iCiNG Transformation Challenge Preparation
[ 30 January 2009 ]
A couple of days ago I decided what I’m going to do for my personal iTC. It’s not super-adventurous or anything; in fact, it’s exactly what I did last year — but because the thought of it makes me feel uncomfortable, I know I should be doing it. (The word “challenge” is in the title for a reason!)
My iCiNG Transformation Challenge is going to be centered around exercising every day (which I am pretty much doing already, but I want to be much more conscious about doing it), & eating 100% raw.
With exercise, I am already hooping for about an hour on average every day, & I love it, but what I want to do is turn my exercise into more of a meditation. I want to be really present, really grounded, & experience the ecstasy of movement. Sometimes I feel like the heavens are french-kissing me while I hoop dance, but I want to feel that when I’m doing yoga, weights, walking, etc. too! It’s my intention to have exercise feel less like a tedious chore than an exploration of bliss & an expression of adoration for the universe. Working love into everyday life, that’s me, that’s my mission!
As for the food… Last year when I did this, my boyfriend was eating 100% raw too, which made life way easier. We were both going through the same thing, we could talk about our cravings, & talk each other out of going to KFC. This time I’m pretty much doing it alone — even though I have you guys! — so I know I need to put some systems in place to help support me as I do this. Especially since I will also be in the midst of organising & packing for my trip back to the USA!
Here are some things I think will help — & this might give you some ideas as to how you can set up support systems for your own challenge.
I’m going to get more involved in the raw community. One of the reasons that even the most well-intentioned raw foodists go off their greens is because of lack of support or community. Let’s face it, radically altering your diet has consequences & alters your social life quite a lot. There are lots of other people around the world rocking raw food like nobody’s business, but because you don’t know they exist, often you feel like a solo juicing voyager, travelling alone, confused & adrift. That’s why it is so important to get involved with a good community of raw people, whether in your city or just online, & for most of us, Give It To Me Raw is an awesome place to get started. Give It To Me Raw was invaluable to me when I first started going raw, & is always my go-to when I have a question about something. So whatever it is you’re doing, do a bit of research & seek out people who have suceeded at doing that same thing. Then start to talk to them. Trust me, you’ll thank me later!
I’ve decided to listen to at least one raw food podcast a day, because another great way to combat the loneliness is to get actively involved & learn some new things! It helps keep you inspired & excited, gives you lots of ideas & reminds you once again that you’re not the only person doing it. One way I love to do this is by listening to podcasts & watching videos. In the case of raw food, there are so many great raw food podcasts, uncooking shows & instructional videos online that you can totally take your pick! There will be oodles of information on what you want to do too, so get searchin’!
I had a good think about my motivation. I admit to being shallow & superficial, & honestly, the bulk of my reasons for wanting to get back to raw food revolve around how it makes me look. The way it makes me feel (clear-headed, smart, alert, ecstatic) are just a bonus, but I feel like ultimately, they are what will keep me wanting to eat raw — as well as the fact that I know, deep down, that eating raw is right for me, & the best thing I can do for myself right now. Going off raw food late last year taught me that — the difference was huge. (Oh, & I just found this article on Zen Habits: 10 Reasons Eating Raw Is Healthier For You & The Planet!)
My point in saying this is that you need to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Joining a gym or going vegan just because you “think you should” isn’t going to cut it when you’re craving cheese or a sleep-in — you need a reason which really means something to you. My suggestion is to have a really good, investigative probe into your own motivation, & be honest with yourself. Do you want to go vegan for animal rights, or do you actually want to try it because you want to lose a few pounds? Take that honesty & then write it down. You can put it on Post It notes around your house, write it in your journal or rearrange your alphabet fridge magnets to spell it out, but putting things in writing — especially where you can see them often — is very powerful.
I’m going to be good to myself… & you should be too! Don’t expect to be perfect, because no one is, & as you move through the steps of your challenge, it is almost inevitable that there will be times where you stumble. Having said that, don’t expect you will fail, either — we attract what we think about, so thinking that way is totally counter-productive! Just concentrate on doing the best you can every day, & if you mess it up, it’s cool. Tomorrow is another day. I think it’s important to aim for consistency, not perfection (something I learned from Dhru & Nature Love!), because it sets us up to form positive habits & routines rather than expecting to become a saint overnight. I am going to do my best to eat 100% raw every day, but if I eat some toast or devour a plate of potato salad, I’m not going to flagellate myself. What’s the point?! The way I see it, we’re trying to make positive changes to our lives, & that doesn’t include beating ourselves up for being human! You & I are to be commended for even making these first steps. Remember that!
Alright — so having taken all that in, what steps are you going to take to build your own support system?
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aww true-say! Good for you, girl! I think this is a great motivator. I’m on a constant quest of making myself a better person inside and out and this really helps things along too.
hugs-
I didn’t have any intentions of doing the challenge this year, but it so happens that I want to go military (crazy, since I ooze as much civilian aura as anyone would think)(but I do love surprising people…), so I need to pass the USAF fitness test. I don’t think I can do it at this moment, so I’m going to go to the school gym to get me a personal trainer to reach standards by the time I graduate!
For me, this is better than just going to the gym because I have real standards to meet. I can’t seem to meet exercise standards I set for myself, but if I have to do something I dislike for a class, or a job, or because a trainer tells me to, then I can do it. Also, my future career depends on it!
Hopefully once I reach those standards, it’ll be easy to stay there…Good luck to all of us!
Gala, you should check out www.rawpirategourmet.com A great rock n roll take on Raw Food and the community complete with cooking demos and great recipes (a non chocolate chocolate bomb, who could resist!).
this is really good stuff. it’s going to be easier for me to keep up with my changenge if i have you on my side, rooting!
i really want to take better care of my body & also be more responsible, so this is going to be my little wake up call. i’m actually looking forward to it. thanks gala for starting this! you inspire me daily to live life.
I think it is awesome that you want to feel more in the zone when you work out. For me, my weight used to be a problem until i had joined kickboxing for a while. I never thought i would ever do that, but it feels great when youre having a rough day. But since then, i have been doing other things. I joined a gym which offers aerobics 3 days a week, so i do that and run as often as i can. For me, running used to be easy and for some reason it got harder. I think it may be because i am in the same environment alot of the time and things just got boring, so i try and find different spots that make me feel refreshed and excited to be there.You should also try belly dancing, if you haven’t already. I’m sure you would love it if you love hooping! I love the way it makes me feel. The movements used and the stretching, compressing and control you have with your body… You are right though about how support from others helps you keep going as well. My brother got into body building and i, being pretty thin, wanted to gain some muscle. So he helps me out alot and i also refer to fitness magazines that have work out plans in them. I’m in the middle of this one plan that lasts 4 weeks. It tells you exactly what to do while mixing it up a bit and i love it! Other than that, i try to stay focused with being healthy. This challenge, for me, will consist of the following..
Body, Mind and Soul
-try and discover a new band/artist every day – sketch/practice with watercolors a little every day – try not to drink so much coffee – dance around to ease anxiety, stress, and look FAB!(not flab!:P)
-drink 8 glasses of water every day – NO JUNK FOOD! – yoga every other day at the least.
-stay calm and in touch with self, friends, and family
(Sorry this is like an essay length comment. But I have alot inside that I like to share in hope that it may help someone out. Just as you did with me.:))
Good Luck to Everybody.
Gala! I just got a hoop too, and I think I’ll base my challenge around hoop dancing- but I was wondering if you had favorite hooping music? I’d be great if you’d post a playlist!
Katy — Awesome idea! I’ve actually been thinking about making a playlist on Youtube of songs I like to hoop to, so I’ll get on it!
you and i are riding the same wave on different parts of the world – a butterfly effect indeed! my iTC goals are also to be more present in my exercise (which is yoga and snowboarding these days). eating more raw food is also high on my list. i made it to around 75% raw during the summer, but i’m down to around 30% raw now that it’s cold outside…
count me in for this iTC!
I’m going 100% alcohol free & making sure all my favourite ladies know not to expect me to throw back on the weekends. It’s redbull all the way for this party princess!
I’ve been really sick for the entire last week (catching a cold is inevitable in london winter) ... but the positive part of this is the super huge amount of water I’ve been downing. Litres and litres a day! I want to try and keep this up because usually my coffee intake is higher than my water… which is so so not good.
Not sure what else to throw in there but will ponder over the weekend.
I especially agree with the last point – I am always beating myself up when I eat junk food even if I’m not hungry, or let another day go by without bothering to do a sit-up or two…
it’s not good that the phrase ‘tomorrow is another day’ is something I am relying on too much – but I guess we’re only 1/12th through 2009 so I have 11 months to improve!
I’ve been preparing for the challenge in a similar way.
Since my challenge involves hooping, I’ve been adding fellow hoopers on Twitter; searching the ‘net for hooping blogs to add to my RSS reader; making a playlist of how-to videos on YouTube to help me learn how to hoop better (I find it a lot easier to do something when there’s a person talking to me right from my computer screen, telling/showing me how to do it); making iTunes playlists of zillions of songs to hoop to (my favorites seem to be pop, techno and metal.. hehe).
I’m just basically immersing myself in the culture and I’m loving it. Seeing people tweet about hooping makes me get all giddy and excited every time I see one, especially because most of the people who hoop seem to have very positive life attitudes (which is also another part of my challenge – becoming more positive).
It’s a little more difficult because I don’t personally know anyone else who hoops. Also, it’s freezing cold outside, so the only place I have to hoop is in my apartment – which can be tricky. But I’m figuring it out slowly, and I’m having an absolute blast.
As always, thanks for being an inspiration, Gala. _
Thanks for doing this again, I’ve been feeling a bit of a mess lately, and last year the iTC was just what I needed to sort myself and my priorities out!
My goals:
1. Keep my room clean. This really shouldn’t be as hard as it is haha.
2. Exercise daily. I’m definitely a fitness freak and do this one already, but I want to make sure I keep making it high up on my to-do list.
3. Drink more water!! I am so bad about it!
4. Write in my journal, take some time out for a personal date, paint my nails, do yoga, read a book for fun, dress up—do something every once in a while that is relaxing and makes me feel special :)
And that hooping playlist is a FANTASTIC idea!! I’ve been hula-crazed since I was a little kid, and it’s so much fun to find new fun music to swivel around to!
My goal is to hoop at least three times a week (I’m going to try and do it every day, but I’m “officially” aiming slightly lower so that I don’t get too disheartened if I miss a day!) and at the end of the month I’m going to post my first hooping video :O In preparation I’m watching lots of hoopdance videos on youtube (some of them are so amazingly inspiring!), collecting links to video tutorials, and putting together hooping playlists (mostly j-pop, in my case!). I really should clear out all the junk in our spare room so that I have a proper space to hoop, but I haven’t done it yet and so I’m currently using my bedroom which is a little too small. I can’t wait for summer when I can hoop outside!
I know a lot of other nonpareils are hooping for this challenge too, so if anyone wants to add me on twitter (http://twitter.com/curiositykate) please do! We can cheer each other on :D
On an entirely unrelated note, I’ve just wiki’d nonpareils and found out what they actually are! I knew they were some kind of cake decoration, but I didn’t know they were hundreds and thousands! Aww, how cute.
Fantastic.
Can’t wait.
I downloaded the link to Karen Knowler and her Wonderful Ways for the New Year. Most of those are now on my transformation challange/to do list. Raw intimidates me though. I’ve been a strict vegetarian for 6 years now (no red meat/white meat/fish/eggs/milk) but I wonder if going raw would limit my diet even more and make it even harder for a vegetarian girl living in a carnivourous world?
Food for thought. Literally!
xx
In all honesty, I don’t know yet! I haven’t told anyone that I want to participate in this challenge, not my mum, my friends, my boyfriend, total strangers, haven’t breathed a word of it. I am really scared about doing it in general, but it has maybe come to the point where I have to just stick my hand up in public and say
“Hello, my name is Charlie, and I hate myself, and it’s time for that to change.” I’m hoping that all of you fellow nonpareils here will be supportive, but I guess the best way is to be my own best friend instead of endlessly criticising myself. It’s going to be very tough, but I must try. I might try to tell my friends as I’m almost sure that I’m only imagining that they’d be waiting for me to fail (it’s more likely me that’s waiting for me to fail).
Yay! I’m so excited about starting tomorrow!
- I plan on doing my Pilates DVD and hooping to a whole CD on alternating days. Reason? I find both these forms of exercise fun and I don’t get bored. I know I don’t need to lose weight, but I do want to tone up my body and get more fit.
- Do some form of promotion for my etsy shop everyday. I’ve noticed that I get way more sales after I’ve done a couple of solid days of promoting! Reason? I’m working towards making a living from selling my jewellery and I have to get the word out! There’s nothing else I want to be doing more.
That’s about it for me this time around, I think. I’m keeping it simple. Weeeeeee!
Here we go! Good luck everyone! xx
Bonjour mes amies! I have been a bit slack with commenting lately (normally I like to throw my two cents in for every single article- I can’t help it Gala, you inspire madness in me) so here we go!
I didn’t do the Challenge last time … I wasn’t in a very good place mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, metaphorically … it didn’t feel like I was in the right frame of mind to try to do anything drastic. So, this year, my goal is to also excersise every day!
Like you, Gala, the motivation behind doing so is a bit cheeky- I want to lose the weight and feel better about myself. My two best friends are super tiny and one is a beautiful Greek goddess and she is super super curvy … I went to the beach with her yesterday and actually caught myself thinking nasty thoughts about her, all out of jealousy. How horrible is that?
So! I splapped myself on the wrist and woke up to the fact that I CAN make the change for MYSELF. I don’t want to do it for anyone else! I want to feel better about myself and I want to feel healthier and more energised. Here are the things I’m going to try:
- Hooping (hehehe) – Salsa dancing – A silly excersise DVD – Yoga & pilates on the beach – Doiong a pole dancing lesson with my friends! – Doing light weights while watching Sex and the City\ – Reward myself at the end with a pair of delicious shoes I have been lusting after for a while that are on SALE (MiMCO, black satin, $395 down to $75!!!)
Thankyou for being such an inspiration Gala! I am so excited to start the challenge and I know I’m going to do brilliantly!
xx
Tea — Well, to answer your question about going raw limiting your diet, yes, it does. Of course it does, because you’re cutting out so many things you’re familiar with. & that can be hard at first, but I think that after a while, you fall in step with raw food, it becomes joyous, not restrictive, & the old foods you used to enjoy totally lose their appeal. At least, that’s what happened to me… Might be worth giving it a try, but only if you want to, of course!
Charlie — You don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to! It can be your own secret personal goal. There are advantages to that. But there are also benefits to telling people you trust — people who you know won’t shoot you down, but will instead encourage you. I don’t know what your family/friends are like, but my advice would be to talk to someone with healthy self-esteem, because they’re much more likely to be encouraging & loving. Big kisses!
I want in on the challenge. My goal is to practice yoga/stretching every day even if it’s just for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. I’m really motivated when it comes to other exercise but, as a result, my muscles are bound up in tight knots! I’ve always got good results from yoga but somehow am so resistant to doing it – maybe after a month, it will become a daily habit.
Gala, you are so inspiring. Really and truly.
The last time you did the iCiNG challenge, I didn’t really understand it so I didn’t follow through, but this sounds like a perfect way to start it off.
Challenge: Start going raw (at least 80%), exercise everyday, and walk more.
Going raw has always been at the back of my mind, but I’ve never had the guts to start it. Now, I do. I’ve already written down select foods that I need to consume for the proper nutrients.
I have a gym membership. Why don’t I use it?
And I have plans to do the Breast Cancer 3Day in November in San Diego (it’s 60 miles total, 3 days, a whole mass of women and some men), so I totally need to start walking for it.
I just needed a little push and waiting for Sunday is that push I have.
I started mine already!
I was really scared I wouldn’t pull through so on Wednesday I said ‘Yep I’m just gonna do it.’ I think I do things better when I choose to? Does that make sense? I’ve been trialling that lately. CHOOSING to do things even if I had to do them anyway or dreaded the thought of. I feel more in control of who I am and my life.
And yes my exercise/healthy eating is purely because I wanna look great. But it also means I can spend more time on myself preparing yummy food, and really taste it. I’m also doing some big self-care gesture each day like taking a bubble bath with scented candles (I left the actual bathroom light on though because the combination of candles, water, bathtubs and mirrors scares me).
I’m gonna get my friends prepped up and ready for … tomorrow.
Can’t wait!
Greetings, everyone!
Charlie, I hear ya! I made a whole slew of goals for the iCing Challenge, but first and foremost on my list is to really commit to replacing self-loathing and my constant negative thoughts with positive affirmations and self-acceptance. My plan is to conscious of these thoughts, and actively recognize & stop them, as well as to surround myself with positive people and activities. Solidarity, my friend!
I’m also going to work on making exercise a daily part of my routine by setting a daily schedule. I reckon it’ll give my structure to my day, and make it less tempting for me to procrastinate.
I’m deliriously excited for this!!
Oh! Another thing! As tempting as it is to want to makeover your entire life, it’s FAR better to concentrate on & truly commit to a couple of things than scatter your time half-assedly between a whole bunch!
Just something to keep in mind!
Have just typed out my goals on livejournal and am mentally preparing myself for my 10 challenges I set myself.
Basically it’s a new year, and a new feeling in the air (and supposedly rhyming is in there too). it’s going to spend being very good to myself and spreading the love.
Thanks for the motivational push to do something I can be proud of :)
I’m going to re-emphasise last year’s goals, which went really well but I do get lazy sometimes! They were basically to not waste so much time, or money. I want to work much harder at being a good uni student, and do some regular exercise. My other additional goal is to be much more house-proud… keeping everything perfectly clean and tidy makes me much more relaxed and happier.
My goal is to be healthier in general. I’m going vegetarian (something I’ve done before but sadly couldn’t stick with-but no more of that!), completely cutting soda out of my diet, and taking up yoga. I also want to keep my home more simple and organized.
I really want to practice some self love too, but I’m not sure how to get that going. But I love you for doing this and I’m so excited! Good luck everyone!
I’m buying a hoop tomorrow, and swimming daily already. No raw food, no good food, chocs at night as though I’m afraid of the challenge HMM BAD!
Can’t wait for it to be OFFICIALLY started…Sunnndaaayyyy!!!
I hardly ever comment, but I am now because I’m pretty excited about this challenge! I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions for a few years because I always break them, and anyway the idea of committing to doing whatever it is I said I’d do on New Year’s Eve every day for the rest of my life is scaaaaaaary. But a month… a month I can do!
So I’m going to try to exercise every day for at least 30 minutes, and I’m going to take at least two dance classes a week. Dance was something I loved to do so much when I was younger, but eventually it wasn’t fun anymore (for which I blame painful pointe shoes and growing boobs that needed more support than those flimsy leotards provide). Lately though I’ve been taking classes again in jazz and modern and really loving them. I love how dancing makes me feel better than almost anything else. This month I want to keep taking the classes I’ve been taking and try out a few more. I’m going to ask my parents for extra classes for my birthday, since they’re expensive for a poor college student!
I’m also going to try to study really hard – because I really do like what I’m studying even if I often get distracted, and because I want to get an interesting, adventurous job when I graduate. No paper pushing here, please. I’m going to frequent the library more, too – my apartment is comfier, but there’s too many distractions, and seeing other people studying motivates me to do the same.
And finally, I’m going to try not to drink too much when I go out. I have been known to be rather a party girl, and although I’ve had many, many fantastic crazy nights and would like to continue to do so, I’m going to try to have the fun evenings without the bad mornings this month. It will be hard (it’s my 21st birthday month!), but I really want to be able to be uninhibited without the assistance! And I’m doing this because… well, last weekend I had a party at my place, and even though I am told it went great and remember having a really good time myself, the details are quite fuzzy (which stinks because I want to remember all the fun stuff that went on!) and I had a hangover the next day that lasted until evening. Not fun.
Eep. Sorry about writing a novel.
“There’s less violence in the world when people are using hula hoops.” -Mikey Way of My Chemical Romance
(I saw this quote tonight in a book of found American snapshots, they used it to illustrate a photo from the 60s of a little girl & her dad hooping.) I’m amazed at how many transformations include “more hula-hooping”. Way to make exercise as whimsical as it could possibly be, Gala!
I have yet to define a concrete goal, but the word “transformation” just says to me: LOSE WEIGHT. As I said on the first T.C. post, I’ve been going through a big mental transformation (turning negatives to positives, rah rah rah!), so it’s time my appearance reflects that to a greater degree. I know to incorporate exercise into my life I need to change the way I view it, as you point out. I like the idea of trying a myriad of classes and exercise DVDs, so that it’s less about exercise and more about trying something new. I could apply the same concept to my diet. It’s tough when you’re a student and you don’t have a very consistent schedule, most of the time I eat at diners or at work. But if I get excited to COOK new and interesting foods, maybe I will get excited to eat better….
Overall though, aside from filling my roomate in (I doubt she’ll bat an eye, she’s used to my various bids for self-improvement!), and maybe going to yoga class with friends, I’m not sure how to really find a support system. I tend to do things on my own, but that makes it a lot easier to give up. I don’t know. But I think I’m OK with this being a personal venture (aside from support from the iCiNG crew!)... I’m a little more accountable than I once was, so making promises only to myself should have a higher success rate? Yes.
i am going to stop eating after 10 oclock.
i know that eating late at night breaks my fasting period and doesn’t give my body enough time detox.
i hope i feel healthier, and happier, and i will lose a little weight.
I wrote something earlier but somehow it got sucked into the ether and doesn’t seem to have posted (probably forgot to hit Submit!! duh!)
Anyway just wanted to say I am so inspired by this challenge and it makes a monumental difference knowing that there are so many others out there embarking on their own changes at the same time :)
When I read your post this morning it really made me ponder on WHY I want to change? ..and I concluded that all of my goals revolve around my deep desire to LIVE AUTHENTICALLY..so that will be my mantra, and help me to stay focused. Because basically i want to clear out all the stuff (mentally, physcally, emotionally) that isn’t Truly Me.
Sooo looking forward to February..and reaping the rewards of positive change ++++
thanks heaps Gala, for setting this all up for us and Good Luck with your own personal tranformation !!!
xoxoxox
I’m stoked for this challenge! Before winter I was on a really great track of exercising and eating right, but as it got colder I’ve lost grasp of that. I was feeling excellent and I really want that back! There’s only two more months of winter left so this is the perfect time to get back on track! I even have my iPod set to tell me when to start tomorrow morning! I also want to try to spend less money, and save more. It’s really hard for me to keep money from burning a hole in my pocket.
I really want to do this challenge because it will make me feel better about myself again.
Thanks Gala! And good luck everyone on your challenges! They all sound great!
Ok. You’ve finally convinced me, I’m going raw too! I am a vegan who eats a lot of shit and this is just what I need. Scary indeed, as a challenge should be, but I WANT this too. I don’t see how 28 days can kill me, especially when I’m doing something truly wonderful for my health. (^_^)
As soon as I read this post this morning I went off to the local markets to get a shitload of my favourite fruits and veg. As a foodie I think I’ll actually have a lot of fun with this and keep it creative.
And along with raw goes 3hrs study per day minimum (got a big exam coming up) which should be a lot easier now that I’ll be a lot more alert and energetic from a great diet. I’d also like to so some form of exercise each day be it yoga, walking, wiifit, gym classes or going for a ride.
Isn’t this great how we’re all here to support each other, it certainly does make it seem way easier!
Gala you’re an inspiration! (^-^)v
Let’s do this!
Here are my goals for the itc:
1. be tidy & keep my room cleaner. be more organized.
2. cut back on drinking every weekend. Basically drink more water instead of martinis. :)
3. exercise everyday. I’m going to get back into belly dancing & pilates! [I need to tone my abs, thighs & butt. there’s too much jiggling going on.]
4. eat more & better. NO MORE skipping meals or being “too busy/tired” to eat! It’s time to take care of my belly. :D.
5. write in my journal. I need to let my creativity flow a lot more than I do now & writing should help get my inspiration straight.
Thank you so much for doing the ITC again. I feel so much more motivated reading everyone else goals & knowing that we can all support eachother.
I missed last year so I’m looking forward to this challenge! And reading over the comments has given me inspiration.
I have two goals in mind –
1. Exercise more – whether it be a walk every evening, a bike ride every couple of days or swimming at the local pools (I’d love to get into some hooping – so I’ll be picking up a hula hoop from the Warehouse and giving it a shot!) I would like to tone up and get rid of my sluggish feelings, and use the exercise to de-stress from work.
2. I am going to aim towards eating healthier and better food – lots of fruit veges and salads, and cut back on things like my salted cashews and fizzy drinks. I’m also going to drink LOTS more water, especially at work, where I’ve noticed being hugely dehydrated because I spend too much time running around!
I have chosen these two goals because I know I’m eating badly and not getting out to do enough exercise, and feeling quite low and unhappy. I’ve also packed on a few kilos – which means that I’m not fitting my clothes as well as I used to. So most of my motivation behind these goals is purely superficial and shallow in going towards my looks, but I also believe that with better eating and more exercise I’ll detox the crap out of my body and get my endorphins racing through my bloodstream which will help towards my stressy-ness. It’ll also put me in a better frame of mind for my big trip to Europe this year :)
I know it’s a novel of a comment!! But this is being copied and pasted into a word document, being printed out and pasted into the first day of February in my Moleskine.
Good luck everybody!!
PS – Perhaps we could set up a iTc challenge group in Facebook – commenting etc to keep each other inspired… or even an LJ group?! (for those of us on LJ) – we can inspire each other all of the time and keep each other on track!
Yay! Here we go, everyone!
I’m having a hard time picking some goals for february, but here’s my preliminary list so far:
*VEGAN! Eat vegan, and do NOT fall into the trap of relying on carbs and vegan junk food. I totally agree with what Gala mentioned about having a hard time when you’re doing this alone, especially when my job is so social and we go out for snacks/meals all the time. I will suck it up and get my coffee or my juice or my salad, and not eat junk no matter how easy it seems.
*EXCERCISE DAILY! 30 MINUTE MINIMUM! I want to learn to hoop, I have some workout DVD’s that I really like (anyone got any reccomendations for DVD’s??), and even if it’s just going for a walk with a podcast I want to do something DAILY.
*READ MORE BOOKS! MORE BOOKS, LESS INTERNET. I am thinking of budgeting 3 hours/day for internet time (that includes my job, where I can easily go 10+ hours online when it’s quiet)
*FINISH BOOKING MY EUROPE TRIP! I’m doing the UK in May, and so far all I’ve done is book my ticket. I need to get places to stay figured out, where exactly am I going to visit, how much money will I need… I’m terrified of landing at heathrow with NO PLAN.
I think that’s a good start for my challenge! Where I am it’s only 01/30 so I have one more day to think on this..
Good luck to everyone! LOVE!
I finally figured out what I want to do for my challenge- improve my photography skills. I’m doing Project 365, and my pictures are just boring. I usually end up taking them around 11 at night, just some random item in my room. My goal is to take a picture outside my house everyday, to not be afraid to take my camera out and seem like a tourist. Support system? Still working on that part…
Gala, I’m really hoping to overcome my low-self esteem and become confident- both in my personality and my physical appearance. But I don’t know how to go about it.
Do you have any points you could give me to help me love myself completely and feel comfortable in my own skin?
Hannah X.
I decided on one of my ITC goals thing morning on my way to work. I’ve been at least five minutes late to almost everything lately- including my new job. I used to pride myself on promptness, and I’ve moved towards University Time, which is always late. I’m not okay with that, and I want to move back to being prompt. That means that I’m going to, as of Sunday, be five minutes early for everything.
My second goal is about my study habits, which have slipped this semester. I need to start getting my reading done earlier in the week, instead of the night before. This weekend I will start that process by doing all the reading due for the next meeting of each of my classes, and then I will continue with at least two hours of studying every day.
I want to commit to improving my overall health. For my physical health, this will include committing to Frisbee practice more regularly, working out on my own, and especially eating healthier despite dealing with dining hall food. Mentally, this means allowing myself some down time every day, and more creative work. Emotionally, this means I need to not hold back as much as I’m sometimes inclined to do.
So that’s three, and I think that’s plenty, especially since so much fits under health. So, summary: Improve my promptness and be five minutes early to everything. Improve my study habits and study two hours a day, minimum. Improve my health in all arenas, but especially regarding healthy eating.
I have so much I need to work on! But then again I have so much that I’ve already accomplished, which (though hard to remember) keeps me from having constant panic attacks…
I, Mindy, being of sound mind and body, do hereby resolve to: read more quality literature! take more bubble baths! go to the gym more! only surround myself with people who i love! work more on my baby blog!
Sounds good to me.
There is so much I’d like to do, but the one part of my life I am least happy with at the moment is my work situation.
My goal is to list my first jewellery items on Etsy this month. My BFF also wants to craft and is going to make some bags and aprons so we are each others support systems.
Here goes.
I’ve decided to join the challenge even though I had intended to not do so in the first place. I was skeptical at first that I wanted to make a commitment but this needs to be done.
I shall exercise each day for an hour, no butts. I make up a lot of excuses for myself and none should cut it as this is important for my self. Also cutting down on the treats. I have a wicked sweet tooth.
My challenge will be to do some form of exercise every day – a walk/jog, pilates, yoga or a hockey game. I’ve already sorted out my walking route and social hockey has started up again, so that’s every Thursday evening. I have a book full of yoga routines and a pilates DVD. I am set =)
I plan to hop back on the Raw wagon. I’ve been 95-100% Raw other than the past two weeks, and it’s time to get back in there.
I need to finish learning how to manage a website and get mine up and running. I went to a private college for natural and wholistic health, and there’s a lot of things I want to write articles on – how to do reflexology properly on oneself is one, and different names and techniques for EFT. The system I learned was a subsection of muscle testing, and explained in detail about the Chinese meridians involved, which I think is awesome in depth information, and I can provide insider information to people on the natural health industry, and what different healing modalities are and when and why they should be used. See? Here I am typing paragraphs about it, but I haven’t been able to make time to actually do it, or rather, I haven’t been letting myself make time for it.
It’s so inspiring to read everyone’s comments, and to know that they will be on the same journey. I have a few, mainly I want to quit biting my nails (I did start this before January, but I’ve been biting since I was three, so they’re taking ages to grow back… and the ongoing motivation will help) and the other is to exercise more.
I’m totally in the later for mostly shallow reasons, I want to lose ten pounds and start rock climbing again on a semi-serious basis. I was at one point climbing 4 to 5 days a week, indoor and out, and I was in the best shape of my life! I did start the workout thing already too, but for 3 out of the past 4 days I fell off the bandwagon. I did Wii Fit yoga last night but I don’t count that for much.
After day 5 of starting a workout regime, I felt AMAZING. And I started to realize that there were more important benefits than just losing weight. I get sick a lot and it’s just simply time for a lifestyle change, period.
I HIGHLY recommend the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels, if you want something different now and then. I purchased it after reading amazing reviews on Amazon, and while I have not lost any weight 15 days later, I’ve gone down a pant size – I have gained muscle mass, I’m guessing. It’s a 20 minute workout, and it’s FUN because you’re never doing the same thing for more than 2 minutes. It’s still hardcore, and it has 3 levels of difficulty for when you want to ramp up or if you find the easiest level too easy right away. I haven’t been able to get behind any other program quite like this one. If I feel discouraged, I just go back to Amazon and read those amazing reviews again. It truly is awesome.
I hope that everyone can attain what they want to in this challenge, in fact, I’m going to say that you will! Much love and support to everyone, I’m fighting the battle along with you, and if that helps in your motivation then I’m happy, because you all are certainly helping me.
Reading everyone’s comments and getting continual inspiration for things I need to change is kind of overwhelming :3 But you know, the enjoyable kind.
I am going to;
* Go for an hour long walk at least 5 times a week. I used to do this every afternoon and had the slammin’ booty to show for it, but I’ve slacked off in a big way this year – and now have very voluptuous thighs to show for it. No more!
* Look into a partial-RAW/herbivorous diet. It sounds so fantastic, but I just don’t know whether I am ready to make the full commitment right now. I’m living at home still, so huge changes to my diet need to take into account my family. I also really, really, really like cooked/fleshy food :)
But I’m going to try eating less cooked food for a start, at the very least to accumulate ideas and recipes for when I’m in a position to go all out.
* I’m going to try to do more social things. I’m a bit of a homebody/hermit by nature, but I adore my friends and I need to make more time to see them – especially as this will be hard once the semester starts :(
This will include social exercise – my friend Kate plays tennis and is starting a netball team so I’m gonna jump on that bandwagon!
* Yoga. Do some shit, basically. I started going to a class near me, but its a bit hard to get too. So now that I know the basics, I want to get a couple of dvds and other bits and do it on my own. (This also fits in well with me hermit lifestyle)
So that’s me. The hard thing is that there’s so much I feel I should be doing. I want to concentrate mostly on my health, because while mentally I’m better than ever – physically, i’m really unfit and have zero energy. I guess I’m lucky in the sense that weight loss isn’t really an issue, so I’m looking more at well being/health than fat burning.
The other thing I need to do is work on my schoolwork and organisational skills. I go back to uni in a month, and I’m starting ‘serious’ law (eep). I got the idea into my head that I want to graduate with honours (even though I’m only doing law until I work out what I want to do with my life) and my current GPA of 5.5 really doesn’t cut it.
Oh and Nadia, I’d love to swing by your website when you get it up. Could you put a link to it in the comments when you do it?
And Gala – seriously girl, you’re a diamond. I wouldn’t have even thought of trying RAW without you, and I probably wouldn’t be attempting this self-improvement either. Thanks, and kisses!
Action (1): Cooking a new dish from scratch a few days a week.
Involves: opening discount cook books I bought recently and accumulating all the necessary ingredients (involves research and shopping time)
Motivation: Cooking elaborate meals in place of canned or boiled food is NOT wasteful. Yes you can live off of spaghetti all your life, but life is about creating a wonderful and enriched self, and later on the new skill can be shared, enriching the lives of others and even winning love/admiration. It is also a part of being a self sufficient/highly functioning person in the classic sense.
Action (2): Go to the gym (almost) every day. Involves -keeping gym clothes clean. Purchasing new gyms clothes (yet to do). Leaving the apartment.
Motivation: Its the only way to get really warm in this weather mmm. I can read that book when on that one bike with the seat-back. There is a library I can visit across the street for school work, a cinema is nearby, a book store, shopping, etc. There doesn’t have to be a routine and it doesnt have to be difficult, just break a sweat and leave if it sucks. At least you did something. :)
My goal is to create one moment each day that is just pure fun and love. My days for the last year have been bland, boring and foggy, and to be honest, so have I. I want them to spin and sparkle.
I’ve already planned tomorrow’s: a Gala-inspired underwater fashion shoot with my sister.
last year i didn’t had any good idea for the challenge, so i skipped it. this year i decided, that there are some things to do, and iTC is a good excuse to kick myself in the ass.
i have to goals. i think, that the more you try to complete the more you feel, erm weighed down. and it’s less possible to do it
~ finish portfolio
i applied for architecture studies 2 weeks ago. i still don’t know if i got there. probably in about a month they will ask me for a portfolio, if they like my application. THEORETICALY i started to do it about 2 months ago. but the truth is i haven’t done almost anything valuable. so i have motivation, to really do it and a little time to do it.
~ eat cheap and healthy
recently i stopped eating healthy. i was looking good and fit and i thought, that few crappy junk meals won’t change anything. but eating pasta and fried stuff all the time (+barely no vegetables and fruits) made me feel like shit, i gained few kilos and in general it affected my life a lot. so my second goal is to buy cheap, good quality food(farmers market on tuesdays and fridays) eat more veggies and less pasta and fried stuff. my motivation is basically the same as with you guys- feel and look better. i am not going raw, because climate in poland isn’t very helpful (rather COLD, especially in winter)
and the way to do it? just a few tips for me. tell about it to poeple, that i know they care about me to ask me if i do it, and if not, remind me about my goals. otherwise i know i will start to lie to myself and make silly excuses and so on. i have already realised, that this is what i REALLY want to do, so it’s half way as for me.
can’t wait to start. oh and ps. i think i’ll write about my challenge on my blog. it will help me to keep challenging with myself and not giving up
good luck girls and boys. and remember, that anyone is forcing you to do it. believe in yourself. love yourself. care about yourself. quoting gala- crave your beautiful life.
I’ve posted my iCiNG transformation challenge as a post on my own blog but what it basically boils down to is the motto:
Stop Bitching, Start Doing!
and I’ve chosen three areas of my life to apply that to. I need to stop complaining about the areas of my life that aren’t satisfactory and start doing something to make them sparkly.
Oh Gala, you float my boat.
You’re SO inspiring.
I’m doing this Transformation challenge, I’ve even written it in my diary for tomorrow, what my goals are for the month.
They are – Eat healthy (no more random snacking when I’m bored!) – Exercise AT THE GYM 3 or more times per week for an hour or more at a time (started doing this two weeks ago but I really want to maintain it, concidering before this I had no exercise routine at all) – Diarise it all in a food/weight/exercise diary!
My support system will be you, iCiNG, and my mate Jade who I go to the gym with.
And the reason I’m doing this all is because I no longer want to hate myself and I’m sick of not having all my clothes fit like they once did!
:)
I lurk far too much… but I think commenting and updating on iTC progress might just keep me motivated (I tried last year without saying a word to anyone and it flopped, badly – you live and learn!).
So yes, all inspired by everyone’s wonderful talk of making changes, here goes.
I have quite a full month ahead of me with term starting, so it’s not going to be anything OTT that I won’t be able to manage: – make a conscious effort to drink more water, every day – keep a gratitude diary every day, to stop me grumbling – go to everything I’ve signed up to (sports, choir etc) – meditate twice a week
It might sound a bit dull but I think two at least of those resolves, if I can keep them up and put effort into them, will help me with silly things like my temper that hold me back from being who I’d like to be :)
And thank you, Gala, for being such an inspiration to us all!
Hi! I’m from Spain and I’m your fan #1!
I love your website!
I make a set in Polyvore of your web!
I hope you like :)
Galadarling, you’re the best!
www.polyvore.com/icing/set?id=...
I only started reading iCiNG in the middle of the last iTC, so I’m really glad to take part in this one :) I’ve decided to split my iTC into three main groups:
Health (this is going to be a bit of an experiment to see if I look/feel any better): – Take the first steps to raw food. I think I’m going to eat raw during the day, and something healthy but cooked in the evening to start with, along with lots of water/vitamins/supplements.. – excercise – especially hooping! – at least 30mins a day, and get a good amount of sleep instead up staying up til stupid o’ clock each night
Wealth: – try to get my illustration/fashion portfolio & blog site up by March 1st, and make tracks in the next stage of my career. This is the biggie for me, because I’ve been saying I’ll do this for over a year now.
Happiness: – take the time to do things for me rather than being all run-down etc! Like continuing with my hooping, going out, seeing my friends, decluttering/keeping my living space nice, giving my body the style and love it deserves!
I’m going to be keeping tabs on my iTC on my Livejournal and in a scrapbook, and am looking forward to seeing how everyone else is doing as well. I’m well excited about this – in fact I’m going now to the shop to get some raw-food ingredients.
Game on! :D
So, I’ve been really struggling with what to do for my iTC. I’ve been looking at raw food websites, I’ve downloaded the Karen Knowler pdf (which I LOVE by the way), and I’ve been thinking about excercise.
I’ve been hooping for about a month now, and I love it. I’ve got a handmade one by a local hoop instructor/burlesque dancer and it is amazing! Exactly like the ones from Hoopnotica, nicely weighted—but I like the fact that it was personalized to fit my height, waist size and color preference. It’s me, in hoop form (see me, it and my other two babies here: i3.photobucket.com/albums/y93/...). Anyway, I hoop almost everyday. I had been hooping up to an hour, but I’m slacking like crazy. I think my goal will be to become more postive, grounded and to improve my health. I will do so by:
De-cluttering
Going at least 50% raw
Writing in a gratitude journal once a day
Hooping an hour a day
Drinking more water
Not very creative or unique, but that’s my plan… :)
Wish me luck!! :)
-start training for a marathon (and running 5x/week)
-Writing for an hour every day!
My mission is to help people add local foods, vegetarian delicacies, and home-cooked meals to their lives. I want to demystify cooking from scratch, shopping at the farmers market, and packing satisfying lunches and snacks. My goal is to help as many people as possible – including myself – eating a little closer to home and a little lower on the food chain.
My strategy is to build my blog, localizing.wordpress.com into a bountiful source of useful information. This is what I want to accomplish in February:
Write my 40th post!
Buy a camera and learn how to use it.
Figure out how my scanner works so that I can post drawings.
Post another how-to video. I’m thinking of making a bread-baking tutorial, but I’m open to suggestion. Any requests?
Build up an excellent blogroll full of people who are localizing their diets, their wardrobes, their art, and their music, and building amazing communities in the process.
Tell at least five other bloggers about what I am trying to accomplish. Ask if they’ll help.
Tell people about my blog!
i’m doing something quite simple. journaling. i shall write in diary every day,to sort myself out, and i DO need sorting out. :* good luck everyone.
It has taken me quite a few days to really think about what to challenge myself for iTC. I know this looks like a HUGE list, but I am already doing most of them – I want t make sure I follow through with them everyday.
* Organise my junk – clean house = clear mind;
* Find/connect with my true self – use EFT daily – I still have a long list of things I want to work on – eliminate the negativeness in my life (thoughts+people);
* Meditate;
* Continue with 2L of water-a-day challenge;
* Exercise daily – gym classes, yoga/pilates, treadmill/rowing machine + continue personal training sessions every Wednesday;
* Eat healthy, make my work lunches everyday;
* Practive raw food diet – I don’t feel I am completely ready to dramatically alter my diet yet, but it is something I have been wanting to do since last year;
* Apply for at least 2 jobs a week;
* Daily entries in my journal;
* Continue working on my portfolio to apply for mid-year course;
* Make a marvelous effort of appearance every morning of every day.
Best of luck to everyone participating in iTC!
May we all shine + sparkle like radiant stars :D
I love reading comments! Is so awesome to see what other bunnys are doing and thinking! I hope Im not the only one that does it because that would feel weird. As for me I dont know!! I am kinda happy with my eating right now, I dont want 100% raw or vegan, I dont want meet or junk food, but I like fish and chicken and pork once in a while! Im in hooping classes and getting my hoop on monday! so exciting! I really want to hoop lots and lots and sweat with it. As part of my challenge Im includeing EFT I started today, I watched the movie ‘You can heal your life’ it was fantastic… And I do have low self-steem and feel like a whale, and so lonely!!! Buaaa… Oh well! Cheer up me and everybody that needs some support!
So best wishes everybody and lets shine!
besitos
my goal is to be sugar-free for 30 days. i have tried doing “no desserts,” and so far so good. i feel much better, have more energy, and less moodiness. the cravings are still there, though.
but for a truly sugar-free diet i’ll have to look more carefully at packaging, and pay more attention to everything that goes in my mouth. there’s so much hidden sugar in savory foods!
i found a blog that’ll help (called “my year without”) and hopefully i can find more of a community online…
thanks for the push, gala! this is a great idea.
I am going to try and eat Vegan and exercise every week. The cold winter has kept me cooped up eating Mac and Cheese in my jammies, which is very comforting until you try and fit into your clothes. My biggest challenge is just going to be reminding myself that no, that delicious soup I just made does NOT need a sprinkle of parmesean on top. It’s fine just as it is.
I’m not taking part this year in a specific goal because I have a list of stuff I need to improve on, as it were, and I’m just working through it one by one :)
My current one is about developing my personal style.
My goals are as followed;
Meditate everyday except tuesdays and thursdays
undergo a drastic makeover! (Hair, clothing, etc)
eat healthy..er :)
start an awesome blog like this one :)
I have many goals that I’d like to work on, but I’m afraid that if I set too many I won’t stick to them so I’d rather focus on fewer things. So for the challenge I want to exercise at least 3 times a week and cut out all junk food and white bread as well as eat more vegetables and fruits. I tell myself so often “ahh I’ll start being healthy on Monday…” and then it never happens, so I’d really like to take this seriously.
And being a daily iCing reader it’s almost impossible not to be excited about all this hoop mania, so yes…. I bought myself one yesterday haha! And I’m so bad at it! But it’ll be fun I’m sure…
Good luck to everyone :)
- i already hoop aaaaall the time, but i want to increase my flexibility and make sure i do yoga at least once a day and stretch after all hooping practices and performances. doing the splits while hooping on my shoulders is easy when i stretch consistently, but i’m in danger of injuring myself if i just jump right in to the crazy stuff without being physically ready. – as i sit in my chair eating a microwavable mac & cheese, i am remembering how good it felt drinking a yummy smoothie for breakfast yesterday instead…i don’t have a goal of going 100% raw, but i want to make sure i get high amounts of fruits & veggies in my diet and lose my dependance to ranch dressing on my salads. – base relationships off mutual respect & desire, not habit. – write every day. ride a horse every day. – not miss any class & keep up with my reading. i just changed my major to philosophy and the amount of pages per week is mindboggling.
all these things are things i already have been doing, and the idea of continuing them doesn’t scare me. so my goal for the iTC is to work on my music project a tiny bit every day and complete my software program manual by the end of the month so i completely know how to use the software to sculpt my music. that scares the shit out of me. i’m already so busy! but it’s a dream of mine that i keep shoving to the side and letting fear prolong my from really starting. i’m gonna do it. this month!
Gala
When you come back to NYC I’m taking you to Pure Food and Wine, one of the best Raw restaurants in america!
www.purefoodandwine.com/
I’ve decided that I will participate in the challenge, but I’m only focusing on only a few things.
Though it may not sound very groundbreaking, my boyfriend and I are going to start packing lunches instead of eating in the school cafeteria. This will save us money, as well as keeping us from eating greasy pizza everyday. I’ll pack them the night before.
I want to start waking up earlier. I am not a morning person, and don’t aspire to be one; however, I hate feeling rushed. I hate not eating breakfast or getting pretty because I have to rush out the door. And while I would like to look put together everyday, I think that’s a bit much for now. I am going to eat something every morning, even if it is only a protein bar or shake.
I really want to start exercising everyday, but I think that is a little too ambitious at the moment.
Thank you for these links & ideas! I’ve recently decided to (slowly (but consistently!)) go raw- not just for this challenge, but I’m starting it with you (& the iCiNG community) because i think this support will be a big boost during my first month. I’m going to incorporate this whole journey into my blog, and i’m super blessed to have a boy who’s going to keep me away from temptation & help me find all sorts of yummy raw food options, so it should be quite the adventure.. though i prefer to see it as such instead of a challenge. I press the easy button on life, i’m so over that life-and-all-things-worth -having should be a struggle thing. I just chose to change my ways and will have compassion on myself if sometimes i need to take one step back to take 4 more forward. :)
I’m going to:
1. Exercise every day, even if only for five minutes. I’ll be doing this with my sister, which will help a ton.
2. Write for 1 hour every day. I’m going to tell my family, and they can encourage me.
3. Eat no more than 1 serving of meat each week. This one… I’m pretty much on my own.
Yeee I’m so ready for this! I participated in the iTC last year (and loved it!) and I’m pumped to do it again! This year my goals are going to be daily in their time frame, and as you’ve said, I know they’re good because they make me a little nervous to
complete.
I’ve recently gotten a gorgeous hoop + the beginning Hoopnotica DVD (oh yes!) and have found out that I may have hypothyroidism (oh no!) which may be contributing to my weight gain after being somewhat active and eating very little each day.
While I am going to see a naturopath to examine my diet and maybe treat my thyroid condition, I still want to clean up the things that are within my control and improve the state of my body, spirit, and mind as I can without supplements or pharmaceutic medicine.
My goals for this transformation are:
1. To be conscious of my diet and record the foods I eat on The Daily Plate every day!
2. To exercise AT LEAST every other day for 30 minutes + plus hoop for a while every day!
3. To update a journal every day on my emotions, gratitude and progress!
Thank you so much, Gala! I love your blog and have been reading it religiously since the beginning, and I’m so glad that you are doing this again this year. Stay strong with your goals for the transformation and thank you for being such an inspiration!
xoxoxo
Audrey Louise Irving
16 year old student in Seattle, WA who loves life, her boyfriend, friends and family, cooking, dancing and iCiNG, of course!
Okay, I think I might have finally pin-pointed some goals that mean a lot to me and that will help my life immensely!
1. Remove “spring clean” negative people from my life/people who lie to me/people who just don’t CARE about me anymore for whatever reason/are hanging on to the past.
Life is too short to hang on to people like that! There are SO many other amazing people out there who will respect me and appreciate me for who I am!
2. Continue going to the gym, but amp it up to 3 times a week!
3. Write something every day, no matter how small and insignificant.
Phheeww, so glad I finally got those out there!!
Thank you so much for doing this Gala!
I’m fairly new to iCiNG, but I love it and I’m soooo excited (and nervous :P) to participate in the iTC.
There are A LOT of things I want to do, but I’ve narrowed my goals down to:
+eat 100% raw (original, I know)
+wake up early and do at least 30 minutes of yoga every day
+sketch every day
+get a job
+take better care of myself and stop falling back in my old self-destructive habits
And some other smaller things I’ll try to do, but won’t focus on as much, are: work on my personal style, be more social, write (in my journal) every day, work on getting my license, practice singing and make some clothing/accesories to sell.
Hoop, raw, yoga, create more, submit more, take action more, true self, create create create..as far as support..inspiration is my best friend. I will be my true self and that inspires me and inspires others. Know my intentions, meditate and keep even more my ability to be present and flow and know all that happens is an opportunity or a situation that is leading me closer to my dreams as they grow and I grow.
Since my transformation challenge is a very introspective, I designed a calendar with something to do each day that, if it doesn’t improve the way I feel about myself, will improve my attitude towards other things, which of course puts me in a better mood and makes my perspective for other things lighter, too.
I also went out and bought a journal that I found really attractive, with the kind of binding and paper that I really want in a journal. To assist with my challenge, I plan on keeping a stream-of-consciousness for every day of the 28 days. This is more to track m own thoughts, and to look back at my own excitement to use my past excitement to encourage myself to keep going.
I’ve been on at myself since Christmas to try and get back into looking out for myself again. I realised this transformation is the chance to actually do these things.
- Yoga for ten minutes each morning on waking. The months that I have kept this up before have made me feel so good but it’s all too often that I let it slip.
- Eat well and try not to eat after 7pm, my late night eating is a bad habit and what stops me from losing the weight that I need to.
- Mantras. I sadly realized the other day that I spend a lot of time thinking negatively about myself. I’m going to be turning that around by choosing messages for myself to meditate on each week.
xo
I’ve finally pinpointed my challenege…February Reality! Im turning all the aspects in the my life I want to change into reality. It’s all small goals that have to do with my Mind, Body, Soul and New Years Resolutions that I am going to do for February. Looking at it as just a one-month thing makes it easier…hopefully I can continue when the month is over!
What about goals that you’re not sure if you can accomplish? I have two goals right now, one that I know I can do (lose 10 lbs — I’m already about 1/2 way there, since I started at xmas), and one I’m not sure about. I really want to quit my day job so I can write full time. I’m not sure if I can afford to do that or if it’s even a good idea, so I’m hesitant about making it a goal. But of course, I feel like if I never make that an explicit goal, I will keep making excuses for not doing it and never actually follow through. It’s a pretty nasty cycle. :-/
Sorry to be a downer. On the bright side, my weight loss goal is making me feel fantastic. I even started a Fit Friday series on my blog so I can stay motivated, and my friends/readers have been ultra supportive.
I am excited/terrified for the ITC! My challenge is to make a really conscious effort to listen to my body. Cutting out junk food and junk thoughts. If you can’t pronounce what’s on the ingredients list, I won’t be eating it! For this first week as well I am trying to detox by cutting out things that are heavily processed, high in fat/sugar and not drinking coffee or alcohol! I am starting everyday with hot water and lemon and drinking huge amounts of cleanse herbal tea. Icing will be my support network as today I am feeling rotten but writing this entry means I have made a commitment to you guys and myself!
Gala I totally agree with your comment “it’s FAR better to concentrate on & truly commit to a couple of things than scatter your time half-assedly between a whole bunch!” I also think that it’s important to really think about your goal and define it more than something like ‘I want to be healthier’. That way you can have more focus with it. I think it’s also good to ask yourself, why do I really want to do this? :) love & light, B xo
My boyfriend and I are doing one part of the iTC together, going to the gym before work (for him) and school (for me) on Monday, Wednesday and possibly Friday mornings. For the whole month. Which is exciting as it something we both have wanted to do but have just never gotten around to it. Plus, I get free gym access, so its just a matter of going.
Plus, some personal challenges I am going to take on are:
I want to up the time I spend hooping. And learn new tricks.
Spend $20-50 a week and no more. If I want something that is more I save up for it. And I do not use my credit card. That is going to be the biggest challenge, to not use my credit card to get something pretty online.
Eat oatmeal for breakfast every day (with a piece of fruit) and drink a fruit smoothie once a day, and increase the over all number of veggies I eat.
Good luck on the challenge, everyone!
Mine is a lot less structured and specific than what I think it calls for, it’s basically to use EFT whenever I am feeling blue. I’ve always believed in its use but I’ve been lax on proper technique by using only the karate chop point and none of the others.
The one that scares the shit out of me is to finish at least one creative writing story, a poem, a newspaper article, and possible article for a blog I’m considering starting. Basically it’s going to be WRITE, tap, WRITE SOME MORE, and MAYBE sleep.
lots of love! <3
I’ve been a bit slow setting up for the iTC. I didn’t participate in last year’s from lack of motivation, but that’s most likely just from naturally wanting to jump into everything headfirst, and that was too overwhelming for the things I wanted to accomplish. But now that this challenge is starting and I’m seeing that almost a year later the goals that I want to accomplish are pretty much the same as when I considered participating in the last iTC. That should be a major sign that these are things I must have the motivation for somewhere deep in my subconscious, and really should try and accomplish.
~Since late December I’ve begun to slowly (like, really slowly) increase my daily intake of raw food, after being a vegan for over two years. I want to pick up the pace a bit more to help increase my likeliness of meeting my ultimate goal of eating ideally 75% or more raw by the year’s end.
~Even though I have a fairly high GPA and do well in my academic classes, I always procrastinate or flat out do not care about my schoolwork and end up half-assing everything at the last second. I know that at some point I won’t be able to put in the least amount of effort and still be successful, so I want to break the habit now. I’m going to be entering college this fall, and I don’t want to make myself miserable the first semester by continuing my poor habits.
Good luck to everyone else!
Okay,so last year I only partially participated, and I focused on one thing and it pretty much worked. However, I still get relapses once in a while.
This year, I want to go full-force, and I’m so happy, because I actually want to change. I am getting so sick of some of things going on in my life and some of the things that I do, that I want to change. Which pretty much doesn’t happen that often for me, and it definitely never happened this strong. Hoorah!
So, firstly, I was thinking of eating at least two raw meals a day, and being more concious of how I eat. I really enjoyed reading about how going fully raw felt for you, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I have always eaten lots of raw fruits and vegetables, because I find them delicious, but I eat just about as much other foods, beacuse I find them delicious too. So, I think that at least two raw meals a day is good, because then I won’t feel terrible if I eat something non-raw. As for how I will do this, the two raw meals will probably be breakfast and lunch (which will most likely be fruit or vegtable salads—I tried smoothies, but I think I may really heavy ones, even though I don’t put ice cream etc in them, because I always feel really full, and I like enjoying my food, so smoothies can be more of a snack or weekend breakfast for me). Also, I’ll have to make sure that I eat these raw meals and not just eat the random piece of fruit whenever I’m hungry. If I have really bad cravings for something, I’ll make sure I eat it with a meal, so I don’t over-indulge or feel bad about it.
Secondly, I want to exercise too, except I am more uncertain about how I want this to go. I’ll probably make sure that for every two days I have at least one hour of excercise—half an hour strength trainging, and half an hour cardio. I would like to work on my core muscles for strength, and probably walk or run for cardio, maybe dance or hoola-hoop (I haven’t been able to find one in stores!). Oh, and of course the 10 minutes of warm-up and cool-down exercises.
Third, I want to drink lots of water, no coffee, and no ice cubes. I will allow tea, but only plain tea (no sugar or milk, maybe honey).
Also, I would like to try to be more “charming”. I’m pretty much an uncoordinated dork, who may only grunt or smile from time to time.
Lastly, I must stop going on the computer every day for no apparent reason. I need to save these things for once every four days at the most.
Now, to help me… I’ll probably read your articles on these topics, try to comment here at least every four day, and write in my journal everyday.
P.S. I want to be the best in school and academics, just like the old days.
It took me some time to figure out specific goals, but here they are:
Write every single day;
I am this close to finishing a collection of short stories I’ve been working on for quite some time, & I don’t want to lose my momentum! Also, I love writing. It’s not a chore, it’s never been one, & I need to remind myself of that daily.
Cultivate honesty;
I have a problem with lying, & exaggerating, & etcetera. It’s almost compulsive & it’s gotten me into trouble before. Time for a change!
Become more active;
I walk everywhere & so am not extremely out of shape, but I’d like to exercise in a more conscious way. I bought some goggles & plan on going swimming two times a week; I also want to go on longer walks & explore the neighbourhood thoroughly!
I’ll be charting my daily progress in a notebook & will find ways to reward myself at the end of every week — Cadbury Cream Eggs come to mind! ;p
Good luck everyone!
I’m going to get my heart rate up at least once every day, and each night before I go to bed I’m going to tell myself how beautiful and strong I am. I am going to take time out at least twice a week to make sure I’m satisfied with how I’m taking care of myself. I am not going to think of myself as being put-upon or overworked. I will take chances and take action. I will remind myself how good my life is.
And if by the end of this month I haven’t stopped having daily/semi-daily anxiety attacks, I am going to follow my mother’s advice and start talking to a counselor!
ah! I’ve never posted a comment before. I tried to do the last itc, but I couldn’t find enough motivation. But this time, I am totally ready for a change.
(1) Do pilates and 30 minutes of cardio every other day. I was just cast as a Hot Box Girl in my school’s production of Guys and Dolls. Ah! They have huge dancing parts in the show, so I want to be balanced and toned for the musical in April.
(2) Study hard and Make A’s on all of my tests. I want to be an honor graduate, and while everyone was selecting our courses for the next school year, I noticed that students have to have a cumulative average of 93 if they want to graduate with honors.
(3) Prepare to get my license! I drove last night with my mother, and I was really rusty. Ack! I can get my license at the very end of May. I need to take a Driver’s Education course before I can get it.(ugh, it’s a law in my state) So I’m going to practice driving at least 3 times a week and sign up for Driver’s Ed!
Well, I didn’t set any New Year’s Resolutions for myself, I figured I’d set them on my birthday (February 10th) because that is a new year as well! But why not go a few days early? I’m going to work on having good posture and also exercising 5x a week for at least a half hour on top of hockey practice (which ends in three weeks). I need to keep exercising when it is not required.
I love how everyone wants to eat raw and hula hoop just like you! I can’t decide if they’re just enchanted by your ways and you’ve inspired them to be like you or if you’re just attracting people with similar interests to your site! Good luck!
I just read this post and it was so inspirational. A lot of what you were talking about sounded exactly like my thoughts minus the whole raw food bit. I’m not sure I could ever eat raw, but I have started to eat all organic simply because I don’t want to be poisoned by pesticides and preservatives. Cancer is spreading rapidly through this country and as time goes by I’m seeing more and more people I know who have it and it’s terrifying me, so that’s why I’ve decided to do something good for myself and go organic. My beauty products for the past year have all been organic, now I’m changing my diet to organic. Good luck!
The biggest thing I want to do over the next 28 days is excercise Radical Gratitude. My game plan of how I’m going to complete this goal is:
- Stop complaining – Be kind, polite and say thank you – Write 30 things down every night in my gratitude journal that I’m thankful for excited about etc. – Not buy anything for a month but begin to be truly thankful for what I already own (I will buy necessities but this month shoes will not be a necessity purchase)
-Smile first thing when I make up in the morning
-Tell each one of my friends and family members how much I love and appreciate them.
-Hug people a lot more
I also over the past couple months have been trying really hard to be more positive so I also what to practice:
-Eating more raw food
-Listening to only positive music, no more depressive emo for me.
-Cut coffee completely out of my diet
Good Luck everybody !!!
xox Staar
The biggest thing I want to do over the next 28 days is excercise Radical Gratitude. My game plan of how I’m going to complete this goal is:
- Stop complaining
- Say thank you for things people do that you don’t usually notice or show appreciation for
- Write 30 things down every night in my gratitude journal that I’m thankful for excited about etc.
- Not buy anything for a month but begin to be truly thankful for what I already own (I will buy necessities but this month shoes will not be a necessity purchase)
-Smile first thing when I make up in the morning
-Tell each one of my friends and family members how much I love and appreciate them.
-Hug people a lot more
-Listening to only positive happy music, no more depressive emo for me.
-Try and always see the beautiful around me and experience wonder.
I also over the past couple months have been trying really hard to be more positive so I also what to practice:
-Eating more raw food
-Find a hoop and start hooing
-Cut coffee completely out of my diet
Good Luck everybody !!!
xox Staar
Im in!! Im planning, eh, i AM eating more healthy in february, Im exercising every day (whether it is a walk in the park or a real workout, dont have time for visits to the gym every day), I am enjoying the things that i love, even when theyre not the easiest choices (reading a book vs surfing on the net, drawing vs watching tv).
I am doing this!!!
I’m in too~
I’ll do only three things: be myself, write better (and more!) and smile everyday. Clean living, more writing, less eating and more loving. Dream big. Open my heart and purse to the universe. Double Ds! XD I can’t think of anything else right now but I’ll start with that :)
I am going to learn about the law of attraction and use it in my life.
I am going to stop complaining, and instead fix whats bothering me.
I am going to be more orgainzed; my room, my bag, everything.
I am going to listen to my body, and treat it like it’s the most important thing in my world. (eating healthier, (RAW/VEGAN), excercising, yoga, meditation)
I am going to start using more homeopathic cures when i am sick.
And most importantly,
I am going to get to know myself, and accept my flaws.
Thanks for doing this awesome challenge gala!
xoxoxox
L.