i need to eat healthier. like a lot healthier. [insert scary face.] it’s so important for me as an indie biz owner to be productive and energetic — it’s important for me personally, but also for my business. i want to be even more of a go-getter instead of just an idea-maker. just a few minutes ago I sent this tweet:
so i decided it’s time to change things up. i don’t want to zip through life at this pace any more, and the fact that i’m craving healthier foods/longer meals with Zack, more sleep at night, a more peaceful day, and a greater sense of personal accomplishment are my signs. so ~ i’m proposing a challenge to myself, and i want to challenge YOU to follow along if you want, too :]
here’s my challenge: i want to try 5 new things for the next week, and i’m going to keep myself accountable by sharing them, and my experience, right here. by the way, this is sooooo not something i normally do, but i think it’ll be fun and a great way to make sure i follow through.
so here we go!
my list of 5 new things:
1. take a photo every day of something beautiful.
2. style my hair in a new way {hey ~ i’m in a rut, and besides, this will challenge my brain. {and my confidence/ not feeling like i don’t know how to style my hair.}}
3. NO. MORE. POP. — just water {with lemon!}, coffee {2 cups max per day} or wine {tee hehe.}
4. get in bed by 11pm, read for 30 minutes, then ZZZZZzzzz…
5. wake up every morning by 7:30. if i can wake up chipper, 5 extra points for me (right?). hah.
i’m really excited about this challenge, and i feel like it’ll help me to do MORE each day without feeling like i’m doing more each day – wink! one of my favorite blogs to be inspired by is cupcakes & cashmere, and while reading it tonight i really felt challenged to mix things up.
i’m off to the grocery store — i’ll check back in tomorrow and let you know how day 1 went.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MIX UP?
xo.
all photos are from the cupcakes & cashmere blog.
sounds like a plan – I’m with you on this – especially the bottom 2 … already don’t drink pop, but nibbling on cookie dough late at night after the kids are asleep probably is just as bad (hypothetically) – ;) xoxo
you do that?! how come you’ve never confessed that to me before? hah! :)
Oh man, I am so totally like this too! Whether it’s a big bowl of ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate, or whatever sweet stuff I have lying around, I need to kick this habit! It’s almost like I feel I have to reward myself for making it through another day, lol.
giving up pop (adorable) = a great idea. limiting coffee and wine = don’t be a sadist!!! ;)
right?! ;D
Your decision to give up soda and drink more water is the single best choice you will make for your health all year!
Making iced tea is also a good way to have a refreshing beverage with fewer calories and no gunk. :)
I like it. I think I will make my own list tomorrow…and maybe even give up pop too. GASP. Just typing it made me a bit shakey…but I’ll try. Thanks for sharing!
the feeling of all that sugar sitting in my stomach, and then the fuzzy teeth feeling, and then the feeling of not being quenched once i drink pop has done me in.
wish me luck. seriously. i may struggle with this.
xo.
I hate the “fuzzy sweaters” my teeth get from too much Coke – ah, but the headaches I get without it…oh, boy. Not sure about that one.
Awesome. Really love this a lot. Way to take control and start fresh! Can’t wait to hear your updates!
thanks for your comment and tweet :]
PS. bauer misses your doggies.
Good luck!! Sounds like a great plan. I need to make my own list.
Sunday it will be 3 weeks since my DCD. Diet Coke Divorce. I am currently in the coffee, water, wine category myself. :)
cheers! we can do this!!!
such a good idea! i am feeling the same way and like how you’ve broken it down into manageable, but still really important changes. very inspiring!
Sweeten the tea with stevia for no calories too! I have spent the last two months eating 70 % vegetables 30% anything else and virtually no sugar or wheat products..I feel 100% better. Also , for me, sleep and water make a huge difference. Hope I can keep it up once the school year starts and I am back to full-time 4th grade teacher/mom/photographer. Good luck….a slower pace and healthy choices will make the life you live much better and balanced.
do you feel full?! tell me how you got past/stuck with the 70% vegetables part — hah :]
I’ve been thinking about things like that this past year. I definitely need to cut out the pop, eat better, and get more sleep. That last one is a real hard one though. I am such a night owl and much more productive at night. I wish I could style my hair different ways. Mine is either straight or curly.
i drink pop and i swear i gain 2 lbs. the weeks where i don’t have any i feel the most fit. isn’t that weird!
you can totally do this, too! :]
goodluck with the new lifestyle goals!
i need to do the same things!
Hi Gussy! These are all great ideas! I’ve been drinking more water and instead of soda drinking tea or Crystal Light. And I have been cutting coffee to every other day! Yikes! But overall this week it’s been good! My next challenge will be more fruit and less sweets! After my dad passed away from liver and kidney failure a month ago I realized that I needed to start taking care of myself now, he was only 64! Way too young. I’ve cut way back on eating out and have been cooking more and eating more salads with my meals. Can’t say it isn’t a daily challenge but I feel better. I am also working out with my 10 year old to get him in shape for football so it’s been a great motivater! Best of luck with your challenge and I’ll continue mine! You can do it!
P.S Did you see Allora Handmade’s new pixie cut??? Talk about a change!!! She looks fab!!! Completely changed her look! Whippy Cake has some great hair tutorials!
http://whippycake.com/blog/2011/02/tied-up-video-tutorial/
TOO CUTE!!!
heck yes, sugar! i’m right there with ya :)
What a great idea!!! Good Luck!! I’m always looking for ways to change things up in my day….. even if its just shaving my legs for once tehe ;) Cant wait to hear about how it goes!
Oh this is SO my cup of tea!
I love to make list and changes and CHALLENGE myself to be the BEST and most HEALTHIEST ME I can be!
These are the changes I promise myself I’m going to make…every week…and I still haven’t made them.
Maybe I will now!
~Get up every weekday morning by 5:30 a.m.
~Get my workout done first thing. I do this when I’m at home at the farm with my mom…but when I’m here…and I have all day {on the days I don’t go to morning yoga} I put my workout off all day and then squeeze it in late in the afternoon. I feel SO much better when I get it over with first thing.
~Keep a good food journal. Give myself a STAR when I eat healthy that day! ;o)
~Be in the bed by 10:00 and to sleep by 11:00
~Cut out the processed foods~once in for all…cut em’ out! ;)
Thanks for INSPIRING me Sweet Girl!
You never cease to make me SMILE! ;o)
xo
Oh!
I meant to tell you~
DO NOT CHANGE YOUR HAIR!!!!
DO YOU HEAR ME!
DON”T!
DON”T!
DON”T CHANGE THAT adorable~GUSSY~FUN~SHINY hair!!!!
xo
haha! oh teresa, you are amazing yourself!!!
i will not be cutting my hair, i’m just trying to style it differently. because i feel like i cannnnnnot style my hair any other way than how you see it.
also — 5:30am? girl. you rock at that one!
also again — may i borrow a star sticker? i went shopping tonight and bought so much fresh food. you’d be proud :] yeow!
What a wonderful challenge! May I join you? Think I will and add to only speak kind words for a full week with NO complaining! (See how long that one lasts!!!!! LOL!!)
YES, please do join me! that’s a great one to add, by the way. it’s so easy to complain here & there, but it would add so much positiveness to our lives if we stopped. XO
I feel awful after I drink it, so why do I keep doing it? :) I feel the same too when I don’t drink it. It isn’t weird. :) I will make this a goal to give up the pop and gain health, only in extra special cases {maybe} will I have one. This will be a good challenge for me. Because, sometimes teaching there are days where I can find myself having 2 or 3 in a day. This will be a great journey! Cheering you on Gussy. I’ll keep working towards the others too.
Whoops, posted in the wrong place. haha.
Ugggh…the soda.
My love hate relationship, but yes. I’m with you.
I always need a kick in the pants from a friend {Brooke McGlothlin is a really awesome pants-kicker, too}
So here we go…
hehe — yes, she’s awesome! :)
Good for you! YAY!!! I like your challenge!! I recently did Rooted Wellbeing’s 7 Day Cleanse and I felt amazing (after getting over the caffeine withdrawl headache).I felt so good that I am continuing to eat that way (although I added, ahem, alcohol back into my diet.) I’ve never been a soda drinker, but I never drank enough water. Now I mix it up and drink my water w/ lemon or I make up a batch of tea (red raspberry and lemon zinger and ginger-lemon probiotic are my faves and are all decaf) and toss it in the fridge and then serve it chilled w/ lemon and ice.
If you get up the guts, try yourself a green smoothie. This is one of my faves: http://www.rootedwellbeing.com/2011/06/24/elvis-smoothie/ , but really, you can just toss 2 handfulls of spinach into your fave smoothie. You don’t taste the spinach and you’ve now had your leafy greens!
We dont drink pop {ok, here in the south we dont say pop, it’a all called Coke} :-) but we do drink tons of coffee, water and wine :-) Two kids under three, business to run & a deployed hubby who just assumed command = I have a Keurig coffee pot in my bathroom. BIG FAT LoVe it!!! Also, if you’e looking for a nice substiute to “pop” try Le Croix waters. Theyre fizzy but have zero sodium, calories, etc… I drink them like theyre going out of style! Also really good to throw a few strawberries in the bottom of a glass and pour over top. My hubby calls it my “mom coctail” for when Im pregnant/nursing- which seems like always :) Good luck missy, how much more fabulous can you get?
oh that’s so cute ~ “mom coctail”, i love that!
something i’ve noticed… water is the only drink i can guzzle down. coffee, pop, tea — nothing else can i drink quickly. maybe others have noticed that, too? that’s one of my signs that i need more water in my life and that because it’s so smooth (and healthy) i can gulp it fast ;)
I know for me, exercise is the key. Eating good is part of it for sure. If I want to start the day off on a good foot I need to eat oatmeal and have 2 cups of coffe to get me going. Unfortuantly I can’t doi my exercising until after Matt gets home. I run upstairs after supper and do 45-60mins of sweating:/ But, I feel so good after and it helps me feel good for the next day. Guess what though:((( Matt went on vacation a month ago and I have not exercised since:/ I feel so TIRED!! Even though I have not gained weight my body is shifting and it is not pretty:// Time for me to get back on so I can function like I know I can:)))) Good luck to you and am looking forward to seeing the new hair:)
that E word scares me.
I used to drink diet pepsi like 2 times a day and have cut that for about a year now. I only have a little bit on Firday nights when we have our pizza and movie night:) I can’t even finish it!! I do need to drink more water though.
On days that I eat fruit and veggies for a lot of the day I feel sooooo good! I ALWAYS need my 3:00 coffee though. Especially when school starts and the kids come home right at that time!
Love your challenge! I REALLY need to cut out pop. I just never seem to have enough willpower! Maybe knowing others are trying to cut it out too will help!
for me, if we don’t buy it it’s so much easier for me to not drink it. since i work at home, i have to leave the house to get it. and that’s hard to do. so instead, i keep the fridge stocked with lemon juice and coffee + creamer, and then it’s easier to ignore those pop thoughts.
but i know everyone is different…
but i know we’re all strong enough to fight it :)
Gussy, I am also on a bit of a ‘health’ journey myself, and I even have a health + fitness blog that me and a couple of friends write:
http://www.longlivefitness.com
Aside from that, I’m now a fitness coach too ;) If you ever need some motivation or just want to chat, you know I’m always around. You’re going to feel so much better once you start eating healthy foods- I know I did!
I got into a weird phase of drinking a Diet Coke in the afternoon at work, but I’ve switched to Iced Tea (the brewed kind, with no sugar, and lemon if i can find it). I feel so much better and more hydrated! Good luck to you, I’ll be following along right here :-)
diet pop scares me just as much as regular pop does. i’d rather have a margarita! hah.
lucky for me I like veggies…I do tons of stir-fry and eat at least 1 salad a day. I cahnge up the greens I choose and the toppings…nuts dried cranberrieis…granny smith apples strawberries, blueberries…It makes it interesting. My protein is usually nuts, chicken, fish, or dairy…I try to stay away from my one major food love- cheese. I get a few slices a week. Mainly I MISS my wheat. Part of this was to see if it was causing my issues…and yep it was…so I guess I am wheat and gluten free…. :(
Also I feel full most of the time and I have adjusted to eating less overall.
I have had afternoon coffee..for 15 years straight…couldn’t give it up!
I need to give up pop too. I love bubbles though :( Maybe you can inspire me :)
i know — i love the fizzyness of pop. have you ever seen a photo of how much sugar is in a can of pop? YIKES!
This is a great post Gussy! I feel like I can relate so much. I feel like the past six months…maybe even a year…like I have been trying to dig myself out of a rut. Less motivated to get things done, take care of myself, etc. It gets exhausting sometimes but I love your idea of a few small goals a week…and how even the little things make such a big difference. Inspiring post!
hi ashley! i’m excited this post prompted you to pinpoint areas you want to work on in your own life. even the smallest changes can have the biggest results :) i hope you’re doing wel! you’re DARLING! xxoo
i did a 21 day cleansing. fruit, veggies, water & protein shakes….. this was when i kicked the pop habit. i did this under a doctors care (chiropractic care), and there were a lot of pills involved (30 a day). i thought 10 pounds, i haven’t had pop since then, and it totally cleaned by body of toxins. i really felt great. this was in may/june of this year!
Maggie! I totally need to send you a case of this sparkling water I just got. I know you tried the other kind (the lemon one) and weren’t really a fan, but I just tried the grapefruit one (they actually call it pamplemousse, which is adorable) and it was SUPER delicious. Supercrazyyummy and it feels like you’re drinking pop and it’s just water and it’s the best ever.
yes yes yessssss :)
love you, lyss.
i’m with you on that!! hubby & i have just recently started a weight loss challenge – where we are is so unhealthy! so i’m blogging our progress to stay accountable AND motivate myself to not embarrass myself ;-) i think i’ll borrow one of your 5 things – it’s been nice to sleep in but school will be starting soon so might as well get back into the habit now!
Tell me about that nail polish! Great color!
I’m a little behind…just read this (I was vacationing)….and I love this idea! I love the honesty of it! Putting it out there for the world to see and maybe even call you on it! I’ve been trying to come up with my own “list” if you will but it seems to be LONG :) Pop definitely needs to go but its so comforting on a stressful day at work :) PEPSI is my only addiction. Anyway, I have a friend who says if you wouldn’t bathe in it then you probably shouldn’t drink it! Thanks for always being inspiring!
Oh my gosh, such a great post!! I love setting new goals and since I’m in the health industry it’s always so fun to hear about what health goals people set for themselves, and then even more so to watch them as they meet those goals!! You are so awesome for doing this! Keep up the great work!! :)
Steph
That’s Better: Improve Your Life Every Day!
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into sintrtag my own blog and was curious what all is required to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web savvy so I’m not 100% positive. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Appreciate it