I haven't had a diet soda all week and in the process almost stopped drinking coffee just for good measure. Can't believe how that affected my body. Who knew I was physically addicted, but I was. Headaches, low energy, upset stomach, moody...oh well maybe I can't blame everything on the caffeine, but it was surprising to me. I CAN do it though and that's a liberating feeling.
I cut sugar too. I still eat bread, so that's probably cheating - but for me no cookies, pudding, chocolate, ice cream etc... is a BIG deal. I have cravings after every meal and it has made me really aware of how much I turn to sugar. I hope even after the challenge ends that I can just save sweets for "special" occasions like birthdays and holidays. It has to be helping me more than I even realize. Haven't lost any weight, which I don't understand. The body is such a complex thing. Maybe it's hormones;)
The running was a huge hurdle for me this week. I vowed to run 3 miles everyday. Well about 4 days in I started experiencing IT band pain! Now it's one thing to run in the first place, because we all know it sucks and is really hard, but add pain to the equation and it's almost unbearable. I had to supplement with the elliptical machine a couple of days, because I didn't want to make my injury worse. I don't think that's cheating. I was still moving and working toward my goals. So I'm okay with that.
Reading my bible everyday was probably the easiest, but I still had to remind myself to do it. It helped that I started a new bible study this week and that forced me to get on track. I would so love to keep this up even after the 21 days. I know that would help me a lot in my every day walk with the Lord, and it's like filling up at the pump. When I read I actually feel myself gaining strength and it just puts everything into prospective. I need that.
Then there was the creating something new everyday. This is probably the hardest goal of mine to keep. I actually took a plain frame over to my husband and asked him if he had any ideas...HA! I just lack in the creative department at times. But you know what?? When I made myself sit down and just do something - I was actually able to create. Amazing!
Have a blessed day.
Image Credit: All designs Rhonna Farrer
