A Rollercoaster Week: Migraines, Missteps, and Small Wins

Even though our 75 Soft Challenge started on Friday, January 3, I’ve been using my Galaxy Watch as my tracker, and its weekly stats follow a "normal" calendar schedule.

Last Week’s Stats (January 5–January 11):

  • Average daily active minutes: 38 minutes
  • Average daily step count: 3,782 steps
  • Average sleep duration: 8 hours, 46 minutes

Pretty crummy stats, but at least the sleep was good! Using these measurements, I’m adjusting my personal 75 Soft Challenge. While I still aim to meet the original goals, I realize they might not be realistic for me right now. 

When I was teaching, I encouraged my students to set achievable goals—small steps to avoid discouragement. This is advice I need to follow myself. With that in mind, I’ve lowered my daily step count goal to 3,500, with plans to increase it by 1,500 every two weeks. By the end of the challenge, I hope to hit the full 10,000 steps daily. The biggest hurdle will be figuring out how to achieve this while tethered to my desk.

I’ve kept my daily reading goal, which I’ve been surpassing without issue, and I plan to reintroduce the exercise component next week (Week 3), depending on how my migraines improve.

I have also found a water/fluid intact tracker that I really like.  You can find it in the Google Play Store and it is called Water Minder. 

Weekly Summary

This week was challenging with migraines limiting activity, but there were small wins: good sleep, decent hydration, and quality time with my daughter. The week ended on a positive note with a more active, migraine-free day.

Daily Recap

Sunday, January 12

  • Step count: 1,349
  • Water intake: 63.5 oz
  • Reflection: Today I started a new book by Abby Jimenez "Just for the Summer."  The book deals with some heavy themes and included a trigger warning at the very beginning so I am interested in how this pans out for this romcom.

Monday, January 13

  • Step count: 460 (forgot my watch on the charger)
  • Water intake: 72.0 oz
  • Reflection: Today I discovered that I frequently leave my watch on the charger after my shower.  This is a problem since my watch is my step counter, water tracker and back-up lifeline.  I have reached out to my Accountability Buddies to see if they have possible solution...

Tuesday, January 14

  • Step count: 471
  • Water intake: 85.0 oz
  • Reflection: Today was tough. I felt overwhelmed, unfocused, and not like myself. Even my boss called to check on me, noticing I wasn’t at my best.

Wednesday, January 15

  • Step count: 695
  • Water intake: 80.0 oz
  • Reflection: Mentally, it was better, though not perfect. My win for the day was enjoying lunch with my daughter (breadsticks!) without distractions, thanks to turning off notifications.

Thursday, January 16

  • Step count: 486
  • Water intake: 80.0 oz
  • Reflection: Today was rough—nausea made it hard to move much.  I'm pretty sure I made it through my minimum 10 minute reading goal, but I fell asleep reading.  I'm going to count it as a win since I actually opened the book and remembered what I read. 

Friday, January 17

  • Step count: 898
  • Water intake: 80.0+ oz
  • Reflection: My furry coworker, Tinkerbell, sensed I needed comfort today.  Between neck pain, poor sleep, and feeling miserable, her loving attention was a bright spot.  When I was teaching we had a schedule of lunch and afternoon TV time and now that I'm working from home that is not been a norm.  This is something that needs to be rectified.  I miss my snuggle bug!

Saturday, January 18

  • Step count: 4,226
  • Water intake: 96.0 oz
  • Reflection: The best day of the week—no migraine! I visited the eye doctor, got desk/reading glasses, and enjoyed watching my former students in Aladdin with my daughter. Even though my fluid intake was mostly soda and tea, I’m counting it as a win since I felt great.

By refining my goals and celebrating small victories, I’m paving the way for steady progress, even during tough weeks. This might not be the ideal time to tackle the 75 Soft Challenge, but by making these adjustments, I believe I’ll be more motivated to pursue my goals and find greater success in achieving them.

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