My 12 Step Program

That's right, I have a 12 step program. It's most likely not the usual 12 step program you've heard of though!

My 12 step program consists of making one change per month, for the next year, to better your health or life. I know, it sounds pretty simple and may not even seem like a challenge to you. However, it can be just as hard to start a good, new habit as it is to quit a bad one, and statistics show it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Seems like a long time, doesn't it?

So, my challenge for you is to add, or take away, at least one thing per month to better yourself. Examples? I thought you'd never ask! Here are some things that you could try:

~Begin drinking a green smoothie daily
~Start drinking lemon water every morning
~Drink more water throughout the day (maybe add an additional glass)
~Add a fruit and veggie to each meal
~Swap your morning coffee (of afternoon soda!) for a lemon water, smoothie, water or tea
~Begin supplements like fish oil, probiotics, etc and take them daily
~Eat coconut oil daily
~Drink Apple Cider Vinegar daily
~Add a source of Omega-3 each day
~Begin each day with 5 things you are thankful for
~Go to bed! Work towards getting at least 8 hours of sleep, with as many as possible before 12am
~ Get active! Try and add some kind of physical exercise each day, or at minimum 3-4 times per week. Even if you are bound to a desk job like me, get up every hour and stretch, walk around the office, or go up and down stairs a few times. Heck, even do a few jacks, squats or wall push-ups!
~Swap your fast food lunch for something homemade, or a salad (this saves you $$ too)
~Quit smoking!
~Stop drinking soda, whether it's diet or regular. Did you know, that just one soda per day for a year equals 10 lbs?! Can you imagine how many calories you'd save, especially if you drink more than one? Not to mention all the yuckies that soda contains!

Now step back and take a look at all of those changes. Sure, it's pretty overwhelming when you look at all of them in a list. But break it down and look at one at a time and it seems much more do-able, doesn't it? And that's exactly how you can set yourself up for success, and the path to a healthier life style. Choose one thing each month (or two if you're ambitious!), and implement it into your every day. Then next month, choose something else. Next thing you know, it's a year down the road and you've made TWELVE major changes to improve your health! Good job, you!

And this is the exact reason and heart and soul behind this blog. I want to show everyone that changing your lifestyle doesn't have to be this sudden 180 where suddenly your favorite foods are out the window and you're on a hourly alarm clock schedule for your next healthy task. Granted a health issue may warrant this. But the average person can very easily get on this path and move at their own pace to better their health and lifestyle. My philosophy has always been a very popular quote that I most likely saw while spell bound by Pinterest...."A year from now, you'll wish you started today".