Want A Healthier Mind, Body and Spirit In 30 Days... Or Less?!

It's that time of year... For most of us Northern Hemisphere dwellers, the snow has melted, the fear of frost is nearly behind us, and most of all, we want to wear shorts or (Gasp!) a bathing suit...and not be considered a crime against fashion. The fastest and healthiest way to do that is sticking to a manageable diet and exercise plan. Ideally an exercise plan you look forward to, is free, easy and fun of course!  Here is the plan to get you ready for summer...

                      It's time for the 30/30 Walking Challenge!


                                                 I am so excited about this month's Challenge...


WALK IT OFF!

When: 
The entire month of May! 

Where: 
Anywhere your feet take you!

How:  
All you have to do is walk thirty minutes a day, for thirty days.  Here is the best part, you can walk at any pace you want, snail slow if you want, or train for the race walking Olympic team!
Get out and enjoy the spring/summer air. 
Take the family or just your MP3 player.
(You could apply this challenge to any activity.  It is all about creating a short attainable goal.)

I wish I could take the credit for this program, but I learned about it on, "The Doctors" TV show.  They had an episode full of different diet and exercise challenges. The 30/30 Walking Challenge was the one that really resonated with me.  With this program you can lower your heart attack risk, lose weight, add years to your life, sleep better and of course, better your over all health and mood. IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS!! (Don't believe me? click HERE to watch a short video about this program.) Another great aspect to this program is that it is FREE.  All you have to do is walk to reap the benefits.  No gym membership, diet or personal trainer screaming at you, necessary.

The girl who took this challenge on the show reported that by the 14th day she was already feeling,"great."  She admitted it was difficult at first, but that by the end of the second week, she began to look forward to her walks. Clearly it only takes 2 weeks to start feeling better! By the end of the 30/30 challenge she lost ELEVEN pounds total!   

My friends, just think... in two weeks you could be sleeping better, reducing your cholesterol and chances for a heart attack, losing weight, and become a healthier, happier person.  How could you not want to at least try? I am tempted to just call it the 30/15 challenge, because I have faith after you walk for thirty minutes for 15 days straight, you will want to keep walking.  I know this because I started this program back in August, just to see if I could do it, and if I could actually practice what I preach, before I preached it to you.  Well, I can.  I too look forward to my walks now.  I also look forward to being your fearless leader. I promise.  If my plump lazy bottom can do it, so can you!

                                                


So, here is the plan for starting your own 30/30 Challenge...

I really want this to be something that you can easily incorporate into your day.  In an effort to help you all get creative, I have come up with a few ideas to help you easily blend the challenge into your day!

1. If you take public transportation to work, walk to the next furthest stop or station.  (I know for those non-morning people this is a stupid suggestion) 
2. At lunch, walk 15 minutes away from your desk, eat, then walk back--maybe even the long way back. 
3. On the weekends go explore a new (historic) town or nature trail with the family. 
4.  New mothers on maternity leave, make it a point that this challenge is CRUCIAL for you. Go for a walk by yourself every evening when your partner gets home.  Of course you can take the baby, but getting out for some alone time will kill two birds with one stone for you! 
5. Only need a couple things from the store? If one is close enough, walk there! 
6. Walk the kids to school for the month. 
7. On rainy days, clean or organize a closet for 30 minutes, better yet, go to the indoor mall for some retail therapy--Again, kill two birds with one stone!
8. Go walk through an outdoor mall. 
9. For a week straight walk out of your front door and take a different street or path and see what you find! 
10. Take your walking shoes to work with you, and put them on before you leave.  The first step is ALWAYS the hardest!

HINT: Tell as many people as you can that you are doing this.  Get a support group to help encourage and hold you accountable!  YOU CAN DO THIS!  It's just 30 minutes for thirty days.  It's not hard, or an on going commitment.  This is a challenge that you know you can do.  Let me know how I can help.  I LOVE getting your emails and hearing your excitement!  Keep them coming!  firsttimemomanddad(at)gmail(dot)com  (<---I write it like that to keep the idiot spammers from annoying me... as much as possible!)

Also,  make sure you are following FTM&D on your favorite social media page to stay up to date!  

Please post your walking photos to the First Time Mom and Dad Facebook page too!

YOU CAN DO THIS!






April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com