the thirty Day Makeover–Week Two
January 7th, 2008 | by Jeniffer |How did you do last week?
Did you complete all the tasks?
If so, you have an excellent start on improving several areas of your life already! Congratulations!
I did have one person who I know mention last week’s start of the makeover to me.
She had been looking for information on how to look better. My makeover will help with that–you’ll get more fit, feel better about yourself and your life, perhaps lose a couple of pounds in the process–but it doesn’t really deal with any of that “beauty magazine” stuff. I’m more concerned with the inner you than the outer you, and I think if you take care of the person you are inside, the outside is bound to shine.
So be warned–I will not have makeup tips or anything of that nature here.
Sorry, if that’s what you were expecting.
Now, on with the tasks for week 2!
1) Continue eating a healthy breakfast as you did every day last week.
This revs your metabolism into gear in the morning, essential especially if you are looking to lose a couple of pounds.
As well, it helps your ability to concentrate and think clearly, which everyone needs.
2) Add to this a healthy mid morning snack.
I replaced a junk food mid morning snack with a piece of fruit, and find it has done much more for me than merely trim excess calories.
My skin is clearer, I have more energy.
I really believe this is a huge step in ridding your body of gunk.
Try apples, bananas, various typs of fruit such as pineapple slices or pears.
Whatever catches your fancy and suits your tastes.
3) Continue to drink 6-8, 8-oz glasses of water per day, to hydrate and remove toxins from your body.
Those of you looking for ways to look better should take note: your skin will improve with this hydration, and your stomach will protrude less. Water, ironically, helps flush out excess fluids.
4) Also continue taking a daily multi vitamin/mineral supplement.
5) Write things down.
a)Track your eating as you did last week, noting how you felt at start/finish, why you ate, when you ate, etc.
You might also like to check out an online service to help you do this. thanks to Lifehacker.com’s post http://lifehacker.com/336991/free-tools-to-manage-new-years-resolutions (you might want to check out the other cool tools there while you’re at it!), I found http://www.thedailyplate.com/.
I haven’t actually used it (yet), but it looks promising, so I may give it a try!
Begin incorporating the following changes into your diet:
-replace white bread with whole grain bread.
The same with rice, pastas, and cereals.
-do not add butter to anything you eat.
-do not eat white potatoes
-when eating salads, dip your salad into the dressing, rather than pouring it over it. You will get less dressing this way, and it will taste just as good.
-If you go to bed at ten p.m., do not eat after seven p.m.
Whatever time you go to bed, stop eating three hours before.
-do not get up for a snack in the middle of the night.
b) take a look at what you spent money on last week.
In particular, look at the impulse buys, and the items you did not really need, but bought anyway (such as that gooey morning snack and super-caffienated coffee from the truck at work)
What could you have done, rather than purchase these items? (i.e. Rather than buying lunch every day, you can brown bag it, leaving you time for a 20-30 minute walk after lunch if you have an hour, and saving you some money at the same time.)
Do that this week, making your own lunch, snacking on a healthy apple you brought from home in mid morning, brown bagging your kids lunches rather than having them purchase whatever is fried at the cafeteria in school, etc.
And make your own coffee, both at home, and, if possible at all, at work.
Those dollars really add up, over time.
This week, each time you do something which you would normally have paid for without thinking, make a note of it, and put that money aside. Do so for the rest of these thirty days. And keep adding those amounts, with the amounts you did spend last week. It’s amazing, how much money slips through our hands without us even noticing it going!
6) Continue exercising as last week (you did get your doctor’s permission, right?)
If your doctor says it’s ok to do so, add 5-10 minutes to the amount you were doing last week.
-add basic strength training exercises (i.e. chair dips, push ups, bicep curls, etc), twice this week.
Toning muscles in this way helps to burn more calories while it strengthens you, and resistance exercise is necessary to help stave off osteoporosis.
7)ccontinue with organizing your home. Pick one more area or room, and work on getting it organized and uncluttered during this week.
