My Personal Best- A 21 day Challenge

I am blessed to have excellent health, and I take pretty good care of myself. In the summer months  I spend a lot of time outdoors, and walk for at least an hour several times a week.  I quit my gym membership because I have the equipment to do most of the same strength training at home.  However, once the temperature cools, I don’t get outside much.  In the past several weeks I noticed I was sleeping in later, having less energy, and feeling like I lost my mojo, and if I took a trip tomorrow, I would not want to put on my bikini!

Time for an energy shift…

I had stepped out of my comfort zone a couple of months ago, and joined a #videoblogging group which was started by Simon Jordan. I wanted to get more comfortable in front of a camera, because as we know videos are quickly becoming the way to build an online presence, connect with people more easily, and help you build your brand and grow your business.

FF to a couple of weeks ago.  A contest was announced by Simon to the  #videoblogging group  to come up with a “Personal Best” challenge, and video the progress or achievement of the goal. I really want the prize. J

I wondered what I could possibly do? Running is not my thing, so I would not be challenging myself to run my best time, and I am not an extreme fitness enthusiast, but did come up with something I was excited about!

I decided that my personal best challenge would evolve around creating new habits and disciplines that were simple to incorporate daily, easy to do in my surroundings, yet produce measureable results.  I also wanted to be an inspiration to other people and show them how simple ordinary actions can lead to extraordinary results!  My goal is to increase my clarity, energy, physical tone, and overall feel healthier and more fit!   Anyone can do this.  You merely need to DECIDE to want something different…and this can apply to any area of your life.

I called it “My 21 Day Challenge” My daily plan includes both physical activity and slight diet modifications.  The key strength activity evolves around push ups.  A few weeks ago, I could barely do 3 “real/proper” push ups!  Now I am up to 15 and by the end of the 21 days my goal is 20.

Why 21 days?  Because it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and the chances of continuing are much greater! Here is what my daily checklist includes:

·        Pushups-First week 10/2nd Wk up to 15/ 3rd Wk up to 20

·        10 stomach crunches/both for mid stomach and obliques

·        20 tri-cep crunches

·        10 (SLOW)  leg raises (Actually have moved to 15 now)

·        15 min walk-ideally outside for fresh air, but if weather is brutal, I have given myself permission to use the treadmill.

·        Include a juice cleanse- My favourite is Elderberry which stimulates the immune system. Unfortunately the 3 day cleanse I have used in the past is no longer available, so I have to improvise!

·        Have 1 apple a day! ( A simple thing, but have gotten out of the habit!)

·        32 oz. of water daily

·        No white bread

I am now on day 11 and the interesting thing is that I cannot let myself down! (It is definitely easier to do the physical part in the am)  I love the challenge of doing something consistently which has now spilled over into my business activity as well.  Consistency is key, and I am going to demonstrate that small simple steps yield great results!