Kelly Merrick

It was a lovely day to spend time outside - so warm and sunny! 

I wrote an email to ODA's  CAFO director opposing the large mega dairy application submitted for Eastern Oregon. 

I was so tempted to watch tv or stare at my phone while I ate dinner tonight, especially because I came home late after yoga and was tired. But I convinced myself to sit down for a few minutes and eat without distraction and I'm so glad I did! 

Eating without distraction is much harder than I thought! I usually scroll through my phone, read a book or watch TV while I eat and it was especially challenging today because I was alone for lunch. I ended up watching the rain fall and a squirrel play in the leaves while I ate. It was hard at first but I noticed that I ate slower because the only thing I was really focusing on was my food. Very good exercise! It will be much harder at work this week, I suspect, because I am so used to multi-tasking. We'll see how it goes!

The weather was terrible and there was no time for replacing screen time with time outside. I am hoping for better weather in the coming weeks. If I can't get outside I will at least try to replace screen time with another task. 

I am looking forward to starting my challenges today! Of course I chose a challenge that involves getting outside more, and we are expecting a big storm but I will do my best to get outside when I can. If that is not possible, I'll replace screen time with another activity, like some of the crafts I have been putting off and reading. 

I'm hoping to build better habits before the challenge starts so I downloaded an app to help me track how much time I spent mindlessly on my phone. That way I know how much time I could be spending outside during the challenge. Let's just hope for good weather during the challenge so it's easier!