#8weeksofhealthyhabits Week 1 overview

 8 Weeks of Healthy Habits!

Welcome to week 1 of our #8weeksofhealthyhabits.  Each week, I will post an overview of the upcoming week's goals with some helpful links and suggestions.

This first week, we are starting off with some simple habits that are easy to incorporate into any schedule.  The purpose of this challenge is not to be stressful, preachy, or overbearing, just a fun way to incorporate some new ideas.  If you like something that we do, please feel free to incorporate it into your daily/weekly schedule and really make it a new habit. If you're looking to really up your game, try the #DaisyDukeStrong challenge at the bottom of this email.

The fun part about these challenges is the sharing.  See if you can post a thought or a selfie each day to the facebook page about what you're doing.  If you're an Instagram user, you can also post there, using the hashtags #PIG and #8weeksofhealthyhabits  and/or #DaisyDukeStrong

I'm really looking forward to the family reunion in July!

Week 1:

Sunday: Set some SMART goals for yourself. Write them in a journal, or share them on the facebook page. What IS a SMART goal, you might ask? Well, SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Sensitive. Need some help creating SMART goals? Check out these worksheets here. Your goals do not need to be public, but writing them down actually will help you strive to achieve them.  If you don't want to share your goals, a journal is a great place to keep them.

Monday:  Go for a walk during lunch or after work. Taking 15 minutes to just go for a walk outside accomplishes more than just getting your body moving.  You also take time to contemplate, and can see some really beautiful and amazing things on a walk.  In addition, there's nothing like a little Vitamin D from the sun's rays. Need some inspiration on your walk? I love the upbeat positive message and mantras in Erin Stutland's Soul Strolls. You can listen to this one for free on soundcloud.

Tuesday: Drink a glass of water before each meal. Especially now that the weather is warmer, hydration is very necessary. Most folks don't get enough water. I've been challenging myself all through May to drink 100oz. of water each day, and I know that's helped my head.  Drinking a glass of water before a meal can also sometimes lead to making smarter food choices.  You're less likely to overindulge on a meal if you've had a glass of water!

Wednesday: Set your alarm 10 minutes early and do crunches before you get dressed for the day. When was the last time you thought about your core? Don't worry about the number of crunches you can do, rather, focus on good form. This site gives basic instructions about how how to do a crunch correctly.

Want a video to help you along? I like this one by Autumn Calabrese.

Thursday: Try an extra vegetable today. Simple, right? Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, just pick one extra vegetable. It doesn't need to be one you've never had before, just one extra. First lady Michelle Obama, in her Let's Move campaign, endorses trying an extra vegetable by mixing extra veggies into your favorite foods!

Friday: Free Fitness! Post a selfie of you doing your favorite activity to the facebook page! Each Friday will be Free Fitness Friday. You get to choose the activity- just get up and do something and share it with the rest of us! If you post to Instagram, don't forget your hashtags, #PIG and #8weeksofhealthyhabits

Saturday: Meditate for 10 minutes. Just take 10 minutes to sit quietly. There are some great meditation tools out there if this is your first foray into meditation.  I love Headspace.com, and they have a free 10 day meditation series, wherein each of those are only 10 minutes. This is also available as an app you can download to your phone or tablet.

Daisy Duke Strong Challenge

Now, if you want that extra challenge, here's the week overview of #DaisyDukeStrong, which will start on Monday.

Monday: 20 crunches, 20 squats, 5 sets of 2-5 push-ups each (take a 30-60 second break between sets.)
Tuesday: 25 crunches, 25 squats
Wednesday: 30 crunches, 30 squats, 5 sets of 2-5 push-ups each
Thursday: 35 crunches, 35 squats
Friday: 5 sets of 2-5 push-ups each
Saturday: 35 crunches, 35 squats