October Health Challenge Recap

 Hello Fit Fam,

Happy Fall! It is now November and I have finished my October Health Challenge. It was for sure an adventure with all the lovely things happening in life. I have learned a lot about myself and how I plan to move forward with my health and well-being. 

In October I returned to full-time work halfway through the month. I also got back into what I feel is a regular fitness routine. I focused on family time, keeping my house in order, and trying to hit 5 main health aspects daily. If I were to give myself a score out of 100 I would honestly say I scored an 80%. I feel like I made plans weekly that I could stick to with a goal at the end of the month. I was on track...for the most part but fell short in some areas and succeeded in others. Let's break the 5 main areas I focused on down,

1) Fitness - Now this is my jam. I felt like I was consistent in working out the whole month. What I will say is I am no longer working in the fitness industry so finding time to be physically active is hard. I definitely need to be more active in my day since I am now sitting at a desk. That will be my focus for November. I have enjoyed getting back into my strength training and want to see myself continue to expand on building strength and seeing gains! 

2) Nutrition - This will always be my weakness, archnemesis, or just an area I have to work extra hard at. I know what it means to track your diet and eat to fuel your body but I always find food as a comfort or go to what is convenient. I do not like to cook so finding food that is quick is my go-to almost every time. I am listening to my body when I eat which does help with overeating but I often find myself not eating until late in the day and then I usually am "starving" by the time I decide to eat which leads to overeating. I will note that I have a 3-year-old and it is so easy to make what she likes and eat that (aka chicken nuggets, pizza, and mac and cheese). We will call this category a work in progress.

3) Hydration - This is something I find easy and normally stay on track with on a day-to-day basis. The only time I fall behind or off track is when I forget to bring a water bottle. If I have a water bottle and access to fill it up I am golden! I live between 64-90oz a day depending on my physical activity. I normally try to carry at least a 24oz bottle so I just need to fill that 4 times and I feel great!

4) Social - I found a lot of success and happiness in connecting with my social network. Both near and far friends and family support me daily in my physical health and also overall life health. I had a big career shift so I leaned into people from the summer into the fall and into my start at a digital marketing firm. Talking with as many people as I can to support my goals helps me get perspective on what I want to achieve.

5) Mental - I did focus on this but want to do more. I want to add at least 1-2 yoga practices a week to my fitness routine and I need to try and do daily mindfulness. Mindfulness is simple breathing exercises and being present in my space, in my personal opinion. My personal favorite is box breathing (ie: inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold again for 4 seconds). It is simple breathing that can help me stop and be present in the moment gives me a better perspective. 

In summary, I did it. I spent 31 days focusing on 5 aspects of my health and wellbeing. I learned a lot and achieved some great awareness. I plan to continue giving myself monthly focus and tracking my progress. That is the best way to make achievable healthy lifestyle changes. Write a plan, work on the plan, adapt the plan, and reach the goal! So although November is over halfway over, set a goal for the last two weeks! See what you can achieve! You never know how easy it will be to make that change until you actually try!

Keep Calm and Exercise On

~ Liz ~