My Springtime Challenge – Week 4

My 4th and final week of my Springtime challenge. Where has the time gone? 4 weeks ago, I set myself a springtime challenge to do come clearing out, force myself to eat more healthily and take more exercise. You can see the previous instalments – week 1,   week 2,   week 3

So what have I achieved this week? Quite a lot really. Read on!

Day 22 – Sunday 6th May

I can honestly say that I had a really fun day. I set up a wee mini production line, and made copper poppies – lots of them! After trying out several prototypes the day before, I knew exactly what I was going to do, and just got going. By late afternoon, I had a stunning display of 10 poppies all the same. I also have the 2 rejected prototypes to think about. I even painted the stakes (which came from my garage – all different sizes, the same colour, so they look like a matching set. I also attached Pins, so they can be pinned or kept on the stake, the organisers can choose what to do with them. Don’t they look good!

 

Good: 7,217 steps, but I spent a lot of the day standing, so I wasn’t just sitting around – and I love my poppies

Poor: Clear conscience today!

Day 23 – Monday 7th May

I was off and away at 9:15 am, ready for another day teaching Lapidary again. Another new club member. Lapidary is obviously on a bit of a boom at the minute. Also some preparation for the club open day – Mrs Mop style activities!

Good – 10,030 steps. My pedometer shows pretty steady movement throughout the day. I don’t think I sat down all day. And I stayed away from the biscuit box in the club – result

Poor – Coming home tired isn’t conducive to good behaviour in the evening. Glass of wine and the TV won!

Day 24 – Tuesday 8th May

I had a ‘thinking’ and ‘organising’ day today. I took time to myself to consider life, the universe etc. I enjoyed the day, and feel more refreshed by it. Sometimes it is just good to think. Even though I am retired, I still find myself ‘busy’, one could almost say I find things to do! I also sat in the sun, in my lovely clean but boring patio and put the finishing touches to my poppies. I look forward to getting the planters back next year.

Good – I feel great after a day spent doing very little!

Poor – 4788 steps. As a result of sitting at the PC or at my desk for quite a while, the count is well down.

Day 25 – Wednesday 9th May

I spent some time planning my exhibition in November. I know it is 6 months away, but August September and most of October are essentially lost months, from a creative view,  because we are away so much. I also need to make sure all the art work, posters, flyers etc, prepared by the end of July. (Note to self – work on your photography!). My friend and I will nip in and see the gallery in use during the festival, so we have a good idea for our final setup preparations.

Good – 9761 steps and 1 hour of Pilates – I definitely met the daily activity requirement

Poor – Nothing really

Day 26 – Thursday 10th May

A few chores to do today, and a trip to the Spanish class. They are doing a lot of roadworks in the area, so all the bus stops have moved around, so it was easy to fit in a bit of extra walking.

Good – 13,132 steps – Thursdays in general seem to be a good walking day!

Poor – nothing really

Day 27 – Friday 11th May

Today was a really interesting day. Some time ago my husband read that Riddles Court in Edinburgh had reopened after several years closure for major upgrading work. He noted interest in a guided tour some months ago. You can’t book a specific date/time, they just email you in advance when they have enough ‘interest’ to make the tour worthwhile. His original plan was to go with a friend, but the friend was unable to go so I went with him instead. The building is fascinating and I will do a specific blog post about it. The original building dates from 1590, and has undergone many transformations since. King James VI of Scotland, later King James I of England attended a banquet here, and they decorated a room especially for the occasion. During the recent restoration work, when they removed a false ceiling they found the original beams and the art work on them. Stunning. It must have looked amazing 400 years ago!

What a beautiful blend of the old and new, a modern roof terrace above the original 1590 building

Good – Between walking round this building and lots of running around setting up for our club open day in the evening, I had no difficulty making my steps target – 11,929

Poor – Not the healthiest food choice, I not only had a scone but also a huge lasagne as a late lunch / early dinner. I enjoyed it though!

Day 28 – Saturday 12th May

Our club open day, so I was up bright and early at 7:30am, making a load of sandwiches, to add to the lemon tray bake of the day before. My very kind husband made me a bacon roll – delicious, and off I went. My feet were tired, standing manning stalls all day, but we made a decent amount of money for the club. I took a turn manning the door for 30 minutes, and instead of sitting inside, I found a lovely seat in the sun – a bit of respite, while still being able to hand out leaflets and open the door!

Good – 9531 steps, despite manning a stall and sitting in the sun! Quite a few of those steps were shifting tables, or towing laden trolleys, so a bit of manual effort as well.

Poor – Chinese carry out and a glass or two of wine (well deserved though!)

Final Summary of my 4 week challenge

I haven’t been perfect, but by noting down what I have been doing, it has made me far more aware of my bad habits. I read somewhere that you shouldn’t try and change a habit you should replace it instead. So what are my replacement strategies?

1. Avoid sitting down in a chair to watch TV after my evening meal. Get up and do something instead. That eliminates the temptation of a glass of wine or a snack. It also adds a few steps to my daily total. Over the 4 weeks my total was 265,070, a very respectable daily average of 9467 steps.
2. Don’t buy rubbish – If I don’t buy it, I can’t eat it. On the odd occasions where I have given in and bought rubbish (crisps, chocolate, sweets), it is a recipe for bad behaviour. However if there is nothing bad in the cupboard, I don’t get tempted.
3. I need to take time, at least once a week, just to think, and sort things out a bit. When I don’t do that, I am far more reactive and find myself doing things I would rather not be doing.
4. Even though I am retired, that does not remove the need to plan my day / week. It might be as simple as leaving Tuesday free, so I have a whole day in my workshop (aka the garage) with no interruptions. Just now if someone asks if I can do something, I say yes, I am free, there’s nothing in the calendar. Whereas this would enable me to say, I’m sorry, I am busy on Tuesday.
5. Give myself time to make things, linked to the item above, but different. I need to stop volunteering for things, particularly club related activities. I am not the only person who can do many of the things, but I fill the vacuum – I need to make sure I leave the vacuum for other people to fill sometimes!

Overall, I’m glad I did it, although it has been a bit onerous writing it all up each week. It really has made me more aware about making space for the things I want to do, rather than drifting along.

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