Hello lovelies,
I’m finally getting myself back into the swing of things with my blog posts after taking a much-needed extended break over the Christmas period. Well, I say break. I was still writing, but I wanted to shake things up a little bit, so I needed a little bit longer.
After thinking about what I want to achieve in 2024, I didn’t throw myself in with reckless abandon on the 1st of January. Instead, I took small baby steps. I have to say, after a rocky start, it’s not going too bad.
I didn’t go back to work until the 8th of January, so I thought I would kick off my action plan then and make the most of the final days off.
Body Breakthrough
I got straight back into it on the first Monday back with a 3-mile morning walk. I did a strength training session the following day and then another 3-mile walk the day after that. I was killing it!
Later that Wednesday, I started to feel like I was coming down with something. This always seems to happen when I try to live a healthier lifestyle, but rather than give in and say healthy living is not for me, I decided to ask Auntie Google.
I was surprised to learn that my body was probably releasing something to repair my muscles, making you feel flu-like symptoms. Wow, that’s pretty bloody clever of the body! Still, this did not help me in that moment. I was exhausted; my hormones were playing havoc and making my gums sore, and on top of that, I had work to do.
I decided that I was going to break the habit of a lifetime and do what I always talk about doing but never actually do. I was going to listen to my body and go back to bed. It was screaming at me for rest.
I think I managed to dose off for an hour, then, but I laid in bed watching some TV before getting up, taking some ibuprofen, mainly to relieve the mouth pain, and got down to work. I was feeling a bit better.
I decided to take a rest from exercise the following day, which wasn’t the plan, but I knew that going against my body was not going to do me any favours in the long run.
This, of course, meant that my carefully planned work schedule was now in disarray, which would usually send me into a slight panic. But, I realised that what I had “always done” no longer worked for me, so I did something different. I went with the flow.
Carefree Calendar
Although this goes completely against my nature, I have to say, I liked it. I didn’t feel like moving my day around was not the catastrophe my brain had been telling me it would. And I still got everything done that I needed to, sometimes more.
I decided that from now on, the schedule I put in place for each week would be more of a loose plan. I would put my tasks in the diary as usual, but if I need to go back to bed, to the shops or whatever else, I will then come back to those tasks later that day. I know how to prioritise. I don’t need to live on such a rigid timetable all the time!
By the weekend, I was feeling back to normal. I met my friend for lunch, and when I was on my way home, I realised that as I had rushed from my car to the restaurant, I hadn’t had a hot flash! It always happened to me; I wouldn’t even have to walk very far, but the minute I stopped, I would be dripping with sweat, and it was horrible and embarrassing!
Mood Makeover
I started to think about the other things that had been bothering me and realised that my mood had also begun to improve. My mindset and how I looked at things seemed more like the old me. Sadly, I wasn’t in my twenties again, but I felt so much more me than I had in such a long time.
It would also seem that that pesky inner critic is either still on their Christmas break, or I may be finally getting rid of them. The negative self-talk and the self-sabotage seem less prevalent these days.
It had been so gradual that I hadn’t noticed! I think the HRT is working!!! I don’t want to get too excited in case it’s just a fluke, but I am going to continue tracking my symptoms and cycle and see what happens.
Tweak Time
I also decided to track my weight as a little experiment to see how that fluctuates throughout the month. I haven’t weighed or measured myself since the beginning of November. In December, I moved a lot less, and I ate a lot more, so gaining weight was inevitable for me.
I can’t magically shed a shitload of weight. Believe me, I have tried everything over the years, but the number on the scale has become less significant to me and more about how I feel about myself. For anyone who is trying to be healthier in 2024, here’s proof that the number on the scales means sod all.
In keeping with my new, relaxed mindset, I wanted to try something different. It was time to give my lifestyle an overhaul.
This wasn’t time for anything drastic. I didn’t want to freak my new, laid-back self out. Just some minor but important tweaks. Making better food choices, having less processed food, takeaways and alcohol. I wasn’t cutting anything out, just moderation and sensible choices for the majority of the time.
I’d been reading a lot about how intermittent fasting can help some women in perimenopause, so I thought I would experiment with that, too. Once I have finished eating for the day, usually around 8 pm, I set a timer for 13 hours. During this time, I just drink water, which isn’t difficult at all.I wanted to move more as well.
The morning walks had become less about my body and more about my mind. That simple switch of mindset made me less resistant to doing it. I knew from experience that having that hour to myself each morning in the fresh air improved my mood.
It’s pretty bloody simple. These were things I had been doing on and off for a while now, but it was time to be more consistent.This year will be all about finding out what works for me. The world and I have changed, so it makes sense that other things might need to change, too.
Share your own experiences or thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to hear from you!
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