January will bring many challenges that I’ll test and experiment on my lifestyle, however, these will not be my 2018 New Year’s Resolution(s), but will be a month of discipline and focus.

CHALLENGE ONE- Four days a week (Mon-Thu) I’ll require myself to begin short fasting sessions. On Mondays upon waking up until Tuesday nights I’ll only consume a lot of cold water, no more than two cups of plain coffee a day, and one mason jar of water mixed with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, teaspoon of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per day to aid appetite suppression. Tuesday nights, before going to sleep, I’ll consume two cloves of garlic chopped into one cup broccoli with two tablespoons of coconut oil, then two tablespoons of peanut butter. Upon Wednesday mornings I’ll again do the above Mon-Tue routine of fasting, however, come Thursday night I won’t consume anything, but instead continue my fasting until after 5:00pm Friday. In my experience, this should not be very difficult for myself, especially still allowing myself freedom on weekends.

However, with eating far more often in the recent months, the first week of this challenge will be more difficult than prior times I’ve fasted, since my eating habits were fewer already at those times. In addition to fasting for mental and weight health, this will bulk up my pockets a bit in the process by saving money from food consumption since I’ve been dining out and buying food on the go far more than normal. Even considering a conservative $5 a meal plus 5min in ordering time, this will be approximately $240 in monthly savings as well as 240min saved (4hrs not in service lines a month) (($5 x 3 meals ($15/day avg) x 4 days limiting a week x 4 weeks about)). There’s far more interesting things I can do with an extra 4hrs a month than to be in line for fast food or gas station venue,

CHALLENGE TWO- I will limit watching all movie/tv shows to less than one hour a week combined. And only allow myself to watch no more than two football events per week. In addition to these limits, during the maximum three viewings a week (one show plus two football games) I must perform 50 push-ups, 50 body-weight squats, and 50 mountain-climbers within the time constraints per viewing (to a combined 150 each exercise during the week).

CHALLENGE THREE- I will not play any mobile or console games of any kind for the entire month of January. No exceptions.

CHALLENGE FOUR- Write posts for LivingLife-Blog for each day of the month of January. To increase writing posts, I’ll be increasing my focus substantially on LivingLife-Blog for January (and hopefully for the full 2018), as well as writing posts ahead of schedule to be posted at a desired date/time (testing this ability with this post for a 10:00am posting Dec. 29th, 2017). That extra 4hrs saved from CHALLENGE ONE will be valued to help with this challenge.

CHALLENGE FIVE- Perform a five-minute minimum full-body exercise/activity each day. Doesn’t need to be heavy lifting or exhausting, but at least some sort of beneficial exercise/stretching that aids mobility/flexibility, endurance/strength, etc.

CHALLENGE SIX- Each day spend 15 minutes organizing and choosing items in & around the house to get rid of and minimize belongings that aren’t needed/used anymore (my wife will be extra excited for this challenge to be accomplished).

CHALLENGE SEVEN- Once a week I want one-hour to spend time with my wife just her and me (no family, no pets, no phones, no TV/show/game, relaxing music is acceptable). We can talk about future plans, vacation plans, ideas, etc . (no work talk, no complaints, no drama, funny jokes are acceptable). We also both love to read, but seldom do so together (I often read articles on my phone, but that’s not the same as reading a book).

Well there it is folks, my seven January 2018 challenges to myself, these are on top of the LivingLife-Blog activities that I’ll be participating daily in, as well as posting, so check in daily for activity posts. If you haven’t already, take a look at the previous post with the 2018 activity quick-guide calendar that breaks down the activity types each day. The individual month calendars will be posted the day prior to the month it involves (minus January as it’s in development).

Until next time, keep LivingLife, and take care of yourself and those you love!

Have comments/questions? Please feel free to email me at my2cents@livinglife-blog.com

“Remember, I’m NOT a qualified doctor, trainer, physiologist, philosopher, or have any other certified qualification. I’m only someone who’s passionate to learn & develop personal skills, habits, goals & finding a balance life-style, while sharing my journey through experiences.

– Developer of LivingLife-Blog”