what I actually need to do. He talked about rewarding accomplishments and so many other things. WHat he said resonated.

So, I printed out a habit tracker sheet and set a goal for myself: Every seven days in a row I workout, I get a reward (no food rewards). During the class, he asked what was something you could do, even on your worst day. For me, that was 5 squats. Even if I’m tired, or sick, I can do 5 squats. I’m keeping my goals small and if all I can manage is 5 squats, then that’s all I have to do. I don’t think working out every single day is something you’re supposed to do, so nature walks (it has to be a decent length) and stretching count If I stop for a rest day this early on, I’m likely to stretch out that “rest day” into months.

I am happy to say I made my first seven days. My reward was fountain pen ink! There were two days I would have skipped, but I couldn’t get my ink unless I made seven days in a row. One night it was late and I was tired and I really didn’t want to work out. 5 squats, that’s all I had to do. I could do that (I did 25). I have yet to do the bare minimum of five squats and I think that really works for me because no matter what, I can do 5 squats. Even if I’m exhausted, I can do 5 squats. I don’t want to lose my prize, and five squats is easy.

In a couple months, I’m going to revisit my this goal, or add more, but until then…. 5 squats.

BEHOLD my prize!

It was only supposed to be one bottle (Wearingeul Alice, the bottle on the far left. It’s a pretty blue with gold shimmer), but if I added a couple more the shipping was free. I had to. I bought the ink online from Blesket. I love going to the physical store (they have an ink sample book that I love flipping through).

I haven’t decided what my next reward is yet and I need to because this really worked for me. Small goals and rewards.

Lobster Shorts Food, vegetarian, weight loss

Sunday Too Much Funday and Week One Weight Loss Results

Sunday started with “Epic Breakfast” (that’s what I call the big breakfast I cook on Sundays. There’s no restrictions). It was air fried potatoes with salt and a bit of avocado oil, a croissant, two fried eggs, and coffee. I massacred those eggs. Sunny side up was not happening this day.

Here I am taking the kayaks for a walk. It was going to be another scorcher today, so we went for a paddle on the river. We tried out the new kayak racks. They worked very well, but the tie downs that came with them were crappy and kept slipping. I tied the tails to the boat seat and that helped a lot.

I saw some pretty things and cool creatures along the way. There are tons of clams in the river. Don’t worry, this one was put back in the river after a quick snap shot.

There was a clear spot that is a little deeper further up the river. We were super hot and decided to take a quick swim to cool off. It was very refreshing but I don’t know if there are any leaches or craapy things in the river, so I made it quick. I must have snapped this pic before I got crispy fried. I don’t know why I always assume I’m not going to burn. I did. A lot. My spouse was putting aloe all over my face and neck when I got home and calling me his cherry tomato.

Lunch was a bowl of leftover green curry and for dinner I had a 6inch veggie sub. Between lunch and dinner I managed to have a bottle of a vanilla mudslide (the boozy kind), and a strawberry banana Palm Bay. The mudslide was amazing and I want to drink a million of them.

I also had these cookies with the sub. Later I had a slice of pie and a glass of wine too. It was a decadent day. Because I went kayaking, I counted that as my workout for the day. I was planning to do the stretching video, but I was burnt and didn’t feel like it.

Time to see my results after a week:

I’m down 0.2lbs… That’s it. After all these really tough workouts. I am annoyed. Apparently, my cheat days include too much cheating. I was very irritated with the results when I got on the scale this morning. I had planned to make a green smoothie bowl for breakfast but I was in a foul mood and didn’t make anything. I ended up stopping in at Tim Hortons for an egg and cheese sandwich on the homestyle biscuit and a coffee. I had a bowl of soup for lunch today and plan to have a healthy dinner, but no idea what that is yet.

I’ll give my measurements to compare as well:

August 23 August 30
Waist 37″ Waist 37″
Hips 43.5″ Hips 43.5″
Mid Thigh 22.5″ Mid Thigh 21.5
upper thigh 26″ Upper Thigh 26″
Mid Calf 14″ Mid Calf 13″
Bust 40″ Bust 40″
Upper Bust 36″ Upper Bust 37″
Bicep 12″ Bicep 12″

Even though I’m down in some spots, that could be a measuring error, so I’m not counting it as a win yet, plus my chest is up an inch. Overall I’m pretty unhappy with the results. I’m going to have to do less cheating on cheat days and reduce the amount I’m eating. I didn’t see the results I was hoping for, which would have been a loss of a couple pounds. I’m grumpy.

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Lobster Shorts card making, crafting, Food, vegetarian, weight loss

Sunday Breakfast and Weekend Cards

This weekend’s big breakfast was scrambled eggs, papaya, and a croissant. I ditched the home fries. My spouse and I were at the dentist last weekend and they checked his blood pressure, it was high (and I had a cavity). It was not good news. We’re making changes. I’m cutting way back on sugar and he’s cutting down on salt. This past week we’ve been eating a lot healthier. Way more vegetables, whole grains, and less junk. My sweet tooth is still raging, so when I want chocolate, I have dark chocolate. If it’s over 70% I can have it in the home without obsessing about it all day.

I’ve also worked out a few times this week, and not just walking (although I did that too, a 9km-10km walk through the woods). I went for a jog and lifted some weights as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked out. I’m really proud of myself.

I made cards this weekend. You might notice I ended up gluing the happy paper upside down on the card above. OOPS! I messed up that one, but the dog is cute.

The butterfly is a 3D one, that is propped off the card, but presses down to fit in the envelope. I wasn’t sure about that one at first, but now I really like it. I made the left one with an embossing folder. It’s pretty. I will make that one in pink too, with black ink.

The left card in this one is a gift card holder. I really like the paper on that one. The top slides off and reveals the gift card. The second one is an easel style card. There were no instructions or score lines to help. I had to guess and I have no idea if I made it right. I like the card but it was a pain to put together. You can use the dies to make a house in the Winter, or a Halloween house too. I really like how they all turned out, not so much the upside down gumball machine, but the rest were great. I’ll post a link to a video of the supplies I used below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNl0S5vTHlw&ab_channel=LobsterShorts