Spring HEALTH Challenge + Giveaway

Are you in? I get back from Napa and Sonoma later this week, and once I am recovered from my redeye flight (They KILL me!), I am ready to be healthy again. Winter and illness and spending LOTS of time at home snacking and just kind of letting it all go health-wise has gotten me feeling really sort of icky.

I need to make some small changes to restore the balance in my life and more than that, to have energy and to be able to sleep normally. Will you join me on my quest for better health?

To sweeten the deal, I am taking advantage of a gift code giveaway from CSN Stores. So as we prepare to spend more time outside, you can check out outdoorsy things like wood swing sets or fitness gear like yoga mats, weights, and just about anything else you can think of. They have just about everything! I am giving away a $30 gift code, and all you need to do to enter is to leave a comment telling me the small (or big) change you are making toward better health this spring.

Since I’ve been talking about renewal, I have really gotten myself to start thinking about it as well. And when I get back I need to hold myself accountable to the following things:

1) Getting to bed earlier. Every morning, when I wake up exhausted I promise I will unplug at 9:00 in order to ease myself to bed earlier. And at 11 PM I am still usually reading emails/blogs/job hunting etc. and my mind is whirring well past midnight. Must stop.

2) Smoothies. I need to drink spinach smoothies five days a week. They are easy and delicious, and when I consistently drank them I had so much more energy. I’d like to juice more as well, but my juicer is so messy! I’ll try for twice a week. Beet, carrot, and ginger juice happens to be my favorite, FYI.

3) Three quality workouts a week, preferably two at the gym that I am donating money to each month. My workout trifecta would be 30 minutes of all out cardio and two strength workouts each week.

4) More movement in general. I need to organize my time so that I am working enough but not from 7 am until midnight each day. I need to leave my house more. Of course, the weather needs to be a little warmer. But you get the drift. I have spent enough comfy months in my house, and getting outside and just walking is something I need to do.

I hope you don’t mind if I check in weekly via a blog post. And I hope my goals don’t stress anyone out; they are truly to feel more energetic and to support my readers’ healthy goals as well. I would love it if you would check in with ME too!

So, let’s get started. Do you have any small changes you are going to make toward better health this spring?

Tags: challenge, eating, exercise, fitness, giveaway, health, workouts

  1. Lucy’s avatar

    I’m going to sacrifice desserts and start walking after dinner each evening!

    Reply

  2. Amy’s avatar

    Good luck with your mini-goals! I too have a horrible sleep pattern right now, sometimes laying awake until 3AM! This also, needs to stop! Oh, and I for sure need to drink more H2o!

    Reply

  3. Michelle’s avatar

    I think it is great that you are putting your goals out here on your blog to help keep you accountable! As I transition to working from home, I am trying to work harder/smarter and not longer. It is easy to let you day go on and on by working from home but I want to make sure that when the fiance comes home, I can find time to unplug from everything and unwind with him. After all, this is one of the benefits of working from home!

    Reply

  4. Megan’s avatar

    I really need to learn how to unplug earlier too. I do the same as you and say I’m going to try to get to bed early and then 11 rolls around, and I’ve still got my computer in my lap.

    I would love to get outside a bit more too… and I think I will if the weather gets warmer. Last night I wore a dress with a long sweater instead of a coat. It was so nice to be able to finally shed some layers!

    Reply

  5. Catherine’s avatar

    Starting my JOOS reboot this week. It’s so much easier and more economical than making it yourself. They also have counselors to help you through it. http://www.drinkjoos.com

    Let me know if you want a sample!

    Also, I just took a raw food class and plan on eating raw more once it gets a little warmer. I have great recipes for mock salmon pate and eggplant bacon!
    Good luck with your goals.

    Reply

  6. Simply Life’s avatar

    I just started training for a half-marathon! Although I’ve run full ones before it’s been a while and I’m constantly shocked at how quickly my body can lose all the endurance I built-up!

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  7. Shannon’s avatar

    My goal is to definitely get outside more. Not only will it be good for me… but I’ve definitely been limiting my dog’s walks due to snowbanks and cold weather. Now my excuses are limited and he’s definitely itching for some walks down by the beach.

    Reply

  8. Samantha’s avatar

    Love the challenge and your goals! I have several myself: 1) Eat a big ole gnarly salad every day; 2) Walk more, at least a couple miles 5x a week; 3) Watch less telly/disconnect from the computer and get my attention span back 🙂

    Reply

  9. Jean | Delightful Repast’s avatar

    I’m doing pretty well in the nutrition department. Sure, I make lots of desserts for my blog; but I eat them infrequently and in small amounts! Where I really fall down in my “program” is the exercise. I intend to be more regular with my one-hour walks.

    Reply

  10. Kelly’s avatar

    These sound like great goals and hopefully they will make you healthier too. The weather in Boston is definitely moving in the forward direction so I think you’ll be able to take more walks 🙂

    Have you ever set an alarm for 9pm? I sometimes do this on days when I can just tell I’m going to stay up too long reading blogs etc. When I hear the alarm, it’s harder to ignore than just a glance at the clock and I’m more likely to remember that I will not enjoy 5 year olds tomorrow if I don’t get to bed haha.

    Reply

    1. Julie’s avatar

      What a great idea–I never thought of setting an alarm in the evening! I’m going to start that one today! Thanks!

      Reply

    2. Raija’s avatar

      Working out at least 3 days a week is my current goal I am struggling with. I’m hoping that as the weather gets nicer it will be easier, but sometimes, plans after work during the week just make it so hard. I don’t know what the secret to this commitment needs to be, but I am inspired by your post and hope to help support each other making this stuff happen!

      Reply

    3. Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca)’s avatar

      I am going to give running another try this spring!

      Reply

    4. Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}’s avatar

      My goal is to incorporate running into my workouts more often!

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    5. Will’s avatar

      I’m going to resume running once the weather warms up

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    6. Carol’s avatar

      My main goal is just to better my diet by incorporating more fruits veggies and whole grains

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    7. MelissaNibbles’s avatar

      I need to stop being lazy and get out of my comfort zone more often. I also need to eat more veggies. Good luck with your goals.

      Reply

    8. Julie’s avatar

      I’m going to keep our salt shaker in the cabinet instead of on the table; that way, I can’t use it as much. I’m going to run > 2 miles, 3x per week. I’m giving up chocolate for Lent– a bit self serving and temporary, admittedly, but I do love chocolate and I’m in the middle of a spell of drinking and eating it daily! This will at least get me out of the “habit” of having it every day.

      Reply

    9. Courtney (Pancakes and Postcards)’s avatar

      I’m making sure to prioritize sleep and prayer time in addition to fitness and running.

      Reply

    10. Elizabeth’s avatar

      I look forward to hearing about your progress! We’ve talked about the whole not leaving the house and that’s definitely going to be a priority of mine with the warmer weather starting to come back. I think you, me and the other work-from-home-ers should do some weekday lunch dates, especially when the weather is nice.

      Reply

    11. Emily’s avatar

      These all sound like very reasonable goals that will hopefully lead you to feeling like you are more healthy and balanced. I had a similar “reality check” this winter. By finding ways to be more efficient, I’ve been able to stay on track!

      Reply

    12. Amanda @ The Hungry Wanderers’s avatar

      I think these are great goals – know that we’re all here to support you! The last few weeks I’ve started to concentrate on getting healthier – eating smaller portions and going to yoga on a routine basis. My goal is to keep this up and to start going on more walks after work as the daylight begins to last longer 🙂

      Reply

    13. Heather’s avatar

      More water! I don’t hydrate nearly enough, and that leaves me both dehydrated and snack-y (I think i’m hungry when I’m just thirsty). I am going to work on that this spring.

      Reply

    14. Joy’s avatar

      Because at my last labs my vitamin d was really low I am walking and hiking outside with my dog rather than the treadmill at the gym – the added benefit is that the poodle is loving it!

      Reply

    15. Noel’s avatar

      Definitely trying to get outside and move more

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    16. Marcie’s avatar

      Good luck on meeting your goals. I really want to try to get more sleep!

      Reply

    17. brandi’s avatar

      Great goals! I always go through a similar goal setting process when spring is coming – I love that feeling of moving from winter to spring, when everything is blooming and changing.

      I’ve also been working on getting more sleep! We’ll also get back to being more active – running, hiking, walking – now that the weather is getting better.

      Reply

    18. Beth’s avatar

      I’m definitely trying to get more fluids in throughout the day and eat mini meals rather than one large dinner before I go to sleep, it’s all about better time management that will improve my health.

      Reply

    19. Kaitlyn’s avatar

      I’m making smoothies, so I can incorporate more fruits into my daily routine!

      Reply

    20. Daisy’s avatar

      I love this post. 1 + 4 are for sure things I need to work on. I also need to drink less. I spend way to much time partying and being hungover. Check in all you want, plus, this post generated a lot of commenting so clearly it is what we as readers want to encourage!!

      Reply

    21. Katie’s avatar

      I love this idea! My goal is to floss every night before bed and drink more water throughout the day.

      Reply

    22. Carolyn’s avatar

      Definitely try to get more water and more sleep

      Reply

    23. jenna’s avatar

      i am cutting way, way down on my sugar and sweetener intake.. trying to reset and get my body to recognize the natural sweetness in foods!

      Reply

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