Introducing my July Mind & Body Challenge

I didn't plan to write about my July challenge on July 1st. I wanted to, of course, because I want everyone to tell me how awesome I am, but I also admit receiving congratulations before actually beginning is pretty meaningless. So I thought I'd wait until I was half-way through to tell y'all I've been doing this challenge. That way, if I failed, no one would even to have know. But I posted a sweaty selfie on my Instagram story after my workout this morning and captioned it "day one of July fitness challenge done." And then a few people asked what challenge I was doing, so I thought, why not make myself vulnerable and write a little about what I'm doing and why?

I made up a challenge for myself for July. Here's what I pledge to do each day:

1. At least three miles (probably always on the elliptical, but I might switch it up)
2. Read for at least 1 hour (leave my phone in another room and set a timer)
3. Have no more than one alcoholic drink

It's a mind and body challenge for me, and I think it's the right mix of being challenging (no days off from the gym, no not prioritizing reading, and no saying, "sure, I'll take another!") while also being doable. Will I always like it? No. There will be days I do not want to go to the gym. There will be days I make it to the gym and want to leave after two miles. There will be days when I want to have more than one drink (okay, that will be most days.) But I hope that this challenge will help me refresh and re-prioritize. I don't entertain dreams of getting to August 1 and saying, "why not keep going another month?" Okay, I do hope I keep reading for an hour each day. But I hope I will take in how I look and how I feel and make new and different goals for August. Also, July is my least favorite month. The summer heat seems neverending. Autumn seems so far away. It's often the time of year when even at 6 a.m., it's too hot outside. July feels like an endurance event for me every year, so why not flip it to enduring something that makes me feel good and feel like I'm accomplishing something? This year, for the first time, I'm more cognizant that the year is half-over. Working in academia, July doesn't feel like a significant month, but it really is. Why not use July to refocus and make new goals? I do it every January.

Now tell me: do you like to challenge yourself? Do you make mid-year goals in July?

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