Getting into the Swing of January

 Today January is REALLY underway.  The kid is back to school and I am back to work.  I will probably have to return to the Newark office tomorrow (for the first time since Thanksgiving) since I think my knee will allow me to do so.  (So stay tuned for adventures in commuting.)

Now that life is (somewhat) back to normal, it's time for me to take charge of my life again. (Or at least try to.)  As always, I'm going to try and eat more mindfully.  It's not something that I have a great track record with and is NOT a resolution for 2023, but something that I'm going to try to focus on.  I tend to be a mindless eater.  Eating when I'm hungry?  Maybe.  Eating when I'm stressed, tired, bored, angry, upset, etc.? GUILTY!  I'm going to try to focus more on what my body is telling me and less on what my emotions want.  

To that end, there's something "new" (at least to me) that is going around this month:  Dry January.  I like my wine and maybe I've been liking it, along with a host of other alcoholic beverages, over the holidays. I've decided to give this a go, starting today and going through to February 3rd (which happens to be a Friday).  I'll admit that it's become too easy to just grab a glass of wine (or two?) with dinner and I think it's time to be more mindful of what I am drinking.  It also should give me more of an appreciation of the wine (or other alcohol) that I consume.  Again, it comes down to being more mindful. Something that I WANT to be, but isn't always so easy to do.  NOT thinking before imbibing in anything is a bad habit I have (and I'm sure many do).  It's something that I've long tried to change, not always successfully.  So with this dry January, maybe by focusing on alcohol, I will also by extension focus on what (and when and why) I eat.

Finally, due to the knee, I haven't been exercising at all.  It's not that I don't enjoy sleeping in a little bit (I DO!), but I have made walks and exercise a habit since 2011.  NOT doing anything has been frustrating. (And certainly not helped when it comes to weight gain.)  I'm slowly trying to come back, but using a portal floor pedal exerciser.  I've used it before, in conjunction with walking and definitely used it for longer periods of time.  I'm not doing as much as I'm trying to get the knee/leg back to (somewhat) normal and I'm hoping to build up.  I've never really done much else and I think it's time I do.  I have 4 pound weights that I used to carry when I walked.  Now I'm thinking of trying to do something with them to build up some upper body strength.  I'd also like to try and do something to get rid of (or at least diminish) the lower belly fat and doing this without hurting my knees/legs.  (So while I used to occasionally plank, it's difficult with my knee.)  So if you are reading this and you have any suggestions, I'm open.  Just keep in mind that I'm older (sigh) and I'm looking for something I can do on my own.  (Gyms may be great, but they are costly and I'd rather be able to do something at home that I can do when I want and not when a facility is open.)

So for me it's day one.  I'm getting into the swing of 2023.  It's not going to be a straight and easy path.  I may not get where I want to do, but I will get somewhere if I just keep mindful.