Tag: my13daychallenge

Musings · Vote

You Decide

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Hi America,

How would you like to help me pick my next challenge?  It won’t cost you anything either. I know that most of the music shows and dance contests charge people. I will let you vote for free. Please help me pick my next challenge.

What should I do next?

A)   Track  everything I eat and plan menus for the next 13 days

B)   Jump rope for 13 minutes every day for the next 13 days

C)   Write 13 positive affirmations about myself every day

D) Clean my house  (I read a study that said people with clean houses are healthier.)

Vote now.

 

Challenge Four: Sleep · Musings

The Turtle and the Hare

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Have you heard the Aesop’s tale about the Turtle and the Hare (rabbit).

The Hare and Turtle are in a race.  The Hare sprints off and the Turtle goes slow, because that is what Turtles do. After running for a bit, the Hare realizes that the Turtle will take all day. The Hare, who always has her list with her, starts getting things done.  First, she stops at the store to do some grocery shopping.  Then, it is off to visit the orphans and tutor children at her local elementary school.  The Hare’s boss down at the Animal Factory calls her. The fish are swimming in circles again and need to be organized.  The Hare manages to cram 12 hours of fish organizational work  into an 8 hour shift.  The Turtle is still no where in sight.  The Hare decides it is time for some TLC. She takes a nap. The Hare only gets 15 minutes of shut eye, before she is woken up by a pesky news reporter who asks  how she feels now that the Turtle is about to cross the finish line. The Hare sprints to  catch up, but the Turtle’s little foot crosses the finish line before her.   “Slow and steady wins the race”, the other animals cheer. The Turtle is the hero for the day and gets the big promotion at the Animal Factory.  The Hare goes home and eats chocolate. The fish go back to swimming in circles.  The End.

I’m eight days into my go to bed by 10:30 p.m. challenge.  I’m still working on it and I am making some progress. Challenges would be a lot easier if that is all I did.

Challenge Four: Sleep · Research

Sleep =Larger Bank Account

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Bed picture

Good news. I’ve discovered how to get rich.  You can get rich too.  According to this article in Money magazine sleep deprivation cost money. I’m working on getting more sleep so as I get more sleep the money will start rolling in to me. The Accountant told me that my train of thought did not follow the classic logic pattern for using  if and then statements.  I prefer my reasoning.  Sleep =Larger Bank Account

I’m reading a book called The Promise of Sleep. The author talks about what to do when you can’t sleep. Instead of laying in bed for an hour staring at the clock, you get 20 minutes. If after 20 minutes you can’t sleep, you get up and do something boring like washing dishes or scrubbing walls.  This might be a good thing as I will have sparkly walls and a clean kitchen. In all seriousness, I have noticed that since starting my routine of being in bed by 10:30, I have gotten more sleep than I used to. I’m not up to 8 hours a night yet, but I am getting closer.

Challenge Four: Sleep

Time Travel

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I did great on my first night running through my little let’s get ready to sleep routine. I did some stretching, brushed my teeth, thought happy thoughts etc. I  did great  until I actually was in my bed.  You see someone forgot to tell my brain that it was suppose to stop thinking of stuff. So, it was more like 11:30 p.m when I finally fell asleep. I did however come up with an interesting idea for how to build a time machine.  Apparently, time travel is more exciting than sleeping. If any one wants the details, let me know.

So today,  I went to the library to find a book on what to when you can’t fall asleep. Can you believe it? They are all checked out with other patrons.  Thank goodness you can buy a sleep book at the book store. I have a new strategy to calm my little mind when trying to sleep. If it works, I’ll write about it tomorrow. If not, I will tell you what my mind created instead of going to sleep. Happy Dreams!

Quote for the Day

“I think I can, I think I can.”
~ The Little Engine That Could

Challenge Four: Sleep

My 4th Challenge: An Introduction

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I am a night owl. I could stay up all night and sleep all day.   This would be fine if I didn’t have a  job  that requires me to smile at 8:00 a.m. What is my challenge? My goal is to be in bed by 10:30 every night.  Now, some of you may think that this challenge sounds easier than drinking spinach juice or climbing stairs. It is actually hard for me, because I have a lifetime of staring at the ceiling stressing about the ticking clock.

The Practical Reason

I asked the Accountant if he knew of any benefits of sleeping. He  said, “Four out of every five scientists agree that there are no known benefits to having a good night sleep.”  I laughed and then I went to Google and researched what sleep does for the body. I’m impressed. Sleep is amazing. It is like a super drug that does your body good. In the next few days, I will share some of my research.

The Philosophy Reason

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know? “–Ernest Hemingway.

Mr. Hemingway wrote a lot of books so who knows may be I will get a book written after this challenge. The quote made me laugh, but in all reality a good night sleep does make you feel better about the world.

 

 

 

Challenge Three: More Vegtables

Spinach

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If anyone ever gives you a choice between a hot fudge sundae or a  spinach juice, choose the sundae.  I’ve found out that I don’t really like the taste of spinach juice. I’m sure my insides are very happy. I can imagine every little cell in my body  screaming with joy to get nutrients, but my taste buds don’t like the flavor of spinach juice. It is kind of funny, because I like cooked spinach.

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Keep going Quote for the Day

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
– Thomas Edison

Challenge Three: More Vegtables

Success

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Thank you to every one who sent me a recipe. I know I can survive this challenge now. I was a bit worried, because my first green smoothie was terrible. I almost gagged. This one is good though.  You should try to make it at home.

2 cups of water

1/2 head spinach

1/2 head of romaine lettuce

3 sticks of celery

1 banana

1 pear

Put it in a blender and imagine all of those little vegetables making you healthy. It made enough smoothie for two so the Accountant got to drink some as well. I’ve discovered a trick. Things taste better in a fancy cup. Day 4 is now done. I have 9 more days left.

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Reader Question: I know you are finished with the climbing stairs and eating at home challenges, but are you still doing those things?

My Answer: It is kind of funny. I’m  not consciously trying to eat dinner at home or climb stairs. However, I have caught myself since the challenges ended  taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I think having to focus on something so intently for 13 days makes it easier  to do it in my every day life. The Accountant and I have gone out to dinner once since the first challenge.  It felt like a special treat.

Challenge Two: Stairs

What I Learned from my 2nd Challenge

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For the last 13 days,  I have been climbing stairs.   I’ve learned a few things.

1. Take one flight at a time

It is pretty easy to get discouraged when standing  at the bottom of 13 flights of stairs. The trick is to get started and only focus on one small step at a time. The first few days of climbing stairs were really hard. I wanted to quit after flight four. This leads me to the second thing I’ve learned.

2. It easier to do something hard with another person.

I was lucky, because my hubby came with me. He also did the 13 day challenge and  climbed 13 flights of stairs each day beside me.  When I got tired, he would tell me to keep going.

3. Some people are going to laugh at you. It happens.

Some folks will look at you funny when you are trying to improve yourself. The trick is to ignore them. We had more than one person tell us where the elevator was while climbing up and down the stairs at the hotel.

My new challenge starts tomorrow. It will be another 13 days to a better me. I’m excited.

Climb the Stairs

Quote of the Day

It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.
– Albert Einstein