I thought I'd elaborate a little on The Birthday Challenge just a little bit.
So, the challenge is 2 months long, ending August 23, which happens to be my, ah hem...32nd birthday.
Here are the guidelines:
1. Eat at LEAST one salad a day- I figure this will be one easy way to get most of my daily servings of veggies in per day. (You should have at least 3-5 servings per day) I try to eat as organic as possible. Here is a cute little graphic that I have obtained that can help you decide what is high in pesticides. I thought I'd share.
If you are trying this too, I recommend not using iceberg lettuce, which is mainly water and little nutrients. Try some of the great leafy greens that contain way more valuable nutrients such as vitamins A, K, D, and E. Some of my favorites are arugula, dandelion greens, and thinly chopped kale. A box/bag of spring mix or spinach will work too.
2. Eat at LEAST one serving of fruit a day- Now, this one sounds so simple, but I can't even begin to tell you how many days have gone by without having even one piece of fresh fruit! One piece is only the minimum, but shoot for 2-4 servings of fruit per day. This can easily be done by adding cut fruit to your morning oatmeal or fiber rich cereals, making a delicious and healthy morning fruit smoothie, or adding some berries to some greek yogurt. This would be a perfect time to take full advantage of all of the yummy fruits that are in season for the Summer. Try some fresh berries, peaches, nectarines, watermelon, and citrus. Get brave and try some of those fruits that you never dared to try before! I love going to the Asian market and getting some dragon fruit, jackfruit or fresh lychees. It immediately takes me right back to Thailand. Yum! Have you ever tried fresh guava or papayas? If you haven't you are totally missing out!
3. Get at LEAST 30 minutes of exercise a day- This can be walking the dog, practicing yoga, swimming, getting on the elliptical, or on a bike (Those will be my personal preferences for right now). I'm still in post-surgery recovery so I have to take it somewhat easy, but just getting out and moving for as little as 30 minutes a day will make a significant difference in my health. My home yoga practice is usually about an hour and and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. I'm going to try to do this as many days as possible to work on gaining my flexibility, strength, and mobility back. But really, anything goes here, you can dance, jog, weight train...It's all about just getting off your ass really.
Today has been great! I started the day with some detox tea instead of coffee, and practiced yoga (also watched some great football games - its World Cup Mania over here in the Storm household!) I made a large dandelion salad and cut some watermelon for lunch, and still have more salad to have for dinner. For dinner, I will have some veggie soup to go with that salad. I'm staying away from the "whites" too...no white bread, white rice, white potatoes, white pasta, etc. Too many starchy sugars!
I'm not forgetting to drink tons of water--shooting beyond the 8 glasses per day general rule. I just have a refillable water bottle basically in my hand at all times.
I'm feeling better already! haha!
Its all about making behavioral changes. Research says that you have to do something 21 times to form a habit. So after these two months, I should be in good form! With these simple steps, hopefully, you will too!
Signing off...here's to happy health! (I'm "cheersing" you with my water.) ;)
LO
VE,
Mischelle
