Do Life

Have you heard about the Do Life Movement?  I'm a big fan of Ben Davis (and Jed and Pa) and his motto of Do Life.  The best thing about Ben is that he feels like a friend.  Like an IRL friend.  Corny but I've been following his blog for well over a year and he's motivational, goofy, and just like you and me.  No joke. And he's originally from Arkansas so I feel like I know him because I am originally from Oklahoma.  Practically neighbors. Ha!

I signed up for the Do Life 12 Week Challenge.  It's a great tool to become/stay motivated in the first 12 weeks of the year.  It seems kind of involved (which I guess any committment should be) but I am really enjoying it.  This week's theme is "Assess, Resolve, & Act".

My 5 quantifiable goals to work on this month are:
1. Drink fewer sodas (I was on the same path as Jed.) My goal is to make water and soda 1 for 1, starting with water in the morning.
The first few days I drank 3 diet sodas and plenty of water.  It was much easier than it has been in the past.  One day I only had 2 sips of Mike's soda and I had no ill effects.  I drank one last night with dinner and none today.  I'm feeling GREAT!


2. Stretch daily. I have some PT stretches that work wonders on my back and hips.  My goal is to stretch before bed and work up to doing it 2x/day.
I feel better when I do it, but honestly I didn't do it every day this week.


3. Get more sleep.  Feel better.  I'm quite the night owl.  I crave the time alone at night after the kids have gone to bed.  I'm normally watching TV or on the internets and end up staying up way too late.  I've been working on 5-6 hours a night.
Shocking, I know, but cutting out soda has helped. (Duh) I still like my quiet time but I'm also working on my addiction to my iPad.  Nothing is really THAT earth-shattering that I need to be connected so much.  So, my point is that I've been getting more sleep and in turn feeling more rested when I wake up.  That also means I have more energy during the day.


4. Exercise. Especially use the Tuesday and Thursday mornings when Nate is in school to get my work out in.  Walk. Use time wisely. Get the family involved. *The goal for beginners this week was 120 minutes.
I tried to be gung-ho on Tuesday.  (I put my Do Life shirt on before taking Nate to school so I'd be reminded to not let my morning slip away.)  It was the coldest day of winter so far but Mike, Claire, and I bundled up and took a 40 minute walk in the freezing-ass/windy-ass cold.

We did it. We survived.  My legs hurt for 2 days after.  But yesterday I walked for 51 minutes and today I bundled up Nate and walked for 31 minutes.  *Note - the best motivator for exercising is telling your 3 year old he's going to ride with you when you exercise the next day.  He will then wake up at 7:45 a.m. and say I'm ready to go in the blue stroller, Mama.  **Side note, on our walk Nate asked what year it is.  I said "2012".  He said "2012 is exercise" and he's damn right. I made sure to tell him that he was right and that in 2012 we are going to exercise and be healthy.


5. Watch portion sizes. Don't eat 2nd helpings. Eat healthier snacks. Cut back on dips and dressings.
I did much better with the quantity of food I ate this week.  There is still room for improvement.


We were asked to identify our biggest excuse and how to eliminate it.  I started with "No Time" but I knew that was bullshit since I'm home every day.  It's really I'm too tired or too lazy.  Even working out these 3 days, I feel much better and feel like I can do this.

I used the message boards and found others who needed encouragement.  That's what is great about this.  We are all there to support each other.

The hardest task of the week was to take time each night and write down 4 things I did well that day.  Some of my highlights during the week were:
Choosing Baked Lays over french fries.
Eating all meals at home.
Drinking more water.
Getting out of the house and being more active than sitting on the couch.
Committing to running the Rock n Roll Half Marathon Relay with Mike.  You heard me right.  It's Labor Day weekend so we've got 8 months to train and get ready.  There is a 7.8 mile section and a 5.2 mile section.  Training will decide who is doing which (I hope to do the longer run).

So this is my official submission for the Week 1 Challenge.  I'm looking forward to what next week holds!