A Challenge: 34 Days to a Better Me

With the stress of work and moving over the past couple of weeks, I know for a fact I haven’t been up to par in my workouts or proper nutrition and sleep, for that matter. I have been feeling sluggish, tired, and my body has been pumped with too much unhealthy food and high calorie beverages. With that in mind, I am going to join Borsch in his 35 day challenge (with a little tweaking) and work to improve my general well-being.

Have any of you heard of Bob Greene? I have read his book, The Best Life Diet, and found it to be very interesting. The next month or so is going to be very similar to his first month plan which is basically a time for cleaning out the system. Bob suggests cutting out the coffee, soda, and alcohol altogether, as well as increasing the healthy foods, supplements, and workouts. I am taking his suggestions and changing them a bit.

Here's what the next 34 days will look like for me:

• Absolutely no soda. I did this about this time last fall and was soda-free for almost 6 months and somehow got back into a little here and there. It makes me feel like crap.




• Only allowed coffee 1x/week. This is very manageable and I look forward to getting off the caffeine-roller-coaster-ride. I can’t tell if I am tired because I am tired or tired because I am coming off a caffeine-high. It’s awful.




• Keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum. I could totally cut this out, but that’s not realistic. I like to have a beer or drink here and there and I probably only have a couple a week if that. So I am not going to worry too much about this.




• Workout daily. This will consist of a minimum of 20 minutes per day, ranging from a long run, bike, or swim, to a short run, bike or swim sometimes including weight training; or something as minimal as a walk, yoga, stretching, Pilates, and Turbo Sculpting/Turbo Abs. I did this in June and found it to be very effective, and actually lost 6 pounds that month.




• Take daily supplements. I usually take a women’s multivitamin and fish oil. I am usually pretty good about doing this, but on occasion I will go a week or so without taking anything.




• A minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night. This should really be 8+ hours (for me), but that isn’t always realistic. This should be the easiest thing to accomplish… as I love to sleep.

So, anyone else in on this challenge?

Day 1 Workout:
Run - 2.92 miles, 34:00, 11:38/mile
Perfect 55 degrees, sun shining, no wind, and no walk breaks!

Today's Song: Creed - Higher

I got back just in time to see the sun set in the clear blue sky!

**Breast Cancer Awareness Information**

There are mixed-reviews on whether or not routine breast self-examinations are effective and necessary. Some say it is, and some say that it has led to more doctor visits but does not find breast cancer earlier than regular medical examinations.

I don't know about you, but I would rather be safe than sorry, right?

Click here for an excerpt on early detection at the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website.