My Perfect Day

My friend Abi, who just had her second baby in August, was feeling overwhelmed last month with all she needs and wants to accomplish on a daily basis.  She came up with a plan to write out her perfect day, including everything she hoped to accomplish, and then try to live it daily. 

She suggested I do the same, and I think it makes a lot of sense for me.  I love lists and checking things off. Plus, this kind of planning helps you visualize what you need to do, which makes you more likely to actually do it.  I made mine just as it applies to diet and exercise. Here's what I got:

Make cereal with almond milk and fruit topping for breakfast.  Savor each bite of the sweetness. Drink a glass of water with breakfast.

Go to work. Start in on my first liter of water within the first half hour. Be refreshed by the cleanliness of it. Finish the first liter by 10 a.m.

Eat snack of fruit (banana or clementine) at 11 a.m. Remember that God made this fruit specifically to nourish our bodies and give us energy. If hungry earlier, eat two morning snacks, one at 10 and one at 11:30 a.m. Be glad that I brought an extra snack to work for this reason, and not upset that I am extra hungry for no reason.

Finish second liter of water by 12:30.

Go workout at 12:30 p.m.  Either run, swim, elliptical or walk with a friend for 45 minutes. Be thankful for the time away from my desk to clear my head and re-energize.  Remember and appreciate the physical changes of the last year that allow me to move this way.

Return from gym and eat lunch brought from home that includes one veggie at about 1:30 or 2 with half a liter of water. Be glad that I took the time to prepare for the week properly on Sunday by cooking and packaging my meals.  Feel relief from the water after my work out.

Eat snack of almonds or protein bar at 3:30 or 4. Finish third liter of water. Recognize the full feeling that comes from protein.

After work two nights a week, go to weight room for 30 minutes. After work once a week, Turbo Kick! Take note of my new-ish muscles and have fun kicking and punching to awesome music.

Get home from work and eat prepared meal with at least one veggie, a glass of water or Cystal Lite and a second fruit or veggie if needed about 6:30. Unless it's a TurboKick night and then eat when I get home at 7 p.m. Be thankful for veggies and their naturally low calories, yet surprisingly filling, and enjoy the tasty meal.

No snacks after dinner. Because I have goals!

Planks before shower if I have not done them in the weight room that day.  Note how I have improved in form and time with these planks since the beginning of the year.

Reflect on the day and bible reading before bed. Remember that weight loss is not all about what I eat, but a lot about mental preparation.

I maybe need to print this out and put it somewhere I will see it a lot so I remember all of this. But right now, I want to know - What's your perfect day look like?