Back to Basics Challenge #1 - Hydrate, Mini List

Larkspur from Am I Really That Fat? challenged me to do a challenge. I've slipped away from most of the good habits I had developed and am wanting to reestablish them again into my life. I want to build fitness, and with any good building project, there needs to be a firm foundation. Every week I'll add new challenges. They will be very simple at first, but sometimes it's the simple things that are hard to maintain yet are so important.

I delved into Onederland last year briefly. I looked at what I was doing at that time to help me get there. You can read about it here, if you would like. I drank a lot of water, moved more, and brought better foods to my meals. I also did things for my mental and spiritual health.

Let's make small changes together and make them stick. I will be doing additional exercises not listed here, and you can, too, but I find I become so distracted that I forget the basics.

How long does it take to form good habits? I Googled it. It basically depends on the person and the habit. I found this article. Two - three months seems to be the average. I liked what the author said at the end of his post, "It’s essential to find things to enjoy about the steps along the way in order to keep up anything important long enough for it to matter."

Let's get started.

Physical Challenge -- Start you day off with a glass of water and remind yourself every hour or hour and a half with a timer (I use my watch) to drink some water (the amount is up to you). I personally have a hard time remembering to drink. Water helps with alertness (sometimes sleepiness is a sign of dehydration), hunger (our hunger may actually be thirst), moods (a disagreeable mood may be another sign of dehydration). We are made up of mostly water so our body needs it to function. Idea: If you are a big soda or coffee drinker, try replacing one serving of those with water. (I wonder if replacing one cigarette with one glass of water is helpful...I don't know, I'm just brain-storming).

Mental Challenge -- Mini nightly to-do list: each night think about things you need to get done the next day. Try for 1-3 doable things. Don't overwhelm yourself. For example, is there a phone call you need to return? Grocery shopping? Return something to a neighbor? Write them down. Do them the next day and that evening you get the satisfaction of checking them off. Then write down 3 more things for the following day. Keep the list, if you'd like, to see what you accomplish. I often forget what I need to do the next day especially when kids start crawling into bed with me, the dog barks, and the craziness begins. Of course we do more than 3 things each day, but is there something you keep forgetting to do? Write those down.

Come back here (anytime -- once per week or day) and report it in the comments section how you did (or not...You knowing how you did is what counts, but we could certainly cheer you on).

Maybe I could post the reports along with the next challenge.

So, what do you think? Are you up for it? Come join me.