Feb 09 2009
Week One: Mixed Results
How’s everyone progressing with their four resolutions for February?
I have to admit, mine haven’t exactly gone swimmingly!
There couldn’t have been a worse time to pick to attempt to swap all drinks for water. Starting a new job at just about the coldest time of the year, I really need all the warm drinks I can get to chase off the chills from the commute each morning and evening. While green tea and fruit teas are a great way of increasing the amount of water I drink, they aren’t quite as comforting as a nice cup of milky coffee or a hot chocolate. I am trying damage limitation, though – the milk is always skimmed and the hot chocolate is from the Options range so is very low in calories and fat, but still, the whole “water-only” thing isn’t going well.
I haven’t turned off the TV completely – I do still like to have it on for background noise in the evenings, and there are some re-runs of old TV shows that my boyfriend and I like to catch a couple of nights a week. I have, however, already finished one book, Glitz by Louise Bagshawe – which is more than I’ve managed in a couple of months – and am starting on the second for this month today! The daily commute is giving me enough time to catch up with the news courtesy of the free Metro newspaper in the mornings, and to get stuck into a good book on the way home. This week, I’ll be devouring Hurricane: The Life of Rubin Carter, Fighter, the story of a boxer wrongfully imprisoned for murder.
Obviously, I’ve been getting more exercise than I had been, having to walk to and from the bus stop in the mornings and evenings and hauling myself up and down the stairs at work, so I’d say I can get a great big tick for that one!
Finally, getting my eight hours sleep each night has been a bit hit and miss. I do tend to struggle to get to sleep and wake throughout the night quite often, but I do also try to get to bed at a reasonable hour to get plenty of rest. I’d say I’m almost there in terms of this resolution, so I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt.
As you can see, I’ve made some changes, but not quite all. What successes and struggles have you had so far this month?
I’ve been working on limiting my coffee, sugar, and alcohol intake. It works some days, on some days it doesn’t. Overall, it seems to be helping. I’ve also discovered that ginger tea is nice and warming - literally. It brings blood closer to the surface of your skin thus making you warm. Maybe you can try that as a substitute? And, not all teas are a good water replacement. Green tea is a diuretic and so are some fruit teas.