My Healthy Habits for October

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I previously shared how I am really wanting to make some lifestyle changes in regards to my health. I don’t want to start something just because it is the next “new thing” and then fizzle out because I did not make it a part of my lifestyle.

So a couple months ago I started a little challenge for myself (and anyone else who wants to join in).

Each month I am picking one or two habits to work on. Last month I worked on taking my vitamins daily, taking Integral Collagen daily, and keeping my snacks to FP snacks (for those on Trim Healthy Mama, these are low fat, low carb snacks).

I did great with taking my vitamins daily. That is pretty much a habit now. I did well with the Collagen, but it seemed like it was making me gain weight for some reason, so I backed off on that for now. (Don’t panic if you are taking Collagen! It is really good for you but for some reason right now my body can’t take too much of it.) I still have work to do on the FP snacks though.

So here is my plan for October.

Habits for October

Keep snacks FP as much as possible (or at the last THM friendly)

This is an area that is probably one of my biggest weaknesses. So, I will continue to work on this habit this month. Here is my plan for this habit:

Make a list of FP snacks so I can quickly glance at it for ideas when I am hungry. (DONE!)
Make up some snacks ahead of time so I have something ready to grab!
I set up a habit in my Habits App on my phone. I simply added one that says, “Had FP Snacks” or something like that. Then at the end of the day I can check it if I kept all my snacks that day to FP!

Make all my breakfast “on plan” with THM

I have pretty much been doing this already, but want to make a concerted effort this month to cement it in as a habit! I also want to work on adding in more variety so I don’t get stuck in a rut! Here is my plan for this habit:

Make a list of THM breakfasts that I already like and label them with the meal type.
Look through the THM Cookbook and Membership Site for some new breakfast recipes to try, then add them to my breakfasts list.
I set up a habit in my Habits App on my phone. I simply added one that says, “THM Breakfast” or something like that. Then at the end of the day I can check it if I kept my breakfast “on plan” with THM!

Set aside 15 minutes of quiet time each morning

I hate to admit it, but forcing myself to stop and sit for some quiet time is hard for me. I tend to plow right into my to do list each morning and try to get as much done as I can before the kids wake up. Then I try to sneak in some “quiet time” during the day sometime.

But I was so convicted by this post this past week by Sarah Clarkson. She talks about pace and rhythms. So as we head into what can be a very busy time of year, I want to take this month to focus on getting into a habit of quiet and being still each morning before the day begins. Here is my plan:

Gather some materials that I want to use during my quiet time (my Bible, journal, devotional book, etc.) and put them in a special basket by the couch.
Each morning as soon as my husband leaves for work (and before I fix breakfast or do any online time), go to the couch, get out my basket, and enjoy some quiet before the Lord.
I set up a habit in my Habits App on my phone. I simply added one that says, “15 min Quiet Time” or something like that. I usually open up the Habits App in the morning and see what my “next” habit is that I need to do (I keep them in order of when I need to do them during the day to make it easy on myself). So I will see it first thing in the morning after I check off the other morning habits (water, vitamins, and THM breakfast), so I will be reminded of what I am working on.