** This is not a “live” series going on in 2014. This was done last year as a community on the site but will not be for 2014. You are more than welcome to do it on your own!**

Many of you know that I took January off and didn’t do much with the blog but it’s time to ramp it back up! I’m easing us into things though with this month’s focus. It’s called, “febYOUary: an 18 day guide connecting YOU with your health”

I am convinced that there are loads of people going about their health blindly. Sure, they are starting great programs created by successful trainers and nutritionists but somewhere along the way, something doesn’t work. The exact plan isn’t going…..as planned. We find ourselves in that never ending crazy cycle of excitement —> reality —> disappointment.

So in an effort to prevent you (or lessen) from entering that crazy cycle, I want to help you out. I want to take you through a process of finding out where you are to get you where you need to be, after all, how can we change what we don’t know? We will take into consideration your current status, what motivates you, blocks you and much more! So get ready for your  “state of the union”–or “state of the YOUnion”, if you will . 🙂

febYOUary: an 18 day guide to connecting YOU with your health: www.claresmith.me

♥♥♥

Week 1: Physical Assessment

We are going to be journaling! This will be the hardest week, so get ready.I want us to journal not only what we are eating,drinking, and how much you are moving but also other physical factors such as sleep, cravings, and stress. I want you to commit for 1 week, but if you can, I’d prefer that you do this as best as you can, for the 18 days as 7 days in a month may not be a good reflection of how we are doing.

Week 2: Personality Assessment

 This is perhaps the most overlooked factor in finding a fitness plan that works for you. I’m going to be asking you a few questions about your motivators , roadblocks, resources,history etc to help you sort out what types of things keep you going and make you stop.

Week 3: Spiritual Assessment

You know I can’t get away with a challenge without this aspect! I see very strong connections with physical and spiritual health. I’m going to take you through some questions to see if you can find any relationship to them.

As we move into March, you should have better insight as to what works for YOU. I am a big believer that there is no one boxed plan that works for every person or every family. We are all each so unique with different histories, hangups, and highs. If you are looking to have a quick fix, then I am not the fitness site for you. I want you to find a workout plan that is SUSTAINABLE for your life. And looking further into each of these will help!

(If you already have a good plan going in regards to eating and moving, then I’d still love to have you join! I think it’s always good to evaluate what we are doing and see if there are any ways we can improve or change!)

WARNING: This won’t be glamourous. It isn’t going to give you results in 3 weeks. It’s a bit tedious and it may be painful. But I promise that you’ll walk away with some great insight and a strong foundation for your best health plan!

So here’s what you need to do for our start, Monday, February 11th:

1.) Figure out which food journaling program you are going to use. I will be using MyFitnessPal (which you can do online or with a phone app) or you can go old school and write it down in a journal! (I will also be supplementing one additional printable for you that I will have next week)

2.) If you have an activity tracker that you can wear, such as a FitBit, Nike Fuelband, or Jawbone Up (to name a few), then get it out! And if you’ve always been wanting one, now is your chance to get one! (If you don’t own one and don’t plan on purchasing one, no problem. You can guesstimate!)

3.) Ask a friend to join! It’s always better to walk through a journey with someone than alone!

*Keep your workout/eating plan normal for this month. You can veer as you normally might, but for the most part, no drastic changes.

Are you in? If so, leave me a comment below! See you back here next week!