The Healthy Living List

So I know last year I did several posts on my healthy living goals. I was giving up one bad habit or sticking with one healthy habit for a month at a time because frankly I can handle trying almost anything for a month. In January, I gave up fast food, so I didn't have fast food that month. And one month was focused on exercising more.
This post here  is kind of a recap of all that.

I was pretty successful with my goals for the most part. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night was the tricky one to follow through on for me.
But the ultimate main goal is to try and live a healthier lifestyle.
I'm not perfect at it by any means, but I think working on small goals and taking it one step at a time is really helping me make the changes I need to be making.

So for my list today, I am going to share the goal that I have been working on and then another list of what is coming up :)

Current Goal  - Exercise Regularly

And by regularly, I mean at least six days a week. Really personally there is no excuse for me not to do it. What I have learned is that I need to make it a priority and write it into my daily schedule! I don't get on the computer to check emails and blogs in the morning anymore. I leave that for later in the day and sometimes not until bedtime. Exercise comes first. Even if it means just doing a series of push ups and sit ups because I can only squeeze in a short amount of time. I have one day during the week that is just packed full.
Plus, I have added strength training to my regimen because everything I have read says women over forty must include it in their work outs to speed up our metabolism. And it works!

Here is a list of what a typical week might look like. I am not putting days even though I usually try to keep a set exercise schedule. But sometimes I feel like changing it up:
1. Yoga - It's calming and helps me feel ready for the week. Also if I can get a combo cardio/strength training workout in before church, even better!
2. Cardio (30-45 minutes) - usually a Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire workout
3. On my crazy, busy day - whatever I can get whether it's a few toning exercises, a short walk, etc...
4. Cardio (45-1hr)  depending on the weather, either a run/walk outside or a Turbo workout or Pilates inside
5. Toning or sculpting workout video - I devote at least one day to just that.
6. Cardio - (20-25min) Usually a Turbo fire HIIT workout (high intensity training) burns a lot of calories
7. Cardio - (45-1hr) run or long walk outside if weather permits; if not a video inside

Like I said - I like to mix it up. If I don't feel like doing cardio, I might switch to a yoga or pilates workout. As long as I am doing something, I am happy!
One thing I have learned though is that right now I cannot do more than two runs a week. My body just does not respond well. But I do like my Nike Run app because it inspires me to get better and set goals for myself. So when I do run, I look forward to it. My last run was the Wednesday before last and man it was tough on my back. So I chose to do an hour plus walk on Saturday and this past Wednesday instead of run. I think I will probably be ready to do a run now on this upcoming Saturday since I rested for a bit. I listen to what my body tells me because I seriously don't want to hurt anything at this point. I am on a roll here exercise wise and don't want to lose my momentum!
Plus, it's funny that I can burn just as many calories in one hour of power walking as I do in 45 minutes of running. So it's all good!

Now that exercise has become a major priority, I have a few more goals I plan on throwing back into the mix. One at a time of course.
1. Sugar detox - need to eliminate as much sugar from my diet as I can. So one month of no sugar is in the future
2. Sleep - going to really force myself to shoot for that 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I am really seeing how critical it is for my health.
3. Cleaner Eating - I know I will not ever switch to 100% clean eating, but the cleaner the better I say. We have made a lot of progress here as a family, but there is always room for improvement.
4. Drink More Water - I am so bad about this. I mean water is what I drink more than anything, but I am still not drinking enough. And I am letting myself have one Dr. Pepper a week. I usually get a 12 oz bottle and drink it over two days (lol) But I find myself slipping sometimes and drinking two in a week.
5. Unplug - Summer is coming and I know this will be easier to do. Those iphones sure make it a little too easy to check in way too often though. But this is another area I have made progress in as well. I used to play a ton of computer games and have eliminated most. Only two or three on my phone now. And one on my daughter's ipad that my son likes me to play with him.

So there you have it! My road to a healthier lifestyle. :)
Any tips or suggestions you would like to share would be welcome!

This post is part of a list-making project called Lists With Friends 2014 which is an effort to document the year in lists of all types.