Commitment to Health

The past 6 months have been pretty intense as I've worked to finish my dissertation. I already have limited "free" time and when trying to add in writing daily and often, that free time was pretty consumed. This often meant I sacrificed things like going to the gym and planning ahead to cook healthy meals. This also meant that I consumed a lot of caffeine (mostly in Diet Coke form) and other junk food to manage stress. None of this was especially great for my body but was a means to an end. The end is here which means it's time to refocus and get back on track. Here are five goals that I think will help me accomplish this.

1. Drink 60 ounces of water per day. I know that my body and skin feel better when I'm hydrated so I'm going to keep my water bottle filled and track how much water I'm drinking with my fit bit app. 

2. Eat 3-4 servings of fruit/vegetables a day. We do pretty well with veggies as sides at dinner but unfortunately during the day, I don't make it much of a focus. I'm going to prepackage fruits and veggies to take to work daily as well as just keep more fruits and veggies on hand in the house for snacks.

3. Do cardio 3 times a week. Unfortunately going to the gym means going after about 12 hours of commuting/working during the week. That isn't always the most fun but I need to make a better commitment. Maddy has swimming lessons and other classes at our gym so Ted and I are going to take turns taking her to these activities while the other person works out, since we have to be there anyway. 

4. Do weights 2 times a week. Ted and I lift weights at the gym together. I don't know a ton about weight lifting but feel more comfortable when we do it together. We usually focus on arms and abs and I have definitely felt more toned when I do it regularly. 

5. Do ab challenge 5-6 days a week. My friend Jenny introduced me to an ab challenge where you do crunches, leg lifts and plank a certain number of times throughout a month period. I've done it a few times but never finished an entire month (it gets pretty tough by the middle of the month). I really want to finish this time. That means doing 3 days straight and then taking a rest day which means 5-6 times a week depending on the week.