“You should come play tennis with me,” my sister said to me at a party a few weeks ago. “Sounds fun! I’d love to do that,” I replied. “How about Thursday? A group of us are playing at 9.” “Oh Thursday? I don’t know, I think I…” My sister cut me off before I could finish my sentence. “You need to...
This month, I gave up grains, gluten and other white carbohydrates, fruits, dairy, and alcohol except for wine, but granted myself one cheat day per week (I took three total) as part of my 30 day Slow Carb Diet challenge. I weighed myself first thing every morning and lost 5 lbs total. The weight spiked following my three cheat days, but it came...
For the past several weeks, I’ve been following the Slow Carb diet, a fat burning diet where you avoid foods that promote fat storage (white carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, dairy, fruits and sugar) and replace them with protein, vegetables, legumes and healthy fats. With strict diet challenges like these, I always advise people (and myself) to scale back the social calendar....
I didn’t take on a challenge in April because I was hustling to finish up my “Big Book of 30 Day Challenges,” which turned out to be an intense, all-consuming process. I’m happy to report that I turned in my manuscript and am ready to tackle the month of May, AKA the fat burning challenge (or the slow carb diet). After a long...
At the beginning of the month, I set a goal of waking up at 5am to write. 30 days later, I’m happy to report that getting out of bed at that hour is no longer the struggle it once was. I’ve grown to love the quiet of the early morning and the time to be creative and productive without noise or distraction....
It’s hard to get up at 5am. Even after 15 days, I’m still bitter when the alarm clock goes off. I always contemplate going back to bed. But I still get up with the alarm and walk across the room to turn it off. I splash water on my face, do 5 jumping jacks and settle in to write. I remind myself...
My challenge for this month is to wake up at 5am to write. 5am is extreme, but it’s peaceful. My mind is fresh and rested and I can work on my book (I’m writing a book about 30 day challenges) without interruption. No kids, no buzzing cellphone, no noise. The time allows me to be creative and focused in a...
I’ve taken on a number of challenges over the past three years that have remained untouched. Sewing, running, Italian and 15 minute planks, to name a few. But most of them, I’m happy to report, I either revisit regularly (guitar, YouTube videos, clutter, gluten free eating, no complaining) or have become part of everyday life (cold showers, meditation, writing, inbox zero). But there’s the one...
12 Things I Learned from My Year of Monthly Challenges
Fighting the War on Clutter: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Sleep: Why Roger Federer Gets 12 Hours of It & How to Hack Your Own Sleep
Deep Breathing and Cold Showers: The Wim Hof Method (Week 1)
How to Train For a Plank Challenge in 30 Days
