Shifting plan, focus and a little change in direction

This year got off to a roaring start, and I was full of beans raring to go. This momentum has definitely got lost along the way. When I'm off over Christmas, thinking and evaluating and making plans for the goals I want to set in the new year, I sometimes forget how easy it can be to just let real life get in the way of all my grand plans. Recently, things have been extremely busy with a big project and work, and I was away in France on business. Which sounds more glamorous than it is, I promise.

I had a few days off over the Easter break to take stock and see what was going right and what wasn't. And that's when I had a look again at Slimming World. The plan is fantastic, and as I might have mentioned I lost a substantial amount of weight on it a few years ago. My problem is, that I know it so well and so inside out that I was complacent. I also had little niggles about some aspects of the plan, like how much processed food was enabled and encouraged, and they need to haul their ass into 2016 on the technology front!

And last week, I took a look at the Weight Watchers website. I was really, really impressed with their online package, and the look and feel of their website and their tools was just fresh, new and a little exciting. So I made the switch (and was pleased to discover I had made a £7/month saving in the process).

The plan works on (newly-branded, I believe) SmartPoints. You have a certain number of points per day, depending on your personal variables. After this, you also have a certain number of weekly points available to you, for use on the days when you run over your allotted daily allowance. On top of this, you can also convert FitPoints, which you get for completing exercise, into extra points, should you need those. I find the way exercise is encouraged and incentivised much better than on SW, as with WW you are given a certain number of FitPoints to aim for each week, and broken down to each day. Also,  the app connects to your FitBit device, making tracking effortless and seamless.

Being on a new plan is benefiting me in that it has refocused me. I have to concentrate on what I'm tracking and how the plan works, which is keeping me engaged and on top of it. I love the technology integration, I love a gadget and this works very well. The app is just fantastic - take note SW. The cost saving of going with WW is a bonus too.

In the coming weeks and months, I will learn the plan better myself and I'll be able to share my thoughts and experiences (and losses!) with you all. For now, 2016 may start again. And I will check in next week with my week 1 update.

Tips for getting back on track

1. List anything you feel went out of control. 
Seeing it on paper will help, and will allow you to look at this and take each hurdle individually, giving your mind clear space to start making solutions. List beside each 'problem' what actions you can take to make that 'problem' disappear.

2. Take 30 minutes to meal plan your next week.
This step is crucial if your diet is what's been let go. Take a look, with your planner, at any social commitments you have coming up in the next week and how this will affect your meals, and plan accordingly. This might mean batch cooking and timing things to be taken out of the freezer, or it might mean having to rejig your cooking time to make sure you have dinner ready earlier than you usually would. Whatever system you use, make sure you face the next week with a meal plan for each day (including snacks) and a grocery shop done to make sure you have what you need to get back on track.

3. Plan, plan, plan. 
Make your to-do list for the week, and slot these tasks into your planner, so you know what needs to be done each day. You will feel much better when you are on top of your to-do list.

4. Get back into a routine.
Your body works best when it's in a routine, so try to keep to the same bedtime and same getting up time as far as possible. It takes 21 days to make a habit, so let this be the month you get your body clock regulated.

5. Schedule in me-time.
This is so, so important. It is easy to get overwhelmed and to burn the candle at both ends. It is so important to schedule in time to look after yourself, mentally and physically. Take a look at your planner for the next week and make sure to schedule in physical and mental me-time. On a weekly basis, I block out certain time spots when I turn my phone on to airplane mode and make sure I cannot be disturbed. I will block off time to read, to have a bath, to do a face mask and a bit of meditation, to take my dog for a walk. Anything that relaxes you, keeps your interests up, and gives you time to reset. Also important is to schedule exercise, at which I am getting better. Block off an appointment with yourself, and show up.

6. Inspire yourself.
Google inspirational quotes. Pinterest some pictures of your goals, create a vision board. Every day, remember where you want to be and remember what you need to do to get there. Nothing is more important than making yourself happy and proud. Grow continually. Time is something you cannot save and cannot get back, so use it wisely to be the best you can be.

January's resolution review

So can you believe the first month of 2016 is hurtling towards the finish line? The end of January is the longest awaited end of any month in the year! Dark days, cold weather, with no twinkling Christmas lights to brighten the place up - let alone the fact that the last pay day was a thousand years ago. Alas, rejoice! For we are nearly *nearly* into spring. If you squint your eyes enough... you can nearly see it!

So I want to take one new resolution each month and build up each one, seeing how I am faring. I promise - even if it's not good - to give you an honest review of how I'm doing.

The first resolution I had in 2016 was to use my planner, that I had set up on google docs for myself. I have split this up into four tabs per week. First - an overview of my goals for the week, split into time management, financial goals, work goals, personal goals, weight loss goals, and rewards for meeting all of these. This is a really helpful page that keeps me accountable through the week about what I want to achieve and how I am going to get there. I do an overall page at the start of the month with three goals in the month that I really want to achieve, so these will all feed into these overall monthly goals in some way.

Second tab contains a breakdown of each day Fri-Thursday. I start my week on a Friday as this is my weigh in day. Each day starts with my meal plan, then my to do list for that day, followed by my main goal for this day. After this I have a checklist, loosely based on Keri Glassman's eight pillars, except I have nine. My pillars are: drink up, eat empowered, love more, nurture yourself, feed your brain, sleep deep, stress less, sweat often and daily time goals. By reviewing each of these for 5 minutes at the end of each day, it helps me feel accountable and reflect on a daily basis how I am managing all of these. There is also a space at the bottom to reflect on what was good and what I wasn't so keen on in the day.

The third tab is my daily time goals. Here I record roughly how much time I have spent doing all the things I want to make space for in my life. Things like reading my books, my magazine, walking my dog, exercising, sleeping, etc. This helps me on a weekly basis work out where I want to spend more time the following week, or what might not have got enough attention on the previous week.

The fourth tab for any given week is a reflection on the week gone past. Here I review (and give a score out of 5) whether I was bored - excited, unhappy - happy, tired - energetic, stressed - calm, unhealthy - healthy. Then there is text space with the following headers, where I make more journal-like notes: 'Good things about this week', 'Negative things about this week', 'Positive things about the negatives' and 'Things I will improve next week'.

So overall I think I have been doing a pretty good job. I am finding it hardest remembering to complete this before I go to sleep, so that is something I want to try to make more of a habit in February. So far, 2016, so good.

Movies of 2016 (first half)

2016 is set to be another bumper year for movie lovers. I try to get to the cinema once or twice a week - and inhale my copy of Total Film each month. So, without further ado, here are the movies I am most looking forward to in 2016.

January


The start of the year is usually a great time of year for movie-goers, with award season approaching and 2016 is no different.

The Revenant - Leonardo diCaprio wears a bear for his latest extreme survival movie, due in cinemas in the UK/Ireland on 15th January
The Hateful Eight - We tried to see Tarantino's new movie when it was on limited release in Toronto but it was unfortunately sold out. Really love Tarantino's work, and looking forward to seeing this one.






February

Hail, Ceasar - the new Coen brothers film looks fantastic and has a stellar lineup, including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton.
Zoolander 2 - need I say more?








March

Zootropolis - Disney (which always will win my heart) has been on a particularly good roll in recent years, with releases like Inside Out, Frozen and, of course, the revival of the Star Wars franchise. Really looking forward to this sweet-looking movie.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - The latest instalment of the Batman series and the first since the departure of Christopher Nolan will be interesting as he faces another superhero.




April
The Jungle Book - Disney's foray into cartoons as live action movies continues with a much darker feel in the Jungle Book. Trailer was particularly interesting. And, you know, Disney.







May

Alice Through the Looking Glass - Another Disney offering in 2016. I really loved Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland, and the trailer for this new movie looks stunning.



June

The Boss - Melissa McCarthy stars as a fallen national treasure trying to win the love of the people again. I have to say, I really like McCarthy and I am looking forward to a laugh with this one.
Independence Day: Resurgence - The sequel to the original Will Smith great will not feature Will Smith *sigh*. But only having seen the original in 2015, I'm looking forward to seeing the next installment.

New Year's Resolutions

Well, hello! It's been a while and I feel like we have some catching up to do. Christmas break was wonderful, I enjoyed some real time out with my loved ones and even though I had bronchitis again over Christmas, I tried not to let it spoil anything too much. My hubby and I spent a lovely week in Toronto with my mum and dad, brother and his fiancée. I will have a trip report for you in the coming couple of weeks with all the things we got up to. Coming back to Ireland was nice, as we got a few days before we were back to work to spend with my in-laws, and of course with our beloved puppy who was staying with family when we were gone, and was well and truly spoiled.

I love New Year. I feel the need here to separate New Year's Eve and New Year as a concept. I hate going out on NYE - much preferring to relax at home and take stock of the past year and the year to come. This year we were invited to a family party, so I didn't get my evening in that I love! But the party was lovely and the craic was good, Sin-é. On the run up to a new year, (concept, not party) I always start reflecting on where I am and where I want to be, like approximately 95% of the rest of the world's population. This year, I have come up with 12 new year's resolutions which I will try to uphold each month, and each month I plan to check in with you and tell you HONESTLY how I am doing with each one.

So, in no particular order:

1. Planner - I have devised a planner on Google Docs which week-by-week will help me sort out everything I need to be doing, what I am planning to eat, etc. There is also space for little gratitudes each day. I intend to spend 5 minutes before getting up and 5 minutes before I fall asleep going over this and making sure I am on track for the next day or day ahead.

2. Time goals - I want to spend more time doing the things I love. I love the movies, and walking my dog, and I love listening to and practising my French and German (which I studied at university and which completely lapse if you don't maintain them - like I have been allowing to happen). I love my magazines and my books, as you know, and I love blogging and want to make more time for it. I have a target of minutes or hours I want to spend doing the things I love and I am going to try to keep up with that each week.

3. Make lunches the night before - In an effort to remain more organised, I plan to have my lunch packed and in the fridge the night before work, instead of scrambling to sort it in the morning.

4. Blogging - within my planner (see 1) I have a dedicated blogging calendar, which I see more as an archive of my life and I really want to keep up with.

5. Exercise routine - I have been extremely lazy in the last year with getting into a routine and practice of exercise. I plan to really address this in 2016, and have completed the first week of a couch-to-5k app from the NHS. It is a really useful tool for complete beginners like me. We are planning to have a gym room in our new house that we will hopefully be building this year, so we may start buying some equipment to fill it this year, so I have no excuses and no places to hide.

6. French and German - As I mentioned, I really have let these lapse. So I intend to spend more time listening to podcasts and reading German and French magazine articles to help me pick them up again.

7. Game of Thrones - I have never really been one for fantasy fiction (with the exception of Harry Potter of course), and I have tried and failed LOTR three times already. Enough, I said at the tender age of 25. Now I'm a little older, I think it's time I gave it another shot. I got my husband the boxset of books for Christmas as he wanted to read them before we joined the 21st century and started watching the series. So GOT is officially on my Spring reading list.

8. Wednesday morning routine - Working at home one day a week throws things in the air a little. I don't have to listen to that alarm telling me to get up so early. I can hit the snooze button and roll over for another 20 minutes. Enough. I want to spend Wednesday mornings getting a run in, doing my blogging and planning the following week in my planner, showering, dressing, breakfasting - all before I start work at 9.

9. Minimise eating lunch out during the week - I got into a lazy and bad habit last year of eating out at work during the week, which can hurt the wallet and the waistline. No more. It comes down to one thing - planning! If I am well organised and plan my meals, this won't happen.

10. Never start a week without a meal plan and groceries - Each Thursday, without fail, I intend to plan the following week's meals and have a shopping list completed and ordered online (to collect free from the store on Friday after work - genius invention). No excuses for eating out, eating poorly or anything of the sort.

11. Swimming - I really love this sport, and used to be good at it when I was younger. I want to take up swimming again, at least once every fortnight, if not weekly.

12. Weight loss - the old demon is still here. I feel a lot more focused this year than trying to lose weight in the craziness of 2015. Time to really focus on hitting target, maybe not hitting target by December, as I have a lot to lose, but I want to be well on my way there.

What are your resolutions? Do you make them? (Do you break them?) I'd love to know.