S2 Ep. 32 | Weigh-In Wednesday: Building Better Habits, One Choice at a Time

Welcome back to another Weigh-In Wednesday!

This week, I'm reflecting on the first 25 days of my 100-day cartwheel challenge and the habits I've been building since returning home from South Korea and Japan.

We chat about getting back into the gym, why consistency matters more than perfection, common fitness myths, and my next 25-day goal of cutting back on fast food and making healthier choices for both my body and my budget.

This week's challenge is simple: pause before making an unplanned trip through the drive-thru and choose one healthier option instead. Small choices add up to big results!

✨ 3 Takeaways

• Small daily habits create lasting change.
• Better sleep can help you make healthier choices.
• Your health is your wealth—invest in it one decision at a time.

📖 Journal Prompts

1. What habit would make the biggest positive impact on my life over the next 25 days?
2. What emotions or situations usually trigger my unhealthy food choices or impulse spending?
3. How do I want to feel 100 days from now, and what small action can I take today?

💛 Mantras

• I choose progress over perfection, one healthy decision at a time.
• Every small habit I build today creates the future I desire.
• My health is my wealth, and I invest in myself with every choice I make.

Thanks for listening! If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. I'll see you next Wednesday!

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Hey, friends. Welcome to Organized Chaos, season two: Permission Granted. I'm your host, Shabana Knight, and I'm so happy you're here. As a certified personal trainer, decluttering queen, manifestation coach, and energy reader, I help women release what no longer serves them and embrace their truest desires. Each week, I'll share encouraging stories, life lessons, and simple tools to help you grow, heal, and create a life you truly love. so whether you are driving, folding laundry, or out for a walk, or sipping your favorite cup of coffee, thank you for being here. Take what you need and leave the rest. And oh, by the way, you've had the permission all along. Now, let's dive into today's episode. Hey, welcome back to Weigh In Wednesday. My brain has been all over the place with these thoughts I wanted to share this week. So hang tight and let's dive into today's episode. For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you've probably seen that on July 4th, I started a challenge. It was one cartwheel a day for 100 days in a row. Every day I record it and post it as a reel. Today marked day 25 out of 100, and honestly, I'm really proud of myself. My cartwheels have improved. I'm enjoying checking in every day, and I love sharing this little journey with all of you. And that got me thinking, what habit have I actually established over the last 25 days? 25 days ago, I had just returned from South Korea and Japan. I had definitely gained a little travel weight, and it also happened to be the day I signed up for the free seven-day trial at the gym. So over the last 25 days, I've reestablished the habit of going back to the gym, and it's really humbling. Some of you know that I was a personal trainer for over 10 years, and I lived that lifestyle. I taught it, I preached it, I coached it, I breathed it, like everything, health and nutrition, wellness, all that stuff. And then I stepped away from the big box gym environment, like during COVID and stuff like that. And then I was training at a smaller gym that was just, uh, like a one-on-one personal training facility. And now, um, to be back in a big gym and to feel like I'm starting over, Least like I know what to do and I know how to do it, but knowing and consistently doing are two different things. Even so, it feels really good to be back. I'd love to see more women lifting in the gym and taking up space, but one step at a time. All of this got me thinking, what habit do I want to build over the next twenty-five days of my cartwheel challenge? Obviously, getting better at landing my cartwheel and keeping my legs straight. But, the thing that I've been thinking about is like addictions, both good ones and bad ones. And currently, like my vice is treating myself out to fast food more times each week than is healthy for my body and my bank account. I know there are healthier options sitting in my refrigerator at home, but there's just something about driving through McDonald's or Star-Starbucks and having someone else make my breakfast or fancy coffee. It brings me so much joy. I get it. But I also know that over these last twenty-five days, even though I haven't eaten out every single day, I've done it enough that my weight hasn't changed. No surprise there. I'm not eating in a calorie deficit. I'm eating enough calories to maintain my current weight, and that's not where I want to stay. I'd love to release another ten to fifteen pounds One thing I always hear is, you're probably just gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. Actually, that's not true at all. Let me ask you this. Which weighs more, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? Neither. They both weigh a pound. The difference is that feathers take up much more space. The same is true with muscle and fat. One pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh exactly the same, but muscle is much denser, so it takes up less room in your body. Fat takes up more volume, while muscle creates that lean, toned look many people are working towards. Another common myth is that fat turns into muscle or muscle turns into fat. That doesn't happen either. When you're in a calorie deficit, your body burns stored fat for energy. When you strength train and eat enough protein, your body builds muscle. They're two completely different tissues. Your body is incredibly smart. Building muscle takes time. For most people, gaining even one pound of muscle can take between four to six weeks with consistent training, depending on nutrition and other factors. I could keep talking because I genuinely love health and fitness, but here's my focus for day twenty-six through one hundred. I'm cleaning up my nutrition. I'm cutting back on eating out. I'm reducing those impulsive fast food stops that happen simply because I'm tired, bored, or want a little reward. One thing that can really help reduce those urges is getting quality sleep. When we don't sleep well, the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness, ghrelin and leptin, can become disrupted. Ghrelin, often called the hunger hormone, tends to increase when we're sleep-deprived, while leptin, which helps us feel satisfied, can decrease. The result? We're much more likely to crave sugary, salty, high-calorie convenient food. When we're well-rested, it's often easier to make choices that align with our goals. So here's my weigh-in Wednesday challenge for both you and me. Last week, our focus was drinking more water. How did you do? I did okay. I definitely need to keep on working on that. This week, our challenge is to reduce or even eliminate those unplanned impulse trips to grab fast food. Now, vacation and traveling are different. Yes, go enjoy yourself. Plan those meals and make the memories. And if you wanna be extra, you can choose to get salad with extra protein if you're trying to still eat out, but eat healthier. But in everyday life, what if we simply made choices that were one percent better, one healthier choice, one meal cooked at home, one drive past the fast food restaurant? Those little decisions add up. Yes, my goal is to release ten to fifteen pounds, but it's about so much more than the number on the scale. I want more energy during the day. I want to sleep better at night. I want to feel healthier. I also know that by cutting back on processed foods, I'll not only be investing in my health, but I'll probably notice a little extra money staying in my bank account too. So let's see how these next twenty-five days goes. Can I establish another healthy habit? Can I strengthen my self-control and discipline like a muscle, or will it completely flop? Only time will tell, but I believe in myself, and I hope that whatever goal you're working towards, you remember this: Your health is your wealth. At the end of the day, it all comes back to one simple question: How do you want to feel? I want to feel more alive, more energetic, more strong, more fulfilled, and yes, I want to feel like a rich bitch too. Managing my emotions, making smarter decisions with both my food and my finances, and showing up consistently will help me get back to feeling like the healthiest version of myself. I know it's possible, and I believe in me. Now, here are three takeaways. Takeaway number one: Small daily habits create lasting changes. Consistency beats perfection every time. Two: Your environment and routine influence your choices. Prioritize sleep, plan ahead, and make healthy decisions easier. Number three: Health is about more than the number on the scale. More energy, better sleep, and feeling strong are victories worth celebrating Now here are three journal prompts. One, what habit would make the biggest positive impact on my life over the next twenty-five days? Two, what emotions or situations usually trigger my unhealthy food choices or impulse spending? Number three, how do I want to feel the next twenty-six to a hundred days from now, and what small actions can I take today to become that version of myself? Now, here are three mantras. I choose progress over perfection, one healthy decision at a time. Two, every small habit I build today creates the future I desire. Three, my health is my wealth, and I invest in myself with every choice I make. Thank you so much for being here, hanging out with me again on another Way in Wednesday. I will see you next Wednesday, and we will check in with how all those different goals are going. All right. Love you all. Talk to you later. Bye.

Speaker 2 9:03

Hey, you. Yes, you. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. This episode is brought to you by My Energy Readings. Energy readings are one-on-one private Zoom sessions where I tap into your energy field and deliver exactly what your soul needs to hear. Scroll down to the bottom of my show notes to book your energy reading today, or just send me a DM. Can't wait to see you on Zoom. And until next time, know that you're amazing, know that I love you, and the world is gonna keep on spinning, so you need to keep on showing up and doing the things that light you up, because that's what we need more of, people who are lit up and shine their light wherever they go. So keep manifesting, keep believing, and I'll catch you on the flip side. Bye.