WEEKLY HEALTHY LIVING CHECK-IN APRIL 11th, 2020

**This past week has gone well... Continued to Keep busy with getting all my projects, deep cleaning and house done inside and out....Things are coming along pretty nicely~ I stayed on track with everything, Activity, food, water... But, Got behind on my sleep again~ So need to try my best to continue to work on that (yet again), Because I could definitely feel the lack of it this week, and with all the time we have indoors right now I should not be getting behind on that.

**The weather has been really nice and Mild, BUT... its getting ready to turn a little chillier over the next week. And won't be as warms as its been. So overnight lows will really drop, causing those morning temps to really dip, Which may affect my morning walks with my mom. I'm the type that likes to get a "good sweat" on when working out, so If the walks fail due to the colder weather, I will have to find other activities.

**This weekend (Saturday) morning I will be taking another Online Fitness Training.. (Good Vibes appreciated!) ........I'malso hoping to get up extremely early (for me anyway) beforehand to get some activity and steps in, otherwise I will be "sitting" and sedentary for a majority of the day at the computer-screen (Other than breaks for lunch etc..)..... Then Sunday will be Easter Dinner at my Mom's & stepdads house (who only lives across the street).~ It will be so nice to enjoy that time together during this time.

ENJOY THE WEEKEND~ KEEP SAFE~

Hi! Super long post coming in!

I've been eating more all week and it's been uncomfortable but I was trying to deal with the bloat, changing body, etc. It's been hard and was going somewhat okay... until this morning sort of. Yesterday I ate a ton, including a lot of sweets and fried foods I didn't let myself have for a long time. This morning my entire body hurts - I have flu-like body aches and pains. But I'm still eating a large breakfast even though I'm not hungry because my body deserves and needs it. Stressing over how big it is will make my pain & bloat worse. Trying to stick to mostly anti-inflammatory foods this morning and then eat more inflammatory foods this afternoon because I can't be afraid of them. I need to figure out if those are what's causing my aches and I can't do that from one day of eating them. Trial and error.

My month has been lazy haha. I reeeally gotta get my homework done. It shouldn't be a running "joke" for me at this point cuz it's really sad. I also gotta get an internship which will be harder now that everything is online and more people can apply.

My motivation comes in a few different forms. First, finally seeing the way my body is suffering (gingivitis, dandruff, can barely walk up stairs, hair falling out in clumps, always cold, and tmi: constipated). Next, influencers on instagram, particularly one who just lost her baby but is still fighting for recovery despite the trauma - her strength is so inspiring.

Other motivators have been just thinking about my future and getting real with myself: is the life I'm living now really what I want to look back on in 20 years? even when my depression is so bad that I can't think that far ahead, I have to ask, is this what I want people to remember me for? Or do I want to get out of bed; try to recover; get back into an exercise routine when I can - maybe find a hobby that is exercise related; start giving more to people in need or find another purpose; experience new things; feel endless graditude; not care too much about opinions that aren't relevant to me, whether I'll ever date & marry someone, have abs, have kids, get a dream job / society's standards of "worth" and "failure", etc.?

Kim's Convience and Community have been saving me from a lot of boredom recently. Also making a schedule and trying my best to adhere to it, not putting so much pressure on myself to get it perfect keeps me on track with school - sorta . Nut butter has been helping stay on track with weight stuff. I tried a jog recently and found that I wasn't ready yet. But at least I know my body will still "remember" how to jog and process that good stress. Even if I have to start over with walking and build back up to jogging... my hasn't given up on me yet and it's such a relief considering my hair is falling out lol finding the humor in this is hard but so necessary for me

Easter! I'm not religious but I would like Easter to be a symbolic day for me, one of inner rebirth. I don't want to get the meaning of Easter wrong so that's all I'll say on that. I think I'll celebrate with some long meditations and taking care of basic routine in the morning, then settle into some homework, maybe look up some lighter easter recipes to try cuz I've been craving some fruit & veg today. And of course the obligatory peanut butter cup and/or other candy/sweets. Insta's got me thinking about banana bread. I have some Perfect Bar peanut butter cups/bars and super dark chocolate bars I might dig into since our bananas aren't ripe enough to make banana bread.

Hope you're all well :D

@PoliteOcean

I think this month has had its ups and downs so far. :): . It is true that quarantine screw up time a bit. For me, the day moves by extremely quickly and the week moves by even quicker.

I've had my friends and myself keep me accountable for getting things done and also I've had the things I love doing (7 cups and interesting online courses) motivate me to continue focusing on them instead of what is going on in the world right now (I'm still updated on the news but I'm keeping my consumption levels low).

Workouts in the morning, allowing myself to snack small healthy snacks throughout the day, healthy small meals, books whenever possible, always having music in my ears, and some tv show watching via Netflix party with my friends :)

I don't celebrate Easter :)

I've been struggling a lot with the concept of being enough but I think a highlight has been learning that the concept itself is quite pointless and I just need to work on being enough for myself and myself only.

Times are hard right now <3 feel free to pm me if needed :)

@PoliteOcean

**How have things been going for you this past week?!

It's been going well! I celebrated my birthday & I'm looking forward to the new adventures this new year of my life has to offer! 🤗

**What are some things that are keeping you "Focused" so far this month? What have been some of your "motivators" during this time with everything going on around us?

Definitely creating a To Do List each week. It doesn't matter if I complete a single thing on the list or not, but it definitely keeps me on track & focused. It also encourages me to pick something different each day to do that's on the list. I've been noticing that I need a little change in my routine each day to keep me on my toes...otherwise, it's easy for me to get bored quickly!

**What have been some of your "Go-to" Healthy things that are keeping you on track while being stuck in-doors? (Foods, Workouts,Books, Movies, etc.. or anything you want to share)?!

I'm totally loving this 21 day workout challenge I've been doing each day! It's challenging and it's helping me reach my fitness goals! It's also inspiring those who live with me to get active which is a huge plus!😍

**What have been your "Highlights" Or "Struggles" over this past week?

The Struggle: This past week, I've struggled a lot with doing activities for myself. I've spent way too much time this past week investing time into doing things for others. My focus this upcoming week will be to prioritize my own happiness.

The Highlight/Something I want to talk about: I started an online social media account in December to document my journey throughout dental school. I'll be starting this upcoming August. At first, A lot of friends and family members didn't understand that there is a niché for this on this particular online platform. There's actually a plethora of pre-dental students searching for advice on applying to dental school and there's an entire dental student/health professions student community. They told me that if I made an account focusing on my journey, it wouldn't take off & it would be very hard to gain a following on there, etc, etc. I made the account to help students on their journey to gain admission into a dental school NOT for fame, NOT for likes/follows. I started off with a steady 90 followers between December - March. In just a month, my following has grown to 400.

I'm not writing to brag about this, but I just want to tell whoever has made it this far in my post: please DO NOT listen to anyone who tells you that your dream/goal is TOO BIG, TOO UNREACHABLE, TOO CRAZY, NOT GOOD ENOUGH. You can accomplish ANYTHING you set your mind to!!!!

I've been receiving messages from students letting me know that my posts are extremely helpful to them & THAT my friends...is the highlight of the week. Despite the naysayers, I went and did it anyways. I'm helping students who are in the same shoes I was in not too long ago❤️

This week has been rather well, productivity has been a bit hard but by the latter half the week I decided to go back to daily to-do lists which has been pretty effective so I

It's been a busy week, despite the circumstances I've managed to stay active. Of course I have to thank 7cups for giving us listeners and team members a good chance to be useful and helpful and a sense of purpose.

Time flies indeed. It's the counting of the days past and the uncertainty of how long will this still last what makes the awaiting tense. But I am sure that this will end and the outcome will be for good. We'll be more conscious and more friendly people. At least for a while.

Learning is what have kept me focused. I am doing right now courses online, I am reading academic papers, having long conversations with scholar friends and wise friends. Motivators have been to be ready for what the "new world" will be after this, considering a posible change of career and not least trying to be useful to others, here at 7cups and in my immediate environment.

Healthy things, I've been able to take long walks, I was planning to restart running but from tomorrow on conditions where I live will be more strict so I am not sure if it'll be posible. Music as a source of health has also been working great for me, with so many free for now resources avaible I'm really taking advantage of it. Food hasn't been a problem since we have plenty affordable fresh and healthy options where I live, I am very thankful for that.

I don't celebrate Easter nowadays, my mom is Catholic and mostly I have memories of what it was like for her when I was a kid. Good memories. I will make a special dinner today to remember.

Highlights this week has been finally being able to contact and being contacted by my chinese friends -I did spend a good deal of time working in China years ago, communication in the previous months was not posible, and now I know my closer friends are Ok. Also to know that my sister and mom, who live in a different place, are safe and sound and ready to put up with whatever comes ahead of us, we are talking on a daily basis which is something that I should have been doing at normal times. Struggles are unavoidable but easily forgettable.

@PoliteOcean

**Hey Everyone~ How have things been going for you this past week?!

The past week is very productive and I managed to get many things done and catch up on homework.

**We are "nearing" the middle of the month already?! How time flies (when your quarentined to your homes)! lol... How do you feel things are going for you so far this month?

I think things are going well!

**What are some things that are keeping you "Focused" so far this month? What have been some of your "motivators" during this time with everything going on around us?

My focus this month is applying for scholarships. I hate wasting time and I want to be productive. I just feel lost if I don't have anything to do.

**What have been some of your "Go-to" Healthy things that are keeping you on track while being stuck in-doors? (Foods, Workouts,Books, Movies, etc.. or anything you want to share)?!

I've made a list of movies that I want to watch and yesterday I finished watching Titanic (yes, it took me 17 years to finally watch it) and I'm just in a bad mood now because apparently "two people can't share a single door for flotation devise in the hypothermic ocean." I will start Citizen Kane today.

**This SUNDAY Many of us will celebrate "EASTER"! With things being a little different this year for all of us, HOW MANY of you will be celebrating this day? In what way will you celebrate? If you do celebrate, what are some Healthy Options that you will choose for yourself?

My family is not religious, so we don't celebrate Easter. As for me, I still don't know where my religion truly lies, but I still have years to figure that out.

How have things been going for you this past week?! - Things have been okay. Could be better, could be worse.

**We are "nearing" the middle of the month already?! How time flies (when your quarentined to your homes)! lol... How do you feel things are going for you so far this month? - Things have been the same, Not great but not bad.

**What are some things that are keeping you "Focused" so far this month? What have been some of your "motivators" during this time with everything going on around us? - Finding a healthy routine. Just talking with people on here have been motivators.

**What have been some of your "Go-to" Healthy things that are keeping you on track while being stuck in-doors? (Foods, Workouts,Books, Movies, etc.. or anything you want to share)?! - I make sure to eat and apple and have green tea. I try and go for a walk well I still can and do 10 mins of yoga mixed with mindfulness.

**This SUNDAY Many of us will celebrate "EASTER"! With things being a little different this year for all of us, HOW MANY of you will be celebrating this day? In what way will you celebrate? If you do celebrate, what are some Healthy Options that you will choose for yourself? - I don't celebrate per say but I do have a Easter dinner with my family.

@PoliteOcean This past week, my new caretaker Monique failed to show up for her first assignment, so I had to terminate her. Tuesday night my creepy roomie Eric falsely accused me of stealing his $500 Smart phone. I didn't steal it, he was just so much of a slob he couldn't find it. He found it eventually. He and the house manger decided he should move into another room. This way I have my own bedroom but don't have to pay any additional rent. The house manager might decide to put a new client in my room at any time. My creepy roomie Dennis is walking around with a huge bandage and stitches on his head from skin cancer. Nothing going on in the romance department, but I'm trying to make friends with women I met online but outside of 7 cups. Women are always excited to meet me but for some reason it fizzles out. I live a very sedentary lifestyle. I live in a creepy neighborhood so I don't like going for walks around here. When I had a caretaker, she would take me for walks in the local park, so that worked out really well.

Hi!! I haven't been on here in a long time, but I thought I'd check in

This past week has gone pretty well for me; it's had a lot of ups and downs, but I'm still learning how to best deal with things. There have been a lot of positive moments, such as beautiful weather, birds singing and flowers everywhere, and phone calls with family and friends as well as it being a special time of year!

This month has also had a lot of ups and downs; I struggle the most with really missing my loved ones who I can't see right now. I'm on spring break right now and I was supposed to travel and see my parents, but wasn't able to. However, I have gotten a lot done while in quarantine and have spent more time on my hobbies and goals

Some of my biggest sources of motivation and focus are my sister and closest friends, since we are able to check in with each other and encourage each other throughout the day or week. The fact that I have more time to do things and set my own schedule has also been a motivator for me, since I want to use this time as well as I can.

Healthy things I've been doing to keep me on track--well, I've been working out more, which has been awesome. Sometimes I go for a walk or a short run, and other times I like to do workout videos at home or even short ballet workouts (I used to take ballet classes for fun). I'm trying to stretch more. I've also been learning some German on Duolingo. And another goal of mine is to practice piano more, although that one has been hard to motivate myself to do! Cooking and baking has also been fun, especially since eating food is fun

I don't celebrate Easter, but I am celebrating the Days of Unleavened Bread this week, so that has been nice! I have enjoyed making and eating unleavened bread and connecting with others through phone and the internet during this special time.

**What have been your "Highlights" Or "Struggles" over this past week?

I have noticed I'm struggling a lot with being very hard on myself lately, especially when it comes to getting "enough" done, or being "good enough" at things such as my hobbies, so that has been a struggle. I guess noticing it is a start toward change, though! A highlight of this week was that my sister and I worked on self-publishing the fiction book we wrote a few years ago! And another highlight was that one of my close friends called me and we both went on a walk--together, even though miles apart.

Hope you all are doing well! Thank you to everyone for sharing!