Lifestyle Experiment - January Report Card

It's a new month so time for a new challenge.

Before that, a quick check in from January's "Routine Maintenance" experiment.

I did pretty well with this one in the end. It was a bit of a rocky start because I had to scramble to get things in place but I got it together and would call it a success.

Here's my report card.

Wake up with my alarm at 7:00 : A-
We've been passing around a nasty cold in our house. There were a few nights where I was up taking care of sick kids or unable to sleep myself. I never hit snooze though. It was always a concious decision to push my alarm back.

Pray : A
Didn't miss a day. What a great way to start the morning! A reminder of all that I'vebeen blessed with and what I have to look forward to. A way to check in and ask for support. Heaven knows I need it.

Drink Water : B-
I never skipped out on the first glass. But slacked on the water intake throughout the day.

Body Weight Exercises : B
Some days my sick body didn't have the juice. I made a real attempt every day but couldn't always produce. Overall though it was great. I feel stronger, more flexible, and more balanced

Meditation and Afirmations : C
I didn't have it set up to start and soon realized I didn't know what I was doing. It took me a couple weeks to get some solid affirmations in place but when I did they did their job.

Read : B-
I read something every morning and every night. Sometimes it felt like I was just going through the motions and I didn't retain what I would like to. Others times It gave me exactly what I needed.

In Bed by 10:30 : B
Some nights I just didn't feel tired at all. Other nights I was feeling completely blah and wanted to smash my face into the pillow as soon as the kids were in bed. Only 1 night did I stay up late to finish a movie.


Overall Grade : B-


I'm not going to be Valedictorian for this month but I learned as much or more than I expected to. I was reminded how good it feels to go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day. I can feel my circadian rythms becoming more balanced. This past week I have been waking up naturally 15 - 20 minutes before my alarm.

I will definitely keep the rituals going. I realized that making my nights a mirror of my mornings didn't work out as I had planned so I have simplified that routine. Mornings worked pretty well so only minor tweaks there.

I'm feeling motivated and excited for the next mountain to climb...