I am less than three
months away from my 40th. The first area of my life I want to focus
on improving in my search for more happiness is health and self-care. I have
tried a lot of diets and I have read a lot of books. While we all are looking
for a fast solution, it is very true that a full lifestyle changes is needed to
see long lasting results.
Yes I want to lose
weight. Yes I want to tone up. Yes I want to eat better. Yes I want a clean
bill of health for many years to come. And as mentioned before, I can only hope
to enter the next decade looks 25% as good with as much energy as Jennifer
Lopez.
My overall goal
starting this month is to create habits that last. I want to be the girl that
loves to workout. I actually was that girl for a short period of time about 4
years ago. I want to fill my body with good healthy food. I want to take care
of my skin. I want to increase my energy and the energy that I give off to
others. I want to be my best self for me, my husband, my employees, my friends and
my family.
I am committed to doing
100 (yes 100) workouts. This program is through Beachbody but if you want to
join me don’t feel like you have to do my exact workouts. Just commit to moving
your body every day. You can run, take an exercise class, lift weights, walk
with friends, or whatever it is that makes you happy. Or at least happy knowing
you did something good for your body.
The coach that I am
working with is also doing a 100 day bible study to accompany the workouts. I don’t
think I am going to do the exact study that she will be doing but I do plan to something
daily.
These workouts are intended
to be done in the morning. Here is the thing, I have no problem getting up
early but the last time I tried to do morning workouts, it has a reverse effect
on my mood for the day. I was flustered all day, I felt like I was rushed and
behind. I am going to try to do this in the morning because I do agree that it
will ensure that I actually complete the workouts daily and eliminate the
excuses for why I can’t work out later in the day. I am, however, going to give
myself permission to change my workout time if I feel like it is affecting my
mood. After all the entire goal is to find my happiness.
In addition to working
out and spending some time with God each morning, I want to focus on my food. I
know it won’t be easy and I know it won’t be perfect but, if I can try to make a
few more good decisions, plan my meals ahead of time, and drink more water, I know
it will help me get on track.
The rest of the month
plan is a little more superficial but hey, this is my happiness project. I am
getting my hair and nails done. I am stepping up my skin care routine. I hate
to spend the money on these things but when I have a fresh color and cut,
pretty nails and clear healthy skin, I always feel a bit more happy (and
pretty).
Beachbody gave me a fun little book to track
my progress. I can’t promise that I will be brave enough to post my progress pictures
but I will be posting on my Facebook group “Believing in Happy”
The Be 100 book has a
few things for me think about before I get started. So here we go!
The Perfect Morning
Routine...How do I envision the
perfect morning?
I actually have
thought about this before and it looked like this:
·
We (the
hubby and I) get up together
·
Take the
fur kids outside and get them breakfast
·
We put on
workout gear
·
Go for a
run
·
Come back
and mediate/pray/read the Bible/Journal
·
I take a
shower while he reads
·
He takes a
shower and I read
·
Finish getting
ready
·
Leave for
work
Let me tell you all
the things wrong with this list. I can’t make other people do things. This
means, my husband is not ready for a morning workout routine. Second of all, we
are not runners. I want to be but I am not there, yet. I might be able to run
out of the driveway but that is about all the further I will be running. Third,
we have one bathroom so this schedule doesn’t give either one of us enough mirror
time in the morning.
After some thought and
reflection my perfect morning now looks like this:
·
Wake up
and take care of the fur kids
·
Drink
water
·
Fire up my
workout
·
Take a
shower
·
Drink my
amino
·
Bible/Prayer
time
·
Finish
getting ready
·
Drink my
morning shake
·
While I
brew some coffee
·
Leave for
work
I think is worth
pointing out that my nightly routine needs to be in check if I want my morning
to run smoothly. I need to layout my
next day’s clothes including workout clothes and my work clothes. I would need to have my lunch’s packed and
ready to grab and the coffee prepared so it just needs turned on. I also need to hide my cell phone in the morning.
I cannot believe how quickly time passes when I think I am just going to scroll
through my social media feeds for 5 minutes.
Next Question: What do you think it would
feel like and how would it impact the rest of your day?
It would be nice to
know that something is already checked off my to do list and my day hasn’t really
started yet. I also know that many of the world’s most successful people make
working out a priority. Plus bringing God into my day every morning is
important to protect my heart and head as I move through the day.
The next two questions
on working on building my WHY and removing obstacles before they start. What is
the one thing that will keep you committed to completing the 100 workouts? Is
there anything slowing you down that you can work through now?
I am going to tackle the
obstacles first. I know that it will be easy to say things like, I can miss one
day or I will double up tomorrow. I also know that one day turns into 2 days, 3
days, 1 week or even a month. I am also going on two trips in the first 30
days. At the end of August we are going to the beach and then to Chicago. We will gone
and not in my normal schedule for over a week. The good news is I just need my laptop to workout, so having access to what I need should not be an issue. Food is going to
be my other struggle. I just need to focus on make good decisions when I can
but also allowing myself small treats.
I am also going to use
my beach trip as my motivation for the first few weeks. I am currently at my heaviest
weight and I know I will be so uncomfortable in my bathing suit. I don’t expect
to be back to my 20 year old body in a short time but I do think it will be an
improvement and I should gain a little more confidence.
My overall motivation
is really for my health. I want to be
the best version of myself. I am always looking for ways to improve but if I don’t
have the energy or confidence to propel my life forward, I am not going to get
there. In addition, my family is not
very healthy. I see their struggles as they get older and I don’t want to be
that way.
There you have it! I have started and I am 10 days in....only 90 to go.
