As the month of October started, it was met with excitement and anticipation of great things to come. The back half of the year is one of my favorite times. I love the opportunity to get together with family over the holidays with some fun events mixed in between. With the official start to the holiday season, it becomes very easy to say let’s give in to eating what we want and become lazier than normal with the days being shorter and using the “holiday season” as a good excuse. Over the past few months, I have tried to be more intentional with my goals, one of which is exercise, but I still find myself being inconsistent and undisciplined.
As I was strolling through my Instagram feed last week, I came across the 90 Day Challenge with Rachel Hollis, the author of “Girl, Just Wash Your Face”. It struck me because she outlined a plan to get back on track in the last 90 days of the year rather than waiting for the new year. We all know how most of those New Years resolutions turn out! I decided to go for it because it seemed simple and easy enough to follow. I also wanted to be realistic about my goals and what I really wanted to accomplish. Like all of us moms, by the end of my day, all I want to do is either watch TV or scroll through social media but what if I took that time and committed 30 minutes a day to some form of exercise and movement. So, I decided to go for it. I can safely say I have made it through the first week successfully. Trust me, I’m not running any marathons but just accomplishing the 30 minutes a day is a big start for me. It’s realistic but also something that I can practically fit into my everyday life without having to alter too much.
The other important part of the process is the intentional goal of writing down 10 things daily that you are grateful for. While it may seem like this would be daunting, I found it to be surprisingly easy and therapeutic. Even just using the Notes on my phone at the end of each day made this even easier. I started off the week looking at big picture things in my life that I was grateful for and then evolved into looking at all the little things in each day and finding the good in them. This ritual was so valuable because it forced me to reflect on things I had overlooked during the day but also allowed me to spend some time highlighting the positive in the day, even if it initially felt like a rough day as a whole.
The other components of the plan include eating right and drinking lots of water, two things I am mostly decent about but easy to monitor and adjust if I find myself going too far off balance for the week.
As I get ready to start the second week of the challenge, I have a newfound confidence that I can do this. I have set goals that are realistic but ultimately, if achieved, will benefit both my physical and mental health. Even if you don’t check out the #Last90Days challenge with Rachel Hollis, think about some goals you have been putting off. How can you make them more attainable so that they can become a reality? Even if you just start with one, let’s get through this last half of 2018 and come out a better version of ourselves heading into 2019!