Day 1 - Why I am Pursuing the One-Month Live Healthy Challenge

Now that I can no longer blame the stress and lack of time induced by school, homework, work, etc., it's time for me to embark on a journey that I've been meaning to take for a long time. This mission sounds simple:

Live healthy.

But what does that mean? When you get down to it, it's a bit more challenging than you'd anticipate. It means doing many of the things to improve your lifespan:

• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
• Drink 64 ounces of water each day
• Don't drink or smoke
• Exercise each day
• Eat in moderation, and the intake should be a mix of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole-grains
• Eat organic foods or foods that are not too processed
  
• Meditate or engage in relaxation exercises
  

It seems so common sense, but I don't do any of the above (with the exception of smoking). For example, even though I was sick today and had little-to-no appetite, I had to eat Taco Bell. And when I went, why not get both chicken and steak quesadilla, nachos bell grande, and a chicken burrito? Aside from the useless calories, the most likely very scary processes associated with how the food was collected and produced, my body just plain felt bad afterword. Like it was telling me, "Why are you doing this to me?"

So why am I doing this now? There's a ton of reasons:

• I want to practice cooking more and get better at it
• I want to learn more about what I put in my body and be more conscious of how food is collected, produced, and stored
• I want to get back in shape. In high school, I had two hours of sports practice each day and I was pretty fit. I know I'll most likely never get back to a size 0 or to my top sprinting times (and I do like my new curves!), but it would be awesome to feel like I can put on a bathing suit without being self-conscious about anything
• I want to feel better. I know everyone likes food and use the term liberally, but I kid you not, I love food. It makes me feel better after a rough, stressful day. Something about some macaroni and cheese or a bowl of chicken alfredo makes me feel like everything is going to be alright, at least for these 10 minutes of bliss. But afterward, I usually feel so heavy. I know it's mostly psychological, but I feel like I will have so much more energy and happiness with more sleep, less fatty foods, and more exercise. And I'll feel better about choosing foods that are more socially and environmentally friendly
• I am moving to the skinniest/fittest city in the country, Denver, CO, in just a few months. I'm not sure how well I will be received eating nacho cheese chalupas from Taco Bell. Besides, I absolutely refuse to be the one to throw off the averages.
  

I can already see this blog will be full of bullet points. Apologies in advance! But here is the tentative game plan, and let's see if I can stick to this:

• Drink 64 oz. of water each day
• Average less than 1 alcholic drink per day. So this means if I'm good, 3.5 drinks can be reserved for Fridays and Saturdays. This actually might work out well considering if I stop drinking during the week, my tolerance will be much lower!
• Engage in 30 minutes of exercise each day. If I miss one day, that means I will have to triple the amount of time the next day. Exercise will include a mix of cardio and strength training, and also relaxation exercises that will strengthen my core, including yoga and pilates
  
• Try to eat as organically as I can. When I can't, try to eat unprocessed foods. Of course, I am allowed 2 guilty pleasure meals per week (hello macaroni and cheese and ramen noodle soup...I know, it's disgusting), a dessert everyday, moderate amounts of cheese, and dark chocolate whenever I feel like it
• Sleep an average of 8 hours per week
  
• Do not overeat! Only eat when I am hungry, and when I not hungry, instead of skipping meals, eating either whole fruits, vegetables, or oatmeal

So what's the point of this blog? Great question. I feel like this 30-day challenge is like a New Year's Resolution that's bound to fail after 3 days. So I am enlisting in the power of peer pressure to keep myself on track, and I will spend at least 15 minutes each day recording what I ate, exercised, how long I slept, and how I feel, as well as some interesting articles on all of these subjects.

Let's do this. Wish me luck, I'm sure going to need it.