30 day challenge anyone? meditation, flexibility, & posture (October edition)

[Serendip]

In August @the_hobbitish started this challenge, I'd love to revive it for another round if anyone cares to join for October
 (I've started early as a warmup, plus I'm extra stiff these days both mentally and physically :) )

Last time I focused on meditation, walking and creating..this time I'll commit to
1) Meditation- 20 min daily
2) Yoga- doing an online class, almost daily :)
3) Creating- finding some (small or big) way to exercise creativity (art project, cooking, etc)

[Serendip]

Day 1 oh wait..countdown to Oct day 6

Meditation: 20 min
Yoga: 1st day of 'Home 30 day challenge' w/ Yoga w/ Adrienne
Create: cooking Farcous for the first time (swiss chard pancakes)

[kaleidoscopicalkris]

I'll join! I've been slacking off on physical exercise/stretching/everything since quarantine hit, and I need the kick in the pants.

1) Mindfulness - 15 minutes daily to recenter myself.
2) Flexibility - 10 minute of stretching daily (maybe the 30 days to splits routine?)
3) Creating - 15 minutes at least of cross stitching daily - preferably 45-60 minutes

[Rosy]

@Serendip you must have read my mind:).

I literally woke up yesterday morning thinking about how I used to do a 30 min exercise program 5 days a week at six am - back in the day when they had such programs on TV.
The heat is showing signs of weakening so I've been working in the garden two hours every morning and damn, I am totally beat by 10 am.

Way too much surfing and not enough walking or even gasp - creating, something that I love but seem to have had no energy for either.
Although I have pushed myself lately to get back in the groove of at least trying out new recipes or creating a new dish.

1. Qui Gong - twice a week - while I am at the park for a nice long walk.
2. Gardening will continue so that should help - although today my back is protesting:).
3. I will look for some stretching exercises - until then, I will do the work outs on any one of my three different favorite routines/programs that I haven't followed in years...

Creativity - within 30 days -
1. Savory corn fritters - NYT recipe - looks delish!
2. Key lime pie - I found a new recipe and I want to experiment with a coconut macaroon topping for it.

3. I've been waiting for Michaels to have a sale on their canvas (it's on this week finally) because I want to try Acrylic Pour
 - I've watched a ton of You-Tube vids and have a whole library of videos saved to try.
The plan is to eventually apply the technique to nine tiles or 12 tiles - to serve as a backsplash in the kitchen.
First projects will hopefully result in some new artwork for the walls in the living room and dining room.
Perhaps even use it in conjunction with resin to pour an outdoor table top - wish me luck, this should be fun!

4. Find a new recipe for Butternut Squash and another for Sweet Potatoes - 'tis the season and we love both.
Possibly .... 5. Creative garden art - paving - maybe try out that sun and moon windchime project that keeps living in my head.

The gauntlet has been thrown ..... and accepted...
I do love a good challenge and I love succeeding even more:).

Good luck everyone - consider yourself challenged, you know you want to ...

[Serendip]

Fantastic to have you along @kaleidoscopicalkris & @Rosy !

And I love that both of you are incorporating some creativity aspects into your challenge :)

Rosy--you reminded me that I wanted to dig up an old exercise video that I used to do as a teenager in the 90's (Karen Voight w/Elle Macpherson). I found it on youtube and will try to incorporate that 2x/week, alternating with yoga so that I have more variety. I've renamed my second category "activity" to accommodate whatever shows up in that arena..

I just tried the video (haven't done it for 15-20 years) and only got about half-way through it..so, I've got some work to do.

Countdown to Oct: 5 days
Meditation: 20 min
Activity: workout vid (30 min)
Creativity: busted out the tools and made some earrings & restrung a broken necklace

[dblaace]

I'll join in and try to keep up. The creativity may be the challenge. Maybe it will get me started learning the piano.

Today
1. 15 min meditation with some yoga stretches at the end.
2. 3.5 mile walk.
3. TBD...

[Serendip]

I'll join in and try to keep up. The creativity may be the challenge. Maybe it will get me started learning the piano.

It's not a requirement at all @dblaace, great that you are joining :)
 But hey, if you were thinking of playing piano a daily micro-habit might be a good incentive.

Yesterday & Today
Meditation: 20 min each morn
Activity: Yoga w/Adr. day 2 & today: go for a walk
Create: started organizing my little studio space

[dblaace]

It's not a requirement at all @dblaace, great that you are joining :)
 But hey, if you were thinking of playing piano a daily micro-habit might be a good incentive.

Yesterday & Today
Meditation: 20 min each morn
Activity: Yoga w/Adr. day 2 & today: go for a walk
Create: started organizing my little studio space

I wanted to learn the piano and bought an electric last Christmas, but haven't been able 'start' learning. Maybe this is what I need to get started.
I can create sound if not music.

I opened the book and did some exercises - 20 minutes.

[Moonwaves]

I'm in. Didn't manage to keep up entirely last time but still trying to hang on to the feeling of being proud that I got anything done at all.

So, I'll be slightly more structured this month as I have signed up for some classes. I used to do the back strengthening one a couple of years ago but when I moved offices to the campus on the edge of town, it wasn't possible without a 2+ hour lunchbreak. Because of Corona, however, it is now being offered as a virutal course. So I signed up for that and also an autogenic training course (very popular relaxation course over here, progressive muscle relaxation and stuff like that. I think. Haven't actually done the first one yet, it's on the agenda today).

1. Back training course - 1 x week
2. Autogenic - 1 x week
3. Meditation - 3 x mornings and 2 x evenings*
4. Swimming/aquajogging - 1 x week (have signed up for two classes starting near the end of the month so it will be 2 x week then)
5. Posture - need to pay more attention to how I'm sitting in my chair at work and also take time every day to move a bit in it


*Still working on finding my optimum level with this but really liking the Insight Timer app. Evening meditation is for the days I arrive home relatively early/on time but am just exhausted - it's a great alternative to just collapsing on the couch with netflix.

[dblaace]

Here is my formal challenge for October.

1. Meditation 30 min Daily
2. Exercise 1 hr Daily
3. Practice Piano 30 Min Daily

I started an 8 week course in Mindfulness this week and the daily meditations may vary with the course but 30 min with the practice and meditation should be good.
I've been active in the past but over the last year I've gotten away from it. Run Walk Weights Yoga.
Finally, start to learn piano I hope. Sitting at the piano is hard on my upper back but the combination with the exercise may help with my posture.

Today so far

[tygertygertyger]

Yes. I want/need to do this.

Goals:
1. Walking a minimum of 8,000 steps. (I have a dog, I can't explain why we haven't been hitting this regularly...)
2. Doing workout video (yoga or other) 5x/week.
3. Start using Insight Timer as needed for guided meditations, given my recent high levels of anxiety!
4. Start using my new loom, since i have a project in mind, once I figure out how to use it.

[dizzy]

OK, time to get myself on track.  I'm starting 2 new jobs next week so need to get my butt in gear.

1. Meditation- 1 session daily on app (might try waking up they have a 30 day thing I haven't tried)
2. Activity- I guess it can vary.  Yoga, hiking, kayaking, roller skating, biking deliveries?
3. Patrick Stewart challenge- silly thing I made up after my boyfriend I went down some internet dark hole and found out that PS in his 70s is kinda ripped, which he attributes to push-ups.  I add 1 more each day, hopefully soon will start over with non-knees ones.  Bf is my accountability partner, he asks how my "Pec-cards" are each day
4. Creativity- been in a super funk with music, dealing with stupid bro-culture in the band.  Every day something, maybe not on my instrument tho (learning new ones and also working on side stuff)

[tygertygertyger]

3. Patrick Stewart challenge- silly thing I made up after my boyfriend I went down some internet dark hole and found out that PS in his 70s is kinda ripped, which he attributes to push-ups.  I add 1 more each day, hopefully soon will start over with non-knees ones.  Bf is my accountability partner, he asks how my "Pec-cards" are each day

I could not love this more. Every detail.

[Serendip]

I just loved reading the individual goals. Push-ups, walks, looms, music, meditations!

And of course, life is wonky these days so if you miss a day (or 3 or a week) just keep going as well as you can
 (or if you manage to do one small thing then great, let's celebrate rather than denigrate) :)

Day 1 *yesterday
meditation: 17 min (I'm super antsy these days)
activity: rest (following a 30km hike the day before!)
creativity: dehydrating beets for beet powder (hopefully for natural food colouring)

Day 2
meditation: 17 min (again..impatience is arising for some reason and i've been cutting my time short)
activity: short on-line yoga
creativity:  working on a botanical drawing, in pencil

[Serendip]

*Still working on finding my optimum level with this but really liking the Insight Timer app. Evening meditation is for the days I arrive home relatively early/on time but am just exhausted - it's a great alternative to just collapsing on the couch with netflix.

I also like the Insight Timer, I use the timer part in the morning and sometime do sleep-inducing yoga nidra with Jenn Piercy at night.

[Serendip]

Day 3
meditation: 20 min. stuck with it
activity: walk & small swim after work
creativity: planned out a necessary kitchen renovation!

[Moonwaves]

Oct 1 - 4
1. Back training course - 1 x week Oops. Forgot to do this at the weekend - will catch up this evening and then do this week's tomorrow. In future Tuesdays will be my day for this.
2. Autogenic - 1 x week On the calendar for Wednesday.
3. Meditation - 3 x mornings and 2 x evenings Doing well on this. Have been doing mostly mornings, though.
4. Swimming/aquajogging - 1 x week (have signed up for two classes starting near the end of the month so it will be 2 x week then) I'm skipping going after work this week, as I have a lot to catch up on at home. First course actually starts next Saturday morning.
5. Posture - need to pay more attention to how I'm sitting in my chair at work and also take time every day to move a bit in it Tried to be conscious of straightening my hips and back at regular intervals on Thursday and Friday. Glad this thread popped up again to remind me to keep at it this week.

[tygertygertyger]

Yes. I want/need to do this.

Goals:
1. Walking a minimum of 8,000 steps. (I have a dog, I can't explain why we haven't been hitting this regularly...)
2. Doing workout video (yoga or other) 5x/week.
3. Start using Insight Timer as needed for guided meditations, given my recent high levels of anxiety!
4. Start using my new loom, since i have a project in mind, once I figure out how to use it.

Update.

1. Definitely have not been hitting my daily steps so far, but the month is young. (Talked to my dad yesterday, and he's getting a higher average than me. Room for improvement!)
2. Yes to this. Realized I can do some arms stuff during meetings while I'm working at home and not on video, so that's good.
4. Baby's first weave happened! I was going for a table runner, and got more of an oversized placemat, since I didn't know how to tell how long a piece would be. But, we like it and we're keeping our placemat on our coffee table. Room for improvement here also, but I caught the bug and have ideas for Christmas presents. Tried to upload a picture, but it didn't work.

5. Doing some pec-cards too, inspired here!

[dblaace]

Not doing to well, life and allergies...
Meditation is good
Exercise  2 of 5 days 10k+ steps, 2 6k+.
No piano.

[Serendip]

Nice to see the updates.   Placemats are a great first project for your loom @tygertygertyger I have a small loom that I've been meaning to warp up--perhaps later this month.

Hope your allergies get better @dblaace!

@Moonwaves --glad the reminders helps..it prompts me too when I see others post :)

Still a lot of days left in October. We've had plumbing issues combined with an ongoing internet crash (so no access to my online yoga)--BUT, that's okay.

Day 5
meditation: none besides counting my breathes as my hubby drives through traffic on a trip to a nearby city :)
activity: see above
create: did some painting on my botanical piece

Day 6
meditation: 20 minutes
activity: online-yoga, going for a walk with a friend this afternoon
create: started building a care-package to mail to my nephew

[dblaace]

Days 6-8
This weeks meditations are 15 min. body scan meditations twice a day. Good so far.
Walking  10k. Day 7 included a 1.5 mile run.

Piano may be an after fire goal.

[Serendip]

Days 6-8
This weeks meditations are 15 min. body scan meditations twice a day. Good so far.
Walking  10k. Day 7 included a 1.5 mile run.

Piano may be an after fire goal.

Piano is a GREAT after fire goal :)

I've realized that I can do meditation daily but then it's either creativity or activity..but rarely both. I'm either painting before work or going for a walk after work but not all three daily.
Which is a good recognition.
Now I can be realistic in my goal-setting.

[Rosy]

1. Qui Gong - twice a week - while I am at the park for a nice long walk.
2. Gardening will continue so that should help - although today my back is protesting:).
3. I will look for some stretching exercises - until then, I will do the work outs on any one of my three different favorite routines/programs that I haven't followed in years...

Creativity - within 30 days -
1. Savory corn fritters - NYT recipe - looks delish!
2. Key lime pie - I found a new recipe and I want to experiment with a coconut macaroon topping for it.

3. I've been waiting for Michaels to have a sale on their canvas (it's on this week finally) because I want to try Acrylic Pour
 
4. Find a new recipe for Butternut Squash and another for Sweet Potatoes - 'tis the season and we love both.

5. Possibly .... 5.
Creative garden art - paving - maybe try out that sun and moon windchime project that keeps living in my head.

UPDATE: Ugh - ugh - ugh:)

Well, anyway -

1. YES on trying new recipes - tried caramelized pears for the first time, perfect with vanilla ice cream.
Also played with some new Butternut Squash recipes - delish.
Created an awesome salad from chicken - apples - garden greenery - cranberries - crunchy sesame and some cashews.
Made the best apple pancake ever - like my grandma in Germany used to make.

The key lime pie and the savory cornfritters are still on my list - but not for long:)

2. GARDENING is taking up most of my time and I'm making decent progress although not quite as good as I'd like.
I've decided I need to re-think my garden plan from last year.
It is still too hot - we actually had 95 degrees yesterday the highest temp ever recorded since they started counting here in my area of Florida.
This reduces my active time working in the garden - nevertheless I've been out there every day.

I'm finding I need to do more research which I enjoy, but then I go and find another really cool plant with no clue where to place it in the garden since it wasn't in my plan. Too many plants simply do not work in my area which causes lost time, effort and money.
Until you actually see it in your own space and know it likes it there - it is an experiment.

At least I can see a real tropical garden and food forest emerging - different from what I first envisioned, but it works well, makes sense and most of all it looks good and the plants are happy, not to mention the papaya and banana harvest.

3. Qui Gong and serious daily exercise is not happening - mostly because I hurt my back and then had a few days with immune issues. It is all better now, except for another medical issue that crept up ... sheesh.
So I am doing some stretching but nothing beyond that, well except for the garden workout.

4. Garden Projects - no time for that yet, but I am looking forward to it and Acrylic Pour - decided to nix that for now, in favor of keeping up with the house and garden.
Not giving up on the Acrylic Pour it is more of a question of allocating time and priorities.

[Moonwaves]

UPDATE: Ugh - ugh - ugh:)

This about sums up my week. Well said!

I've found a new meditation for deep sleep* and put it on again last night when I turned the light out. I would have said it took me a long while to actually get to sleep but if I look at the Sleep Cycle app, I apparently dropped off pretty quickly (and the meditation is not long and I don't remember hearing much past the first couple of minutes really), slept very deeply until about three o'clock and didn't snore at all. Unheard of. May give the nice man with the nice voice and the Scottish accent another go tonight.

I did get up and tackle the pile of washing-up this morning, so that's a decent start to the week. Need to spend an hour this evening doing my back exercises.



* Deeper Sleep by Andrew Johnson on the Insight Timer app, if anyone is interested

[Serendip]

Well, perhaps it is an unsettled month for all of us!

Love that you are growing tropical plants and a FOOD FOREST @Rosy --that is so exciting. I live in a northern mountainous zone so am pretty happy to even grow a tomato!

 I have been pretty good about meditating in the mornings...usually 20 min but have had a few shorter days due to some stressiness/antsiness. Thanks for the recommendation @Moonwaves , I haven't tried that one yet (I often listed to Jenn Piercy..Bone Deep Sleep is also a good one)

Haven't been doing online yoga or my workout video but have gone for some nice walks. Would like to UP my activity..
Have been excelling in the creative zone... that's my win for the month.
Cleaned out my small studio space, started a few illustrations, mended some clothing, hemmed some pants, framed an art print, rearranged furniture, clutter-cleared..the space is now SO cozy for winter creating..

[Serendip]

Weekly update=

Meditation is happening mostly every day--consistency is key but oh so hard

Creativity has been high--lots of projects on the go including completely rearranging the basement and making 'themed-menus' to go with books

Activity has been hit or miss..some walks and swims have been the main thing--will see if I can get back into the groove of online yoga as I find that really beneficial and a nice balance to work. Plus, it is a good way to start getting ready for winter and ski season!

[tygertygertyger]

Oh boy. I have not been keeping up with my intentions, but I've been rocking the creative stuff.

*I had made that first woven "placemat", which my partner would now like me to replace with a real table runner in the same colors.
*Started knitting a sweater - a nice textured orange one with (hopefully) 3/4 length sleeves.
*Mended two pairs of jeans. My partner has two more that i need to mend.
*Ideas for altering too-big clothes are coming to mind...
*Printed out new tasty-looking veg recipes today. Looking forward to making vegetable paella and 'Thai mango cabbage wraps with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce'.
*Ha, and instead of the usual plans to see an atypical Christmas play with friends this year, I offered to write one if everyone is willing to perform it. So far people are agreeing. I assume it'll either be a Zoom performance or an outside one, depending on weather. I am really looking forward to this. Once I write it, that is.

[Serendip]

*Ha, and instead of the usual plans to see an atypical Christmas play with friends this year, I offered to write one if everyone is willing to perform it. So far people are agreeing. I assume it'll either be a Zoom performance or an outside one, depending on weather. I am really looking forward to this. Once I write it, that is.

This is amazing. I so hope you follow through on this! Sounds like a HIGHLY successful creative month, even if other things fell by the wayside :)

I am meditating in the mornings but my activity has not kept up with my intentions (I've been increasing my work a LOT as there is a slight potential we could be closed down again in the future)

The month still feels like a success even though my ambitions for daily consistency weren't met.
I had some very successful creative projects come through and more are on the way,
so all I need to do for November is add more exercise..