[Girl♥Health]: The Method to My Madness

Because I'm a bit of a nut and a planner (and so is my BFF who came up with this format), I've created a pretty comprehensive Action Plan for my health journey.  I'm hoping to create a mini-plan for every month that I'll post here (September coming tomorrow!), and I'll also be posting my weekly workout plan and roundup starting next week.

But without further ado, here is "Girl♥Health: A Method to My Madness":

Overall Vision: a healthy body and lifestyle

But what does that mean?!  The term "healthy" can mean a lot of things.  To me, these things include being well-balanced (my input/output, relaxation/activity), being within what my doctor considers to be healthy (i.e cholesterol, blood pressure, weight), having a good energy level, being fit enough to take part in fairly strenuous physical activities like hikes and runs, having a good understanding of how my body works and what it needs (and respecting those needs), and making healthy living part of my routine. 

Focus Areas:

For my BODY, I'd like to focus my energies on improving and strengthening my abdomen, arms, back and core, and I'd like to continue to properly care for and maintain my skin -- especially since I think this is the first time in my entire life that my face doesn't hate me and passively aggressively express that hate through pimples and blemishes.

In terms of FOOD, I'd like to concentrate on eating less meat and more fruits/vegetables, ensuring that the animal products I do consume come from sustainably/humanely/naturally raised animals, and trying to eat seasonally (perhaps regionally) and locally as well.  Another big focus area for me is portion control!

And in regards to my LIFESTYLE, I'm going to devote a lot of time to making exercise and physical activity a routine in my daily life and, within that, to incorporating different forms of exercise into my routine so that there's a variety for me to choose from (to stave off boredom) and the various parts of my body that need attention are getting it. 

Barriers & Challenges

We all know -- and I'll be the first to admit -- that with things like this, you're often your own worst enemy.  So in the interest of naming those habits and mindsets that will no doubt crop up time and time again, I thought I'd list out the barriers and challenges I'll probably face while trying to get all hot and fit (or maybe just fit...).  Here, for your perusal, are my favorite excuses:

Fatigue: Ugh, I'm just too tired
My schedule: I'm way too busy or I don't have the time
Laziness (ohhh, I know you well): I'd rather do anything else on earth
My own personality quirks: I need to do TONS of research before I begin (which means I'll never begin) or I got off track so I need to replan EVERYTHING before starting again
Fear: I don't want to do this alone
Negativity (the biggest bully of them all): I can't do it so why even try???

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Food for thought: What are your biggest challenges in achieving your goals?  Have you named them (and does naming them even help?)?  And have you figured out strategies for overcoming those challenges?