Minimalist May - Day 4

Today I experienced the first weekend of the challenge, knowing Saturday is the day I snack the most. Needless to say, I was challenged like no other day. Historically, Saturdays are my cheat day when I self-indulged between countless errands, including the commitment to take my son to all of his sporting events. 

Diet

I have found today to be particularly hard when it came to not snacking. I don’t have the time to eat when I am at work. Saturday is another story. I was tempted from the moment I woke up. Then I realised I was late to my son’s basketball, so I headed off to the game without eating at all. It wasn’t until 12PM when I managed to get a quick sandwich before heading off out to another commitment. 

In the evening, my family and I enjoyed a homemade chicken tikka meal, which is now a weekend traditional for us. I am lucky to have avoided any sugary treat today. 

Finance

There is nothing to report here (thankfully). Again, on a Saturday, I often pop to a local shop while my son is at his afternoon commitment. I sat in my car and read a book instead. What helped me was sipping on water when I felt tempted to walk to the shop. 

Caffeine

As I mentioned before, I was running late in the morning. There was no time to have a hot drink. It wasn’t until 12PM when I was having my sandwich that I could accompany it with a small cup of coffee. I wanted to reduce the amount of coffee I had today to see if it made any difference. It did. Around 7PM, I was uncomfortably close to sticking on the kettle, but I resisted. I sipped on hot warm as a substitute. 

Exercise

I managed to get my press-ups done in the morning before realising I was running late. I felt there was less urgency to exercise today because the working week had been too busy for my liking. Furthermore, I’ve noticed my energy levels feel depleted. I wonder if the dietary changes have impacted my energy levels. Only time will tell. I plucked up the courage and completed a 10K cross trainer session and a few weight reps later into the evening. 

Sleep

I went to bed at 10PM and woke up at 7AM. The extra ninety minutes felt good. If my 6AM alarm doesn’t wake me up during the weekdays, my son will inevitably wake me up at 6. He didn’t because he slept in, too. Maybe one less hour to get ready for the day’s activities is why I felt rushed in the morning. I’m setting my alarm for 6:30AM tomorrow.

Side note: I have some new friends visiting my garden each day. A flock of mallards has decided my garden is the ‘in place to be’ this week. They turn up expecting to be fed and chill on my patio. One of the males will occasionally peck at my patio doors for attention. Seeing them hang out in my backyard garden is something I would never expect, but this is Britain, so the unexpected is always around the corner.

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My post is part of #WeblogPoMo2024. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.

Mark @ CodeMacLife
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