The 5 Daily Habits Challenge!

Hi all! I hope you are having a great week. It's finally Wednesday which means only a couple more days until the weekend! That's cause for a celebration, no? 

I've had this topic on my heart for a while, so I wanted to write out some thoughts about the idea of daily habits. I'm reading through a book titled "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to be more disciplined with their life, reach their goals, and develop daily habits that will encourage growth in their lives. 

In his book, Olson states that our daily habits often determine how successful we are at reaching our goals. He also discusses how these habits are usually very easy to do, but also very easy NOT to do. This statement blew. my. mind. I know of some habits that I want to do every day (for example, exercise, sleeping at a decent time, saving a few extra bucks a month, reading 10 pages a day of a book that will help me grow, etc.) but I often miss the mark on these habits. I've convinced myself that these daily habits and goals are just too harddddd, and that's why I can't keep up with them. But reading this book and reflecting on his view of habits has completely changed my way of thinking and has helped me reexamine just how hard these habits actually are. 

1. Waking up 30 minutes earlier to workout is pretty easy. Ignoring my alarm is pretty easy too. 

2. Going to bed early so I CAN fit in that workout is easy. But continuing on the Netflix binge and just watching "one more episode" is pretty easy too. *Side note, my husband and I are working our way through Breaking Bad right now...and OH MY GOSH...it's been so easy to stay up late watching episode after episode.

3. Putting away $50 a week is pretty easy. But, buying that super duper cute top that I just have to have is pretty easy too. 

4. Reading 10 pages of a book will probably take me 10 minutes, which is pretty easy to fit into my day. Spending time on Facebook or Instagram for 10 minutes instead of reading is pretty easy too.  

So you see, these habits are easy to do, and just as easy NOT to do. It's that simple. And this realization has totally changed the way I've been viewing my goals and the daily habits I want to develop. 

I am going to stop viewing these disciplines as "hard" and give them the credit they deserve, which is not that much! Doing the things that I want to do is not that difficult. It's not like I want to build a house every day, buy a car every day, or lose 20 lbs in one day. Those big goals come around by implementing these small, seemingly insignificant, but oh so simple daily goals. 

So I am committing to 5 daily habits that will help me reach my greater goals in due time. By putting the work in now, we ensure that we will reach our goals later in life. Would you like to join me? I'd love that! Leave a comment and share the 5 daily habits that you will start doing TODAY! Let's see how long we last. Here are my daily habits! 

1. Spend time with Jesus every morning. Whether it's reading a devotional, praying, journaling, or having an extended quiet time with the Lord, this time is precious to and vital for me. 

2. Workout/drink my Shakeology. 

- Workout because my job is sickeningly sedentary and I NEED to move my body every day. I'm doing the 21 day fix (started another round yesterday) and LOVE it! 

-Shakeology because it is my nutritional powerhouse drink that gives me all the nutrients I need in a day. I haven't been sick once since drinking it, my digestion is pretty perfect (tmi sorry), and my skin is getting clearer by the day! 

** if health and fitness are a difficult area for you, please contact me! Healthy living is a passion of mine and I'd love to be a part of your journey to reach your goals!

3. Read 10 pages a day of a book that will help me grow. I love reading for fun, but I also want to read more on how to grow as a person, how to be financially smart, and how to be a better person overall. 

4. Save $10/day. This could go a long longgggg way! :) 

5. Go to bed by 9:30/10pm on weekdays (and preferably weekends too!) Sleep is so important for our overall health, energy, mood, and quality of life. I am just a miserable person when I don't sleep enough, and I want to give my body the rest it deserves!

Leave a comment with some of the daily habits you would like to commit to! And thank you so much for reading! ;) have a happy day! 

 

Confessions of a Dietitian

I have a confession to make. I have been uncharacteristically lazy with my food this past week. Don't get me wrong, I've still been making my nice healthy meals. But I have had NO motivation to pack BALANCED meals. They have been severely lacking in protein (and since I started a new training program, this is vital!), and I have just been in an overall slump with my creativity. There is no excuse, except for the fact that work has been stressing me out physically, mentally, and emotionally lately. It's my fifth month of my first real, full time job, and the exhaustion is finally kicking in. Just a few weeks until my couple days off yay! Anyways, because of my lack of planning and balance, I have been finding myself to be starving within an hour of finishing my meals. And since I have been needing something fast and, well, lazy, I've been eating 2-3 servings of nuts per day! Since they've been replacing my protein foods, the nuts have not effected my weight at all. But, there have been some tummy aches and discomfort, and I'll leave it at that! :) With that said, I definitely want to start this week off right so I thought what better place to make a plan than my lovely little blog here. Writing always helps me clear my thoughts and organize my mind. So here is how I am planning my meals this week!

I decided to organize my meal choices by protein, carbohydrate, and fat in order to make sure I get a serving of each at every meal.

Protein choices - eggs (hard boiled, scrambled, omelets) - protein pancakes and waffles - Greek yogurt - rotisserie chicken - tuna - taco meat - quest bars - leftovers from my Mama :)

Carbohydrate choices: - oats - sweet potatoes...I just got some HUGE white flesh Japanese sweet taters from sprouts, so excited to bake them up! - high fiber wraps (my favorites are la tortilla factory and flat out breads) - brown rice - quinoa - VEGETABLES AND FRUIT! (My favorites!)

Healthy fat choices: - avocado - olive oil - nuts and seeds - nut butters - hummus

These choices give enough variety to have a different choice every day without feeling repetitive or boring. And I love each food on this list! It's so important to not force feed yourself foods that you don't like just because they are "healthy." Find what works for you and do it!

Meal Prep schedule:

Sunday: -rotisserie chicken -bake sweet potatoes -boil eggs

Monday 5/19: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread + hard boiled egg Breakfast: veggie scramble w/avocado, fruit Lunch: rotisserie chicken, sweet potatoes, veggies Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

Tuesday 5/20: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread Breakfast: oats + hard boiled egg Lunch: tuna wrap, Greek yogurt, veggies Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

Wednesday 5/21: Pre-workout: pumpkin protein bread (I just love my baked goods!) Breakfast: veggie scramble w/sweet potatoes Lunch: Rotisserie chicken, salad, fruit Snacks: nuts or quest bar Dinner: toss up!

*the reason why I don't plan dinner is because I live with my parents (and love it!) so every night we usually all eat together, either cooking at home or going out. Either way, healthy decisions will be made!

I've only planned till Wednesday for now, but will continue to plan based on what I have left over and what I can make into balanced meals. I'm feeling pretttttty good about this plan! I'm hoping this will help tame my hunger and rev up my energy levels throughout the day!

Update on my new training plan:

My new training plan began the first week of May. I've begun working with a personal trainer to give me more guidance and motivation on strength training! It's been going really well! I usually strength train 3x a week with an interval run (yay!) for about 20 minutes after the session, and do about 45 mins-1 hour cardio on my off days. I think this new regimen, along with my complete lack of balanced meals last week, led to my constant feeling of hunger and fatigue! I'm really hoping to have more energy this week and eat for my goals!! I'm excited for my new workout plan and my meal plan for the week! I'll let you all know how it goes, gotta keep myself accountable! :)

Anyways, I am off to get ready for the gym, then church! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! :)