Since August, I have been engaging in small, personal health and wellness challenges. Like many of us, I am constantly searching for less painful ways to make positive, healthy changes that can be sustained. While these changes are likely not meaningful for most people, they are really enlightening and helpful to me. I have found that I’ve really enjoyed doing the challenges and plan to continue in the coming months.
So, what did I do?
AUGUST
For this first challenge, I decided that I would give up gummy candies for the month. My weakness is Haribo gummy bears but really any gummy will do. I know that this seems so minor but I had gotten into the habit of buying and eating gummy candies daily and usually throughout the day. In general and in moderation, gummy candy isn’t a totally bad choice-they’re all sugar but no fat! However, the amount of gummy candy that I was eating on a daily basis was out of control!!
For August, I could not buy or eat any type of gummy candies at all. I even had an unopened bag of gummy bears in my pantry but I resisted. In fact, after the first week I forgot they were even there. As challenges go, this one was not crazy difficult. A couple of times at the beginning of the month, I found myself at the grocery store or dollar store and out of habit started to walk toward the gummy candies and had to turn myself around. I am proud to say that I succeeded with this challenge. The feeling of accomplishment was very helpful for September because that month was not nearly as easy!
SEPTEMBER
For this second month, I really challenged myself. I gave up potato chips and french fries for the month. Allow me to explain why this was so hard. First of all, I LOVE chips and fries. I could eat them daily and in fact, I was! Part of my job involves me driving a lot every day. Most days, I don’t bring my lunch, I buy. It is so easy to find and buy fast food. I am not the girl who orders a salad with her burger. I want fries!! Sandwiches of course, call for chips.
I thought about maybe just giving up one but not the other for the month. Ultimately, I decided to give up both because I have no self-control and if I gave up one I would simply eat more of the other. So both chips and fries had to go for the month.
And boy was this challenge was tough! I couldn’t default to fast food so if I didn’t bring my lunch I had to really think about what else I could eat. I’m not in the same area every day so I had to find new locations to eat. I was eating pizza with salads, burritos, tacos, and Panda Express. I discovered at Panda that you can substitute mixed veggies for the rice or noodles! I would do half rice and half mixed veggies-no need to be completely crazy!
It was also difficult when I went out to dinner because my favorite thing to order is fish and chips (fries). In case you can’t tell, I don’t have a very sophisticated palette. Cheeseburgers and fries are my favorite foods. Salads started replacing the fries when I went out to eat. One of the results of this challenge was that I didn’t feel stuffed and tired after lunch.
Guess What??!!!??? Not only did I survive, but I again succeeded in my monthly challenge! I did not eat potato chips or french fries for an entire month! I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a very young child.
For the record, it is not my goal to never eat gummy candy or chips or fries again. My intention was to reset my experience with these foods and not have them be a staple of my diet. I have managed to eat a few gummy treats here and there but don’t feel like I need to buy them and keep them in my house on a regular basis. I am much better able to be moderate and in control with the amount I eat. I was excited to have fries again and discovered that they did not taste as good as I remembered. In fact, my stomach got a bit upset after eating them. I’ve had fries a few times this month and have had a better taste experience but again I’m feeling much more in control.
OCTOBER
My current monthly challenge involves drinking a minimum of 32 ounces of water daily. I am terrible at staying hydrated with water. And, I am only counting water. I know that nutrition experts say you can count other beverages (non-caloric) but I am focusing on water because that is what is best for my health. I will update you on the complete results next month but I haven’t been 100% so far. I’ve certainly done better than I would have if I weren’t tracking it but I may try this one again next month. Drinking water is a habit I’d like to incorporate into my life. On the positive side, even though I don’t drink tons of diet soda anyway, I am drinking significantly less. I am bringing water with me during the day and am drinking that instead of soda.
NOVEMBER
For next month, in addition to the challenge of drinking at least 32 ounces of water per day, I will also work to meet my activity/move goal on my iWatch. Currently, it’s set at 400 and I don’t meet it every day. I will probably keep 400 as my move goal. Another month, I will focus on my step goal. I don’t get anywhere close to 10,000 steps per day and that’s an area that would definitely improve my health.
So who wants to join me? Share in the comments if you have any small health and wellness goals that you’re working on! Let’s support each other.
