Challenging Myself

Pinterest is full of them, any time of the year you can log in and find any sort of challenge. From monthly fitness ones, to finance goals, taking in a couple of housey bits and pieces on the side.

This year I've decided to see how I do, and try 4 challenges that have been doing the rounds.

First up is the 2015 Reading Challenge.

For someone who often reads books as part of their job, I have a habit of settling for the same genre when it comes to reading for fun. 

This year I would like to challenge myself a little. For this reason I'm going to tackle this list that has been put together by popsugar and see how many I can get ticked off by the end of the year. 

Another one I've seen is a 30-day Walking Challenge. 

Those of you who were reading this blog last year will know that I bought a Fitbit. This year I will be using it more often. Seeing as it is clipped onto my bra as a reminder to actually get up from my desk. 

I am going to endeavour to hit the magical 10,000 steps a day mark. This could take a while!

I found this tally chart on artofbeautifullife.com. 

The joy of being a working parent leads to the equal joy of longing for some organisation at home. The chores definately got away from me by the end of last year. 

With this in mind I have signed up for this challenge. 

Each week I will be emailed a task to complete in my house. And by the end of the year, each single task should have become a regular habit and kaboom my house should pretty much run itself again. 

Now to get the others in the house to join in! Maybe that should be my main aim. Get them to do the housework and chores, so I don't have to!  

And finally, my last main challenge for this year is to crochet a small granny square, everyday, for a year. 

The only stipulation is that I will not plan the colours of the blankets, but choose what colour as per the mood I'm in at that moment. This one is exciting the most right now. 

A giant blanket by next winter will be a fab snuggly reward. 

Dieting Rollercoaster #2

Since announcing last week that I was back to watching what I ate, and logging my meals on myfitnesspal.com I can announce that I lost 1lb.

A single solitary pound.

I was fully expecting more. And when I got on the scales I was all geed up to write isn't this an amazing thing. All I did was cut back on blah and ate more of bleugh.

I'm not feeling that I can do that. I did have the quiche bites as a snack.

I've moved to eating more regularly. A little something every 2-3 hours. I didn't manage to move much this week at all. This is the reason I didn't lose more. Sadly most of my day is spent sitting on my bum typing and reading, and due to illness and work I didn't get to do my usual evening activities and spent most of it again either sat on my bum or sleeping. Oh what an exciting life I lead.

My Fitness goal for this week is to walk 5k steps per day.

This is much more than I do at the moment.

I will be working towards the magic number of 10,000 steps per day by the end of October.

To help me with these goals I have bought myself a Fitbit Zip Activity Tracker. It is a digital pedometer that you can use in conjunction with other apps and record your steps, once you sync it with either your phone or the website and input your personal data it will calculate how many calories you burn just sitting as well as during the exercise that you are partaking in.

What I like about the Zip above some of the other products fitbit have to offer is the simplicity. Out of it's holder it is roughly the size of a 50p. There are no buttons to catch, or accidentally reset. I also like that the clip means you can choose where you wear it. Either on your waistband or trouser pocket like with a regular ped. Or on the bra. 

I'm loving the bra wearing myself. It's discreet, you can check on it and your progress quiet easily without wrenching about and adding extra steps to it. Although I reckon a few looks could be given if I decide to check in the car park at the office... must remember that windows are see through. 

Saturday was my first day wearing it, and in the afternoon and up until bedtime, I only did 1,953 steps. This is why I decided to get this little device. A little something that means I can track how much exercise I am sneaking in during the day. Especially on a busy shift in the office where I don't get to move away from my desk, I am hoping that it will gee me into some extra action, and a bit of competition with myself too.

I also like that I can earn badges for the weight that you lose, which is about the only thing I that I do miss from going to weight loss groups, the shiny stickers and the mid week gee up that a pep talk from someone else managed to give you.

You can also log your food, sleeping patterns, different activities all on the interactive Fitbit website. Which also has a comprehensive help section and forums too.

I got mine in green from Amazon for £32.28 - however the prices vary wildly, seemingly dependant on the colour you want. Or from Fitbit for £49.99.

You can follow my Diet Rollercoaster on Twitter where I'm @dietbeebee 

Beware: whinging and moaning is par for the course on that profile. 

My Targets for May

After the success that was April I'm going to do the same again this month.

Biggest thing that needs to be tackled is the bathroom.

Last September I had a little accident, a bottle of hair dye flew across the room leaving a trail of Dexter-like platters in it's wake. So this month here at BeeBee Towers we are going to concentrate on undoing that.

I've been umming and ahhing over what to do for a while, but now it's time to sort it out. The wallpaper is going to come off and the walls will be painting. We still need to choose a colour and the appropriate accessories of course.

The bathroom is going to be the main focus this month.

Other mini targets include:

Finding a home for my cub paperwork
Clearing the coffee table in the front room window and keeping it clear.
Getting on top of my mending bag, I'm sure it has a life of it's own.
Tackling the multiplying dust bunnies under the bed.

My Life Monday: Things They Are a-changing

For the last eight years I have been working part time at my office.

Next week I am going to return full time. New department, new role, new responsibilities.

I also embrace the whirlwind that is shift work, five days a week. I will still be publishing on this blog daily, I will still need to keep on top of the housework, the boys and their homework, cubs and just who will take the boys to school and bring them home (depending on the week).

This means I have, for the last few weeks, been trying to get the house in order so I can maintain, rather than fight an uphill battle in 15-30 minutes a day.

A few weeks ago you will have seen I worked on the de-cluttering of my bedroom. That is still remarkably tidy. However, little bits that needed to be finished still need doing and there are a couple of other areas that are starting to fall behind again.

The bathroom got attention last week, the joy of living surrounded by boys.

The kitchen is this week's task.

I'm also working on getting back into the groove with planning shopping around a pre-decided meal plan.

I also need to start to use weekends for doing things with the kids... and sleeping!

I'm going to be a busy BeeBee.

My Life Monday: Get Moving

Over the weekend I decided that I wanted to do the Race for Life again this year.

I stopped running last July/August, not long after my last race.

My fitness has dropped right off. So today I have started the long road back to being a 5k runner.

I went out for a walk. It was roughly 2 miles. I didn't march it out I just took it nice and steady.

I'm planning to walk a similar distance 3 times a week until I cover 3 miles comfortably, then I will gradually introduce power walking intervals and then running until I am able to run the full stretch.

Around where I live I am lucky that we have such fantastic scenery, but unlucky in that there is no non-hillly routes!

I'm not impressed with my first time. however it can only get better!

I forgot how nice it was to just have a bit of peace and quiet time. I plugged in my ancient ipod and listened to some old Jillian Michael's Podcasts and blocked out the world around me. When I start with the running I will be moving over to more up-tempo tunes to motivate me and to match my stride pattern to.

What do you do to keep moving, and what do you listen to when you are out and about?

Family Friday: Minute to Win It

This is a game I came across while on @pinterest.

In the USA there is a game show where you are challenged to complete a series of light hearted challenges in under a minute.

These are some of the ideas I came up with to play with my cubs and family...

Bucket Head: Catch three balls in a bucket on top of your head.

Defying Gravity: Keep two balloons in the air.

Breakfast Scramble: Assemble the front of a cereal box that has been cut into 12 pieces.

Dizzy Mummy: Unroll a small roll of toilet paper with 360 degree spins of the arm. (You may need to unravel some first to make it an attainable task.)

Separation Anxiety: Separate a pile of 25 multicoloured sweets into five separate containers in a separate colours with chopsticks.

Tweeze Me: Players use tweezers to relocate five Tic Tacs from one bowl to another.

Face the Cookie: Players move a cookie from their forehead to their mouth using only their facial muscles. 

Snail Trail: Same as Face the Cookie except using an After Eight Mint!

Faster Pasta: Using a stick of raw spaghetti held between your lips pick up 3 pieces of raw penne pasta. 

Number of the Beast/666: The task is to roll 6 sixes in 60 seconds

The only limit with this game is your imagination.