February Challenge :: Week One

 

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I am officially one week in to my little February Challenge! I thought I would try to do a little check-in here once a week. So here is how Week One went...

01. Be more faithful in reading my Bible.

Really really wishing I could say I was more successful in this area, but I really struggled with reading my Bible every day. I am still plugging away at my memorization plan, so I get that bit of the Word every day, but I am realizing more + more how desperately I need to be faithful in this area of opening my Bible up and just reading it. And I am not saying that in a "check-in-the-box" kind of a way. It is not about my works to the Lord. No, it is simply about how much I just need His words in my heart all day every day. 

 

At the very least this week I am going to try to read a little bit every night before I go to bed. It is not my ideal time, but at least it is something!

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02. Go to bed earlier.

Okay. So I really did try to get to bed earlier! Especially earlier in the week. But my little ones had bad colds last week, so consequently I was up a lot with them during the night. Bummer. I really was so much more conscious of what time I was turning out the light this week though, which is a big improvement for me! 

This week I am going to try again (!) to turn out the lights by 11:00pm. We'll see how it goes... 

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03.  Get up earlier. 

Oh, dear. Big huge failure on this one too! Getting up multiple times during the night to help sick kids definitely didn't help, but then again, I really didn't need to sleep in until almost 10:00am on Sunday, now did I? (thank you thank you, sweet husband!).

Tomorrow is a new day. Going to keep trying on this one! 7:00am is the goal.   

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04. Cut back on sugar. 

Oh, friends! I am seriously so proud of myself! I am a total sugar addict, but I literally only had sugar THREE times last week! And the three times I did give in were for really good reasons: A friend who didn't know about my February Challenge showed up at my house with my favorite drink from Starbucks. Couldn't turn that one down, she paid for it after all! Then, last night, Erik's parents took us out for dinner and there was the yummiest creme brulee, maybe ever. It would have been so so wrong to turn it down! Then there was that little sneak of chocolate... In all seriousness though, this is such a huge accomplishment for me. 

In addition to eliminating sugar, I also decided to try cutting gluten out of my diet for this month. I was/am just curious to see if eliminating it could affect my energy levels, as well as, help me get to the bottom of the random stomach aches I get at least once a week. I only had gluten one time this whole week and it DID give me a stomach ache, which I thought was so interesting!

I definitely noticed a huge increase in my energy when I don't eat sugar or gluten, especially in the afternoon. Usually I get really tired around 2pm and just struggle the rest of the day. This week I didn't notice major tiredness in the afternoon, except one day when I ate potatoes for lunch.

So, I obviously did the best on this part of the challenge. I am going to continue another week of no sugar or gluten, then next week I am thinking about eliminating another thing, like dairy.

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05. Move more.

I was 2/7 on this one. Better than nothing at all, but definitely not where I want to be. I have a copy of this dvd, so I am planning on implementing that starting tonight. Hopefully that will help, especially on the days that I can't get to the gym!

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

I bought a sweet little notebook that makes me super happy to write all my blessings in. I am currently on #17. I am going to try to make it a practice to write a few every night. I can't decide if I want to post them here every week or once a month...

If you are participating in my February Challenge, how has your week been? I would love to hear! 

Also, if you are interested in taking on a smaller challenge, my sweet friend Annalea has an ongoing challenge on her blog called One Little Change. Basically the premise of it is to choose one little thing a month to focus on changing in your life. I think it is a great idea, and I will probably join up next month when my big February Challenge is over. 

P.S. All of the lovely photos were found via my tumblr, Sweet + Lovely Things in the past week or so. Do you have a tumblr? It is one of my very favorite places online!

February Challenge :: 28 Days to a Healthier Me

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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?