Day 20: Daily Scripture and Meditation

"Daily scripture readings and meditations offer inspiration as well as powerful physical and mental benefits. Meditating on scriptural readings will remove fear, anxiety and worry from your life."

The above quotation was taken from this article, Daily Scripture Readings and Meditation from the Love to Know Stress Management website.

I always have thought of my scripture study time as a time for me to grow closer to God and receive personal revelation. I never have really thought of it as a time that will benefit my health. Since I have moved a few months ago my scripture study has not been as great as it used to be and moving is always so stressful to me so I am so excited to add this challenge today!

Day 19: Menu Planning

Fail to plan= Plan to fail! This is one habit that is healthy for more than one reason. Having a menu plan in place is physically healthy, ensuring you and your family are eating well rounded, nutrient packed meals. It is mentally healthy decreasing the stress felt during the "witching hour" (the hour before dinner when you are frantically trying to decide what is on hand to feed the family.) It is financially healthy as it can save you multiple trips to the grocery store and it allows you to plan your meals around what is on sale. It is emotionally/spiritually healthy as it increases the likelihood of family meals where you can "sit and savor."

Most of us have dabbled in menu planning. Some of us are better than others. If you have burned out on planning menus, here is a good post from the blog mama hall:

http://mamahall.blogspot.com/2011/02/works-for-me-preventing-menu-planning.html

Day 18: A Food Journal

It's day 18! How is everyone doing? This morning I was checking off my healthy habits for yesterday on my tracking sheet and realized that I had a perfect day yesterday. I hope everyone else if finding these changes to be enjoyable!

Today's challenge is a great one! It is to keep a food journal.

This great article goes into more depth on how to keep a journal:

HOW TO KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL

It talks about writing the time you ate the food, where you were at, and why did you eat it. This is proven to be a great weight loss tool and a great way to see what foods you are using to fuel your body.

I am really excited to start this!

Day 17: Body Appreciation

For our next challenge, we are going to work on cultivating the habit of being thankful for the gift of our body. An attitude of gratitude is important in all aspects of our lives including our perception of our own body. Those with unhealthy body images have an increased risk of depression, eating disorders, an obsession with comparing your body to others, low self esteem, and anxiety. Take a moment every day to acknowledge some of the many things your body is doing for you. Every second of every day, your heart is pumping blood for you, your body is facilitating the movement it takes for you to do the things you enjoy every day and it is keeping you safe. Here is a fantastic handout from the National Eating Disorder Association which gives ideas on how you can foster a better body image:

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaDir/files/documents/handouts/20WaysTo.pdf

Day 16: The Healthy Way to Breath

I saw this article (An Exercise In Proper Breathing) and couldn't pass up adding this healthy habit. I was watching an Oprah show several years ago about healthy living. The guest doctor told the audience that the most important thing you could do every day to stay healthy was to take six low, deep breaths with your diaphragm. This not only relaxes you, but the lower you breath the more carbon dioxide waste you will get rid of.

As a private voice teacher low breathing is one of the first things I teach my students. Low breath is essential to a full and beautiful singing voice and since I teach low breath I have done a little research on the health benefits of it. Did you know that when we are born into this world we only breath with our diaphragm? Next time you are around a small infant watch their breathing as they are laying down. You will notice their belly rising up and down. That is a sure way to know you are taking a low breath. With a low breath the diaphragm falls down into the body pushing all of your organs which makes your abdomen expand.

The article mentioned above gives some great tips on ways to relax and take time to breath low.

Day 15: The Benefits of Stretching

Okay Megan, as you know, stretching is an important part of exercising. However, there is no right or wrong answer to when, or how often you should do it, (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=78084) but we both know that people who stretch correctly, feel better. We also know that the more you stretch the more flexible you become. Just as you don't want to be super flexible with no strength, it is not desirable to become muscular with no range of movement.

According to sparkpeople.com, some benefits of stretching include:

• Reduced muscle tension
• Increased range of movement in the joints
• Enhanced muscular coordination
• Increased circulation of the blood to various parts of the body
• Increased energy levels (resulting from increased circulation)

When stretching, it is important to practice correct techniques. This prevents you from getting injured. Here are some tips to good stretching.

1. Warm up first
2. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds
3. Don't bounce
4. Focus on a pain free stretch
5. Relax and breathe freely
6. Stretch both sides
7. Stretch before and after activity

(http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/flexibilityexercises/a/stretchbasics.htm)

Stretch your limits and make stretching a regular habit!

Day 14: Sit and Savor!

I don't know about you Gina, but maybe we should have called this blog The ULTIMATE Healthy Habit Challenge! I am starting to feel the pain of change and sacrifice, but no pain no gain right?

Day 14's challenge is to try to sit at the table to eat. Here is a quote I found in a recent article regarding healthy habits:

"You should always eat at the table. This prevents you from trying to engage in multi-tasking, such as surfing the Net, watching television, or flipping through magazines while you eat. At the table, you'll be forced to concentrate on how much food you are putting into your mouth. If you eat anywhere else, you may lose track of how much food you are consuming."

I am really excited for this habit. I find myself throughout the day taking little bites here and there of everything. I am realizing that those little bites do add up. This habit will go great with tracking the amounts of healthy foods we are eating (like our sugar intake).

Here is another reason why sitting at the table is important:

Family Mealtimes - The Importance of Eating Together

Happy Eating!

Day 13: Sugar -How low can you go?

Okay!!! This is BIG. Any truly healthy person, has a healthy relationship with sugar (aka not addicted.) According the the American Heart Association, the average American consumes around 22 teaspoons of sugar every day. A healthy person should consume no more than 6. When looking at nutrition labels, sugar is measured in grams. According to wiki-answers "One teaspoon of granulated white sugar is equal to about 4.2 grams." This means your favorite soft drink probably has somewhere around 10 teaspoons of sugar!

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_grams_are_in_a_teaspoon_of_sugar#ixzz1Q7NgLze

For the rest of this month, work on trying to keep your sugar intake low -no more than 6 teaspoons or 25 grams per day. Replace desserts with fruit (remember most are high in antioxidants), drink a glass of water when you are craving sugar treats, put reminder pictures on your fridge and do whatever it takes.

Readers Digest had an article with many great ideas on keeping sugar low. Read it here: http://www.rd.com/health/lower-your-sugar-intake/

Day 12: Antioxidants are our friends!

This is going to be a really easy habit to add for me. Eat more antioxidants! They help your body stay younger! I love berries and they are super high in antioxidants along with other yummy foods. So today's new habit is try to eat more foods rich in antioxidants.

This great article will sell you about how important they really are!

Secret Weapon Ingredients: Healthy Foods that go with Anything

Day 11: Cultivate Friendships

Sometimes it is sadly true in my life, that the busier I get, the less effort I put into maintaining and strengthening friendships. This is backwards. Friends are an important part of our health- emotional and also physical. Friends come in all forms and the more we can surround ourselves with the happier our lives will be. I am so lucky to have had the influence of amazing, wonderful friends in my life. They have encouraged me to be physically active, listened to me talk out the stressful issues I am dealing with, introduced me to beautiful art, music, food etc. They have celebrated happy days with me and mourned with me during sad ones. My life is rich because of the people who have shared their lives with me.

This article http://www.glassmanpsyd.com/benefits-of-social-support/ states "the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. In fact the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidantes was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight!"

Okay everyone, if you are lacking on friends- (and who couldn't use a few more?) schedule in time daily to cultivate your friendships. Set an exercising date, e mail or call, plan lunch or shopping, and don't feel guilty! It's for your health!

Day 10: Cardio

As long as we are scheduling in a little strength training...we may as well add the cardio! All of us know the importance of cardiovascular workouts. In fact, this is what most of us think of when we hear the work exercise. Swimming, biking, walking, running, basketball, tennis and myriad others. This is one of the more difficult habits to implement, but the benefits are the swiftest. The moment you start, you feel better about yourself and if you do it early in the morning you feel a sense of accomplishment all day long. Here is a great article promoting the benefits of cardio exercise: http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/a/cardio_exercise.htm

Life is hard enough as it is, who doesn't need the advantages that exercise brings! Start as small and slowly as you need to, but get moving!

Day 9: The Life-long Benefits of Strength Training

That's right! We are going to add some simple strength training exercises to our challenge. Jillian Michaels would be so proud of us!

There are many benefits to doing regular strength training exercises. After reading the article below I just knew we had to add this to the challenge (and I really hope I can maintain this habit for the rest of my life).

Why Strength Training is a Must for Everyone

Remember this is something you only need to do two times a week ten to twenty minutes a day. After a while you can add another day to your schedule making it three times a week.

The article is really good at laying out what kind of strength training exercises you should be doing. To make things easy on you below are several links to simple strength training exercises online. I personally love Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD (I think it is $10 at the store). The workouts are twenty minutes long and she mixes cardio, strength and abs. By the end of the workout I am always dripping with sweat. There are a lot of short strength training exercises on Youtube or runnersworld.com as well.

I will be starting this habit tomorrow! Happy strength training!

Jillian Michaels: The Great 1 month Slim-down

Month 3 Workout: Self Challenge 2010

SELF Fitness: Get fit in 15 minutes

Strength Training at Home

Day 8: Reward Yourself!

So how did everyone do this week with your new healthy habits? If you are thinking to yourself that you did a great job, then it is time to reward yourself for your efforts!

As a teacher and mother to young children nothing is more effective to motivating them then a reward system. It is a proven fact that positive reinforcement makes a person want to repeat the good behavior and if you give that person enough positive reinforcement they won't feel the need to rebel, misbehave or give up.

So why wouldn't this concept apply to us as well as we are introducing new healthy habits into our lives? Give yourself some positive talk and rewards today! I am heading to my jet tub as soon as I finish typing this! Ahhh! Time to reward myself for my efforts with a nice, relaxing soak!

Side Note: If you feel like you didn't do as well as you wanted this week start small. Maybe you need to create a daily reward plan. Keep up the good work!

Day 7: Validate Veggies!

"The colors of a fresh garden salad are so extraordinary, no painter's pallet can duplicate nature's artistry." -Dr. Sun Wolf

This is true...they are extraordinary not only in color, but in health value, so why do I have such a hard time implementing them in my diet. Every one of us have been taught from early childhood the importance of eating plenty of veggies every day. If you don't remember all of the reasons why, the Internet is brimming with articles touting why we need more,more, more. If this habit has not stuck with you, now is the time! Wherever you are at in your veggie consumption, try to increase by one serving.

Here are a few ideas for veggie based snacks and side dishes:

• keep prepared veggies in fridge ready to eat with a little dip
• make a salad
• v-8 juice with crackers
• steamed veggies with cheese
• celery with peanut or almond butter
• cucumber, tomato and avocado sandwich
• make a big pot of vegetable soup to freeze in individual size portions
• fried zucchini
• chips and guacamole
• spring rolls
• baked sweet potatoes

Any more ideas? Leave a comment.

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Day 6: Good Day, Sunshine!

I love Summer because to me it means outside play! I grew up in San Diego, CA and with its perfect weather for being outside that's what I did - played outside all day, every day. I remember as a kid leaving in the morning to go play with friends outside and and not coming in until dinner. When Summer break came my mom would take us to the beach several times a week and we would be there all day playing in the water, sand or just relaxing in the sun.

I am sure a lot of you have similar memories of your childhood. Playing outside is like eating candy for kids - they love and savor every minute of it!

Today's challenge is to relive some of your childhood memories and get outside at least 20 minutes a day to play. Plant a garden and tend to it, walk your dog, grab a book and sit and relax, take your kids to the park, mow your lawn,... There are a lot of things we could be doing.

Here is a REALLY good article on the benefits of getting outside. I like it because it talks about how important sunshine is for women's health. Hope you take time to read it. I know you will just love it! I did and am excited to implement this healthy habit into my daily life:

The Sunshine Vitamin: Get Your Vitamin D

Have fun outside and be sure to record your 20 minutes of outside time on your tracking sheet everyday!

Day 5: Plan to Fast

In our religion (LDS), we practice a monthly habit of fasting for 24 hours from food and drink. This is a habit that has truly benefited me personally. It makes me feel more in control of my body. It makes me more aware of how frequently and easily I am able to feed myself. It makes me aware of those who may not be able to eat as readily as I do. Most importantly for me though, it has helped me take the focus off of myself for a little while to meditate on spiritual things. Things like my family relationships, my goals for the future, and how to become more Christ-like.

This morning I read an article talking about how Mormons who practice regular fasting may have a lower risk of heart disease. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22186390/ns/health/t/hungry-mormons-offer-clues-heart-disease/)

Check it out and start planning your own 24 hour fast!

The Healthy Habit Challenge Tracking Sheet

So how is everyone doing so far with their new healthy habits? If you have joined us on our challenge, please leave a comment to let us know how things are going!

To help us keep track of all of these healthy habits we are adding to our daily lives here is a tracking sheet. I don't know about you, but I find that when I write things down I am more likely to accomplish them then not.

I have put mine up on the side of my refrigerator so it is right there in front of me.

Please let me know if you have problems printing this sheet out.

Thanks, Megan

The Healthy Habit Challenge Tracking Sheet

Day 4: Don't Drink Your Calories!

Before you read any further you gotta read these articles:

http://simpleweightlosstechniques.blogspot.com/2007/12/dont-drink-your-calories.html

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2009/08/12/dont-drink-calories/

These articles REALLY opened my eyes to how much calories I have added to my meals by drinking soda, juices, or even my favorite smoothie (600+ calories wow!). When I usually dine out at a restaurant I treat myself to soda with my meal. I can't imagine how many calories I consumed after drinking two to three large glasses.

For years I used to give my kids apple juice everyday counting it as their fruit servings. I don't think I will ever buy juice for my kids again. Fresh fruit will be taking its place on my shopping list! And if you can't go without your juice in the morning, fresh squeezed juice is delicious and you aren't getting all of the extra sugar that is in the store bought stuff.

Instead of buying your favorite juices or soda you can substitute them with 0 calorie drinks like Crystal Light. They are yummy and guilt-free! However, water is the best thing to drink!

Do you have a favorite guilt-free drink?

Day 3:You need a Bedtime too!

Right up front, this is so not like me to be challenging people to do things that I am terrible at (Megan, I am not sure exactly how I got into this, but I must love you!)

Today's challenge will be to get your body in the habit of going to bed at the same time every night. Many sleep experts tell us it is important to get ourselves in a sleep routine. To feel truly rested we should stick to the same bedtime (and wake time) every day of the week. We should be aiming for around 7-9 hours of sleep each night -young children need at least 10. This makes sense to me. I know my children seem much happier when I help them stick to a bedtime. Why wouldn't the same be true for adults? While I can't tell you all of the scientific benefits of going to bed on time, I can level with you about what happens to me when I don't get enough sleep...I have a hard time keeping up with Megan when we are running, I'm easily annoyed with my family, I feel too tired to get all of the things done that I need to which then makes me want to eat sugar to get some energy. After overdosing on sugar I feel depressed for blowing my resolutions to eat more healthy. This can not be good. It is definitely time to change my ways!

Day 2: "Take Your Vitamins"

How many times have we heard this "Remember to take your vitamins"? Just last year at my annual physical my doctor asked me if I was taking a multivitamin each day. He then listed all the reasons why I should make taking vitamins a part of my daily life.

There is a lot of controversy in the health world today regarding vitamins. Many have said that taking a multivitamin is a waste of money because there are no health benefits. Others have said that taking your vitamins everyday helps you receive many of the necessary nutrients your body needs.

In the past several years I have been asked several times by my regular family doctor and OBGYN if I was taking daily vitamins. I am pretty good at taking them, but am not as good as I could be so day 2 is to start the habit of taking a multivitamin each day.

Here is a great article about the importance of taking a daily multivitamin.

Multivitamins: Should You Take One?

Day 1: The 8x8 Rule for Drinking Water

How much water should you drink each day? It seems that every health expert has his or her own opinion as to how much water is necessary in a daily diet.

Here is a great article from the mayo clinic about the benefits of getting enough water: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

For our challenge we are going to stick to the 8x8 rule for drinking water each day (8 - 8 oz. glasses of water).

Welcome to the challenge!

Welcome to the beginning of our healthy habit challenge. This blog and idea was set up to help us (and you if you choose to participate) keep track of our 30-day challenge to make bad eating habits into good ones.

During the past 6 months we have trained for and ran in several races, done pilates, yoga, strength training and other cardio exercises. At first we were doing all of this for our goal, which was to run in a half marathon (which we did in April), but now we have made these activities part of our lives and love doing them.

We feel it is now time to implement healthy eating habits into our efforts to live a healthier lifestyle (we will both be the first to admit we have some pretty bad ones). For 30 days we will be starting a new healthy habit each day and continue with that habit until the end of the 30 days in which time we hope to be practicing all 30 habits every day.

We are so excited for this challenge and invite you to watch as we strive to form healthy habits!