Allison Corcoran
Blog 3 of 4
SUST-S 360
4-18-2016
Progress, Progress, Regress
It has been a few weeks since we were first assigned to add 3 of the “Power 9” into our daily lives. I struggled with that adjustment for a few days, but I believe I now have a light hold on my chosen 3. I’ve had to make some adjustments to my original ways of incorporating move naturally, down shift, and 80% rule into my routine, but it’s been more beneficial and successful now.
Move Naturally
I didn’t quite struggle with moving naturally because of my job. I am constantly walking from one side of the store to another for hours on end. This isn’t very enjoyable form of movement for me, but it has been working. In the last couple days I have added walking my dogs with my mom in the morning, which has been easy and enjoyable. Hopefully we can continue to keep that up because I know the dogs enjoyed it! I also have parked further from school and taken the long route to classes. It’s made me feel proud of myself to actually make the effort to do the plans I’ve been meaning to do. All I can do now is keep up with these activities and continue to tell myself that it’s going to be good for my mind and body.
Down Shift
My first plan for involving down shifting consisted of taking time out to color and listen to 80s music. Well, I really never had a moment of free time to do this because of my incredibly busy schedule this time of the year. Last week, though, I was driving home from our sustainability and wellness class where we were speaking about the “Power 9′ and realized hey, this is my down shifting. Every day on my way to school, one of my most listened to radio stations plays a flashback lunch; it plays songs from the 80s and 90s for an entire hour. My commute to school is roughly 30 minutes, so that’s 30 minutes of me stepping out of my busy schedule and making the drive with my favorite music playing in the background.
I was getting so frustrated before that I couldn’t sit down and make time for down shifting, but all along I had the time; it was just in a different space. I’m honestly so glad I realized my commute to school is a time for relaxing and I am able to now feel like I’ve somewhat accomplished adding in down shifting to my life. What I’ve realized from this “Power 9” is that relaxation can come in unexpected forms, but to accept what I can get. To make sure I can fulfill the time for down shifting, I will continue to leave my house by noon, so I can fully enjoy at least 30 minutes of my throwback music.
80% Rule
The “Power 9” that I am still struggling with is the 80% rule. I have yet to figure out a way to stop eating before I feel sick. I’ve tried a smaller plate, but then I have more than one serving. At this point I believe it’s time for reinforcements. I’m going to ask my mom to help me incorporate this “Power9” and hopefully we can work together to achieve it. It’s been hard on me to not be able to push myself enough to pay attention to this goal and follow through with its guidelines. With the help of my mom and possibly more strict rules for myself (i.e.: not eating out, less junk food purchases) I will actually be able to say I’ve added the 80% rule to my daily life.
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