Let’s all just take a moment and collect our thoughts … take a deep breath … here we go.
It is the New Year and I know we are all plotting resolutions that, sadly, will be broken within two weeks. That is a sad statistic. Resolutions don’t work, but lifestyle changes do. Did you know it can take over two months to develop a habit? Changes are hard when you try them alone. If you have people to support you, and keep you accountable, you stand a better chance of seeing your new habits stick!
For that reason I am participating in the 10 in 10 Challenge created by Lori at Recipe Girl. I am going to post my goals for this challenge today, and then every Saturday I am going to re-cap my week and see if I am really making the kinds of changes that will benefit me long-term. This is where I will be accountable. Win or fail, it will be posted here.
What are my goals?
1. Work out three times a week for at least 30 minutes.
I belly dance for a hobby. It is a fantastic way to get moving, tone muscles, lose weight, and feel empowered! Currently I dance one day a week. That is not enough. I am going to try to add one additional day a week of dance with some of my belly dance DVDs. I am also going to dust off the elliptical trainer and use that one day a week. My eventual goal is to work out five days per week for at least 30 minutes.
2. Have one meatless day a week.
This goal is more about adding variety to my diet that is not centered around an animal protein. I like vegetables, grains, fruit, beans, and soy so this should be a fun challenge for me as a cook. I am going to stay away from things like vegetarian burgers from the freezer. This is about me cooking in a fun new way.
3. Find time to relax.
As a friend on Twitter told me last week, I need to find time to relax more! With school, three part-time jobs, this blog, family, and dance class I find I have little time for quality relaxation. So, I am going to make time. Twice a week I am going to do a relaxing activity. It can be a massage, yoga, a walk in the park, or even an hour with a book. Whatever it may be, it has to leave me feeling more relaxed than when I started.
4. Eat out less often.
This one should be easy, but with school looming on the horizon it really will be a challenge for me. My classes are on Monday and Tuesday nights from 6pm to 9:50pm. I will have to pack myself healthy lunches and dinners those nights, and make sure I have two days worth of blog posts ready by Sunday night. That kind of stress leads to take-out and eating out for me. I will suppress my urge to slack as much as I can.
5. Lose some weight.
I’m sure this is a goal familiar to most people. I, like many, struggle with my weight and I have good months and bad months. I would like to start a weight loss trend that is not destroyed by a major holiday, birthday, anniversary, or sheer greed on my part. I need to learn that no food is off-limits, but I need to watch how much I eat. So, I want to lose weight, and my first goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the challenge.
What does this mean for Evil Shenanigans?
First, this blog is not going to suddenly transform into a healthy living blog where I sing endless praises of oatmeal and exercise. That is not, and shall never be, what I am about. The only posts about the challenge shall be on Saturdays and you can choose to read them or ignore them at your whim.
With any luck you will not really notice ANY changes because I firmly believe that good, healthy food can taste just as good as the fat laden versions. Now, this does not mean that I will not post something truly evil. It just means that, like all things, it will be done in moderation.
So, we begin a new and far more personal chapter here at Evil Shenanigans. You are going to get a peek into the dark, inner workings of my mind. This is not going to be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.
Riddle me this … what health issues do you struggle with? If you overcame your struggle, how did you do it?
