Introduction and Learning Outcome 1:

My goals are usually quite ambitious and I try to create reliable action plans to achieve them. While I am great at knowing what to do and how to do it best, I often have trouble staying consistent. I decided to take my summer break as an opportunity to undergo a complete transformation and grow as an individual. This would waking up at 5:30 AM to attend the ‘Million Dollar Morning’ sessions, following a nutritional diet plan and attending fitness classes. I signed up and paid for all three services – registered in the 5AM club and subscribed to HealthifyMe and CultFit (mobile applications). This solidified my commitment by giving helpful resources which guide me every step of the way.

Learning Outcomes 2, 4 & 5:

It was difficult to have a separate sleep pattern than other family members of mine. Since my siblings slept later during vacations, I would often get disturbed. I had to communicate with them to set the right environment for my success. This proves how important it is to collaborate with people in the one’s ‘inner circle’ since they have a significant influence.

With my new nutrition plan, I had to communicate with my mother to manage my diet plan. I eat healthy home-cooked food regularly which is balanced in terms vitamins and most macronutrients. When I started tracking every food item I ate (on the application), it was exhausting and repetitive. But I discovered that my Iron and protein intake was lower than the recommended quantity and asked for more spinach based soups and dairy in the menu. I would get set quantities of food that I should consume (according to my BMI, age and gender) and it was hard to adhere to it as it meant removing any intuitive decisions regarding food (like random cravings).

My fitness had deteriorated over the pandemic, so I decided to restart it in small increments. Instead of jumping in the hardcore endurance based live classes, I started with dance and music-walking. Then I progressed to proper workouts, dividing my week into different upper body and lower body targeted workouts. Initially, I would get exhausted or bored and leave the classes halfway through. It got more interesting when I started using the energy level bar feature (which indicates how well the workout is being followed on a scale from 0 to 100). I understood how finding such small things that provide gratification/feeling of achievement made me happier and more motivated to continue.

Learning outcome 3:

Even though the resources were provided by the life coach, I followed the template to create a 45-minute morning routine, to be adhered to from 5 AM onwards. This included sitting in silence, short period of exercise, reading a few pages and writing down my goals for the day. I also created a fitness plan, planning three 20-minute live classess for the day.

Learner Profiles:

Thinker: I have often wondered why successful people wake up early. Is it to increase the number of their productive hours? Does waking up early make one more effective and efficient? I understood how early mornings provide one with enough time to reflect before getting busy with the daily routine. This helps one constantly evaluate their performance and be on the lookout for opportunities to grow

This journey was a success, it opened me to the various possibilites present to keep upgrading oneself, both mentally and physically.