Daily Affirmations

As some of you may be aware, (if you know me or have read my first blog post) I recently joined the Beachbody company as first a fitness challenger and now as a coach.  I found that the combination of a fool-proof workout schedule/meal plan and support from my coach & other challengers was an amazing way to finally rid myself of the baby weight that just wouldn’t quit hanging on.  Okay, can’t really blame my kids for all this, I also ate close to 200 cookies over Christmas week last year.  But really, I had to make sure that expensive stand-mixer I bought myself worked, right?

This isn’t a post about how I regained 15 lbs in record time.  It’s not about how I lost it.  In fact, it’s not about weight at all but I feel that a little bit of background information is necessary.   So, part of the challenge group is joining a smaller group of ladies & gents to recount the day, check in with your support group & ask any questions or get advice from people that may be more seasoned.  It’s really a great model for support.  One of the things we like to do is post quotes or other inspirations on “Motivational Monday.”  One Monday, I posted the quote you see above.  My coach, Jamie, suggested (probably jokingly) that I should incorporate that quote into my blog somehow.  Challenge accepted.

Below you will find a list of things that I feel should be completed every single day. They are in no particular order, just fit them all in at some point.   If you are missing any of these things in your daily life,  find a way to add them in, I promise none of these things are really that hard.  Let this list serve as your “motivation” for the day.  Come back & read it daily if you need to.

1.  Get out of bed.  If you don’t at least have a starting point, how will you accomplish any of the other things on this list?  In fact, if you don’t plan on getting out of bed, why are you reading this?  I’m flattered that even on a lazy day, you fish your laptop out from under your bed to check my latest blog post, I agree that it’s a great start to the day … but really, get moving when you’re done reading.  That being said, I am writing this in bed.

2.  Clean yourself.   Notice I did not say shower.  I’ve actually done (very limited) research on this in preparation for this post.  The one article that I read said that we should shower every 2-3 days.  More than that can dry your skin, especially in hot water.  Plus there’s the added element of danger.  According to the CDC, roughly 235,000 people visit the emergency room each year from bathroom injuries.  Of these, 33.33…% occur when showering or bathing.  It didn’t say how many happened while applying deodorant or brushing your teeth.  Surprisingly, an additional 14% of bathroom injuries occur while using the toilet.  Maybe avoid that and just get some Depends. So, tiptoe gently into the bathroom, delicately change your Depends,  put on some deodorant, and carefully wash your face with a washcloth.  Make sure the cleanser you use is non-toxic & does not contain microbeads (they are bad for the environment), clean your ears (but not with Q-tips, you don’t want to rupture your eardrum), wash your hands but don’t use too much sanitizer, that can be toxic in high doses and very quickly but daintily exit the bathroom.  That room really is a death trap, isn’t it?  Pat yourself on the back for surviving – but don’t strain your neck.

3. Smile.  There is a reason that the sun has risen on another day.  It’s so you get another chance to give yourself an amazing, inspiring, fun, action-packed, gratifying day.  Be happy about that.  Find something to smile about.  Maybe take your kids to the park and watch them be genuinely happy.  Have lunch with a friend you haven’t seen lately.  Do some Netflix binge-watching sans guilt.  Paint your toenails.  Read a chapter in a book.  Jump rope.  Blow bubbles.  Put lipstick on for no reason. (I do this every once in a while and it usually gets a ton of laughs since I rarely wear makeup and didn’t even wear lipstick on my wedding day – it gets people laughing, and smiling, and thinking I’m ridiculous but it’s fun).

4.  Brush your teeth.  Please.  Actually, do it 2-3 times.  More if you regularly eat spinach or corn on the cob, or popcorn.  Actually, corn in any form is a good indicator that a thorough brushing should be imminent.

5.  Say something nice to someone.  You’d be surprised how much better you will feel when you make someone else happy.  I regularly compliment my 6 year old and it makes me smile every time I do it.  Partly because I’m proud of her (most of the time, let’s be realistic, she’s 6 and a disaster sometimes) and partly because I see that she is proud of herself when she gets a compliment.  Kids need to be told when they are doing right.  So do adults.  Tell your neighbour how great his lawn looks.  It’s a little victory, but a victory just the same.

6.  Choose an apple over a second piece of birthday cake.  Have that first one though.  We should not be creatures of constant self-deprivation.  Eating healthier will make you feel better, that’s a promise.  But skipping the cake at your Aunt Mildred’s 100th birthday party will make you grumpy.  ‘Ol Milly didn’t stick around for a century to see your sourpuss drooling over that cake but refraining due to calories.  If you really feel that bad about it, get on the dance floor and celebrate the hell out of Aunt Milly’s long life.

7. Be active.  For at least 30 mins.  Take a walk around your neighbourhood, invest in a set of workout DVDs, join a soccer league, run around the yard with some kids.  Well, not just any kids, don’t pick up some randoms and invite them back to your yard, no matter how awesome it is.  If you do that, you may find yourself being more active then you planned when you’re trying to outrun the police.  Don’t be creepy, be active.  Physical activity is not only great for your body, it’s great for your mind.

8. Notice something in nature.  Pay attention to interesting cloud formations, notice that the leaves are starting to change or that your tomato plant is finally starting to grow fruit.  Embrace the Robins and the lovely nest that they have built on the ledge of your front door.  This last one has actually happened this summer – I am now the lucky witness to the second round of light blue eggs that will soon hatch with my entire family able to watch the progression of life.  It’s one of the simplest but greatest things that has happened to me this year.

9. Get some sleep.  Try for uninterrupted sleep.  Preferably at night, 8 hrs., in a dark room.  No TV.  No laptop.  No phone.  Let your body regenerate.  I don’t mean grow a tail or maybe the end of your index finger that you cut off chopping onions with your eyes closed.  Not that kind of regenerate.  Maybe that was the wrong word – – – refresh!  That’s it, let your body refresh, and renew, and get ready for the challenges of the next day.

I’m sure as you go through your day, you’ll notice many more things that you do, that you SHOULD do, and that you WISH you had time to do.  Start making a list of those things.  Turn your ‘wish’ list into your ‘to-do’ list.

And, seriously, don’t forget to brush your teeth.