Category: Uncategorized

March 26, 2023. Find your productive time.

Tiny actions work well for me-hence the book I wrote. However, even tiny actions cant always fight against my “down time.”

I have the majority of my energy in the morning. By the end of the school day, I am kind of like a wet noodle with not much energy. So tiny actions I accomplish in the morning now are

  1. Washing/putting away any dishes from the night before.
  2. Hanging up clothes from the night before.
  3. Tidying up the house/bathroom/bedroom.
  4. Grading papers.
  5. Practicing French.
  6. Cleaning out my car (before I pick up the carpool)
  7. Folding any laundry that I washed.

This may seem like a lot but I usually get ready in the morning and then have about 20 minutes left until I have to be out the door. Before implementing tiny actions, I would simply leave a lot of these tasks for after school/evening. Then, I would get home and be tired and not get anything done. Therefore I learned to maximize my energy in the morning and give myself a break in the afternoon/evening.

Do you know when your “peak energy” occurs? Can you maximize what you do during that time and cut yourself some slack for the rest of the time?

To my 110 subscribers and 336 followers-THANK YOU!

2/19/23. Weird dreams with carbohydrates.

I have been eating low carb/keto for the past 5-7 weeks and I was trying the technique in the book “Carb Nite Solution” where you eat what you want one day a week. Well, two things. The first being, I dont think I am really losing much weight so that is disappointing. However, its the second reason that I need to stop/modify what I am doing.

After I eat carbs and dessert (on Saturday nights), I have the WEIRDEST dreams that night while I sleep. Last night, my two cats were in the parking lot of a furniture store. I kept picking them up to bring them home and they werent my cats. They looked similar to my cats but they werent my actual cats. Then, my husband was wandering around the parking lot with no sock on one foot. When I would ask him what he was doing, he would reply with “just trying to get comfortable.” It was sooooooooo weird. Also, I slept 10 hours last night AND fell asleep on the couch watching TV before bed.

I believe this blog should be honest so I am being honest. I am not sure if I am going to continue to follow this program. Here are the things I do know for sure.

  1. I feel better with lower carb eating.
  2. I think it is weird (and unhealthy) that you cant eat fruit on Keto.
  3. I am not sure how sustainable a really strict diet is for me.
  4. If this carb nite is causing weird dreams, what else is it doing to me?
  5. However, It is nice to feel like I have a treat at the end of the week to look forward to.

So where do I go from here? Well, I made low carb lasagna with egg wraps (my new discovery!), I ate eggs for breakfast and I will eat a salad for lunch tomorrow and yogurt for breakfast. So, at this point, I am continuing to eat a lower carb diet. I am also “upping my steps” which I will post about next week.

To my 105 subscribers and 335 social followers…THANK YOU! You give me a reason to keep writing and for that, I am thankful.

February 5, 2023. Do tiny actions matter? If you aren’t sure…

Move your trashcan in your bathroom.

In my bathroom, the extra toilet paper is on one side of my toilet and the trashcan is on the other. The trash can is hard to get to-it is kind of jammed against the wall and not easy to access. I don’t throw away a ton of stuff in there but the occasional cotton swab, tissue, and disposable contact does need to be thrown away.

So I switched it with the toilet paper and guess what? It is SOOOOOOO much easier to access now! The same items are still in the bathroom but they are just in a different spot. It has made my life easier.

What other tiny actions am I taking this week?

I spend 2 minutes each night after dinner sorting through a paper pile to find tax documents so that I can file my taxes.

I move a few dollars a week into a fund for washing my car.

I walk up and down the hallway at school (the long way) so that I get more steps in during the day.

What tiny actions are you focusing on?

THANK YOU TO MY FOLLOWERS! All 104 of you make me smile every day! Stay tiny!

Keto week 3 update-“Carb night solution”

I have been eating a lower carb diet for about 3 weeks now and I feel a lot better. I read a book called the Carb Nite Solution and his whole idea is to eat low carb all week and then have a “high carb” meal on one of the weekend nights. Then you get right back to eating low carb on Sunday morning.

I picked Saturday night and have done this 3 times so far. Results?

Wow.

First, I have eaten some REALLY good food on these Saturday nights.

Second, the food tastes super rich and delicious (much more so than it used to taste)

Third, it is starting to become fun to pick out my “Saturday night indulgence.” Last night was Steak Frites and Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. Super yummy.

I will continue with this because I feel go0d and it is kind of fun right now. One disclaimer-I don’t eat as low carb as he recommends during the week. (He says to stay under 30). I stay under 50.

So what do I eat? Cheese sticks, nuts, caesar salads, Egg burritos with low carb tortillas, chicken, avocados. (Not a ton of variety but I feel pretty good and that was one of my goals for this)

Is it always easy? No. Some nights I am tired and would like to just eat something easy. It is especially hard when you are on the road. I had an Unwich from Jimmy Johns (a sandwich wrapped in lettuce leaves.). It was fine, not great.

However, my body doesn’t hurt as bad as normal so I am hoping that fewer carbs leads to less inflammation. We will continue to see.

To my 102 followers-I AM OVER 100! WOW! THANK YOU!. So which mode are you in right now? Burst mode (like I am with Keto) or tiny action mode? (going to talk about that in my next post.)

Have a great week!

1/7/23 Keto/low carb-one week down (how is it going???)

So, I hate to even mention this on this on my blog because this diet is more of a “burst” than tiny steps. Yes, leading up to starting the new way of eating was all tiny steps (more water, cut down on sugar, more steps, cut out chips, etc…) but the actual low carb diet itself is a maj0r “burst.” You have to go all the way to get into ketosis, and so you cant really tiny step your way there (there are other diets like weight watchers that are more conducive to tiny changes) but Keto/low carb is not one of them.

Why do I like a low carb diet? 1. It is easy as far as what you can/ can not eat. 2. It REALLY curbs my hunger. 3. It seems to provide me with more energy than other diets. 4. It brings down my cholesterol, sugar, and triglyceride numbers. (I have been able to avoid medications by eating this way)

Why don’t I like a low carb diet? IT IS NOT FUN-It is boring and repetitive and strict. It is difficult to eat with others (like if everyone is ordering pizza)

So…in order to make it more fun and hopefully stick to it long term, I am trying a technique called the carb nite solution. It is a book that professes you can eat low carb for 6.5 days and have what ever you want for dinner at the end of the week and it wont derail your progress. (I am picking Saturday night.) Tonight will be my first try at this. I will let you know how it goes.

Also, I am taking part in a lot of other bursts today such as deep cleaning the house (need to reset before school starts again Monday), taking down and putting away Christmas decor (including tree), washing all the laundry, towels, and bedding, washing the carpets (our cats like to dribble their food).

Today isnt really a tiny action day. It is a day of many bursts but it is a day I feel needs to happen every once in a while in order to have tiny actions work the other 99 percent of the time.

THANK YOU to my 99 followers-got a new one this morning so thank you to that person! Stay tiny my friends!

1/2/23. I spoke to female high school athletes today about tiny actions!

I was invited to a local high school to speak to the women’s wrestlers and basketball players today. It was awesome!

All of the girls were great, and I am thankful that I was able to speak to them and give them a few ideas to improve their performance in sports, school, and life.

However, the most impactful part of the day happened AFTER all of the girls left. One girl stayed behind. We started chatting and I found out that she was a state champion in wrestling last year. Even though she is one of the best, she wants to constantly improve herself. Here are some of the tiny actions she is already practicing

  1. Shows up early
  2. Contacts coach about how she could improve
  3. Stays off social media
  4. Watches her old matches and critiques them.
  5. Is working with mom (a nurse) and coach to eat even healthier
  6. Works out all summer for 3-4 hours each day
  7. Drives to GR to wrestle in a sports club (womens wrestling is still a pretty new sport in Michigan so not all high schools have teams)
  8. Is aware of her weaknesses and is working on them
  9. Is developing a prematch routine and post match routine
  10. Lets herself be vulnerable with a new person so that she could learn from them (me)

If you want to know why some people succeed and some don’t, here is the proof. The concrete proof of actions she takes that others do not. She is outworking people. She has put a lot of tiny actions into place and was talking with me today about how she could incorporate even more of them into her life.

THIS is what it is all about. Tiny actions to get you to your goal.

Stay tiny my friends!

1/1/23. Happy New Year! Easing into Keto in a tiny action way.

I feel better when I dont eat a lot of carbohydrates. I just do. I also know that my “health numbers” are better when I eat a lower carbohydrate diet. Sooooooo…back to Keto I go. However, instead of jumping in with both feet (which is a real burst that burns out quickly), I am easing into it this time. Here are the steps I have taken or will be taking.

  1. From Dec 10-28 I drank more water and got more steps in. That is all. Very tiny.
  2. On Dec 27 I bought a magazine with a lot of good looking keto recipes.
  3. On Dec 28, I went to the grocery store and bought eggs, cheese, meat, avocados, vegetables, nuts and seeds, etc…
  4. On Dec 29 and 30, I made egg burritos with low carb tortilla shells in my sister’s air fryer (it is on loan from her to see if I want to purchase my own) and cut out the chips and cookies I had been eating a few days prior. I still ate some popcorn.
  5. On Dec 31 I ordered a steak and asparagus for dinner. I had a glass of red wine and about 3 bites of peanut butter pie.

Today is Jan 1, 2023 and I KNOW that a ton of people start diets today and a ton of people burn out by February. I had an omelette for breakfast (no toast or potato) and am heading to the treadmill after writing this post. We are eating chicken for dinner. I have already had 3 glasses of water on top of my morning coffee. As you can see, I have been “starting this diet” for about 21 days now. Little tiny actions. I am ready for the next step of cutting out carbs.

I challenge you today to try something new-DONT start the new diet today. Start the tiny steps that will prepare you to start the new diet in a few weeks. Get yourself ready. Think of it like an adventure. Take the pressure off of today and of trying to be perfect. What are all the little itty bitty things you can do to get you ready for the better eating plan? I believe it will help you to not burn out and to stay the course. You cant go from 0 to 100 in 24 hours which is what almost everyone tries to do. You will flame out. Make this year different! Make this year a “tiny action year” and keep chugging along slowly.

To my 98 followers-THANK YOU! I hope you have a restful and inspiring start to the new year! Stay tiny!

December 23,2022. Update on “Declutter December” and a few holiday tiny actions leading into a big burst.

Declutter December started out great. I was able to get rid of/give away/recycle about 35 items before I started to fizzle out. This might have been a super aggressive task considering the upcoming holidays. I didn’t follow through with the whole month, but the stuff I did get rid of, I feel really good about. Maybe I was being too ambitious? Maybe I don’t have as much clutter as I thought?

What am I most proud of? The tea that I wasn’t drinking and took into school and someone who loves tea took all of it and it is making her happy!

What am I most disappointed by? The fact that I kind of fizzled out mid month.

So what is next?

Well, tiny actions to get through the holidays are drinking more water and trying to get more steps in any way I can (we are currently experiencing a blizzard in Michigan so walking outside is not an option).

A burst after the holidays? I am going Keto again. I have a LOT of plans for this summer and I need to be in better shape. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Keto works well (in my opinion) if you have total control over your own food at all times. You may be asking…well when dont you have control over your own food? Well, get togethers where there are carbs, pizza dinners with friends, traveling (fast food usually has carbs), etc… I am going to embark upon “modified keto” and see if that is effective. I also dont love that true Keto cuts out a lot of fruit so I may try to figure out how to incorporate that.

To my 96 followers-thank you! May you incorporate one tiny little action that keeps you happy and healthy!

December 4, 2022. The start of “Declutter December”

In many parts of the world, people are starting to celebrate the holidays. Those holidays bring parties, food, presents, etc… It is a time of excess and celebration. This year, I started a challenge of decluttering my home, classroom, and car BEFORE bringing in more stuff.

The first day I took tea bags into work that I wasn’t going to use/drink (they disappeared before lunch). The second day I got rid of old receipts and expired coupons in our kitchen. The third day I cleared out a shelf at school and relocated everything back to where it should be or I gave it away. Today I cleaned out my coffee cupboard and found coffee beans from BEFORE Covid-so those went out with the trash.

We don’t have a ton of junk in our house and I am pretty good at keeping things clean and organized. However, the last 4 days have taught me that there is always more that can be cleaned out and donated, sold, or tossed. It helped to reveal things we can donate to others (measuring cups, pens, old towels to the animal shelter.) Hopefully as we come into the holiday season, we can keep ridding the house of excess stuff so that any new presents/food items/clothes/etc… have a place to live.

I really believe this will help with the inevitable holiday stress that always crops up around this time. My goal is to continue each day with one or two items that we can throw away, pass on to someone else, recycle, or just get out of the house.

Next up is Tupperware containers without lids, old bills/mail/magazines, any clothes that dont fit, etc…

To my 96 followers, thank you! How have you decided to handle the stress of the holidays? Remember to stay tiny in whatever endeavor you pursue.

November 27, 2022. Going backwards.

This is what you hope to never do. We set goals and tiny step our way to them. Easy right? We know there will be hiccups along the way. I liken it to mountain climbing. You climb and climb and sometimes rest but then you keep going. Well, what happens when your foot slips and you fall halfway down the mountain? You end up where I am now.

I threw my back out about a week ago. I wish I knew exactly how I had done it, but unfortunately it seems to have happened from turning over in my sleep. (The joys of getting older)

So I haven’t cared about steps. I haven’t cared about writing. I haven’t even really cared about school or television or anything. I care about the pain I am in and how I can get myself out of it.

Slowly, I am improving. I am frustrated. Things were going so well! And now…I feel like I am at the base of the mountain and have to start all over again. Then I am reminded that this is life. Things don’t always go the way you planned them.

So what advice do I have for you and for myself?

Start where you are. Go ridiculously tiny. Don’t quit. (So for me that means tiny stretches to try to ease the pain. Small, slow movements at work. Lots of hydration and healthy food so my body can heal. Visits to the physical therapist.)

So if you (like me) are at the base of a metaphorical mountain, just know that I understand. I am here with you. And we have to keep going, one tiny little step at a time.

To my 96 followers-thank you so much! I hope your back is strong and pain free. Have a great week!