Emma and Amy's week 3 round-up

Hi all New Year, New Goals challengers! Here's a little update on how we got on in the third week of the challenge with our chosen tasks.

Emma's third week

This week I tasked myself with the following!

• Food – try a new grain.
• Exercise – try a new running route.
• Habit – no screen time in the hour before bed.
• App feature – try the new Meal Occasions feature.

I reached the common midway sticky point of a challenge last weekend, when the initial motivation isn't quite as strong, and life starts getting in the way. We ate out a lot last weekend, including a 10-course taster meal, which is tricky to track due to the bespoke menu. Let's be honest though, a 10-course taster meal isn't a regular occurrence for most of us, and the portions for each course are very small, so I think it's OK to consider that a one-off, and I skipped the diary for dinner! On Monday however, I had a good solid word with myself and got right back on plan. We all have occasions that send us a little off plan throughout our lives, but that's OK. The key is to regain focus when you can, rather than throwing the towel in – so that's exactly what I did!

Highlights

A highlight for me has to be my habit task of no screen time in the hour before bed. This has been great for helping me sleep better and drift off to sleep better too. I've finally finished my book because I've read every night, so I'm now moving on to the next one. I'll definitely be keeping this up as often as I can.

Grain-wise, rather than a brand new grain, I included one I haven't had for a long time – giant wholemeal cous cous. I had it with some salad bits and cheese and it was delicious. It's been sitting in a jar on my kitchen shelves for months, so it was good to have an reason to use some.

I've really enjoyed the new Meal Occasions feature too. I've added a Drinks and Treats category to separate any hot drinks and chocolate treats I might have. It's useful to see at a glance if certain sections are stacking up more than others, just so I can see if I'm getting a good balance.

I may have cheated a bit with the new running route, since we've been away over the weekend, so it was easy to step outside and run a new route! Won't be able to do that one again for a while, but it was fun to run somewhere different for sure.

Things to work on

Weekend diary keeping! This has to be one of my things to work on in general. I was much better this weekend as I was really conscious of logging as I went along – and my diary reminders are still helping to prompt me. I vow to keep it up!

Amy's third week

Here's a rundown of my tasks for week 3:

• Food – try a variety of toppings on my porridge.
• Exercise – give one of Emma's 10-minute workouts a go.
• Habit – hold a squat every time I brush my teeth.
• App feature – use the Duplicate Meals feature to log my different porridge toppings easily.

Like Emma, I also felt the mid-point dip in motivation this week for some of my tasks. But we're so close to the finish line now – I knew I couldn't give up! I've at least managed to keep my diary filled in every day, which is definitely at the core of this challenge. If life starts getting in the way and you begin struggling to keep your tasks going for a day, just stick to your diary-keeping and pick your tasks back up the next day.

Highlights

I'm so glad I've had a week of trying new porridge toppings. Realistically, I probably won't include the same variety I did this week for money-saving reasons, but going forward, it's really encouraged me to mix up the toppings I have each week. I've found some new favourites that will feature on my shopping list in the future, including raspberries, blueberries and pumpkin seeds.

With changing up my breakfast toppings pretty much daily, I found the Duplicate Meals feature so handy! I just took my basic porridge recipe and duplicated it whenever I wanted new toppings, then simply swapped out the banana and peanut butter for my new ingredients. It was so quick and simple! To try the Duplicate Meals feature for yourself, just tap on the meal you'd like to copy in the 'My Meals' section of the app, then tap 'Edit' in the top right > 'Duplicate Meal'.

I've had quite a busy week, so was really pleased my exercise task this week was just 10 minutes at home ( I actually ended up doing two, so 20 minutes). I cleared a space and loaded up Emma's 10-minute workouts. I started with the light effort video to warm my body up and then tried the vigorous workout. Definitely a challenge! It was really fun following Emma along as she did the workout with me, and I definitely felt like I'd got a good workout in such a short space of time. To have a go at Emma's workouts for yourself, click here.

Things to work on

I certainly didn't stick to my habit this week, as several of my tooth-brushing sessions were not accompanied by a squat. I found it much easier in the mornings as a way to wake my legs up, but by the evening I was so tired, and squatting for 2 minutes was the last thing I wanted to be doing! I think getting little bursts of activity in throughout the day is a great idea, but after this challenge, I might try it while boiling the kettle instead, as I feel I'm far more likely to keep that going.