Umm, about those resolutions....

.....they have not gone as well as I had hoped.

In fact, I haven't even put any checkmarks on my sheet for over a week. HOWEVER, I have a good excuse. (I know, I know, no excuses, whatever.) I've been pouring most of my energy into one specific resolution without realizing it, and that is to keep a health journal. I'm using some online apps that help me track what I eat, how much water I drink, exercise, sleep amount and quality, and my acid reflux symptoms. While it does feel like a major chore to keep up with all of this, it forces me to pay attention to what, and how much, I eat, and when. This has been exceedingly important in figuring out my blood sugar patterns.

Yes, blood sugar. No, I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes, but I have several reasons to believe that over the past year or so my body has become incredibly sensitive to the fluctuations in glucose levels throughout the day. I haven't been to the doctor, I don't test, and I don't have a meter, so I deal with all of this just based on symptoms. I'm hoping that with some research, careful planning, and trial-and-error, I can avoid costly trips to the doctor, lab, and nutritionist.

I've adopted an 1800-calorie meal plan using the exchange system. If you know what that is, good for you. If you don't, I don't understand it well enough to explain it yet, BUT IT HELPS and my diet has improved. I eat more fruit and veggies and less junk. I'm more conscious of my decisions, which in turn helps me understand the symptoms (or absence) later on. For example, a bowl of cereal is about the worst breakfast choice I could make, outside of a piece of chocolate cake, because in under 2 hours my blood sugar will crash and I will be a wreck. I have to have a protein and a complex carb, and I have fruit and milk too because it's what the diet specifies. And that results in more stability until snack time 3 hours later.

Anyway, the point of all this was supposed to be my Happiness Project. You know, the chart, the resolutions, the check marks. But somewhere around mid-month the blood sugar issues took precedence, and I've spent all of my energy and focus on that instead. Which is not a bad thing, really, and perhaps later on I'll dedicate another month to organizing. I did get my desk organized before the dramatic decline, though--look!

From this....

To this!

Next month's focus, for the Month of Love, naturally, is marriage. If Bob reads my blog, he'll know about it, but if he doesn't I guess he'll just get to reap the benefits without any conscious thought about it. Later in the week I'll get to the specifics about resolutions, and hopefully this month I'll make it all the way!