Back in January I decided to try something different in 2016 when it comes to healthy living goals. Instead of making a big lofty goal, I thought I would try mini-goals for each month.
This year I want to focus on one healthy habit each month. I hope that by focusing intensely on one thing for a month, I will turn it into a habit that sticks with me throughout the year. Here are my:
Healthy Habits for a Healthy Year
January: Drink 8 Glasses of Water Each Day
February: Eliminate Snacking
March: Exercise 4 Days a Week
April: Sleep at Least 9 Hours a Night
June: Stretch Each Day
July: Walk 10,000 Steps per Day
August: Eat Fruits and Vegetables at Every Meal
September: Eat a Big Salad for Lunch Each Day
October: Observe One Sabbath a Week
November: Write in a Gratitude Journal Each Day
December: Spend 10 Minutes Outside Every Day
May’s Recap
This May I tried to cut back on my dessert intake. I have a serious sweet tooth and find it hard to resist anything chocolate! Overall, I experienced mixed results. Two out of the four weeks of May, I was able to have only my allowed two desserts per week.
However, the first week of May was Bright Week (what the week after Pascha, or Easter, is called in the Orthodox Church). This is a week of much celebration for Orthodox Christians, so I did have several desserts. Also, during the final week of May our family took a mini-vacation to attend a wedding and visit friends in New England. I ate a few desserts during this festive time.
Overall, though, I am pretty proud of the way I was able to resist temptation and implement a healthier eating routine. I will try to keep this goal going throughout June as well.
June’s Healthy Habit: Stretch Each Day
I have always been a flexible person. As a child and teenager, I was a gymnast so flexibility was integral to my workout routine. Once I went to college, I discovered Pilates and Yoga and really enjoyed doing 15-30 minute sessions in order to maintain flexibility and tone muscles.
However, I have fallen out of the habit of stretching in recent years. I know the benefits:
-improve flexibility
-improve range of motion
-tone muscles
-help prevent muscle tears and weakness
-relieve stress
-provide a mental break during the day
I also know how great I feel after stretching. I just need to do it!
My Plan
I find that I am more likely to follow through on a goal if I have a specific plan set up. My Type-A nature likes to follow rules and get “gold stars,” so I have a hard time breaking a commitment–even if it is just to myself. Here is the plan that I will implement as I try to stretch each day during June:
- Do leg stretches every time that I brush my teeth. This may sound a bit strange, but I’ve had success with this in the past. By pairing two activities (in this case stretching and brushing the teeth), it provides me a mental reminder to do the habit I am trying to build. So, while I am brushing my teeth each morning and evening, I’ll get in a few stretches. Maybe that short session will lead to a longer one!
- Do 10 minutes of Pilates or Yoga each night. I am really looking forward to this! Now that school has ended (and along with it grading and lesson planning!), I will have a bit more time each evening. I have several Pilates and Yoga DVDs (check out my favorite Pilates one, Pilates for Weight Loss ), but I haven’t done them for a few months. I’ll have to fix that!
- Find free Pilates and Yoga videos online. The internet is filled with great tutorials and videos, so I plan to find a few new workout videos that I can access and do anytime and anywhere. If you have any suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them!
I want to encourage you to think about your health and fitness goals for 2016. What will you do to take care of the body God gave you? How will you focus on your health so that you can love and serve others? I challenge you today to take the time to create a few goals for yourself. You are welcome to join me and focus on one habit a month.
Here’s to a healthy you!
What healthy habits do you want to implement this month?
(Linked to With Grit and Grace.)
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This is such a great list of healthy goals! Nice work cutting back on your dessert intake. That would be such a hard goal for me!
No, it’s not strange to stretch while brushing your teeth…I was just doing squats while brushing my teeth last night. 😉 So I get it.
Squats while brushing your teeth? I am so going to do that! 🙂