New year, new me etc. How's it going?

Nice work.
Not a new year's thing but I decided I am targeting a generally healthier and less clutter filled life in the last quarter of 2023 along with a focus on deliberately advancing my career.
Decluttering has started well I've sold a dinghy today that's not been used since 2022 🙂 that's just the start I needed on that. I've put together a three year plan for work and looking at some coaching.

Not yet managed a ride or sail in 2024 though.  At least a couple more weeks before that's a reality with other commitments.

Good work

Yeah being more focused on my work is a big tick for me this year. The last half of '23 and the first half of '24 are set to be my busiest in 13 years of working for myself. Lots to focus on as I let a few things slip last year

Clearing debts and looking to move house are high on the agenda too

Well I dropped 7 kilos since September but now have developed a hip issue from overtraining on Zwift. Will return to weights, bag work and swimming. Yesterday I saw a a couple of abs.
Work wise got promoted in spite of my protests.

NYD - bike ride. From the door of course 😉 - was staying with friends.

Remaining chocolate and biscuit gifts as of NYD all donated away.

HbA1c blood test ordered after seeing this thread.

Rescheduled household chores to be done midweek to keep weekends clearer.

Made a list with reasons of things I was thinking of buying but am no longer intending to. CBA with obsessing about choosing new stuff and messing about with it, my existing stuff will do for now and other things I don't really need anyway.

Started thinking about being less ambitious with holidays and adventures. Found it stressful last year planning stuff, replanning it multiple times due to the weather, getting in front of work to have time off, catching up with work after coming back.

Also thinking a bit about putting more focus onto work. Disengaged a bit with the wider industry since the pandemic, chose "fk it I'm going for a bike ride" a bit too often.

Absolutely terrible for me! Felt like i really wasted the whole of last year and feel like I kind of let myself go physically and mentally. Not to any really worrying extent but since turning 50 couple years ago just feel I’ve kind of given up. Lot of pressure at moment with kids (university, a levels, mental health concerns) and parents struggling (dad diagnosed with Parkinsons).

Decided to give myself a ‘reboot’ this year and set up a plan to improve my life - driven by trying to have more adventures and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Heck even bought myself a massive white board to set my plan out!

Sadly failed miserably for this first week as just the return to work (which is also really busy and stressful) has totally knocked me back and immediately drained my enthusiasm.

Going to try and restart again tomorrow…but not confident (which feels like my way of giving up already)

sorry that reads as a bit pitiful! What I should be saying is well done to those of you making the changes you want.

New me is always vaguely disappointed by old me when I catch him up.

new me is just like old me......... so i am pretty happy.

keep moving, keep happy, want less.

Made a list with reasons of things I was thinking of buying but am no longer intending to. CBA with obsessing about choosing new stuff and messing about with it, my existing stuff will do for now and other things I don’t really need anyway.

Yes, I've vowed to TRY and stop buying stuff just because I want it (don't look at the Touareg thread 🤣) how well it goes, we'll see

@rockbus hope you get back on track and don't let work drag you down. It's just a f***'in job, it's not worth it

Cut out the booze at home and eating more healthily. Getting more structured about riding the bike at least three times a week; two pseudo commutes and one proper ride.

All seem fairly reasonable.

Week off for some training. One day of vomiting, two days in bed with temperature. Finally out on a bike today feeling OK. Those vitamins must be working. First bike-related purchase of the year and only one week in 🤣 (inner tubes, bar tape and a small pump - I’m a sucker for shiny Topeak pumps)

First week started great but took a knock when some of last year's issues flared up but hoping for better.

Here's my plan

NYD: Spent looking after my mum as she had a bit of a 'moment' emotionally.
2nd: Had a massive anxiety attack that ended up with me in A&E due to the horrific chest pains I was having.
3rd: Recovering from the above. Did a gentle Zwift ride which helped calm me down for an hour or so.
4th: Going to my GP then the pharmacy after being put back on Sertraline, a pretty high dose.
5th: Pushing through the anxiety so that we could intern my dad's ashes.
6th: Trying to catch up on sleep missed over the last few days.
7th: Meant to be going out early morning with the local RC crawler group but it's 2am and I'm sat here waiting for painkillers to kick in and dull the chest pains so I can get some sleep.

The 8th is meant to be signing up with my old work agency so I can get back to working but that's looking highly unlikely. If my meds have to go to any higher dose then that will reach the trigger point for informing the DVLA and I could be barred from driving anything bigger than a car for 12 months, not good for a HGV driver.

2024 so far: more of the same shit that seems to have been a constant since 2017 with a small break at the beginning of 2020.

Settled back into work normality and had my first moan about it on Friday.   Training / cycling has been ok but again a new normality for me as I re discover fitness.  Drinking less as a rule - essentially around the training - which means 1-2 drinks on a Sunday night.  Stopped taking Ashwaganda Christmas Day and feel way more normal that I did with it to be honest.

Finally organised visits for 3x new bathroom quotes.

On a more positive note we’ve established a 3yr and 10yr goals for post mortgage savings plans, it makes me feel a little better to know why I’m working.

I’ve sold a dinghy today that’s not been used since 2022

I tried to sell a boat that had a hole in the floor, but the sail fell through.

Slowly building up with mine.

Off the booze, but have been for a while other than for christmas so that's not been difficult.

For the 'do more exercise' I have managed a run this week, will get in another one today. First gym trip of the year lined up for tomorrow.

For the 'try to get some work life balance' I have had a lunchbreak twice this week, and am taking my contractually agreed but seldom used every-other-monday off tomorrow.

'Eat better' have avoided takeaways and done real cooking everyday this week avoiding the lazy frozen food.

I've locked down the screen time on a load of apps on my phone to reduce that.

Then I've tried to get 7 hours of sleep minimum, and had a proper lay in one day to keep rested.

I've got a spreadsheet for all these items and plan to track weekly. This week was a Green / Amber week

I had big plans after a very slack year

However I've been sick since the 27th (possibly with some glandular fever type thing/variant)

Saw the Doc today bloods and rest for another week.

Not Happy!

I'm in NZ and some decent weather has finally kicked in and I had planned some riding and sailing.

however my current energy levels get me to the toilet an back to Sofa/Bed

30/30 challenge for January going to plan and no alcohol since NYE (sorta half-heartedly doing a dry January) but it's waaaay too early to celebrate any wins....
Could do with shifting some flab from around the middle, improving flexibility and gain some strength. I've been pretty good working on flexibility to fix lower back problems over the last six months or so but I need to ramp up my overall fitness bit with some weight training.
Garmin tells me my VO2 max is up a few points so that's good 👍

Oh year, another thing...work can f++k off! I'll be retiring sometime in the next 12 months...

We borrowed a treadmill off a friend before Xmas. I'm really enjoying using it (Zwift/BitGym on the big TV) - novelty may wear off, but got myself into a run/turbo/yoga or pilates/proper ride  sequence. Dry Jan here as well, and - annoyingly - definitely sleeping better and have a bit more energy esp in the evenings.

Not yet got over the 'cheese and chocolate' are appropriate substitutions for alcohol yet, so don't expect any of the above making a difference to the scales. Been around 175lbs for last 10 years so not too worried about that. Weight hasn't changed, it's just moved. Or should I say 'slumped' 🙂 

Day 5 without fags today. I'm eating like a horse too. I think that was the most boring weekend I have ever had. My god; I even shampooed the hall stairs for something to do!

Phone time is down
Reading books time is up
Running and exercise hasn't been great due to a cold, but it's not been bad either
No booze since 29th December
Food is better but not perfect, mainly as I polished off half a packet of biscuits last night...

So yeah, it's been Ok with room to improve.

Don't want to try anything too drastic diet wise as I'll never stick to it, tempted to try and re-introduce calorie counting just as a useful guide (i.e. yes, those jam doughnuts you 'tidied' away last night were 400kCal each 😣).

General focus will be on mindfulness I think, another episode of back pain and my general franticness at work is teaching me the problems are in my head, I need to learn not to panic about every little twinge in my low back (which usually results in larger twinges) and also try to remain calm at work. I've spent fifteen years gradually getting more anxious about projects and work but generally the S has never actually hit the F so I don't know why getting stressed and unhealthy about it is necessary!

Part of the mindfulness is learning triggers which result in needless arguments at home and more negativity/stress, which will probably involve letting my 6 year old and/or wife have their own way a lot more often 🙄

Have never been more motivated to ride, I have some amazing looking gravel routes (many from the door or short train journeys away) that I'm really excited about, and a single 235km Audax last year has opened to the door to some much more ambitious road routes as well. Shame I'm hobbling about with a spasmed back right now but at least I'm using that as an excuse for some short walks with the hiking poles to explore potential new routes 😎

Finances aren't great, that 40th birthday trip to the Pyrenees would tip me from being in slightly more CC debt than average to significantly more CC debt than average, which is not very conducive to trying to reduce my days at work, so another year of trying to eliminate CC debt...

Mine was simple - spend some time outside every day; a walk or a ride, whatever. Just be outside. So far so good, walked 26 miles and ridden 18 since 1st Jan.