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...