Aquatober {5 Day Challenge Starts October 26}

Do you drink enough water? 

According to the Institute of Medicine, adequate intake of water for men is about 13 cups (3 liters) of water per day, and 9 cups (2.2) liters of water per day for women. 

Most people don't drink enough, but would like to. 

After all:

• Water helps maximize physical performance.

• Drinking water has a major positive impact on brain function.

• Consuming enough water aids digestion.

• Plus tons of other benefits

On October 26, I am kicking off a free 5-day challenge for water intake accountability. We are kicking the soda habit, cutting WAY back on our juice intake, and drinking nothing but good old fashioned water for 5 days straight (I'll be gentle and allow a cup of coffee or tea in the AM, but no added sugar!). You can flavor your water naturally with fruit or other add-ins, and I'll provide a virtual "Water Bar" to give you some inspiration. 

Each day we'll talk about a major benefit of drinking more water with our daily diets, and track our progress for accountability. 

Want in? click here to see the Facebook event and let me know you're in!

Fitness Friday {Accountability}

I just don't know what is up with me these last few weeks, but I am needing some serious direction.

That fire in my belly? That oomph? It is fizzling big time.

My goals? I have them, they just aren't carrying the same power they did a couple months ago.

The reason for that? I've lost sight of my why. Or maybe it's changed, and I'm just not making the connections any more.

In his book Start With Why, Simon Sinek writes "There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it." He is talking about how companies influence customers to purchase their products and services, but the same thing holds true for my own health and fitness goals.

A goal manipulated by sub-par, at-the-surface reasoning doesn't fly. It'll crumble before your very eyes--because it just doesn't have any heft behind it. Manipulation feels cheap, and a lot like cheating.

A goal inspired by true, gut-checked emotion-fueled reason with tangible elements tied into it--now, that's a goal that'll burn in the back of your mind constantly and will drive you to keep pushing forward. To defy your own boundaries. To amaze and shock yourself with progress that you didn't think you were capable of making.

Quite honestly, I am feeling some kind of way--less stretched. Less challenged. Less driven.

Is it because I've gotten comfy with the progress I've made to date? To be 100% truthful--yes. I looked at video of myself from 2012 and it's obvious I've lost a significant amount of weight. I feel better now than I have in years. But is it enough? No--because I know I still have a LOT more work to do on myself.

Stagnancy doesn't help.
Stagnancy doesn't inspire.
Stagnancy doesn't equate to progress.

Also not helping? We are quickly approaching he two-year anniversary of learning we miscarried our second child. November 1, 2013. I'll never forget that date. I can't help but feeling tense, anxious, and sad--and I know it's OKAY to feel these things, but it certainly isn't doing me any favors.

So today, I am sitting down and hashing out some serious why-power and setting out a clear goal with tangible targets to focus on over the next three months. This truthfully couldn't come at a better time, since the Holiday Hustle {60 Days to Thrive} Boot Camp is gearing up in a week and it is forcing me to practice what I preach. To get on the same level as my boot campers. They're trusting and giving me their time and energy, I should be doing the same for myself.

Trusting myself.
Trusting the process.
Giving it my all.

So, let's get real here for a minute or two:

My why:

I am doing this because I want to fight genetics. I want to fight the instances of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and other health conditions that are scattered throughout my family health history.

I am doing this to set an example for my young daughter--that geniuine happiness doesn't come from a number on a scale, but it comes from feeling radiantly healthy and confident from the inside out.

I am doing this for vanity reasons: I want to see what it looks like and feels like to be back at a solidly pre-baby weight and size--not hover thisclose to it for a week, squeeze my ass into a pair of six year old jeans, and call it a success. I want to be able to say I did it, and sustain it.

I am doing this to inspire....women who feel like there's no chance. Women who feel like they are stuck. Women who are no longer confident in the pure strength living deep inside their own bodies. Women who aren't sure they're capable of changing their lives. I want to prove that with support and accountability, there is truly nothing you can't do.  I can do it. You can do it. We can do it together.

The plan:

I know in my October Goals post I mentioned jumping back into #BODathon training because I am having problems committing to just one program, but I think that's part of the problem. I am not committing, I'm just fluttering here and there. I know there's a reason behind the training--#BODathon is actually on October 31, but I feel like on the days I have Insanity Asylum on the schedule and I don't have an agility ladder around I'm more likely to skip it or fail to choose an equivalent workout that requires less equipment. I am positively waiting on pins and needles for The Master's Hammer and Chisel, but that isn't until December and I need direction now.

So here's the program: T25.

Yep, I'm going back to basics. Back to the program that kickstarted this wild and crazy journey of mine, back on one of those depressing, rock-bottom, pity-party, feeling crazy sorry for yourself kind of nights back in February 2014. The first program that I ever completed from start to finish. The first time I ever proved to myself that I could do something that I truly wanted to do. The first time my feet ever hit the floor for ANYTHING at 5:00 AM. T25 is my soulmate program, and I feel like I need to go back to something that gives me that comfort and reminds me of how far I've come.

Plus it'll be fun to see how much I don't have to modify now!

The goal:

20 pounds lost. 6 pounds a month. Starting out on January 1, 2016 weighing less than I've weighed in five years, and well-ahead of any New Year's Resolutions.

Accountability:

Fridays at This Misfit Mama are for two things: favorites and fitness. On weeks I don't have a Friday Faves series to share, I'll be checking in here with progress photos, thoughts, and some honesty. I will share what is working, what sucks, and general thoughts on my progress. This is a 70-day program, and at 25 minutes a day, I have ZERO excuses to not see this thing though.

And there you have it.

A Why.

A Plan.

A Goal.

Deep breath, and here we go!

October Goals

Did you ever have one of those months when you just feel like you've fallen flat? You didn't live up to your own expectations, others' expectations, and that the month was basically a giant fail? 

That is kind of how I'm feeling today. As a matter of fact, I didn't even want to post this, but for consistency and accountability's sake...here I am. 

The truth? The motivation just wasn't there to move my business forward. I was simply just not feeling it--it began feeling like work and less like fun. I could lie and give you a thousand and three excuses ("oh, new school year!" "new schedule!" "we were so busy!"), but really, deep down--I just wasn't making these goals a priority. I wasn't staying consistent, because it began feeling like a chore. And yes--while it is work, and sometimes it's hard work, I lost sight of my vision for This Misfit Mama. Too much focus on the "what" and not enough focus on the "why."

My big takeaway from all of this is that it is OKAY to have a bad day/week/month. What truly matters is that you have the self-knowledge to realize it and course correct as needed. 

This list is going to look pretty disappointing at times--at least to me--but I am going to share things that went right. 

Shining examples that even when you perceive you've fallen short, there are small reminders that you're doing something right--usually where it matters most.

September Goals

Encourage a smooth transition into the new school year for Peyton me.

We had a rough couple of first weeks with the new schedule, but overall we are adjusted, happy, and thriving at our new school environment. It was a tough decision to make to switch preschools at the last minute in August, but this choice is really working so well for our family at the moment.

Commit to a CIZE LIVE! Instructor Training Course.

It's still very much on my to-do list, but I haven't committed to a date for certfication. My own doubts are holding me back, so I need to work on some confidence to believe I can successfully be a CIZE LIVE! Instructor and bring classes to the South Jersey area. 

Buy Peyton's Halloween costume at some point in September and not wait until two weeks before Halloween.

We didn't buy the costume in September, but we did buy it on October 3. Still four weeks well ahead of Halloween and making last year's last-minute costume debacle a distant memory.

Prep for cold-weather gardening.

I had to make the decision to not make this a priority. I am still going to miss out on my fresh spinach and broccoli, but I just wouldn't have had the time to tend to it. I am going to work on a gardening schedule that will fit my lifestyle for the spring so I have no excuses.

Attend Q4 Super Saturday

Super Saturday is actually in October, not September, but due to some bad weather postponing events and activities we had already planned, it looks like I may not make it to the October event. Bummer.

#BODathon

I went back on my word and started 21 Day Fix EXTREME. And then The Master's Hammer & Chisel sneak peeks launched on BOD. So then I found myself back at the #BODathon training calendar. I am just all over the place at the moments, but I am getting 5-7 days of exercise in each week. Starting Monday, I am recommitting to the #BODathon training schedule.

Help 5 people build self-esteem and love their bodies via Boot Camp.

I didn't help as many as I planned, but I'm realizing it's not in the number, it's in the quality of support and help I can provide to each person willing to commit to a Boot Camp. So while I may not have reached my target in September, I am chatting up quite a few people for October's Holiday Hustle that I am so PUMPED for!

Wrap up my Editorial Calendar for the year.

This one is a big check! All it comes down to is making sure I have the posts actually written in time!

Advance to Emerald by the end of the month.

I didn't reach this goal, but it's okay. I know I'll reach it when I am truly ready to lead a team. In the meantime, I am been diving into personal development to learn more leadership skills and how to be the best example and role model I can so that when the time comes--I'll be more than ready.

Read 20 minutes a day.

Done! I read the Book Club's October pick, "Reconstructing Amelia" quickly (I'll be posting my review of that next week!). Then I downloaded "The Girl on the Train", which was very good, and then, like I mentioned above, tons and tons and Personal Development. My brain was happy in September, and I'm looking forward to continuing the trend in October.

October Goals

This month's goal list is a lot shorter. My Holiday Hustle Boot Camp is coming up quickly, and it's my goal to devote a large chunk of my attention to these boot campers. They are committing to 60 days with me, and I intend to give equal effort on my end.

Reconstruct my WHY to give me a clear drive for reaching my goals and to help me grow.
Back to basics for this girl. I need to figure out why September made me feel like  

Begin writing an eBook.
Once of my 2016 goals is to release an eBook JUST for my followers. It's still in the very early brainstorming stages right now, but I would at least like to get an outline assembled during the month of October. This is a lofty goal with everything else going on this month, but I am setting these goals-within-a-goal now so that I am prepared to hit the ground running in 2016.

Prioritize.
I'd like to take a very close look at where my time is going, and then deciding if it is propelling me forward in any of the following categories: 

• spiritual growth
• family growth
• physical growth and health
• mental growth

If it isn't moving me forward on any of the above, it is getting cut. Moving into the holiday season, the amount of free time I have drastically decreases, so I need to get mine and my families needs prioritized now in order to truly rock these next few months and come out on the other side of Christmas with all my marbles.

Convert our third bedroom into an office space.
I successfully cleared out the clutter with an epic yard sale in September, so now I'd like to begin the planning stages of converting that third bedroom into an office so it will be less of a junk graveyard and more of a useful space for our family--namely for myself. Eventually we'll most a bed into that room to make it an office/guest room combo, but in the meantime I really need a dedicated place to work so that I can set up shop, focus, and increase my productivity time. I have been working off our couch for the longest time, but I feel like the distractions there lead me to dividing my attention a little too much and allows me less time to be laser-focused.

Cook with pumpkin once a week.
It's officially fall--why the heck not?!

Start Christmas shopping.
I wanted to start in October and have everything purchased and wrapped one week before Christmas. This will be such a relief!

So there you have it: a recap of September's goals and a public declaration of my October goals. I am totally enjoying the Fall season this year, and slowly entering crazy person territory because I know Thanksgiving and Christmas aren't far behind! Summer may be my favorite season, but there is something so magical about September through December. It is really my favorite time of the year and I am looking forward to every delicious second of it.