Day 21- Get Social

Day 21 – Get Social

Lunch with friends, hit up a local pub or cafe for a Games Night, go to a class. The winter can be the most depressing time of year, so stay a step ahead and socialize with friends or family or strangers (make new friends!). Laugh and cohort.

Interacting with others boosts feelings of well-being and decreases feelings of depression. Research has shown that one sure way of improving your mood is to work on building social connections. You may even lower your risk of dementia

In addition, communicating with people face-to-face can help to make us more resilient to stress factors in the long run.

So don’t hesitate…make a plan, grab some friends, and get out (or stay in – together) and have some fun.

SOCIABLE!

~FB

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Day 19 – Do 50 Push-Ups

Day 19 – Do 50 Push-Ups.

Yep. That’s right. Today your challenge is to drop and give me 50 push ups. No, they don’t have to be done consecutively.

Look, I get it. I just spent the entire 2018 year doing a minimum of 50 push ups a day – and I still freakin’ hate them. But push ups are a great exercise, and here are a few reasons why:
1. Increase Functional Strength via Full Body Activation;
2. Enhance Your Cardiovascular System;
3. Increase Whole Body Muscle Definition – and promotes HGH (Human Growth Hormone);
4. Great full-body workout.

So go ahead, get down, and start pushing.

~FB

 

Day 15 – Find (aka Make) Time to Meditate, Pray, Reflect

Day 15 – Find (aka Make) time to Meditate, Pray, Reflect, etc.

Whatever suits your religion/belief/lifestyle, give it a try.  Some health benefits of prayer and meditation are:

• Lower blood pressure
• Sense of Inner Peace
• Increased longevity
• Reduced symptoms of depression
• Alleviation of anxiety, stress, and pain
• Help with insomnia and physical symptoms associated with chronic illnesses

The time you take to pray or meditate can be your time or time you share with family.  Personally, my prayer time is strictly my time.  It’s personal time I have with God each and every day.  And it has been my “practice” to pray every day since I was a small child.  But, even throughout my busy teenage years, I maintained my prayer time.  And I can’t imagine not having that time each night.  It’s the time I take to reflect on the day and to be thankful for all of the people and things and abilities I have been blessed with.  And most of the time I go to sleep with a clear head and heart.

Your time does not have to be prayer if that is not your believe.  But you, too, can take the time to reflect on your life or your day.  To be thankful for what you have or to look forward to what’s to come.  What’s great about meditation and prayer is that it’s your time and you can make of it what you want.

If it isn’t something you normally practice, try it for a week.  See if you get clarity and joy and inner peace or strength.  At least take the time to reflect.

~FB

 

 

 

Day 14 – Do My Body Weight Workout

Day 14 – Do my Body Weight Workout

30 seconds Jumping Jacks
30 seconds High Knees
30 seconds Squat Jumps
30 seconds Plank
30 seconds Crunch
30 seconds Burpees
30 seconds Leg Lifts
30 seconds Wall Sit

Do it once, or twice. Or as many times as you like.

I love body weight workouts (also known as calisthenics training).  In fact, most of my boot camps are body weight-based.  here’s why I love them:

1.It allows people to take the guess work out of using fancy equipment;

2. And saves money because you don’t need a gym membership;

3. You can do body weight training anywhere; in your living room, at the park, it doesn’t matter, as long as you have enough room to move;

4. It combines cardio and strength training;

5. It’s extremely efficient and it burns fat fast;

6. It’s great for any fitness level and at any fitness level it can be challenging;

7. It’s great for building balance, flexibility, coordination, and strength – both physically and mentally; and

8. There’s never any reason not to work out.

So go ahead…give it a try.

~FB

 

 

 

Day 12

Day 12 – Get Your Steps In

It’s Saturday. Get outside and take a walk or a hike or a run. Hit the dance, floor with your friends, dance around your living room, do some yard work, go to the gym, roam around the mall. Just set yourself a goal and get moving.

Did you know that even just a few minutes of exercise can boost your mood?  So go ahead and make Saturday a great day!

~FB

Day 10 – Be Productive

Day 10 – Be Productive 

Wake up 30 minutes early and do something productive with your time.  Take and hour and finish that project you started two months ago.  Spend 25 minutes studying or finishing that book.  Give yourself some time to fit in a decent workout or finish the dishes or whatever it is you have been putting off.

There’s a quote that says “Don’t just be busy, be productive.”  Let’s all try and heed that advice and try and get stuff done.  Let’s not waste too many minutes so that we can go out and enjoy life.

~FB

Day 9 – Go Meatless

Day 9 – Go Meatless

Going meatless, even just once to a few times a week, can have a tremendous impact on your health. You don’t have to cut all animal products out of your life cold-turkey, but decreasing the amount of meat and increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole-grains that you eat can do wonders for your health and the health of the environment.

Don’t get me wrong (or hate me), I am a full-on meat eater.  But eliminating meat from meals every once in a while can be great.  It can be time-saving, money-saving, and health-beneficial.  You don’t have to sacrifice deliciousness because you’re eliminating meat.  Have you ever tried a whole roasted herbed cauliflower or a vegetable burger? Mmmmm.

Go ahead and expand your horizons by making full meals solely out of plants.  You’ll be surprised with the plethora of ideas and recipes you can find or come up with.

~FB

Day 8 – Pack A Lunch

Day 8 – Pack a Lunch

 

Save money and eat healthier by packing your own lunch. (This is your challenge today but you can plan it for tomorrow. 🙂 ) Knowing exactly what’s in your food and ensuring it’s nutritious can give you some peace of mind when it comes time for your lunch break. Save time by preparing your food the night before or the morning of (rather than spending time heading to pick up some grub and waiting in line) can also free up time to socialize or take a lunch-time walk.

I am not one of those people who spend all day Sunday prepping meals for the week (or month!).  I honestly just can’t put the effort in.  But, I know that many of you benefit from this.  It can help you achieve goals of healthy eating; and if it allows you more free time during the week, then I say kudos to you.  There are some evenings when I’ll prepare dinner and lunch for the new couple of days; this usually occurs when I’m participating in a Whole 30 (like right now).  If I am eliminating sugar and processed foods from my diet, then prepping my lunch meals (or meals for evenings away from the home) is a must – because I want to know exactly what’s in my ingredients and want to be certain I am maintaining compliance.

In addition to eating healthier when brown-bagging it, preparing my lunch also allows me time to do other things on my lunch break – whether that’s go for a walk or run errands or just spend time with friends or alone….it means I’m not running around looking for something to eat, waiting in lines or for a server.  My time, as I’m sure yours is as well, is valuable and I don’t want to waste a minute.

~FB

 

Day 7 – 5 Down

Day 7 – 5 Down

Several years ago, my friend came up with this wonderful idea of daily purging. She and her family committed to removing 5 items from their home a day for one year. Some items were donated, some were trashed. She created a blog (https://www.5down.org/) and chronicled their daily purging. I think her idea is spectacular. I am such a pack rat and I like to hang on to everything in those cases of “what if?” – but, do I really need the book reports I wrote in high school? Probably not. So I am going to follow suit of my friend and commit to 5-downing it (hopefully, daily). In fact, I purged yesterday and it felt great.

Go ahead and try it.

~FB

Day 6 – Unplug!

Day 6 – UNPLUG!

As much as I love my phone, the internet, and social media, I also truly believe it is ruining us. It’s killing our relationships with others, our abilities to communicate, socialize, and engage, and it can be absolutely atrocious for our self-esteem. So take today and UNPLUG. Turn off your gadgets for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or the whole day! Focus on your surroundings, who you’re with, and what you can do. Engage. Get some freakin’ clarity.

JUST SAY NO!

Happy Unplugging.