Week Two: Thou shall not fail...

Well, I sure made some major adjustments to My Great Challenge this week and YES! I did accomplish all my goals, plus some.
As a review, last week (week one) I had reported a partial fail on all three of my goals:

1. Increase water intake
2. Watch food intake and reduce carbs
3. Earlier bedtime - no later than 11 PM.

I guess last week was an eye opener for me and since I did learn a few lessons I made it a point not to fall short this time around.

Here is another thing I forgot to mention, whatever I do, I will keep it in "threes". Because my story goes something like this: I would overwhelmed myself with some crazy project with the intent to finish it in some record time. After about five hours of intense activity I would crash and botch the rest. So I figured that baby steps are a must in any of My Great Challenge goals and three at a time, is definitely something I can handle. E.g. three kitchen cabinets as opposed to the entire kitchen!

So here we go for the big results:

Goal #1: Increase water intake - PASS.

I made sure my 64 OZ bottle was filled up daily at work, and though I may not have finished it every single day, I did drink at least 4 to 5 glasses while at work and additional ones once home.

I think it did make a difference in my overall sense of "wellness" - something I still need to fully define. I was less tired, less bloated and best of all, no pillow marks on my face in the morning!

Goal #2: Watch food intake and reduce carbs - PASS.

I did particularly well in this area. Apart from my morning Low Sugar instant oatmeal, I must have had, at best, two slices of bread for the entire week, I kid you not! Even when I served pasta for dinner, I only had no more than a 1/2 cup. I may have nibbled on a few crackers here and there, but overall, what a significant difference. I am feeling no guilt over week #2, so yes, I nailed this goal!

Was I starving? Yes, all the time, but I knew there would be some adjustment required. When asked about her acting career and why she stopped, Brigitte Bardot once said: "I was starving, every day". So for those of you who ever wonder how the Kardashians, the Katie Holmes et al, maintain their figure, it's not just photoshop, they starve...every day. Is that where I want to be? Absolutely not! What I do want however, is for carbs to no longer be my main food group, so yes, there will be adjustments and yes, it will be difficult. Again, not complicated, just difficult! 

Goal #3: Earlier bedtime routine - MAJOR PASS.

I am particularly proud of this one achievement here, because bedtime routine has been a battle for many many years. Every night this week, I made it a point to get off the computer or the TV by 10:30 PM. By the time I would actually hit the pillows it must have been at worst, 10:45PM. I was asleep by 11:15 PM every single night this week!

So here is a bit of added change: I really do not read novels, they bore me to tears, they really do. I rarely find one that is engrossing enough to deserve my finishing it (I think the last one was The Prince of Tides). I, however, will devour non-fiction and how-tos, including anything related to sociological studies and human behavior. So again, in the like of George Costanza, I am trying to go for the opposite of what I would normally do here. Why? Simply because I often wish I would read something other than non-fiction and learn to be entertained through drama. So I went to the best place in the world (Barnes and Noble) and spent just about one hour to find a book to read at night. It's kind of ridiculous because we have hundreds of them (unread) at home and I really did not need yet another book (perhaps reading what's in stock in the house should be a goal.

Anyway, here's what I picked:

Gasp!

What did I get myself into? I have decided that I should remain within my bedtime routine, therefore, I am slowly acclimating myself to reading fiction here, one chapter per night. So far I have managed to not judge every single character as being either irrelevant nor boring...I am on the right path to recovery into normalcy, I suppose that is what I should call this challenge.

Here is another thing I added to My Great Challenge this week: Vitamins! I took them, everyday! I once took all my vitamins and supplements to work. The intention was to take them at work, thinking I would not forget...That did not work. So on Monday when I reached for the bottle of Omega-3, I actually had to dust it first! That said, I did take all my vitamins, every single day! Which led me to think about another post I should write next week.

So what have I learned this week? I do much better once I have been confronted with mistake and failed attempt. This leads me to agree with what was once said to me, I respond better to criticism and hardship than praise and ease...It's a no brainer, I will continue on this path and here are my goals for week #3 in addition to maintaining week 1 goals + reading + vitamins:

1. Formulate a new schedule including workout routine

2. Return to my cleaning routine

3. Work on website (can't tell you about that yet)

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