⭐ See more weekly weight loss journey posts here
⭐ See key weight loss milestones here
Gym
This week starts with another gym session first thing on Monday morning, followed by a walk down to the nature reserve. Visiting the nature reserve either before or after my gym sessions seems to be turning into a regular thing for me.
The two activities work well together.
Duck
Somehow, the simple pleasure of seeing the ducks seems to balance out the pain of having to go to the gym. The duck I first met in week 20 is there again today. I send a video of the duck to my PT.
"The duck is back!" I say.
"Are you sure it's the same duck, Lisa?" he replies, doubtfully.
I am sure it's the same duck. It looks the same and it's in the same place. It's definitely the same duck.
Art of abundance - a 31 day lunar yoga challenge
My obsession with all things Yoga with Kassandra continues this week, and I decide to sign up to Kassandra's 31 day challenge called The Art of Abundance.
This 31 day challenge follows the lunar cycle. For hundreds of years people have believed that the moon has the power to affect our lives and our behaviour. Regardless of whether or not you actually believe this, the idea of aligning our lives to the phases of the moon is definitely a fun and creative way to work on our own self-development.
The main idea of the 31 day challenge is to create positive change in our lives, by looking at where we are now, where we want to be in the future, and what changes we need to make in order to get to where we want to be.
The challenge is broken down into four blocks, each roughly a week long, in alignment with the four main phases of the moon - the new moon, the waxing moon, the full moon and the waning moon. In each phase there are yoga practices, breathing exercises, journaling exercises, meditations, positive affirmation exercises and other challenges - all tied in with the themes and associations of that particular moon phase.
The new moon
A time for new beginnings
The new moon is the first lunar phase. It's the time of the month when the moon is not visible in the sky. A time of complete darkness, representing new beginnings, the planting of new seeds, and the creation of new ideas.
It's thought that our energy levels are at their lowest during the new moon. So it's a time when we should be taking things slowly, taking more time for ourselves, treating ourselves with kindness and compassion, resting and indulging in self-care routines - such as warm baths or going for gentle walks. We should be looking inwards, taking the time to reflect upon our lives, taking the time to get clear on what positive changes we want to call into our lives, and setting intentions to call those positive changes into our lives.
Feeling dead inside
Thursday is the first day of the new moon phase for this month, and on this morning I awake to find myself feeling really low on energy. The lowest on energy I've felt in ages actually - I really do feel completely dead inside.
Perhaps it's just a co-incidence. Perhaps it's a self-fulfilling prophecy because I already know that the new moon is supposed to be a time of low energy levels. Or perhaps it really is the new moon making me feel like this. I like the idea that it is the moon making me feel like this, so I'm going to go with it.
The week I will mainly be wearing the colour pink
Pink is not a colour I normally choose to wear, but today I find myself feeling really drawn towards wearing something pink. As it turns out, pink is a colour associated with compassion, kindness and self-care. This fits in so well with the themes of the new moon phase. I decide it is a good idea to wear something pink for every day of the new moon lunar phase, to represent 'taking care of and being kind to myself.'
The new moon: challenges for this week
This week's main task is a journaling exercise to clarify and set my intention for the month ahead. I also have a 10 minute gentle morning yoga routine to do daily, a positive affirmation meditation to listen to every night, as well as a recording of my own positive affirmations based on this month's intention.
Intention setting plants update
You may remember how last week I planted some intention setting plants. Well, this week they have started to grow, which is exciting.
A friend once told me that gardening is not rocket-science. And whilst I do agree that gardening is not rocket science, I do think it can be quite challenging...especially when there are slugs about...
...so I'm quite proud of my little green shoots, which are beginning to appear!
Weekly food diary
This week I have been eating...
Monday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs with spinach on brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's tamari-glazed pork and baked aubergine with rice.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: A banana.
Lunch: Two poached eggs with spinach on brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Harissa roasted aubergine with garlic and chilli chicken.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: A bowl of plain greek yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Lunch: Two poached eggs with spinach on brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Harissa roasted aubergine with garlic and chilli chicken.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Thursday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.
Snack: A banana.
Lunch: Baked beans on brown buttered toast. A plain natural yoghurt.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Korean glazed BBQ pork with Asian jewelled rice.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Friday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: A chocolate chip shortbread cookie from the local bakery.
Lunch: Baked beans on brown buttered toast. A plain natural yoghurt.
Snack: A banana. Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Korean glazed BBQ pork with Asian jewelled rice.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Saturday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffees throughout the morning.
Snack: A banana.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast with spinach. A plain natural yoghurt.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Mexican steak and eggs with black bean salsa.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Sunday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffees throughout the morning.
Snack: A banana.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast with spinach. A plain natural yoghurt.
Snack: One cup of tea with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's Mexican steak and eggs with black bean salsa.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
1. Harissa roasted aubergine with garlic & chilli chicken 2. Tamari-glazed pork & baked aubergine with rice 3. Korean glazed BBQ pork with Asian jewelled rice 4. Mexican steak & eggs with black bean salsa
Up next: my weight loss journey week 23
Lisa
