Pepper's Healthy Change Challenge-Stair climbing

It's Monday and time to challenge myself. The lifestyle change that I made to include more water and to drastically reduce my intake of fruit juice and soda pop has been successful and along with an overall feeling of well being has even caused some weight loss. Where I work, we are very friendly and celebrate how much we care for each other by bringing in food and snacks. Recently my co-workers have brought in fruit trays and veggies with dip! I am so proud that they are honestly making attempts to improve their health too!

Today I want to challenge myself to something that is more difficult. But it is only for 7 days and then afterwards I can continue it or just do it periodically. The point is that if you set your mind to do a certain thing and you include a time frame that seems reasonable, then it makes it much easier to do something hard.

So my challenge is to climb the stairs each day after work. I park in a separate garage and I generally park on the same floor. It's four flights after working 9 hours. I'm generally dragging ass. But back when I was actively working out I walked those stairs each night and by the time I reached my car my heart was pumping and I felt energized.

I want that feeling again.

Yep, my knees ache and my metabolism has basically packed up her little suitcase and went on vacation but I'm calling her home now. She and I have work to do.

In addition to the four flights of stairs after work I intend to skip the elevator during work when all I need to do is just move between 1 or 2 floors...which is pretty often. Not counting arriving and leaving work I probably take the elevator 5x a day.

I'm sure you know that you don't have to have a gym membership to facilitate a healthy lifestyle. We can take advantage of everyday activities in order to move, get the heart pumping which will then increase that elusive metabolism. I put my office together this weekend and I tell you without a qualm that it was like going to the gym! Once you start moving it won't be quite so hard. Newton's first law; An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force...

So lets talk about some of these 'unbalanced forces'. Henceforth referred to as the 'bad you'. The bad Pep is too tired, too cold, too preoccupied, too unhealthy to do things that she does not want to do.  Bad Pep makes up excuses that seem reasonable. But deep down we all know that The Bad You is just full of excuses. Well let me remind the 'Bad Us' of the purpose of a challenge. It's to make us feel good because we gave ourselves a difficult task to accomplish and then we did. It's only for 1 week. And if we are taking this challenge seriously than we will do it!

With that said, there are unbalanced forces that cannot be avoided. Let's say you fall down said stairs and can no longer walk. Well that was truly beyond ones control and don't beat yourself up over it, just move on to something else. 

I hope I'm motivating you, folks. I love you and I love ME and I want us to be together for a long time! Help keep me motivated and tell me if you are going to join me in this challenge or if you have given yourself one best suited for YOU.

Pep