Taking care of our health really should be a priority but is it for you? It honestly hasn’t been for me. Oh, I give it lip service but am I backing that up with action? Not consistently. But I’m determined to change that. And I’m using what I’ve learned about habits to make sure this isn’t something I do for a week and then forget all about it. For this health challenge I’ve come up with three daily habits to focus on. It may not sound like much but once these habits are firmly established I’ll add more. Little by little. That’s the way to make them stick!
This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more here.
The 6, 7, 8 Health Challenge Plan
I recently led my Facebook group, Make Over Your Life With Dee, through the FlyLady’s 31 Babysteps. Each day we took one small step toward getting our homes in order and establishing regular habits. It occurred to me that I could do something similar with a health challenge.
I decided to start with three daily habits. Just three. It feels like something I can reasonably expect of myself.
So where to begin? If you like this basic concept, feel free to choose your own daily habits but I decided to focus on water intake, adequate sleep and a simple daily exercise routine. And I like the numbering aspect of it – “The 6, 7, 8 Plan”.
The 6, 7, 8 Plan
Six Glasses of Water
Many of us don’t drink enough water. I don’t drink soft drinks/pop/soda but I do enjoy my hot tea and coffee. While I don’t intend to give those up I do want to make sure I’m also drinking six glasses of water a day. I will start the day with a glass of lemon water which gets one out of the way early in the day. Another after my morning exercise, one or two with lunch, one or two in the afternoon and one with dinner will add up to my goal of six.
This is How Many Glasses of Water You Should Really Drink
How much water should you drink?
Seven Hours of Sleep
Sleep is the aspect of health that is the hardest for me. I just don’t sleep well or enough. There are a number of reasons for that but suffice it to say, I need to do better in this area of health. I never sleep through the night, often waking numerous times. Sometimes I can’t fall asleep and many times I wake in the night and have a hard time going back to sleep. In order to get a total of seven hours I’m going to have to go to bed much earlier. I’m a night owl so that’s going to be a big challenge for me! If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them.
The Benefits of Getting a Full Night’s Sleep
Eight Minutes of Exercise
And finally, I’m adding an 8-minute morning exercise routine to what (little) exercise I’m already doing. Years ago I bought the 8 Minutes in the Morning Kit and did it off and on for awhile. I don’t know why I didn’t stay with it. It’s not difficult and it takes less than 10 minutes. No more excuses!
Are Current Exercise Guidelines Too Demanding?
So that’s my plan. I’m going to do my very best to adhere to this plan every day for 30 days and evaluate my results. Hopefully these things will have become a habit and then I’ll add something else.
If you’d like to join this health challenge, I’d love to have you along for the ride. I’ll be sharing more in my Facebook group, Make Over Your Life With Dee. I’d love to have you join me. Of course, you’re free to choose your own three daily health habits.
Click here to join Make Over Your Life With Dee.
You may also enjoy…
How Women in the 1950s Stayed Fit and Trim
Good luck with your health challenge.
I’m trying to get better about drinking more water. I have at least managed to get it that I’m more likely to drink water than any other cold drink, rather than keep reaching for pop. Now I just need to increase my water intake.
There’s no point me trying the sleep thing, since my body doesn’t co-operate. Doesn’t matter when or for how long I go to bed, my body will sleep when and for how long it decides. I can control when I want to be up, but unless I want to have no sleep at all, I have to just grab the naps when my body co-operates and there’s nothing I have to or really want to be up for. Sometimes this means I’m lucky to get an hour or two of sleep in a 24 hour period, and other times it means I’m literally up for as long as I need to be to do whatever I need to that day and asleep the rest of the time. It seems to balance out in the end, and that’s the best I can ask for at this point, I think.
And as for exercise. Housework and being up and down the stairs several times a day count, right?
Sleep is such a challenge for some of us. I truly envy those who simply lie down and go to sleep. In order to get 7 hours I have to spend a few hours more in bed. I’m trying to stop viewing that as a waste of time. I’m not there yet. 😉
And yes, housework and stairs count!
I’m jealous of those who can just go to sleep on demand too.
Oh good. Well, if housework and stairs count I get plenty of exercise. 😉