February Challenge :: 28 Days to a Healthier Me

{image via whimsicalities}

Oh, friends, thank you so much for all your love + prayers the other day! It was definitely a really long week, and your thoughtful words meant so much to me! I have spent all weekend trying to rest + recuperate so that I will be ready to take on Monday and a fresh start. I am determined to go into it with a better attitude, a bit more sleep, and a lot of prayer. 

My husband took the little ones out for the afternoon, so I have had the last few hours all to myself and it has been so lovely! I hardly ever have alone time in my own house; usually I leave the house and go out to coffee or just run errands. It is a special treat to be in my own space with no one else home!

Over the past few days I have realized that I really need to take better care of myself. I think that it is so easy as mamas to just go, go, go all the time and keep so busy meeting the needs of our families that we neglect our own basic needs. So I have decided to dedicate the month of February to really taking care of myself:

FEBRUARY CHALLENGE :: 28 Days to a Healthier Me

01. Be more faithful in reading my Bible.
One thing that I have found really helps me be more consistent with spending time in the Word is just to leave my Bible out on my kitchen counter during the day. I very rarely have time to read in the morning before my kids are awake, but I hate to wait until the evening because I really need the encouragement throughout my day! Having my Bible out where I can read a bit here and there has helped so much. 

Another thing I am doing right now is memorizing the book of Colossians- two verses a week will get me through the entire book in one year. 

02. Go to bed earlier. 
Oh, friends, this one is so much easier said than done. I am a night-owl through + through. I am tired pretty much all day (probably because I stay up too late!), but come 8 or 9:00pm, I am wide awake. I literally have to force myself to go to bed every night because I could easily stay up all night reading. But I know that getting more sleep would make me a much happier person and would make all the little things that come my way throughout the day so much easier to handle. 

Early for me would be 11:00- lights out, so I am shooting for that right now, with the hopes that in a month or two I can get it even earlier...

03. Get up earlier. 
Besides just having more energy, one of the main reasons I want to work on getting to bed earlier is so that I can get up earlier. I hate getting up in the morning. Really it doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I always hate getting up. But it would definitely be easier if I was more rested! My husband is s true morning person and would absolutely love it if I got up earlier to have coffee with him before work, so that is a huge motivator for me. That, and hopefully getting a shower earlier in the day! 

Right now I am shooting for getting up by 7:00am, with the goal of it eventually being 6:00am.

04. Cut back on sugar.
I consider myself to be a pretty healthy eater, but when it comes to sweets...not so much. I know that I would have so much more energy if I was willing to cut back on how much sugar I was eating, it is just so hard to do! 

Question for those of you who have cut back on sugar before: Do you think it is better to just go completely cold turkey or limit yourself to one sweet a day?

05. Move more. 
I know I need to exercise more. Plain + simple. What that looks like is going to vary from day to day, but I am going to try to do something active for at least 30 minutes a day. 

06. Take note + be thankful for God in all the small things.  

I am working my way through an amazing, beautiful book right now called, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.Both on her blog and in the book, Ann encourages people to take the time to recognize all the little things God is doing in their lives and to write them down. Through acknowledging God's goodness + in giving thanks, we will find true joy in Him. And since cultivating JOY is one of my goals for this year, this seems a good place to start! 

I have done this before- recording my blessings/things I am grateful for- but I have never kept it up long-term. Ann started with the goal of 1000 gifts, then when she reached 1000, kept on going. She is at over 2000 now and still counting. 

I am starting fresh on February 1 and counting my way up to at least 1000. I wonder how long it will take? Much longer than just the month of February, I'm sure!

Here's a really lovely trailer for the book: 

Anyone want to join me for my little February challenge?