I know I’ve mentioned in all my latest posts that either the holidays are over or that the new year is a time of new beginnings as well as a time of reflection of the past year. What I haven’t mentioned is how #Last90Days ended up.
It’s so easy to start a challenge strong, so exciting to jump headfirst into the attack plan of a new goal. What isn’t as easy is the journey. The early morning fatigue because I didn’t get to bed as early as I promised myself. The menu planning that’s required when you swear off pasta for 60 days, and it’s always been the quick and easy fall back meal when there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. The frustration of getting through a solid 1.5 miles of running when you remember easily running 4-6 miles years ago. Drinking all the water when you really just want to stop at that Sonic drive-through and pick up a cranberry limeade. Being grateful for the little things while people who are family choose to be hateful during the holidays because they don’t understand the path you’ve chosen. It’s. Not. Easy.
You know what though? It was all worth it.
To recap, #Last90Days was all about following the Five to Thrive actions:
- Waking up an hour earlier than normal to do something for yourself
- Listing daily gratitude
- Moving your body for a minimum of 30 minutes a day
- Drinking half your weight in ounces of water
- Giving up one category of food you know isn’t good for you
I wasn’t perfect. There was the time we went to the dress rehearsal of a musical and I was three sips into a glass of cabernet when I remembered I’d given up alcohol for the month of October. Because I didn’t want someone to think I was weird for setting down a barely touched glass of wine, I literally carried it around NOT drinking it, until it was time to be seated and I could discretely set the glass down. (Obviously I’m still working on not caring about other people’s opinions. Baby steps ya’ll!)
The snooze button was my best friend on the mornings I kept thinking I’d add a super early yoga class to my work-out mix. Finally I opted for an evening class with an instructor who isn’t a drill Sargent, and doing Pilates videos in my living room for the mornings I didn’t want to spend extra time driving to and from the gym! Then I rotated the different types of work-outs I actually enjoy throughout my week so I wasn’t hitting snooze just because I didn’t have fun doing the work-out plan for the day.
I’ve learned that if I don’t get in my workout before I do anything other than drink my cup of coffee, there’s a 98% chance my day will run away from me. Also, getting up with the rooster means the whole house is a lot more intentional about bedtime. All in all though, three new habits out of five isn’t too shabby! Now my StartToday gratitude and goal setting practice is finished before I’m out of my houseshoes. My first glass of water is poured before my coffee maker is turned on, and cravings for sweets, pasta and alcohol are non-existent. It doesn’t mean I don’t have these things every so often, it means they’re no longer part of my regular diet. They rarely make an appearance on our meal plan, but are totally ok for special occasions.
I can’t wait to see what this momentum brings in 2020!
The White Hat Journal 