And just like that it’s May and a third of 2023 has flown by. April was a strange month for me, which you’ll see from my monthly goals update below. On a positive note, I’ve selected five fabulous blog posts from some excellent writers for my April 2023 roundup, including a couple of new faces whose posts I haven’t shared before.

Read on for posts on the relevance of BMI, lies the fashion and beauty industry want you to believe, and time travelling through old photos. Plus, light pollution and a climate-change poem. Happy reading!

Cool things I read in April

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create funny, inspiring, and informative content.

Here are five pieces that caught my eye in April.

Should BMI to categorise weight be scrapped? – Invisibly Me

Medical professionals rely on BMI (body mass index), but is it an accurate measure of an individual’s weight? This thought-provoking post is well worth a read!

There’s an assumption made that a “healthy” or “normal” weight and BMI equals overall good health generally. That’s not always the case. Overall health is a complex picture that includes things we cannot control like our genetics. It also includes personal choices and lifestyles, which can be independent of weight.

Invisibly Me – Should BMI to categorize weight be scrapped?

The bullies you pay to bully you – Wednesday’s Child

I’ve always been grateful that my daughters could see through all the phoniness on social media. This post is a must-read for parents of teenagers, especially girls. It’s all about the big lie of the fashion and beauty industry.

I beg of you: tell your daughters it’s all fake. Discourage them from falling for the lies in those magazines.

Wednesday’s Child – The bullies you pay to bully you

Time travelling old photos – Midlife on Earth

There’s nothing like old photos to bring back memories of great times and loved ones. In this post, Tim shares his feelings when seeing photos of his mother at the age he is now. Then, he explores some scientific theories on why we often feel like time flies.

Thankfully, however, science has concluded that the feeling of time passing quickly can be explained in a range of different cognitive, emotional and even environmental ways, all of which conspire to give you the illusion of time going by at a rate of knots.

Midlife on Earth – Time travelling old photos

Nearly Summer – A poem from JamieAdStories

While record-breaking April temperatures in the U.K. felt like a nice reprieve from snow and frost, Jamie’s poem reminds us there is a downside to April’s erratic weather.

My ‘Nearly Summer poem’ is a kind of warning that milder weather is not necessarily a good thing. It’s a warning.

JamieAdStories – Nearly Summer

Light Pollution – International Dark Sky Week – EcoGreenLove

I mentioned this post in my Sunday Spark post on darkness and light, but I wanted to feature it here as well. Those of us who live in heavily populated areas have probably never seen the magic of a starry sky thanks to light pollution. Learn why light pollution is a problem in this post from EcoGreenLove.

Artificial light at night has revolutionized the way we live and work outdoors, but it has come at a price. When used indiscriminately, outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, impact human health, waste money, and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the universe.

EcoGreenLove – Light pollution – International Dark Sky Week

What I wrote in April

In case you missed any of these, here are the new posts I published in April here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• The Sunday Spark – Airport adventures at O’Hare
• The Sunday Spark – Wishing you Easter joy
• Atomic Habits review: 6 helpful things I learned
• The Sunday Spark – Thanks for 100,000 blog views
• Check out my favourite eco-blogs and sites
• The Sunday Spark – Darkness and light
• The future of plastic-free living: innovations and trends (Guest post)
• The Sunday Spark – Women in trades face uphill battle

In addition to my new posts, I refreshed and republished these older posts:

• More than a boss – qualities of great leaders
• Make someone smile with random acts of positivity
• You need a best friend at work

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April goals – How did I do?

April was a bit of a bust on the goals front thanks to a bad cold (the first cold I’ve had in over three years), dental surgery and just a general lack of motivation. I seem to be on a bit of a roller coaster this year, alternating between good months and bad months. January was awesome. Then, February was a bit of a bust. I rebounded in March with another great month. Then, April was another down month.

Here’s how I did on my goals for the month.

Fitness goals

A rainy month, combined with battling a cold and recovering from dental surgery definitely set me back here. I didn’t achieve my 10,000 steps a day—I came in at an average of just over 8,700 steps a day.

Despite the cold, rainy weather, I came pretty close to my goal of 20 outdoor walks with a total of 18 walks in the month.

Cut the candy

After doing so well with giving up candy for Lent, I completely fell off the wagon after Easter. I totally failed at my goal of limiting candy and chocolate to once a day. On a positive note, the chocolate was delicious!

Read three books

I didn’t quite make my goal of three books. I finished two and I’m part way through a third. Here are the books I read in April:

• Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
• Performance Anxiety by Betsy Burke

Eight hours of learning

I came pretty close to my goal of eight hours of learning, wrapping up the month with a total of 7.5 hours.

Get three weeks ahead on blogging

Here’s one where I exceeded my goal. Other than my Sunday Spark posts that I write weekly, I’m now four weeks ahead with my other blog content.

Sing every day

A bad cold and dental surgery aren’t exactly conducive to singing, but I still managed to sing 18 out of the 30 days in April.

My May goals

I’m going to forgive myself for not meeting my April goals. On a positive note, if the pattern I’ve set so far in 2023 holds true, May should be a fabulous month. Here are my goals for May.

• Fitness: This cold, rainy weather can’t last forever, right? Being ever-hopeful, I’m going to work really hard to achieve my goals of 10,000 steps a day, and 20 outdoor walks in the month. 
• Cut the candy: I really need to get back on track with this one, and limit candy and chocolate to once a day. Wish me luck!
• Reading: Again, I’m setting to a goal to read three books for the month.
• Writing: I’ve been asked to author an article for an industry publication, so that will be my goal for May—along with keeping up with my blog posts, of course.
• Learning: I got really close to eight hours of learning in April, so that’s my goal again for May.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my monthly roundup. I hope your May is off to a great start.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the posts I’ve shared. Tell me what you think below.