Healthy Living Challenge!

While I will still admit that most of my time is spent thinking about future babies and my desire to have one, the fact is that there are only a few days each month that I might actually get pregnant. Since I can't work on getting pregnant the other 27 or so days each month, I've been working on focusing my energy on doing other things to help make the most of those few precious fertile days. I want to be at my healthiest at this point in my life, so Joe and I decided to challenge each other to live extra-super healthy for the next week weeks. 

Ever since our North Carolina vacations we'd just continued with our vacation eating. Too many rich meals, and meals out, plus more drinking that usual. It was time for a change! We're already a week into our challenge, and have managed to survive so far! Here's some of the specifics we're focusing on...

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Healthy eating is a big part of this challenge. We're eating an almost vegan diet, with the exception of the occasional egg. But no cheese or meat, and we're focusing on fresh vegetables and whole grains. We really do love to eat this way most of the time, but it's easy to slip in a couple treats per day usually, and that can really add up. I'm avoiding things like the bakery samples at work, and packing fruits and veggies for my snacks.

Polenta with fresh herbs

Drinkings only good things... like lots of water. And iced tea, unsweetened flavored sparkling water, and a little bit of juice. That means no booze, for one thing. I've been back and forth on drinking a little while trying to get pregnant, and for now I've decided it's best to just take a total break from drinking alcohol. I feel better, might lose a pound or two, and we're saving money at the same time. Score! I'm also going caffeine free, which is rough but worth it. I love coffee, but I know it's easier to just skip it altogether right now, instead of going back and forth. No soda, either, but that's not a big deal since I don't ever drink it to begin with.

I'm also focusing more than usual on working out. I'm aiming for at least for days a week, plus a couple bike rides each week instead of driving or taking the train. I swam laps last week for the first time in probably 10 years... and loved it! I'm trying to limit running to 2 times per week, and adding other workouts to the mix. I love working out, almost as much as I love sleeping later in the morning, so this has been a good part of the challenge!

I'm wearing this bracelet as a reminder to keep me focused. It's opal, which is a symbol of hope. Wearing it reminds me why I'm doing this challenge, so that I know I'm doing everything in my power to have my body as strong and healthy as possible. Don't hurt that it's a cute bracelet, either :)

So that's the challenge. So far we've been successful with our eating habits even when eating out, and we've avoided booze completely. That's the biggest accomplishment, since we had multiple social occasions this weekend, and our friends all enjoy drinking when we get together. We even volunteered for a couple hours at a neighborhood festival this weekend, and turned down the offer of FREE BEER when we were finished! We're keeping strong until August 16, when we head to South Dakota to visit my family. At that point, all bets are off!