100 Days to My Best Me
an experiment in small habits, full body wellness, and doing what's best for me
About a year ago, things just got really, really busy here. Our kids are each playing one sport now and those practices add up to weeknight schedules that are hairy at best. We’ve also entered the age of orthodontics, allergy shots, and sports injuries. This “big kid” season is awesome and chaotic. I do my best to streamline, to batch appointments together, and to pre-plan as much as I can in terms of meals, chores, and errands.
But woah.
It’s a lot. And after spending six months working on overall wellness and nutrition with Amy Williams (@AmyMigdalia), I felt like I had the tools and knowledge to take care of myself well while taking care of our family. Until I just couldn’t. This summer, all my best habits fell apart. Looking back, they had to. I don’t know any other way I could have done “all that” while doing “all the rest.” It’s the old adage about ten pounds of “you know what” in a five pound bag. The math just doesn’t work. And so, I did what mothers do (for better or worse), I laid my things down. I stopped working out. I ate what the kids ate. And we spent a few months in survival mode. I thought for sure when school started again, we’d see things level out and calm down. My schedule would surely clear up enough for me to make myself (my health, my wellness) a priority again.
And then came busyness in other ways. Sports ramped up again. One kid got braces off, another started orthodontic treatment, and the third continued. We had sports injuries and are now into full-fledged all star cheerleading. I had a book deadline, a book release (yesterday!), a new book started, and another is waiting to be outlined for proposal.
I don’t have any regrets about putting my kids first… ever. But as the pendulum swings, it’s time for me to invest in myself.
(Also, if you’re in that crazy season right now — keep going! Seasons come and seasons go).
I’ve had this idea for some time — to carve a set period of time to be very intentional about how I’m taking care of my mind, body, and spirit. I’ve been nervous to share this because then… I am accountable. :) And yet… community is wonderful. So if you’d like to do this with me, comment on this post and let us know three things:
Who you are and where you’re from.
Why you’re going to take on a 100 day challenge.
How you’re going to nourish and take care of your mind, body, and spirit.
Here’s what I’m doing. I’m going to chronicle this experiment here on Substack. I plan to check in every 25 days with an update. Today, I’m on my Day 3. January 16 will be my Day 100. Here are my details. You know who I am so I’ll skip that part. :)
My Why: I’m tired. Every day by 7pm, I am spent. My kids have been tucking ME in lately. I can literally sleep 12 hours a night easily. I’m ready to feel my best, look my best (yes, I can say that and so can you if you want — there are no rules! when I am taking care of myself, I look energized and vibrant and I know it!), and be able to perform my many roles my best. We’ve had a few painful reminders of how short life is lately and I want to live a vibrant life until I’m 100. This is not a weight loss thing. Will I complain if that happens? No. Is that the goal? Not at all.
How: I have a wealth of knowledge I learned from Amy Williams and her team at Restore Health. I know how to regulate my blood sugar for my best energy. Knowing what I know, here’s what I’m going to do, the short list: