For the Month of February I would like to propose a challenge to all my friends!
Valentines day is approaching and we all love to get cards, notes, and gift from loved ones but I think it is about time we give ourselves a gift. So for February I have listed 10 things that help me take care of myself and I hope they can help you too!
1- For the month of February you are going to promise to focus on taking care of yourself so that you can take better care of those around you that NEED you. This is so much easier to do when you take care of yourself.
2-As of right now, love yourself for who you are, no matter what shape or size, flaws or imperfections! It is really hard to be happy if you don't love who you are. It is also hard to be a better person if you are so hard on yourself that you can't make improvements in a healthy way! Also, there are plenty of great things that make you YOU so embrace them and build on your positive attributes to make your weaker ones stronger!
3- If you can, put the scale away for the month. Weigh in on the last day of January (tomorrow) or on the first day of February and don't weigh in until March 1st. If you can't "not" weigh in, only weigh in ONCE a week. The scale likes to play games with our minds so let's get that obstacle out of the way for 1 month. Plus, remember, 1 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat but it takes up less space than fat, so when you are building muscle, you are losing inches because the fat is melting away, but sometimes the scale won't move because of the muscle you have gained!
4- Go to bed at a decent hour and get 6-8 hours of sleep. Everyone is different, you know how much you need! Sleep is so important if you want to achieve weight-loss! 6 hours at night is perfect for me, any more and I feel like crap. I also get in a 1-2 hour nap during the day so I do get a total of 8 good hours of sleep.
5- Drink lots of water, at least 96 ounces. Don't save it for the end of the day. I know a lot of people struggle with this one. Friends in Herriman/Riverton, our water doesn't taste so great! Get a filter or a filtered water pitcher, or do what I did and get a water cooler.
6- Make Healthy choices when eating and eat smaller portions. I also eat several small meals all day. When I eat dinner, it is a very small portion. Sunday is really the only day I sit down and have a full sized meal. Also, don't eat late and if you eat a treat, do it early, before 7pm!
7- Don't deprive yourselves from things you enjoy, control yourselves and enjoy a small portion. You will go crazy if you cut things out. It will consume your brain and drive you up the wall. You CAN control yourself, you CAN make the choice to only enjoy a small amount. People are surprised when they find out I enjoy a treat here and there, but this is how I stay sane! Also, I saw a quote that I love: "Don't reward yourself with food, you're not a dog!" This is true, try to avoid the mind set that: "I earned this piece of cake!" You will end up getting yourself into bad habits. Instead, have a few bites of that cake and throw the rest in the trash! You are a beautiful human being, don't treat yourself like you are a dog! :)
8- Workout! I challenge you to do at least a 1 hour workout 5-6 days a week. Try to get it done in the morning. If you can't, find a way to make it happen. Be creative, ask friends, family or neighbors to help out with watching kids if that is what you need to make it happen. 1 hour too much? Work up to it, start at 20 minutes, add 10 more the next day until you are up to an hour. Trust me, you will be amazed at what you can get your body to do but you need to push yourself if you want to see change. Working out with friends also helps. You look forward to being around others who are also trying to take care of themselves and it is fun to have a friend by your side!
9- Tell yourself that you CAN, stop telling yourself that you CAN'T, and please stop making excuses! Our minds are very powerful. Every morning when my alarm goes off at 4:40am my brain tells me a million reasons to stay in bed, but there is another strong voice in there that says: "Get up! It is worth it, you are worth it, you can do this, you will feel so much better than if you stay in bed!" That voice wins 99% of the time, but when I am stressed or if I have a bad attitude, that voice does get ignored and then I regret it!
10- If you mess up, don't beat yourself up, make the commitment to start again right that second and don't dwell on your mistake. You are human, bad habits are hard to break and new habits take 21 days to make!
There it is! Who is with me? We can do this!
--Jena
Valentines day is approaching and we all love to get cards, notes, and gift from loved ones but I think it is about time we give ourselves a gift. So for February I have listed 10 things that help me take care of myself and I hope they can help you too!
1- For the month of February you are going to promise to focus on taking care of yourself so that you can take better care of those around you that NEED you. This is so much easier to do when you take care of yourself.
2-As of right now, love yourself for who you are, no matter what shape or size, flaws or imperfections! It is really hard to be happy if you don't love who you are. It is also hard to be a better person if you are so hard on yourself that you can't make improvements in a healthy way! Also, there are plenty of great things that make you YOU so embrace them and build on your positive attributes to make your weaker ones stronger!
3- If you can, put the scale away for the month. Weigh in on the last day of January (tomorrow) or on the first day of February and don't weigh in until March 1st. If you can't "not" weigh in, only weigh in ONCE a week. The scale likes to play games with our minds so let's get that obstacle out of the way for 1 month. Plus, remember, 1 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat but it takes up less space than fat, so when you are building muscle, you are losing inches because the fat is melting away, but sometimes the scale won't move because of the muscle you have gained!
4- Go to bed at a decent hour and get 6-8 hours of sleep. Everyone is different, you know how much you need! Sleep is so important if you want to achieve weight-loss! 6 hours at night is perfect for me, any more and I feel like crap. I also get in a 1-2 hour nap during the day so I do get a total of 8 good hours of sleep.
5- Drink lots of water, at least 96 ounces. Don't save it for the end of the day. I know a lot of people struggle with this one. Friends in Herriman/Riverton, our water doesn't taste so great! Get a filter or a filtered water pitcher, or do what I did and get a water cooler.
6- Make Healthy choices when eating and eat smaller portions. I also eat several small meals all day. When I eat dinner, it is a very small portion. Sunday is really the only day I sit down and have a full sized meal. Also, don't eat late and if you eat a treat, do it early, before 7pm!
7- Don't deprive yourselves from things you enjoy, control yourselves and enjoy a small portion. You will go crazy if you cut things out. It will consume your brain and drive you up the wall. You CAN control yourself, you CAN make the choice to only enjoy a small amount. People are surprised when they find out I enjoy a treat here and there, but this is how I stay sane! Also, I saw a quote that I love: "Don't reward yourself with food, you're not a dog!" This is true, try to avoid the mind set that: "I earned this piece of cake!" You will end up getting yourself into bad habits. Instead, have a few bites of that cake and throw the rest in the trash! You are a beautiful human being, don't treat yourself like you are a dog! :)
8- Workout! I challenge you to do at least a 1 hour workout 5-6 days a week. Try to get it done in the morning. If you can't, find a way to make it happen. Be creative, ask friends, family or neighbors to help out with watching kids if that is what you need to make it happen. 1 hour too much? Work up to it, start at 20 minutes, add 10 more the next day until you are up to an hour. Trust me, you will be amazed at what you can get your body to do but you need to push yourself if you want to see change. Working out with friends also helps. You look forward to being around others who are also trying to take care of themselves and it is fun to have a friend by your side!
9- Tell yourself that you CAN, stop telling yourself that you CAN'T, and please stop making excuses! Our minds are very powerful. Every morning when my alarm goes off at 4:40am my brain tells me a million reasons to stay in bed, but there is another strong voice in there that says: "Get up! It is worth it, you are worth it, you can do this, you will feel so much better than if you stay in bed!" That voice wins 99% of the time, but when I am stressed or if I have a bad attitude, that voice does get ignored and then I regret it!
10- If you mess up, don't beat yourself up, make the commitment to start again right that second and don't dwell on your mistake. You are human, bad habits are hard to break and new habits take 21 days to make!
There it is! Who is with me? We can do this!
--Jena
Comments
Post a Comment