We all need a boost once and a while. Sometimes we fall into a rut. This 28 day healthy habits challenge will get you out of that rut and rolling with your health and fitness goals. Each day there is a new task. None of the tasks are going to be overwhelming so you can slowly build those healthy habits for life!
FREE HEALTHY HABITS CALENDAR DOWNLOAD
Day 1
Today’s healthy habit is going to be cleaning out your pantry, fridge, cupboards, etc. When you are starting to create healthy habits the easiest way to start is to get rid of anything that tempts you. That’s not to say you can’t treat yourself during these 28 days. When it is time for a treat, go get an ice cream cone or go out to dinner. Only get enough to have that one time, that way left-overs or that pack of cupcakes are not haunting you.
Day 2
Your goal today is to drink at least 64 ounces of water. If you workout today, try to get at least 80 ounces of water in. Water makes up 3/4 of our body and keeps us running at optimum levels. Put some lemon slices in your water or some frozen fruit. Do not use iced tea packets, Mio, or any other artificial flavoring. Try everyday to hit this 64 ounces!
Day 3
Today is a three color day. Eat a meal today that contains at least three colors. Brown does not count. Make a stir-fry with bell peppers, onions, and pea pods. Maybe you make a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and red cabbage. The more colorful your meal is, the more micro-nutrients your body is getting. Try to make at least one meal a day nice and colorful!
Day 4
Challenge yourself today to order out a healthy meal. When we go into restaurants, we get sucked into the calorie void. Make a few small swaps by getting your meat grilled without sauce, or sauce on the side, swap fries for a plain baked potato and get some steamed veggies. Skip the mayo on a sandwich and get whole grain bread instead of a huge white roll. Restaurants are pretty good about accommodating your requests, you just have to ask!
Day 5
Today I want you to meal prep at least one meal for the upcoming week. Make up 5 breakfasts or lunches that you can just grab in the morning. Having a break or lunch readily available in the morning stops you from grabbing that doughnut. Make up a selection of overnight oats, egg cups, or smoothie packs. For lunches whip up some salsa chicken in the crock pot and put it over steamed broccoli or make up World’s Tastiest Chicken, Brown Rice & Broccoli Meal Prep.
Day 6
Work it out today. The recommended amount of exercise for an adult is 150 minutes per week. Try to a get a 30-45 minute workout in today. Go for a run, lift some weights, do yoga. It doesn’t matter what you do to get your workout in, just get it in!
FREE HEALTHY HABITS CALENDAR DOWNLOAD
Day 7
Busy days don’t have to meal an unhealthy dinner. Throw a meal in the crock pot before you leave in the morning so that when you get home you can have a delicious, hot meal ready that is good for you! Check out these 50 Paleo Crock Pot Recipes that Will Knock Your Socks Off!
Day 8
Reading is an activity that is deeply undervalued, especially in the world of the internet. Today pick up a book, any book at all, and read for at least 15 minutes. Get lost in the world of the book you are reading. I personally love Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, and Nora Roberts.
Day 9
Swap one of your cups of coffee today for herbal tea. The average American drinks 2.1 cups of coffee everyday. The coffee itself isn’t really the issue, but the coffee creamer and sugar is. The caffeine in the coffee is good for a jolt, but your body gets used to it after a while. Mix it up with some delicious herbal tea to relax your body and your mind. I like Wild Blueberry with Acai by Bigelow!
Day 10
Skip the alcohol. The average ounce of hard alcohol contains 80 calories that are entirely made up of carbs. There are about 120 calories in a 5 ounce serving of wine. There are roughly 155 calories in the average beer. Many people drink twice the serving size of alcohol per drink, and the carbs and calories add up fast. If you want to create healthy habits, limiting your alcohol is a good start.
Day 11
Take your workout outside today! Go for a run, a hike, a swim, hit the track, go for a bike ride, etc. Getting outside makes your lungs work harder and clears your head. For an awesome workout and a mental boost, get out in the fresh air!
Day 12
Yoga helps relax the mind, body, and soul. Stretch out those sore muscles, frayed nerves, and jumbled mind. Yoga forces you to stay present and focus only on yourself during your practice. Get a 20 minute yoga practice in today. My favorite free yoga videos are on the Yoga with Adriene channel on YouTube! Also be sure to check out 5 Reasons Yoga Works to Balance Your Life!
Day 13
Meditation is a great way to relax, put things in perspective, and check in with yourself. Before heading off to work or school today, meditate for 10 minutes. My favorite mediation app is Calm. Just breathe for ten minutes and clear your mind. Put the stresses of the upcoming day to the side and just connect with yourself.
FREE HEALTHY HABITS CALENDAR DOWNLOAD
Day 14
When trying to create healthy habits, sometimes we forget that we can still enjoy life. Today I want you to try a new healthy recipe. Are you a pasta addict (like me)? Try out a healthy pasta recipe that kills you cravings and fuels your body. My absolute favorite website for finding delicious healthy recipes is Fit Men Cook.
Day 15
Today marks the beginning of the second half of this healthy habits challenge. Your task today is to reflect on how the last 14 days have gone. Write down your goals, both short and long-term. Write down health goals, fitness goals, family goals, business goals, finance goals, or any other kind of goals you may have. Writing down your goals is an excellent first step towards achieving them.
Day 16
On your ride to work, you probably listen to the radio. Today your task is to listen to a motivational/inspirational podcast, and your commute is the perfect time to do it. It can be a short podcast or a long one. Just focus on the message that the podcast is portraying. Check out Lacey Dunn, Bucci Radio, and Business and Biceps.
Day 17
Today’s goal is to do a mini social media detox. Do not check your social media accounts until at least 12pm. Spend no more than 15 minutes on social media for the entire day. On average, people spend 118 minutes per day on social media. That’s almost TWO HOURS. So I don’t want to hear excuses about not having time to workout or read a book. No more than 15 minutes on social media today and no peeking until at least 12pm.
Day 18
Grab a piece of paper and write whatever comes to your mind for 10 minutes. Writing in a journal is an excellent way to deload and put things in perspective. I find that trying to “journal” is difficult because I don’t know what to write. So I just want you to grab a pen and paper and write down whatever comes to mind for ten minutes straight. You may surprise yourself at what you write down.
Day 19
There is nothing like having new tunes on my playlist to get me pumped up. Today I want you to update your playlist. Put at least five new songs on there. Create a new playlist to workout to. Crank up some throwbacks that you forgot you loved. When you connect music and mind, the results is motivation.
Day 20
Have you been doing the same workout over and over again? Pretty boring, isn’t it? Today’s task is to try a new workout. This could be a run if you usually lift weights, yoga if you usually run, trying a new spin class, etc. Just pick a workout style that is different from what you usually do and go for it! Your body responds well when you mix up your fitness routine regularly.
FREE HEALTHY HABITS CALENDAR DOWNLOAD
Day 21
Blogs are an excellent way to get new ideas for life, health, fitness, outfits, etc. Today’s goal is to read a new blog post. It can be about absolutely anything. Read a new blog post then leave a comment on that post. You will hit two healthy habits with this one. Learn something new from the blog post then make someone feel great by leaving your feedback on their ideas! My favorite place to find blog posts is Bloglovin’.
Day 22
Today you are going to try a new fruit or vegetable. Those weird looking fruits and vegetables you walk by in the store but never pick up? Grab one and try it out. You may find a new source of micro-nutrients that makes your taste buds dance!
Day 23
Today I want you to make your coffee at home. This is a healthy habit for two reasons. One is that you control what you put into a coffee at home. You are the person pouring half a cup of creamer and six pounds of sugar into it. You take responsibility for that calorie laden coffee. Therefore you will actually cut back on your coffee calories by making it at home. Reason two is that you will save some money easily. The average American spends $1,100.00 on coffee every year. Eleven hundred dollars per year on coffee. Do your body and your wallet some good and make the coffee at home.
Day 24
Many of us sit for over eight hours a day working at a desk. Today I want you to go outside and take a walk at lunch. Stretch your mind and your body so that when you get back to work you are ready to rock and roll. These lunch time walks can also help fight off the fat that many desk workers struggle with.
Day 25
Today I want you to relax and take a detox bath. This bath will help relax your brain make your body feel awesome. Check out these three awesome detox baths from Wellness Mama. Bonus: take a book in with you and read while you soak.
Day 26
Today’s task is a little different. I want you to seriously clean out your closet. I meant seriously clean it out. Those jeans you haven’t worn in a year? Get rid of them. Those 5,000 t-shirts that sit in your drawer without being touched, time to say good-bye. We all, including myself, have an issue with having things. It is really easy for us to accumulate things and really hard for us to get rid of them. Just let it go, you won’t miss it.
Day 27
Today’s piece to creating healthy habits is one that I use as a check. I want you to track all of the food you eat today using MyFitnessPal or other tracking app. I used to track my food everyday, but it seriously stressed my out and took up a significant amount of my time. However, it is an excellent check to do once and a while. I try to do it once a week or once every other week. Use this day to make sure that your nutrition is keeping in line with your goals.
Day 28
Woohoo! Today is the last day. Today’s healthy habits task may just be the hardest one yet. I want you to get up ten minutes earlier today. Just ten minutes earlier. Maybe you use this ten minutes to mediate or do yoga. Maybe you use this ten minutes to read. Or maybe you use this ten minutes to make your morning less hectic. No matter what you use the extra ten minutes for, get up ten minutes earlier!
FREE HEALTHY HABITS CALENDAR DOWNLOAD
After completing this 28 day challenge, I want you to keep using the healthy habits that you built over the last four weeks. You should feel better, more in control. Don’t lose everything you worked for. Remember, in order to be the best mom, wife, worker, etc, you need to be the best you possible, so you need to take care of yourself. Drop your thoughts in the comments below so that I can check them out!
