21 Days

It takes 21 days to change a habit. I've decided that I am not going to be unhappy anymore and am in the process of a major life overhaul. I am changing my behaviors and creating habits that will change the person I am into a happy, productive, positive person. I've started several daily activities to change my habits and have been at it for about a week. Here is what I am doing to change myself:

- Exercise daily. This has translated into taking a daily 30-45 minute walk with Benjamin. I just pop him in the stroller and go. I walk at the mall, or around the neighborhood. I listen to Spanish lessons on my iPod as I'm doing it. I figure, kill two birds with one stone- exercise and learn a language. When I get the chance, I also run, bike, and swim.

- Watch my diet. There are several components to this one. The first and most important one, I've discovered, is to plan my meals. Each morning, I glance through the cupboards and decide on what I am going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in-between. I then record this on a website on which multiple people do the same thing. If I get to the end of the day and have some calories remaining, I can eat something that I haven't recorded but that means I have to go and edit my meal plan to add the additional food, in bright red font. I love this for a couple reasons: 1) If I eat something totally unhealthy, the bright red shows me what I've cheated on. At the end of the day, I can easily see what my original plans were and where I went wrong; 2) I am held accountable for what I plan and what I cheat on. I hate having to write something like "edit- add 6 oreos, 2 granola bars" or whatever I cheated on. I feel silly when I have to edit my plan and hate that others can see where I screwed up.

- Drink half my weight in water daily. I a huge blue water jug and each morning, I fill it up with the ounces I plan on drinking. When the jug becomes empty, I know my water intake for the day is good. If it gets boring, sometimes I pour a cup full from my jug into a cup and add crystal light. I have to be sure that I am drinking throughout the whole day, otherwise I'll get to the end of my day and the jug will be still full. Some days, I am still thirsty and actually drink more than I had anticipated. I love drinking lots of water. It helps me feel full and keeps me from snacking.

-Reading my scriptures, 30 minutes a day. I've started in D&C this time. No real reason except that I have a "Doctrine and Covenants Made Easier" companion book. After D&C, I'll read the Book of Mormon. And then the Bible.

So that is my plan for now. If I find other things I want to change, I'll simply add them to my daily routine and see how things look after 21 days. So far, it's been awesome. I've lost 5 pounds and feel like an actual human again.