Hello, fellow challengers! How did last week's challenge of "keeping the outside. . . out" work for all of you? We actually did pretty good here in the Wright household---surprisingly, my husband REALLY got on board with it! As I mentioned in a previous post, we spend a lot of time down on the floor with our son nowadays, and he happened to notice (without my prodding) how dirty the floor was, even with my best attempts at cleaning. From there, it was pretty easy to turn the conversation to "Well, you know how it gets that way, don't you?"
I actually took it a step further and shampooed my carpets this week to give us a fresh start. I got some cash from my in-laws for Christmas and bought myself a steam cleaner (how boring am I?). So on Valentine's Day (again, how boring am I?), I brought it out and got to work. I had every intention of posting pictures of the dirt I got out of my carpet, but I was actually REALLY embarrassed by how dirty it was! And this is coming from someone is who borderline OCD-clean (I spot clean my house every day and deep clean it once a week). So, not to sound pompous, but if MY carpets were that dirty, imagine how dirty your carpets might be if you're not an obsessive clean-freak. And, keep in mind, my carpets LOOKED clean, as I'm sure yours do too. I HIGHLY recommend getting your carpets cleaned and THEN really starting in on the strict "no shoes" rule. If your carpets are already crawling with dirt and germs, what's the point of taking your shoes off? Cleaners can be crazy expensive, but I got this one at Target for $80, and it works wonderfully.
Anyways, onto week eight. This week's challenge is "Eat Your Vegetables." Eat four to six servings each day of fibrous vegetables (one serving equals 1/2 cup of non-leafy vegetables or 1 cup of leafy vegetables.) The author really got into the health benefits of vegetables, such as weight management, heart health, immunity boosters, etc, but I won't go into that. We all know vegetables are super good for you. But I'm sure we're all guilty of not getting enough.
When I was pregnant, I CRAVED vegetables like nobody's business. It was seriously crazy. If I didn't get my full servings of veggies for the day, I felt sick. My child REFUSED to let me be unhealthy. However, I think I over-did it a bit; since Matty was born, the thought of vegetables almost make me sick. I'm slowly returning to eating more, but it's been a long process. I can do a salad for lunch, but that's about it. This week will definitely be a challenge for me.
Here's a few tips the author suggested that I'm willing to try:
1. Prepare for the week ahead. I plan my menu for the week on the weekend so I can do my grocery shopping accordingly. While planning my menu, I'm going to make sure I include vegetables at every meal so I can make sure I get enough.
2. Eat a salad. Since I already do this, I figured this would be a good way to add more veggies to my day. The trick is to garnish your salad with lots of other different kinds of veggies to get more than one serving of vegetables out of it. Instead of topping my salad with croutons and cheese, I'll add things like broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots.
3. Load up your sandwich. Another good idea. Instead of just a plain old ham and cheese sandwich, I'll top it with all kinds of veggie goodness like lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, and onions. Look out Subway---I'm heading your way this week! :)
4. Veggie Snacks. I can never make it through the day without an afternoon snack. Instead of reaching for the chips, I'll grab some carrots or celery and spice it up with hummus, yogurt, or --my favorite: peanut butter.
Good luck!
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