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!