Challenge #2 (1 January - 30 January): 30 Days of Giving

My second challenge is also based on a book: 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker. (Challenge #1 was also based on a book: The 30-Day Vegan Challenge.)

In this book, Ms. Walker shares her struggles of dealing with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that strikes with flare-ups and can be debilitating--symptoms include loss of balance, no muscle control, and severe pain, and recovery from addiction.

Although MS has not affected me or anyone I'm close to personally, this book still struck me (in fact, when I finished, I ordered two copies to send to friends). Ms. Walker's spiritual advisor prescribes her an interesting medication: 29 gifts in 29 days. The effort leads the author to rediscover the joy of helping others, the positive feeling that comes from focusing on more than one's own life, and reminds her of just how fortunate she is.

I think we all need those reminders.

I'll give a more thorough review of the book later, but that's my goal for Challenge #2: 30 gifts in 30 days.

I will follow the book's guidelines, join the 29-Day-Giving-Challenge website, and give a gift (we'll define that further) every day from 1 to 30 January.

While I considered making this my first challenge for December 2011, I thought it would be more beneficial to do it AFTER the Christmas season. In December, many are focused on giving and sharing, but by January, focus usually shifts to paying the bills, recovering from the holidays, and personal goals for the new year. I don't want my focus to shift--I want to become even more focused on giving...and I'm curious to see where that leads me.

Pick up the book, check out the website, follow my journey, and join me in a challenge that shouldn't really be a challenge--give to others.

Day Seven--Fruit & Veggie Cleanse

As I mentioned in last night's post, one of Sarah Taylor's recommendations for becoming vegan was to take a 24-hour "fruit and veggie cleanse" where, for 24 hours, all you eat is fresh organic raw fruits and vegetables.  Some flavoring and some cooking is okay, but she wants us to stay as raw as possible.

So, I'm almost done with my 24 hours...and I have to say I'm glad it's almost over.  It was much harder than I expected--not so much that I was hungry, but I really had cravings.  I said yesterday that I wasn't really sure what the point of the cleanse was; I know at least one benefit I got from it--I realize just how dependent I am on grains, sweets, and "other stuff."

What did I eat?  Below is everything I put in my body today (aside from water)--everything (except for the teas, of course) was homemade...
   Breakfast: Banana, Green Tea, Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup (with flax seed)
   Snack: Apple
   Lunch: Sesame Kale & Onions
   Snack: Tomato, Celery, & Cucumber Salad (with some olive oil & balsamic vinegar), Peppermint Tea
   Dinner: Mixed Greens & Mushroom Salad (with some homemade mustard maple dressing)
   Snack: Fruit Salad, Peach Detox Tea

I hope to now be a bit more conscious of just how much "stuff" I eat aside from fruit and veggies.  While I know that grains, fats, and other things all need to be present in a healthy diet, I didn't realize quite how much they were a part of my daily intake...

I'm thinking about taking this cleanse one day a week to continually remind myself, but I'm not going to make that commitment quite yet...

Day Six--Preparing for a Fruit & Veg Cleanse

Back on Day Three of Vegan in 30 Days (which I am also reading every day of this journey), Sarah Taylor recommended that readers take a 24-hour fruit and vegetable cleanse--basically, for 24 hours, all you eat is fruit and vegetables--no grains, no oils, etc.  "Ideally, you will eat only organic raw fruits and veggies in their whole, natural form.  If you must, you can make a hot dish, as long as all the ingredients are fresh fruits and veggies."

Granted, as I was reading this suggestion I was already eating my bowl of cereal with almond milk, so I decided Day Three was not the day for me to start my 24 hour cleanse.  :)  Then, of course, I had to finish my yummy vegan nachos, so tomorrow, Day 7, I will be doing my 24 hour fruit and veg cleanse.

I have a fruit salad already prepared, carrots peeled, a tomato, celery, & cucumber salad prepared and a bowl of my sweet potato and carrot soup to warm me up half way through the day (probably overcooked for her taste, but I'm okay with that).

My only concern is that Ms. Taylor doesn't really say WHY this cleanse is helpful--my guess is that it has to do with giving your body a full 24 hours of only easy-to-digest food to give your body a chance to break down what's inside and, well, cleanse.  I also wonder if it has to do with cleansing your palate and showing you that it really is possible to survive without "extra" stuff.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Day Five--No Chocolove :(

I can't believe I'm already on day five--it's been much easier than I expected (so far) and I'm proud of myself for sticking it out.

I did have a chocolate craving today, so I pulled out some Chocolove Dark Chocolate that I had purchased from my CSA.  By most accounts, dark chocolate is okay on a vegan diet because milk hasn't been added...

And although the ingredents are "organic cocoa liquor, organic sugar, and organic cocoa butter" there is a little statement underneath the ingredient list that says "may contain traces of milk or nuts," and although I told you I wouldn't be too strict about some of the more obscure animal product ingredients, I'm afraid this was just a little too close for comfort for me...so no chocolate tonight.  :(

Day Four--Vegan Nachos

Today was my usual day of preparing for the week (and when I used up the fruits and veggies that are close to going bad), so I made some tropical fruit smoothies (only fruit in there--no sugar or dairy and they're fantastic), some cilantro dip/dressing that can be used on top of any veggies or grains when in need of a quick meal, and my treat for the day/week--veggie nachos.

Taking some of the Food Should Taste Good blue corn chips (my newest delicious discovery), the mushrooms, tomatoes, and avocadoes I needed to use up, and the vegan cheese and "meat" crumbles I wanted to try, I made nachos...and they were perfect for sitting back and watching football today!

The "cheese" melted, the crumble and mushroom mix came out with great seasoning, and it really was just divine.  I'm fairly certain I could've served it to non-vegans and they would've been very happy!

And I'm looking forward to the taco salad I'm going to have tomorrow...

Day Three--Vegan Shopping (Again)

I think I might be addicted to grocery shopping now.  I love just walking around the store, hunting for vegan items, finding new things to try, and formulating recipes and meal ideas in my head.  After spending another $50 in a store today (after already receiving two CSA orders and making another fairly large grocery trip in the past three days), I realize that I need to slow it down a little bit; in fact, I probably could go a couple of weeks without shopping...

I did find some fun things that I'm excited about:

• So Delicious Nog--It's a vegan version of egg nog made with coconut milk!  Of course it was the first thing I tried when I got home and it tasted great.  (I've read that one of the tricks to enjoying vegan versions of food is to just eat them on their own and not try to compare them to the "real" thing--since I haven't had egg nog in about a year, I don't really remember what it's supposed to taste like.)
• Seaweed Snacks--Seaweed is supposed to be extremely good for you--lots of good nutrients and minerals (including B12 which is normally difficult for vegans to get) and easy for the body to digest.
• Food Should Taste Good Chips--Another product that I tasted as soon as I got home and, wow, these things are good.  (I tasted the Blue Corn variety, but also bought the Sweet Potato ones as the store I was at was having a two-for-one-sale...can't wait to try those, too.)  Seriously, even if you're not a vegan (and the fact that they're certified vegan was a big plus), you should try these things.
• Vegan Cheese--Okay, I did it.  I told you I don't like overly-processed products, but I love cheese and I wanted to give it a chance.  So I bought two different brands (one mozzarella and one cheddar) and I'm very curious to see how they turn out.

And, of course, I picked up a few other yummy things (and had some yummy things delivered) that I'm also excited about: mangoes, turnips (never tried them before), sesame oil, brown rice pasta, tangerines ('tis the season), and more.

Tomorrow is going to be a cooking day where I prepare grains, soups, and a few dishes to make it easy for the rest of the week...I'll, of course, let you know how it goes and share recipes soon!

Day Two--A Few Things I've Already Learned

There are animal products in everything!--Okay, obviously there aren't animal products in everything, but there's a lot more to this vegan thing than meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.  I knew I'd have to be on the look-out for milk, eggs, and butter in some products, but I didn't know that I also had to be on the lookout for wine (sometimes the fermentation process uses gelatin from animal bones, isinglass from fish bladders, and milk proteins), orange juice (anything that's fortified with Omega-3 stuff has fish oil added), and tortillas (could be made with lard).  Seriously?  I've decided that I have to forgive myself if I "fail" on some of these ingredients...at least for now.  I am only on Day Two, after all...

I have a lot more to learn--As you can see above, there's more to this than I realized, but I'm grateful for that.  What a learning experience!  I obviously plan on improving my animal vocabulary and label reading ability over the next 30 days.

I need to plan ahead and be ready at a moment's notice--I almost always pack my lunch and snacks when I'm working and have been putting in extra effort during these vegan days...  So I thought I was prepared today, but then I had an appointment after work, ran home to change clothes, and then headed to a yoga get-together.  I was starving, I didn't have enough food with me and wasn't sure where I could stop to get something quick that was "allowed," and even at the yoga studio, they were serving cheese and crackers.  Of course I should plan my days better, but I also plan on being better prepared with Lara Bars and nuts in my car...just in case.

Smarties are vegan--I've done more odd Google searches in the past couple days than ever...and one today was "Are Smarties vegan?"  I was glad to find out they were...and I was actually even more impressed that the company had a whole page specifically devoted to discussing vegan products.--to me that shows a company that's concious, understanding, and helpful (because they know there are newbies like me who have to ask Google silly stuff like that).

Day One--Done!

I'm almost done with Day One of my vegan challenge and I have to say it was successful with a few interesting thoughts/moments along the way:

--My office had a "breakfast burrito" sale today to raise money...I obviously couldn't buy any of the egg, cheese, and sausage options, so I felt a bit guilty and I'm still self-conscious about telling others that I'm a vegan...I'll have to get over that in the next 30 days!

--Today I realized just how often I reach for the office candy bowl--I didn't look too closely because I knew I would be too tempted by all the milk chocolate and buttery goodness that was in there, but I'm definitely going to have to explore my vegan sweet options.

--It feels good to be filling myself with fruits, vegetables, and whole foods.  I'm excited to be taking care of myself this way.

--I spent a lot of time today thinking about Sarah Taylor's tip for Day 1 in Vegan in 30 Days--"why do you want to be vegan?"  Of course, I've thought about that and I have my goals and intentions, but she makes a case that in order to make a change this big, you have to have a big reason for why you want to make it...  "Is your reason compelling enough so that you will stick with it for 30 days?  What about your whole life?"  I'm not sure if my reasons of losing weight and feeling healthy are strong enough at this point to outweigh my desire for greasy creamy comfort food that I'm used to...I will definitely have to revisit this at the end of my 30 days!

Vegan Shopping!

Thanks to my wonderful local CSA's, I have plenty of fruits and vegetables to get me started on my vegan journey, but there are a few things I need to fill out my kitchen...so I turned to the web for some vegan shopping lists and my friend Lory Benson for all of the great recipes she shared in her detox diet and healthy eating immersion classes.  Then I headed to the local Whole Foods Market...(I do find it expensive, but I figured it was the best place to start for a beginner like me--I can trust the products there, the staff is always helpful, and I know it's vegan-friendly.)

What was on my list?
Vegan butter--EarthBalance is definitely the one that's touted the most
Edamame--a great natural source of protein
Kombucha--sounds yummy and healthy, so I'll give it a try!
Quinoa--love this grain and I know it will help me get my protein

And a few products that weren't on my list this time, but probably will be soon when I'm ready to experiment more?
Nutritional Yeast Flakes--I'm a little unsure about this one, but I have seen it in a lot of recipes and it sounds useful
Vegenaise--see my note below about processed products, though...
Seitan--Lory's a big fan of this one and I will try it...soon.

Now, I'm not a fan of overly-processed products, so I'm not sure how I feel about all those fake products that are out there (vegan cheese?  textured vegetable protein?).  I'll need to do more research on specific products before I try some...

Straight from the Author's Mouth

The more I explore veganism and The 30-Day Vegan Challenge book that I'm relying on throughout this journey, the more and more respect and awe I have for Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  She is well-spoken, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and positive...I appreciate the fact that she approaches veganism in a comprehensive way that is focused on creating a lifestyle and not just on facts and figures.

Here's her own intro to The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately, my guide for the next thirty days.

Doesn't that sound great?  To find out more about Colleen and her products, visit her website: Compassionate Cooks. 

My Vegan Kitchen--CSA's

Today was my first attempt at creating a vegan kitchen--I am a bit of a cheapskate, so while I did throw some things away, some things I froze and others I just put on a shelf for "maybe later" depending on how I feel after the challenge...

For my food, I'm going to be relying mostly on two CSA's here in Colorado that I already subscribe to--Door to Door Organics and Mile High Organics--where I get plenty of fresh fruits and veggies each week.

What's a CSA?  A CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture where, in most cases, a consumer purchases a "share" of the CSA by purchasing a box of fruits and/or veggies.

For the two above that I subscribe to, each week I pay approximately $25 to have a small box of fruits and vegetables delivered literally right to my doorstep (FYI, the small box is plenty for one person--I'm curious to see how two CSA deliveries and a truly vegan diet play out, though).  The fruits and veggies are all organically grown and the organizations do their best to support local farmers first (love that!)
 
Each week, there's a list of 8-10 fruit/veggie offerings and if I don't like what's being offered this week, I can go in to "exchange" one of the offerings for one I'd rather have (sometimes I need more fruit, sometimes it's time for more onions, this past week I needed sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving, etc.).  (You can also pre-program your choices if you have allergies, food preferences, etc.)  I try not to exchange too much as "trying NEW veggies and fruits" is always a goal of mine (I'm getting turnips this week--don't think I've ever eaten those, much less cooked with them!), but it's great to have the opportunity to substitue when you have just too many salad greens or are tired of apples or have a specific recipe in mind.

Both CSA's also offer the opportunity to add more organic/natural products to your order--for my first adventure into veganism this week in addition to my usual box, I added some red beans, barley, lentils, brown rice pasta, and a special bulk order of tangerines (I love that winter fruit!) to "fill out" my pantry and fridge.  Of course, I can get those products in a "real" grocery store and I definitely recommend one balance out the cost with the benefit by choosing to get these products from a CSA before adding things to your cart...

I love the idea of CSA's for several reasons:

• I get fresh organic low-pesticide fruits and veggies every week delivered right to my door at a reasonable price.
• I know that I'm eating fresh produce--not anything that's been shipped from miles and miles away.  In fact, with Door to Door Organics, I had ONLY Colorado-grown offered in my box for the summer months (I hadn't yet subscribed Mile High Organics, but I assume it's similar) but with the cold winter ahead, we were given very clear notice that our options would change.
• I feel like I'm supporting local farmers--and that's important to me.
• I'm sometimes forced to experiment and try new fruits and veggies--just in the few weeks that I've been doing this, I've: tried red kuri squash (looks like a pumpkin), had more lettuce than I could ever imagine (more on that later--I'll share one of my favorite recipes for using up wilted greens), discovered many new ways of preserving produce (I'm now the queen of freezing smoothies and soups), and found produce I enjoy that I had never really tried before (I'm a pomengranate convert!)

Obviously, I will be relying on these CSA's throughout my vegan challenge, but they're something I will always turn to for healthy easy eating and I hope you do, too.  To find a CSA in your area (and get more info on this fabulous service), check out Local Harvest's info.

Challenge #1: Prepping for My Vegan Challenge

I've already shared some generic prep work for 30 Day Challenges, but since I'm three days away from starting my Vegan Challenge... it's time for me to start going in-depth on preparing for this challenge.  (I realize that I sound a complete know-it-all through this...this is my current approach that I think will help--enter at your own risk!)   My approach, so far, has been three-fold: physical, mental, and emotional.

Physical--I'm doing my best at emptying my fridge and pantry of anything that has animal products in it...and after a four-day Thanksgiving extravaganza with my family this is not an easy task.  I took the coffee creamer in my fridge to the office, froze the leftover turkey, threw away the leftover ham, and plan on eating a lot of eggs in the next few days...

I haven't hit the pantry yet, but I think it will be very interesting to read through the labels and see what I find...

Mental--I've already mentioned one of the books I'm relying on for this challenge (and the one that started it all): The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  I'm studying the introductory chapters and browsing through some of the upcoming chapters...I'll write a more in-depth review of the book later, but I love her gentle approach to the practical information that's included.

I have two other books I've collected to help stay focused and get recipe ideas: Vegan in 30 Days: Get Healthy, Save the World by Sarah Taylor and The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet by Alicia Silverstone.  As I find other recipe sources, blogs, and info throughout the next 30 days, I'll share them here--there seem to be a lot out there and some definitely seem more helpful and thorough than others...

Emotional--This is always the hardest part of any challenge for me--finding the reasons for doing the challenge isn't actually too hard--I already outlined my vegan goals and challenges, but staying motivated and committed throughout the 30 days is tough.  It's easy to fall back on old patterns, succumb to peer pressure, and just plain be lazy...in this challenge that means it will be easy for me to grab a hamburger on the way home, eat all the cookies and cakes that are brought into the office, and have a pizza delivered...

So, I'm focusing on WHY I want to take on this challenge--today I had a fitness assessment and I have to say I was pretty disgusted with the results.  This past month of stress, alcohol, and food with minimal exercise has really taken a toll on my body...I weigh 170 pounds and have 32% body fat.  Far from the 140 I want to be.  I can't believe I've done this to my body and it's time to start taking care of it again.  Knowing that focus and reading through the books and blogs about other's journeys will hopefully keep me motivated throughout the month...oh, and this is where you come in, too...keep me motivated and hold me to it!
What do you do to stay focused on a goal?

Challenge #1: Goals and Intentions

Before beginning any endeavor--whether it's a challenge, a workout, a recipe, or a project--having an intention ahead of time will help you find clarification in the task that you're about to take on and will guide you as you move along.  We often make intentions without even realizing it--hey, making it through the day without screaming counts as a goal and intention and I think it's a good one--but when we really want to achieve success, we should work on clearly defining our intentions and putting them in writing...

For my challenges, I have a set of questions to answer before and after every challenge to help me set my 30 Day Challenge Goals and Intentions.  I'm about to embark on Challenge #1: 30 Day Vegan Challenge so here are my attempts at getting some clarification on my intentions for this crazy idea...

How do I feel now? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually?

• Physically, I feel "heavy."  I pretty much just "let myself go" during the month of November--between a busy work time, traveling, and family visiting for the holiday, I ended up eating a lot, drinking a lot, and exercising very little.  I feel bloated, lethargic, and even out of breath sometimes--definitely not a good feeling.
• Emotionally, I feel tired.  The dark nights and cold weather combined with the not-fun physical feeling have left me lethargic, low-energy, and with the winter blues.
• Spiritually, I feel inspired.  Knowing that I'll be taking on this challenge excites me and makes me think that I will better connect to myself. 

What are my intentions for doing the 30-day challenge? 

• To be more adventurous--I want to be open to new foods, recipes, and restaurants
• To be strong and committed--I'm the queen of making excuses and for not following through, but this time I want to stay committed and really see this through all the way
• To discover healthier food options--I want a diet that is more focused on natural plant-based products that can provide me with comfort, good taste, and nutrition, not just the alcohol, cheese, sugar, and fat-based diet I've been eating lately ...

What goals do I want to attain by the end of the 30 days? 

• I will lose at least 5 pounds.  (During the holidays?!?  I AM crazy!)
• I will post on this blog about my thoughts, successes, and failures at least once a day.
• I will try at least two new foods/recipes a week.

What am I most afraid of or anxious about? 

• Not following through--the holidays are a tough time and I'm worried that I will turn to food when I'm stressed or unsure and I'll be unable to truly completely this challenge.
• My ability to say no--can I really stay strong and say no to all the cookies, cakes, etc. that will be around during the holidays?
• My ability to tell others about my commitment--for some reason, I'm embarrassed to tell others about my challenge (silly I know, but that's how I roll), and I'm afraid that others will judge me and tease me if I tell them I'm vegan...
• Making a mistake--in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'm worried that I'll eat a piece of bread or a snack bar without even realizing that it's "not allowed"...but I'm also kind of excited about learning more and using my information sources to help me figure this one out.

What am I anticipating being the most challenging aspects of these 30 days?  

• Sticking to my goal during the holidays
• Going out to eat
• Staying strong

What am I anticipating being the most exciting aspects of these 30 days? 

• Discovering new foods and recipes!
• Losing weight
• Having more energy
• Clearer skin
• Sharing the journey with others

It feels good to have written these out--and it definitely gives me some hope after the gluttony of this past week (okay, month).  Now to clean out my fridge...

Challenge #1 (1 December – 30 December): 30 Day Vegan Challenge

My first challenge is the one that inspired this whole 30 day challenge-blog thing: I'm going vegan (well, at least for 1 December-30 December)!

Depending on who you ask, after analyzing my current diet, some would call me a flexitarian, a part-time vegetarian, or a semi-vegetarian. Basically, I'm a meat-eating vegetarian. Ridiculous, I know. It's pretty much just that I see the benefits of vegetarianism--the health benefits and environmental benefits and wish I could be a vegetarian, but I also really like bacon, burgers, and sushi. So, I'm going to put my money where my mouth is (or leave the meat out of my mouth) and go cold turkey (wow, these references to meat are hard to avoid!)

So, why go vegan and not just try the vegetarian thing? Well, there are a few reasons:

• The point is to make it a challenge, right? Why not add cheese and coffee creamer into the mix?!?
• I went temporarily vegan for about two weeks in October (doing a detox diet--loved it!) and really enjoyed it. In just those two weeks, my skin really did get more smooth, my sinuses were more clear, and I felt great. Of course, I did a great job of "re-toxing" afterwards so I'd like to take the opportunity to try it again and for a longer period of time.
• I found a great tool that will do some of the planning work for me and keep me going every day: The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I've already read through the intro chapters (thanks, Kindle) and I know it will be a great tool. I'll share some of that info with you.

Throughout the next few days, I'll go more into what I hope to gain from the challenge, the benefits of veganism, and my concerns, but until then...anyone else with me? Let's share our vegan recipes, challenges, and encourage each other!

(And, yes, I do realize the irony of announcing this right after Thanksgiving as I enjoy my leftover turkey, mashed potatoes made with milk, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream--I have 'til December 1st! I'll be eating their vegan alternatives on Christmas Day for sure!)

Preparing for a 30 Day Challenge

Completing a 30 Day Challenge (and actually being successful) takes more than just coming up with the idea (although that is the fun part)--there is some real preparation work that needs to go into it...before Day 1 even rolls around.

Although the preparation work depends on the challenge, here are some of the steps that I take for my challenges:

Set goals and intentions. Understanding what I hope to gain from each challenge has to be the first step--if I don't know where I'm going, how do I expect to get there? There are specific questions that I'll use as a guide to set my goals and intentions before each challenge...and I will revisit similar questions at the end of each challenge to see how I progressed.

Gather knowledge. We're in the information age and there is plenty of information out there--books, magazines, TV shows, documentaries, blogs, websites--the list goes on. By gathering knowledge, I'll be better able to keep myself motivated, find helpful tips and ideas, and hopefully be even more successful. I'll, of course, do some research before I even start each challenge, but I also believe that more and more knowledge will present itself as I go through each challenge. I'll share my resources with you.

Gather support. My first place of support will, of course, be this blog. This will keep me accountable and your words of encouragement will certainly help. Friends, family, and coworkers are also vital to one's success--some think I'm crazy for taking on these challenges, but they'll support me anyway. That's what friends are for!

Make a plan. You have to plan it out--I don't want to get stuck at 10 p.m. on a day when I still have to carry through on the challenge. I'll be sure to use my calendar, set aside time each day to write about how I'm doing, and I will know in advance what I'm doing each day (well, hopefully). The planning will vary based on the challenge, but there will always be one in place.

It's almost time to put all this planning into action--let's go 1 December!

30 Day Challenge Goals and Intentions

As I've mentioned (What Makes a Challenge a 30 Day Challenge?), I'm not doing these challenges just to do a challenge--I actually hope to gain something positive from each one.
And I think it's important to define those intentions ahead of time--this will help me understand where I'm going and at the end, understand if I've gotten there.

In her book The 30 Day Vegan Challenge, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau offers questions to guide readers to set their goals and intentions and I plan on using these questions for every challenge.
Before the challenge:

• How do I feel now? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually?
• What are my intentions for doing the 30-day challenge?
• What goals do I want to attain by the end of the 30 days?
• What am I most afraid of or anxious about?
• What am I anticipating being the most challenging aspects of these 30 days?
• What am I anticipating being the most exciting aspects of these 30 days?

After the challenge:

• How do I feel now? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually?
• Have I learned anything about myself during these 30 days?
• Have I learned anything about my friends? Family members?
• Did I stay clear about my intentions throughout the 30-day process?
• Did I meet any of my goals?
• If not, how I feel about that? Are these goals I can return to now and again?
• Did the fears I had come to fruition? How did I handle these situations? How would I want to handle them in the future?
• What did I find challenging about the 30 days? Is there anything I can do to make it easier moving forward?

Ideas for 30 Day Challenges (Part 3)

As you may have noticed, I've gotten pretty excited about this 30 Day Challenge thing and all the directions it can go. (I believe I mentioned that I tend to have a lot of interests that frequently change when describing what the 30 Day Challenge was all about...)


You've already seen ten of my ideas for future challenges (Ideas for 30 Day Challenges (Part 1) and Ideas for 30 Day Challenges (Part 2)) and here are five more:


No TV: For me, this is probably the most difficult of all my challenge ideas so far. I'm single, so the TV is my companion when I'm home--I turn on SportsCenter first thing in the morning, watch Law & Order marathons while I clean my house, and follow the Food Network while catching up on e-mail. And I do admit that my TV addiction sometimes prevents me from sleeping, being social, and being active--so for 30 Days, I'd like to keep the TV off (unless I'm doing an exercise DVD and see how I feel. More productive? More rested? Or more bored?


Meditation: There are many that tout the benefits of daily meditation--peace, clarity, focus, etc. and although I have tried meditation before, I, again, probably haven't given it the attention and commtiment that it takes to truly gain all the benefits. So, for 30 days I'd meditate every day for at least 15 minutes.


Connect with a Friend: Although I'm extremely lucky to have good friends all over the world, I'm afraid I'm not always the best at keeping in touch and I often feel bad about that, but don't take the action I should. Every day for 30 days, I would reach out individually to 30 of my friends and see where it takes me...


Run/Walk: I haven't fully developed this one yet. A little background--about two years ago I trained to walk a marathon just to have a doctor tell me four days beforehand that I shouldn't go. I've barely done a thing since then and I'd like to get back into it--and maybe even run. So, for this goal I'm thinking of setting a goal to run or walk a mile a day (maybe two miles a day?) or follow some type of plan like The Runner's World 8-Week Beginning Runner's Training Program. Somehow, for 30 days, I'd focus on exercise, improving my endurance, and maybe rediscover the joy and commitment I once had.


Detox Diet: In October of 2011, I followed a detox diet laid out by my friend and knowledgeable nutritionist, Lory Benson. It was tough to go for 21 days with no red meat, no caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar, no nightshade vegetables, and no gluten, but I felt great afterwards (I also lost nine pounds). Work then got in the way and I pretty much lost all the benefits I'd gained. While she hasn't announced her dates for 2012 yet, I'd like to do it again...but make a full 30 day commitment and give myself more time to really "get it."


Although I've already decided my challenges for December 2011 and January 2012, I will re-examine all of these challenge ideas (and others you all think of) in January and figure out where I'm going to go next!

Ideas for 30 Day Challenges (Part 2)

I already know exactly what I want to do for my first two challenges, December 2011 and January 2012, but after that, I'm pretty much open...although I do have some ideas...

I already outlined five Ideas for 30 Day Challenges, but here are five more:

Morning Pages: Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way", has become a guide for anyone hoping to uncover and deepen their creative mind. One of the two "pivotal tools" she recommends is writing Morning Pages: "put simply, the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consiciousness." While there is a lot that comes from this action, the main idea is to do this writing first thing in the morning to release any negative thoughts and connect to an inner power within. I'd like to do morning pages every day for 30 days.

30 Day Shred: Jillian Michaels might just be the world's most well-known personal trainer and fitness guru... In 2008, she released her "30 Day Shred" DVD which has three 20-minute workout routines where "you can lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days." While I'm not sure I trust (or think it's wise) to lose 20 pounds in 30 days, I figure it can't hurt to use this tool to whip my body into shape. I would do one of the work-out routines from this DVD every day for 30 days.

No Spending for 30 Days: Like most, I'm concerned about money and ensuring that I can live comfortably for the rest of my life and I do think I sometimes spend more money than I should, so after paying my bills (rent, phone, internet, utilities), I'd like to not spend any money at all (except for gas). It will require some creativity and pre-planning on my part, but I definitely think it will be a challenge and will be a good way for to clean out my pantry and freezer. So, for 30 days I will not spend any money outside of my bills and gas.

Yoga for 30 Days: I do enjoy yoga, but I'm not very disciplined about my practice, so I don't think I'm getting all of the benefits from it that I could (flexibility, strength, relaxation). By committing myself to 60 minutes of yoga every day for 30 days, I'd like to see what progress I make in my physical, emotional, and spiritual development. By taking advantage of various teachers, studios, and DVD's, I'd do 60 minutes of yoga every day for 30 days.

Go Raw in 30 Days: I'll be honest, I'm a bit wary about the raw diet (eating only uncooked and unprocessed organic food). While I can see its benefits, I'm not sure if it's completely necessary and it's got to be tough to follow. I am curious, though, and I'm willing to give it a try. For 30 days, I'd follow a raw diet.

So many challenges, only so many months. What are you interested in seeing me do?

Ideas for 30 Day Challenges (Part 1)

As I've discussed, I do have some requirements for a challenge to truly be a 30 Day Challenge (find out What Makes a 30 Day Challenge?) and you'll see that a focus is on improving myself, improving my health, or doing my part to improve the world around me.
Here are some the ideas I'm currently considering (in no particular order) for my next few challenges and I'd love some feedback (what do you want to hear about? what's stupid? what other ideas should I consider?):
30 Days of ESPN's 30 for 30: I'm a sports fan and since I was born in 1980 (one year after the sports network debuted), ESPN has always been a part of my life (I turn on SportsCenter as soon as I get up in the morning). 30 for 30 is a series of 30 documentaries chronicaling various sports stories that shaped the sports world (and the world beyond it) in the past 30 years. I've seen a handful and found them fascinating...I'd like to challenge myself to watch all 30 in 30 days.

30 Days of A Regular Sleep Routine: I believe we all know that we're "supposed" to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night (if you didn't know that, we'll discuss it) which leads to many benefits. Related to getting the ideal number of hours of sleep is actually sleeping on a genuine routine. For 30 days, I'd like to try going to bed at the exact same time every night (no matter what's on TV) and getting up at the same time every day (even if it is a Saturday).

30 Days to Understanding the Bible: I was raised Christian going to Sunday School and learning the stories, but was also given the opportunity to explore on my own and make my own decisions (thank you, Mom & Dad!). Although I haven't done too much research on this, I figure it can't hurt...I'd like to know more. For 30 days, I'd like to follow this plan and see what I learn.

30 Days of, well, 30 Days: Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmaker and writer best known for his challenge of eating nothing but McDonald's for a full 30 days in his award-winning film "SuperSize Me", also created a fascinating TV show called "30 Days," where various representatives spend 30 days immersing themselves in a different lifestyle than their own (living in prison, working for minimum wage, working in a coal mine, gay parenting, etc.). I've watched a few episodes and it really is an interesting examination of our differences, how we adjust to different lifestyles, and what it takes to live together and understand each other. Unfortunately, the show only aired for eighteen episodes in three seasons, so it wouldn't be a daily challenge...but I love the way it fits into my theme and I still think it would leave me with a lot to think about...

30 Days of Gratitude: As many have said before me, I do believe that by focusing on what we're grateful for and the positive things in our life, we're more likely to see more and more of those blessings. Oprah, Rhonda Byrne, Jack Canfield, and all sorts of other positive thinkers have long encouraged keeping a gratitude journal. I have done it off and on, but I'd like to challenge myself to, for 30 days, write a list of five things I'm grateful for (never repeating myself in those 30 days).

These are only five of my ideas for future challenges (I have plenty more)...let me know your thoughts on these ideas and I'll continue to post my others (and any that you all share!)

What Makes a 30 Day Challenge?

There are a few requirements for a challenge to truly be considered for one of my 30 Day Challenges:


The challenge has to actually be a goal of mine or something I’m considering adding to my life–I’m not doing a challenge just for the sake of doing a challenge. Although I'm experimenting in a way, I'm not doing this for the sake of conducting an experiment--I really do want to discover positive changes that can work in my life.


It has to actually be a challenge–as much as I’d like to challenge myself to 30 Days of massages and see how I feel afterwards, that’s not really a challenge (except to my wallet). As strange as it sounds, I want to struggle and discover just how strong I am.


All challenges should lead to a positive outcome. As much as I enjoy Morgan Spurlock, I will never have a challenge where I try to Supersize Me (in fact, most of my challenges will be working on "Minimizing Me"). None of my challenges will ever involve harming myself, the environment, or others. (And yes, I'm the judge on what that means.) He does inspire one of my other challenge ideas, though...


It’s a 30 Day Challenge–not a three times a week or four times a month challenge, so I'd prefer challenges that involve some kind of daily action or commitment. (Although I might try some with an ultimate 30 Day goal–like read 10 books in 30 days or something like that…)


I'm always looking for ideas for challenges and resources to help me...share your ideas with me by commenting below!

30 Days to Form a Habit?

So, why 30 Days? I wish I had a super-scientific answer for you, but it's pretty arbitrary. Although there was at least a little bit of thought behind it...

First, who are we kidding? It's easy! Every first of the month, I'll start with a new challenge. My calendar will be clean and neat and it's easy to plan.

30 Days seems like a good amount of time to truly give something a chance without being overwhelming. Going vegan for the rest of my life sounds tough for someone who loves cheese, burgers, and sushi, but I definitely appreciate the diet's benefits, so I'm willing to try it for 30 days and see how much I really miss cheddar, Whoppers, and California Rolls.

It takes some time to form a habit, but exactly how much time is debated. There is a lot of talk about the 21 Day Theory that says it takes 21 days to form a new habit. It's believed that this theory came from "Psycho-Cybernetics: A New Way to Get More Living out of Life" by Maxwell Maltz (originally written in the 1970's, but revised in 1989). Many, however, question the validity of this theory. Other sources say it takes up to four weeks or even up to 66 days to form a habit. I'm not necessarily trying to form a new habit by the end of each challenge, but if I do decide I'd like to make it a habit...I'm at least well on my way.

There are already quite a few 30 Day plans out there, so why not take advantage of them when the work is already done for me? That's actually where this whole blog thing really started. I was researching vegan eating and found The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately --sounded like a good challenge, but then I started to wonder if I could really stick to it and how I could keep myself accountable...and the blog thing came to mind, so here I am, adding my thoughts and activities to the plethora of blogs out there in hopes that someone will care, encourage me, and make sure I follow through with each of my 30 Day Challenges.

(No, I haven't figured out what I'm going to do about February yet, but we'll get there when we get there...)

The 30 Day Premise...

To help you get an idea of what this "30 Day Challenge" thing is about, let me tell you a little bit about myself, my philosphy, and where this idea came from:

• I am all about self-improvement. Life is a journey and there's always room to grow. Why not continually push ourselves?
• As much as I like challenges, I'm not very good at the whole self-discipline thing. I rely heavily on the support of others.
• I like to describe myself as "curious" and "passionate"--those are nice ways of saying that I have a lot of interests that change frequently.

So, that's basically it. My plan is to take on various thirty-day challenges over the next few months (only my first one is decided at this point--I'll be looking for suggestions for future challenges) and share my journey with you.
Hopefully you'll join me on this adventure:

• Take on the challenges with me! ("The more the merrier" and "there's power in numbers" are more cliches that I believe in...)
• Encourage me (yup, I'm straight up asking for it)--give me ideas, recipes, words of encouragement, your experience, information sources, etc. Please, please, please!
• Just follow me and laugh at me (or argue). I'm okay with that.
• Be inspired...? Make your own challenges--let my successes (and/or failures) inspire you to find your own success. I realize that's pretty egotistical of me (especially since I haven't even started my first 30 day challenge--maybe you should wait on this one until I actually complete a few challenges, now that I think about it).

I'll be taking on my first challenge 1 December--exactly two weeks from today. (Yeah, I'm also a bit impatient--no waiting until 1 January for me!) Until then, I'll be sharing a bit more info about me, my plan, and my preparation for my first challenge.


Let's get this party started!