Self-Control- the ability to exercise restraint or control over one's feelings, emotions, reactions, etc.
Last month I declared the month "Self Control September". Looking at the definitions above I should have named it Self-Discipline September, but I think they are pretty interchangeable. Of all the fruits of the Spirit, self-control was definitely my weakest. In fact I have even blogged about trying to get better with self-control/self-discipline here, here, and here. And I just remember my pastor JD saying in one of his sermons that you are only as strong as your weakest spirit. So I am continually trying to work on this area of my life.
So what did I do to focus on my self-control in September?
1. I gave up soda (diet and regular) for the month of September. I didn't drink a lot of soda anyway, but I would usually have a diet Mt. Dew, diet Dr. Pepper, or diet Coke just about every day. All those chemicals can't be good for you (even if they are calorie free). I did pretty good. I had a cherry limeade that I think had Sprite in it, but other than that, no sodas. Since the month has ended, I have kind of limited myself to just one mini (7.5 oz) soda/day. I do notice that I get more headaches, but I also feel less bloated when I am not drinking soda. I hope to keep them to a minimum from now on!
2. I had a virtual fitness partner! I don't know what I would have done without Amber this month! Each week we would send each other a summary of how we did the previous week as far as eating and working out. At first I wasn't tracking my calories, but Amber was and she inspired me to get back on the bandwagon with that. I thought I was eating pretty well, but it is different when you are tracking everything you eat! I would often think before eating or skipping a work-out how this would look on my weekly report to her and it kept me from making some bad decisions. I took this week off from counting calories and my 10K training program because I needed a break, but I hope we can continue our weekly reports because they have really helped me stay on track! P.S. Go check out her blog! It is one of my faves!
3. I started a 10K training program similar to the couch 2 5K program. I'm up to week 6 and it is tough. I'm up to over 4 miles/run and try to get all 3 runs in each week. I think this helped me a lot too because I didn't want to get behind on the training program, so I would force myself to run on days even when I didn't want to. I took this week off, but I had my 5K on Saturday and finally came in under 35 min! My previous PR was 36:58 and I ran this one in 34:47! I know it is still so slow, but hey it is an improvement! Maybe one day I will break that 30 min. mark!
4. I've been using this app called "Home Routines" to stay on top of things around the house. I have a morning checklist and an evening checklist and then a weekly checklist. Here they are:
Morning:
- Breakfast
- 15 minute focus/devotional
- Let dog out
- water animals
- get fresh and clean
- make bed
Evening:
- Feed cat and dog
- Collect dirty laundry
- put away clean laundry
- shine sink (put everything in dishwasher and clean out sink)
- wipe down kitchen
- sweep floor
- run
- 100 sit ups
- swish and swipe bathroom
- take out contacts
- brush teeth
- pray
Weekly:
- Vacuum
- Mop
- Clean bathrooms
- Dust
- Brush Cam
- Go through mail basket
- Switch out towels (in bathrooms and kitchen)
- clean make up brushes
- clean out litter box
I didn't always mark off everything everyday/every week, but I aimed to get 90% marked off.
5. Re-do budget. I switched jobs this month. I am still doing the same job, but I am a permanent employee instead of a contractor. I used to get paid weekly, now I get paid twice/month. I used to pay for my own health insurance and had no 401K, but now I have benefits through them and a 401K, so I had to re-do my budget. I got my first paycheck this weekend, and I had to adjust my estimates a little (taxes are freaking outrageous!) but now I have my budget nailed down. I am still doing envelope budgeting and I love being able to see where all my money is going. Expect a whole post about budgeting later this week!
So there you have it. I think self-control September was a success!
4 comments:
I think it is great that you devoted an entire month to improving your self-control. The pastor of the church I attend has been preaching for the past month on attitude, and he defined self-control as "the ability to bring yourself under the control of the Holy Spirit."
Congratulations on PR'ing your 5K time! :-) Every improvement is a victory, no matter how big or small. What a great accomplishment!
Chris has tried to get me to count calories for a while as a way to lose weight. I fought him on it left and right, but I finally gave in when I found an app called "Lose It". I'm only on week one, but it has worked great so far! I've come in under my calorie count everyday and it's so easy b/c they even list name brands and restaurants. Congrats on your running!!
Wow! Great job. Sounds like September was a huge success and I'm sure you'll keep it up no problem!
I need to improve my self control in terms of delicious Halloween candy all over my office!
This is such a good attitude - for September, for life!
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