I like to call this time of year “Resolution Season” as it’s when everyone makes their New Year’s resolutions, declare them on Facebook, do them for a few days and come February, it’s like they were never set. Think about how FREAKING LONG 2018 felt – no wonder it’s pretty dang impossible to follow through on resolutions for a whole entire year. That’s why I have never made resolutions, I know I wouldn’t be able to stick with them for 12 whole months.
I also find resolutions to be way too vague. I hear people say things like “I want to get healthier”, or “I want to work out more this year!” but like, what does that actually mean? Does eating healthier mean no takeout food or no candy? Does working out more mean every day or just once a week? Seriously, no wonder resolutions get a bad rap for being hard to stick to, they are too vague and too long.
That’s why I love the 150 Days Challenge.
Shoutout to my friend Amy who is the creator of this challenge. Over lunch one day, she was telling me about how for the year of 2018, she made a few “150 days of” goals for herself. 150 days of salads, 150 days of workouts and 150 days sober. I thought this was BRILLIANT.
It’s WAY easier to accomplish 150 days of not drinking alcohol over the course of a year instead of vaguely saying “I’m going to not drink as much.” Instead of saying you’ll lose 10 pounds this year, making the goal of working out 150 days of the year will help you meet that goal in a real, tangible way – plus, it’s a much healthier way of approaching weight (encouraging you to make working out habbit and part of your lifestyle instead of the means to a different body size.)
150 DAYS CHALLENGE IDEAS
150 days sober
150 days of telling your body you love it
150 days of no cigarettes
150 days of salads (like, salads for a whole meal not a side!)
150 days of workouts
150 days of walking a mile
150 days of reading
150 days of cooking at home
150 days of spending time with family
150 days of putting $10 in your savings account
150 days of getting 8+ hours of sleep
150 days of staying in vs. going out
150 days of learning a new skill
150 days of painting (or taking photos or knitting – any creative outlet!)
150 days of cleaning/tidying your apartment
150 days of eating no meat
150 days of no soda
150 days of yoga
150 days of volunteering
This upcoming year, my one major goal was to walk a mile a day. I work from home and I’m such a classic creative type. I get into “flows” a lot and will literally not realize 6 hours has passed (Robin has to bring me food and tell me to eat sometimes.) Because of this, I spent a LOT of time sit, hunched over a computer in 2018. I started feeling the negative effects on my body and mind. Not moving as much as I should was making me tired, cranky and sore. So I decided I would try to walk a mile a day.
And then I heard about Amy’s 150 Day Challenge and realized that’s a WAY better goal system. Instead of 150 days, I’m actually aiming for 300. I know there will be plenty of days when it’s pouring rain or we’re slammed with work, or sick, or have meetings all day, or sitting in a car on a roadtrip, etc where I won’t be able to walk a mile. But, walking a mile is easy enough to do (almost) daily. 300 days felt like a good goal to aim for.
So, that’s the 150 Days Challenge! A new and better way to make small but important changes in your life. What do you think? What will you do for 150 days this year?