The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones – Chinese Proverb

     I was thinking this week. How many times have I started a fitness routine, a new nutrition plan, some type of challenge and told myself that this time I was not gonna mess up, give up, or get fed up and quit – no matter what?

Too many times to count…

But – I want to do differently – I’m tired of giving up. I want the next 30 days to be different. I want to establish a routine. They say it takes 30 days to make a habit. I have already made it a habit to do my Daily 3’s – gratitudes, goals and get it done (see LifeAboveRubies.com) – so starting Tuesday – on August 1st, I added in two more challenges for the next 30 days.

The first challenge is to eat clean for 30 days – no processed sugars and add in more whole food plant based items. Not totally vegan – just more vegetables and fruit. The second challenge is 30 blog posts in 30 days. I want this to become part of my routine and a habit to keep – no matter what! (This is why I am typing this blog post at 11 pm at night – I almost forgot).

To keep a routine is build a habit

This is what my daily routine looks like:

• Feed the Great Dane between 6 and 7 am (the Great Dane wakes me up)
• Make my protein smoothie (frozen fruit blend, handful of spinach, vegan protein, sometimes a 1/4 cup of Triple Zero frozen Greek yogurt and almond or coconut milk)
• Drink a big glass of water and take my supplements
• Write in my journal, do my Daily 3’s and read 5 chapters in Psalms and 1 chapter in Proverbs
• Make my bed and get dressed
• Leave for the gym on Tuesdays through Saturdays, Mondays – get ready to run errands or work on Positive Journeys, Stampin Up or K.D. Whimsy
• Workout or work for a few hours
• Eat lunch (a salad and a green tea or a protein drink)
• Back to work or run errands
• Give the dogs a treat
• Eat dinner (again the Great Dane will come find me – if I work longer than 7 pm at night)
• Feed the dog
• Write this blog post
• Settle in for the night and watch a few episodes of whatever show I am binge watching (Right now it is Million Dollar Listing NY – I adore Fredrik Eklund and Ryan Serhant. Plus, I learn a lot about sales)
• Give the dogs a bedtime snack. Turn off the lights, and climb into bed.

My day is done. All is well with the world.