The End of the Month at the Beginning

No kidding. This is why I'm in bed at nine. Also, this should be a t-shirt.

How it goes . . .

During the month of January (January 3rd- February 3rd), here's what I can tell you:

What pleases me: I closed the rings on my Apple watch every day, minus one the standing goal on January 15th. I can't remember what happened, but I was short two hours on my stand goal, if memory serves. Thus, here is my trending situation:

Evidence

I have spent time on the Peloton daily since its arrival January third. I have also ridden every morning before work since we returned from break.

Housekeeping is at a solid B-minus. I could be comfortable having guests with notice of an hour.

I'm not hungry most of the time. I've documented food daily since January first.

I have had multiple days where I left work before or within a few minutes of four. Also, mostly the shelving is in a managed state, so I don't feel like life is bedlam and chaos.

What I learned: Sometimes you have to be strategic on the stand goal, particularly on days off. For me I do short pieces of housework five minutes before the hour that leans into about five minutes after the hour.

If I want to sleep all night, no liquids after eight.

I have to watch the fat count in the Factor meals. That does a number on my stomach.

What I'm not doing: I'm not obsessively weighing or obsessing over a number. I just can't do that any more, y'all-- not enough bandwidth for that level of insanity.

I'm also not overvaluing water consumption. (I drink half/ three-quarters of a gallon of water and mostly only that during the workday.) And I'm still addicted to Diet Pepsi.

The results after thirty days: I'm not hungry often. I did the math and I'm eating to maintain a weight which should be reasonable for me, as opposed to dropping to a thousand calories for two weeks before I binge out at ten grand for two or three days.

I'm exhausted by close of business. This is because my day job is surprisingly physical and because I'm awake typically before five.

And . . . I'm down 8.4 pounds.

Work Stuff

We are approaching a period of time that is ridiculously busy. In addition to the beginnings of the government-mandated testing, February/ early March includes Black History Month, Read Across America Day, Career Day, and probably something else I'm not remembering. By next week you'll see more pictures and fewer words. Trust me. Pictures are great, right?

Dinner Music

# 154 Amazing Grace Aretha Franklin: This is a live gospel album from 1972. Marvin Gaye called it Franklin's "singular masterpiece". Recorded in a Los Angeles church with her father the Reverend C.L. Franklin present, I really enjoyed this listen.

Otherwise, lean in. Or join me in the ride at dawn. My Peloton username is @TheKarenL-- I'm there between 5:15 and 5:35.