Natural You

   From a very young age we are told what to do by our parents, teacher, and doctors how to take care of ourselves to stay healthy. When we are little we look forward to taking care of ouselves and we gladly oblige to doing those things by ourselves. Bathing ourselves, brushing our own teeth, selecting our own food, brushing our own hair, getting our own cup of water, and playing outside. Somewhere along the way  to adulthood we become too busy to do everything we were taught to do, or we disregard it all because it's just not fun  anymore. Why drink water when soda is sooo tasty or a nice cold beer can be so relaxing after a hard days work? And who has time to go to the gym 3 days a week? By age 30 it is completely possible for our bodies to be internally corrupted by all the bad stuff we were always told to avoid or limit that we feel and look older than we are.

So I would like to start over again. A re-do, if you will, without the clean slate of course. I'm throwing my mindset back to all those times I was taught to take care of myself and I'm going to do it all wits the sam oomf i once had when I was younger. I call this the 'Natural You Challenge' because it is naturally what we should be doing to take care of ourselves. Let me explain.

My dentist always told me to brush twice a day and to floss once a day. I brush my teeth once and floss maybe once a week, if I remember. Doctors and teachers have always recommended to eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day; on most days I eat 1, some days 0, and rarely 2 or more. Many doctors/coaches recommend exercising 30 minutes a day, five days a week, just to stay fit... the last time I went for a jog was nearly 2 months ago. Also I've drank 2 glasses of water today, which is more than usual for me.

Does any of this sound familiar to you about your life?

So we all know what we SHOULD be doing. What would our health status be if we actually did it all? would my skin be less dry? Would my hair be less brittle? Would my dress size be smaller? Would I have more energy? In general, would I be happier?

I would like to find out and I welcome anyone else who is willing to find out to do this challenge as well. Here are the basic things I will be doing as part of the challenge, if you have more ideas for your own personal life feel free to add to the list.

For the next 60 days:
Stick to 2100 calories per day (standard for adult women)
Exercise for 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week.
Drink 8 glasses of water
Get 7-8 hours of solid sleep.
Brush my teeth twice a day.
Floss once a day.
Eat 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day.
Stick to low fat/sodium foods.
Do not pop my pimples.
Remove make-up before bed.
Clean face daily (even after make-up free days).
Moisturize skin twice a day.
Do not use heating tools on hair every day.
Use sunblock whenever going outside.
Always wear clean clothes.
Wear clothes that fit.
Wear what makes you comfortable but not lazy.

If you already do some of these then don't worry about doing them as part of the challenge. I know the last few sound weird, like how could clothing affect your health? Mental health is a big part of this challenge too and to me, personally, clothing really has an affect on my stress levels everyday  and my confidence. This is what mean by customizing the challenge to you.