The Take Yourself Seriously 60-Day Challenge

Today's the day we start the Take Yourself Seriously 60-Day Challenge.

The rules are simple:

1. Choose three things that will make you a healthier person--physically, emotionally, spiritually--and do them for this 60-day period, from now through April 26.

2. If it's the kind of thing you do every day (like drinking enough water), do it every day. If it's the kind of thing you do less often (like exercising three times a week, or seeing a therapist once a week) do it at that frequency.

3. If you don't do it one day, rub some dirt on it and keep going. The important thing is hanging in there through the end, not doing it perfectly every day.

4. If you realize one of the things you picked just isn't going to work for your life, pick something else and switch. There's no point in dragging yourself through something that doesn't make sense just because you posted here that you would. This is for you, not for the internets at large.

5. Post your three things here today. Every day I'll post a little check-in post, where you can keep a record of what you did the day before. If you want to post, post. If you don't, don't. Once a week I'll post a longer post to discuss how it's going.

6. No judging other people's three things, but if you have info that could help them, please post it.

7. Have fun!

Now for my three things:

1. Asleep between 10 and 10:30 on weeknights.

2. Eat five servings of vegetables a day. Part of a bigger plan to eat better in general, but 5 vegetables is doable.

3. Coffee: I've been thinking about it, and really I just want to be more mindful of what I eat/drink. So no more free coffee at work. If I drink coffee it's going to be fair trade or really delicious in some other way. And that afternoon "it's three o'clock so let's have coffee"? Nope--green tea. I hate green tea. I think I'm going to be drinking a lot of green tea.

Comments

[Nic]

1. Exercise 4 d/wk
2. No more diet soda/drinks/splenda in coffee
3. Lotion to all skin twice a day

[Sara]

1. do ttapp
2. take vitamins
3. more sex - once per fortnight (I love that word and never get to use it!)

caramama - please share your tips, and I understood you the first time.

[peaceinyourcrib]

1- cut back on chocolate; have no milk- only dark (this seems like a pretty wimpy goal)...

2- stop obsessing on me. no fretting. sure my life has been rocked and i have lost my identity; but this is a good thing! i am growing enormously as a human being...

3- to consider sex 1x a week...

[Nick]

My three:

1. cut back on HFCS (good lord, that stuff is EVRYWHERE)
2. eat more vegetables
3. take up running

It's seems very odd to me, but I think No. 3 might be the easiest. Thanks, Moxie, for turning me on the the DoctorMamma blog, which in turn directed me to cool runnings.

[Bobbi]

1. Exercise at least 3 times/week for 30 minutes a pop...
2. Drink more water - no more than 1 can of diet coke per day.
3. Cut back on internet time. No more than 1 hour per day. Shoot for much less.

[Marian]

1) Floss
2) Do Kegels
3) Get to bed earlier and therefore have more sex with husband

[Kelly]

1. Floss every day. It takes less than a minute, yet why is it so hard? NO MORE! I will floss every day.

2. Exercise 3 times a week.

3. Take some *purposeful* time to treat myself well once a week. The key here is that it's purposeful - just laying around on the couch after the baby goes down or mindlessly eating crap doesn't count. Those things don't actually make me feel good. I'm thinking a walk around the block, getting a pedicure, something like that.

[Eve]

1. Start back taking a multivitamin, plus Omega 3s, extra calcium, B12 and B9. I did this for all nine months of pregnancy, and I know I felt better for it. My tip for this is that every Sunday night, I would organize that week's pills in a pillcase that I kept in my purse, and I'd just take a few with every meal. Once it becomes a habit, it's easy.

2. Stop biting my nails. That sounds silly, but it's really a self-destructive habit for me. I bite my nails and the skin around them until I bleed, and it hurts and looks disgusting and exposes me to all the germs that are on my hands. I think I'm going to start treating myself to manicures because if I pay to keep them looking nice, it's a investment.

3. Floss.

Good luck, everyone!

[Mudhutkenya]

1. Run 3x week and yoga 2x week
2. Drink two big bottles of water every day (2 L total)
3. Study/practice Spanish at least 1 hour/week

My hubby is even up to the challenge with his own three things, so we'll be supporting each other. Thanks for the push everyone!

[sue]

1. T-Tapp according to my "lose 4 sizes plan" - every other day for a month, then every 3rd day for a month (and try to put a 4 day bootcamp in there someplace)
2. no more factory-farmed meat, dairy or eggs. If I'm out at a restaurant, I can have the vegetarian option. The only exception is butter - I'll try to make as much of it as I can (we get nonhomogeinized milk, so that's possible) but I can't afford to buy organic butter at $10+ a pound (so I guess that also means more olive oil)
3. volunteer to clean the kitchen at least 3-4 times a week. I HATE cleaning the kitchen and usually will clean everything but, leaving that to my husband (dirty counters are his pet peeve). I think if I cleaned the kitchen voluntarily, it might lead to more sex, or at least a happier husband :-)

[hedra]

1. Mindfulness while eating.
2. 3x/week on exercise machine.
3. 3x/week tai qi (even if it is at work with the office door closed). That'll cover meditation-type stuff, I think.

[Erin]

OK, here I go:

1. drink at least 64 ounces of water a day

2. start t-tapp as soon as it arrives in the mail -- do the boot camp and add it to my routine at least 3xper week

3. initiate sex at least once per week

Hopefully the T-tapp will make me feel MORE like having sex!

Erin

[Emily]

1. Do Hoe-Downs during the day at work - at least 2x a day, in addition to a set in the morning.

2. Floss. I got out of the habit in the chaos of having a newborn - 2 years ago!

3. On my writing days, work for 1 hour BEFORE checking anything on line except my email.

#3 had many, many contenders. Yoga? Water? Vegetables? I do ok on all of them, but could do better. Sex? Could do much better. But this one is really, really important to my career, and I need to make it a habit.

Am also working on - getting back into therapy. Creating real conversations and moments of bonding with husband, every day. Getting more exercise. Not nagging.

OK. Off to work on #3. Thank you Moxie, and good luck everybody!

[Marie]

Thanks for doing this, Moxie! My three:
1. Take vitamins daily
2. Eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily (I can't believe how carb-dependent my daily diet is! I used to be such a salad lover!)
3. Do Kegels daily

[aprildelfuego]

For the next 60 days, and hopefully more!, I will take myself seriously in these ways:
1. 10+ minutes of shavasana every day
2. 30 minutes exercise (walking, T-Tapp, whatever) every day
3. 6-8 glasses of water every day
4. do art at least once a week

[Webs]

1. stop eating all the cookies, etc. always hanging around at work. I'm cutting down on the breastfeeding, so my weight might creep up with less of my calories going toward that.

2. stop nagging my husband and telling him he needs to help out more.

3. Really think about whether I can cut back to 80% time at work (financially).

[Mochi It's]

Such a great idea! Here are mine:

1) Purposefully avoid HFCS (excepting ketchup, my HFCS achilles heel)

2) Initiate sex twice a month (I know! It's awful.)

3) Turn off the light at 10:15pm.

[Much More Than A Mom]

Hmmm, I've been a total slacker with a newborn and a toddler to chase around. And, you know, blogging during naps instead of working out. So, here are my goals...

1. Exercise in some form every day. Even if it has to be push ups over my baby because both kids don't sleep at the same time. Anything will do. A run is best (makes me feel the best) but anything is better than nothing. Seven days a week.

2. No refined sugar. This is definitely going to kill me. I have a latte every morning with chocolate milk and that starts my blood sugar battle for the day, which often ends with a handful of chocolate chips several times in the evening. (Did I just say that out loud?) If I bake, I use whole wheat flour & organic sugar so that will be allowed, but I rarely bake anyway.

3. Drink 1 cup of hot water & lemon every day to help balance my PH and cleanse my body. Preferably while I relax in the evening so I can really enjoy it.

Thanks so much for the challenge - I need this!

[Kelly]

1. Move beyond the Basic Plus T-Tapp workout to the full blown workout.

2. Stop yelling at my toddler.

3. Be nicer and more supportive of my husband.

[Joceline]

I posted mine last week, but here's a slight change:

1. Omega-3s every day. I was seriously feeling so down, but since upping the fish oils/flax seeds last week, I'm doing better.
2. Vegetables 5x a day. Like you, it is part of a more comprehensive better-eating-initiative, but that's more easily measurable.
3. Some form of exercise every day (Yoga, Pilates, walking, etc.)

My green tea tip: Yogi green teas are my favorite, but I especially love the Super Antioxidant Green Tea. Give it a try!

[wavybrains]

1) Cut back to 3 pieces of gum per day. I've got a nasty pack and a half of orbit bubblemint right now and I need to stop treating gum as a food group. I also need to cut back so that Xytiol based gum is financially realistic.
2) No seconds. Of anything. This means eating slower and appreciating my first helping. This also means only ordering "small" when we are out.
3)Vacuum or mop something every day.

[Melinda]

1. vegetarian meals (all day) 3 days a week

2. run with jogging stroller 2x week, swim 1x week

3. limit myself to 20 minutes of blog reading a day at work.

[alex]

1) Have sex at least once a week. I think this will couple nicely with Melissa's suggestion of being "more patient and understanding with my husband" in that one can lead to the other and back again.

The babies's erratic sleeping pattern is really taking a toll on our relationship. He was a good sleeper for awhile but got sick, maybe getting teeth, etc etc.

So I think that if I focus on this, everyone in our family will benefit. And by making a *conscious* decision to do this, it is more likely to take place.

2)Floss every day

3) Stop eating the candy at work.

[Christi]

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
2. Write something at least once a week.
3. Wash my face and brush my teeth before bed.

[Barb]

1. exercise 5x/week (with my husband). He's fighting depression and I need to some weight before we try to conceive.

2. eat 5-7 fruits and vegetables a day (i'm getting better- i'm up to about 3-4)

3. take all my vitamins and minerals EVERY DAY

[Erin]

1 -- Start t-tapp when it comes in the mail. Do the boot camp and keep it up!

2. 64 ounces of water a day

3. Initiate sex once per week!

Erin

[mayberry]

Just a quick note on green tea -- from what I've read*, black, green, white, and oolong tea all have similar benefits and come in a bazillion flavors -- so you might find one that's more palatable.

Then again, I like green tea so it's easy for me to say...

*http://mayberrymom.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-may-be-freak-but-im-skinnier-freak.html - book review

[SJ]

okay, baby #2 due in the middle of this challenge, so at first I thought, I can't do this, and then I realized all the more reason to do this!
here are my goals:

1) 20 minutes of yoga or hypnobirthing practice each day - even if I just spend 10 minutes in child's pose (or bridge, to try to get this little girl to turn herself around!!)

2) meet a friend for lunch at least 1x/week -

3) be mindful about how I'm feeling and why (not just take it out on being grumpy to my husband)

4) compliment my son on something every day

[mayberry]

I'm sorry if this is a duplicate comment -- it didn't seem to go through. But re the green tea -- I recently read The Ultimate Tea Diet (there's a review on my site if you page back a bit) and the author says that black, green, white, and oolong tea all have similar benefits; and you can get them in so many flavors. So maybe there's one out there that you'd enjoy...

then again I'm a tea junkie.

[Tara]

My three -

1. Initiate sex at least once every other week. I have been denying my poor husband pretty often lately, and I'm hoping that will kick my inactive libido up.

2. Stop drinking soda. I'm going to miss it, as I LOVE drinking it, but the health benefits are so big. Plus, I've cut down to just one a day so I probably won't even miss it.

3. Refrain from dipping into my weekly Weight Watchers points allowance. I'm doing well with WW (already lost 8.2 pounds), but I think I can do better.

[wendy]

Here are my three:
1. 64 oz. baby!!!
2. Sex....more of it. I'm going to try for once a week. Anyone have any tips as to how to find my long lost libido? Breastfeeding twin toddlers has just zapped me.
3. Take advantage of nap time. I tend to do a list of chores before I get to do anything for me. I'm going to take 15 minutes at the BEGINNING of their nap to do something for me and then get to the chores. (This doens't include internet time.)

[SarraJK]

This is a fantastic idea. Now that I've written it down, I think I'll be more inclined to actually follow through.

My three:

1) Working out in the mornings. I had been really good about it for a few months, then fell off the wagon. I am going to start working out in the mornings before work again.

2) Candy. There's a candy dish on a desk right outside my office. I am not going to eat any more of that candy.

3) Stop stressing in the mornings. I get so stressed in the mornings when my son and my husband dilly-dally. The extra 15 minutes isn't going to make an impact on my day. It's not worth being cranky and making them cranky and feeling guilty about it all day long.

[Kate]

1. No artificial sweeteners.
2. No caffeine.

(Didn't manage to give these up during my pregnancy, but will try again now that I am 9 months along and about to start breastfeeding.)

3. Exercise (generously defined) every day.

[Elizabeth]

1. Floss every night.
2. Sun salutations every morning.
3. Read Bible or pray for 15 minutes every morning.

[Katie B.]

I posted my three last week, but I thought of a fourth pretty important one while reading everyone else's, so here goes.

1) drink at least 32oz of water a day. I have a nice measured bottle. :)

2) Initiate mutual massage with my husband three times a week, and have at least one of those sessions turn into sex.

3)Exercise some every day - at least do some Kegels!

4)Do a daily Tarot reading - it's a good excuse for some introspection and journal-type writing.

[wealhtheow]

1. Exercise 15-20 minutes at least 3 times a week.

2. Eat 2 servings of fruit and veggies every day. I know it should be more, but this is a tough one for me, so I'm sticking with a doable number.

3. Spend 10-15 minutes picking up each day--and then don't obsess about what doesn't get done after that. Spending time with the baby is more important.

[Aurora]

1. I will love my body as it is. I will not ask it to change to fit any arbitrary standard. I will feed my body what it needs when it needs it.
2. I will not judge others about their weight.
3. I will limit websurfing to 30 minutes in morning and 30 in afternoon.

[snickollet]

I have to think small and remind myself that even small goals count. I often feel like if I'm not doing something perfectly or to the max, then it's not worth doing. So a few goals with that in mind:

1. Exercise 3x/week. (15 minute T-Tapp counts)
2. Get a realistic financial plan in place, including consolidating retirement accounts, getting a budget in place, and fixing the fact that my fixed expenses outstrip my income (even if this means swallowing my pride and asking for financial help from my parents)
3. Take a multivitamin, omega-3s, and vitamin D daily.

[carmie]

I think this is a great idea.

1. 3 more moments of patience with my toddler every day. That means three moments of living in that split second before I open my mouth and yell and overreact and instead, choose calm but firm.
2. One Cadbury Creme Egg a week. No more. Sigh.
3. Get all my reading homework done by Thursday of each week, freeing up precious child-free time on my homework day, Sunday.

My rule for green tea is to let the hot water sit for 3 minutes to cool down before putting the tea in. I pull the tea out after 30-90 seconds. That way it doesn't burn or over-extract. Peet's has a decent selection of loose-leaf greens. I'm partial to their Jasmine, as the smell is an aural massage.

[rachel]

1) Do the three things recommended at my facial last week (I *am* 35, after all). A) wash, B) exfoliate and c) moisturize.

2) cut way back on refined sugar. This includes such habits as going upstairs after dinner so I have to walk farther to get to the kitchen to satisfying sugar cravings after the kitchen is closed down.

3) Take advantage of my wonderful in-laws who live 13 min. away and spend more alone time with Le Hubster doing new things. Like going to a new restaurant or out of town for a night to a new hotel. Now that sweetpea has weaned at 16 mos., this is possible and I should enjoy it.

[jlg]

This is a great idea that I'm going to use as a countdown to better weather. Hopefully at the end of the 60 days, we'll have sunny skies (or at least spring showers) and bare ground here in the northeast!

I posted my three last week, but after careful consideration, I've decided to change one. Here's the revised list:

1. Take my Calcium + D supplement and multi-vitamin every day.
2. Do something creative at least two evenings a week (sew, cross-stitch, or scrapbook).
3. Drink herbal tea instead of soda.

[Nicole J.]

1. Write for 15-60 minutes everyday. This to include journaling.

2. Start training for 60 mile 3Day in October with walking at least 30 minutes 3 times a week, and then increase time by 5 minutes a week.

3. Have sex with my partner at least twice a week.

[Summer]

My three:
Two liters of water daily (because I'm not cutting back on the coffee or wine!)
Take my vitamins daily
T-Tapp three times a week

I plan to post about this on befabulo.us today, assuming the office lets me.

[Alecia]

1. Wash my face and moisturize every night, no matter how tired I am;
2. Give more energy and compassion to my family relationships (rather than focusing so much on my work relationships) -- leave work at work, be more present and in the moment at home, don't project work stress onto my family, etc.;
3. JUST SAY NO to the afternoon chocolate!

[Kate]

I think this is a great idea!

1. Exercise intentionally for at least 30 minutes each day Monday - Friday.

2. Spend one hour on Sunday in quiet solitude.

3. Write one letter/email per week to a friend I don't usually talk to.

[Heather M.]

1) Keep up with my plan to go to the gym at least 12 times per month. (Amounts to 3 times per week, but it helps me to measure it monthly, so I don't feel like a failure if I miss a week)

2) Limit afternoon and evening snacking.

3) Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal and try to eat 5 servings per day.

[meggiemoo]

For those looking to have more sex with their significant others, here are mine:

- sex begets sex just like sleep begets sleep, or exercise begets exercise, so the more you do it the more you'll want to do it! (a body in motion tends to stay in motion)

- find your sexy time of the day and work with that. I don't generally even think about sex or anything close to it until late afternoon/early evening. Mornings and late evenings don't work for me, so we usually have sex right after our son goes to sleep around 8 pm.

- mix it up...have sex on the couch if you usually have it in your bedroom. Try using food, or sex toys. I think we take sex too seriously sometimes...it can be silly, and should be joyful. (Can't say enough about those toys...)

- exercise. Women who exercise regularly want sex more.

- If it's been a really long time and you just can't face the thought of sex, start by just touching. Kissing, hugging, massage night...these are all good ways to reconnect.

Happy sex, everyone!

[Jena]

Cool idea Moxie!

1) In bed by 10:30 p.m. every night - no more mindless TV watching.

2) 2 hours of exercise a week total - currently at a big FAT 0 minutes a week.

3) No more fast food - for myself or the kids.

[Rachel]

1. Eat 5+ cups of fruit/veggies a day.
2. Exercise for 15 minutes x 4 days a week (gotta start somewhere).
3. Be in bed by 10pm.

[Christine]

Thanks to everyone for the green tea advice. I hate the stuff, but I'm willing to try again.

1. Drink enough water. It's pathetic how little water I drink considering 1. I live in a desert, and 2. I'm breastfeeding

2. Exercise 3x/week.

3. Fish oil. Remember to take the fish oil!

Long term, my goal is to cut out soda entirely (I realized it's absurd to drink something I would prefer my kids never have). I think I'm going to have to wean myself off, though.