You can make positive drastic changes in 21 days, if you choose to do so.

A few of my co workers and I held a fitness challenge which by no means was easy. 20 days of no drinking mixed with a weightless challenge. For me, the challenge was a way to practice self discipline and achieve two personal goals. 1: Have a sober month ( No drinking and no smoking weed) and 2: Control my spending. My BIGGEST spending hobbit comes from drinking alcohol in social settings. I realized that I was spending on average $13.7 a day on alcohol. That was a mix of post work beer. Happy Hour with friends. Weekend brunch or lunch drinks. Night time wine. Dates.

The negative side to drinking during the week FOR ME: 1-2 drinks makes me feel bloated and sluggish. It takes my motivation away from working out and it makes me extra tired. Night time wine is nice and relaxing, however it took away from the extra focus I wanted to have on personal night projects.

In 21 days I was able to drop 16.2 LBS, I ran 100 miles, and I saved give or take $275.

The first week and and a half was the most difficult. My body felt extra tiered because replaced drinking with running and introduced intermittent fasting. I would have a hard time waking up before 7am because my body needed that rest. By day 18, my body had past through the hard part and was getting in the groove of doing hard things. By week three, I was able to wake up at 5am with little resistance because my mind was stronger and I was more driven.

Here is how I did it.

Morning Routine: (Try not to check my social media first hour of day)

5am wake up.
Make Bed
Drink a cup of cold water.
Run 2 miles (15-16 mins).
Stretch (5 mins).
Cold Shower.
Journal morning thoughts.
Review my day.
1 hour of personal work.

Night Routine (Post work routine)

Start intermittent fasting 10 hours after my first cup of coffee usually 5pm
40-50 minutes cardio / gym.
1 hour of personal work.
30 mins of whatever I want. Turn tables, phone call with friend/family, Netflix, walk and listen to podcast.
Drink 32 oz water
Plan apparel for next day. Including morning running gear.
Be in bed by 10pm or before 11pm

Food and schedule

7am: Coffee (No sugar No Cream) Americano.

10am: Banana / 4 Colocate covered Almonds.

12pm: 1 Avocado with lemon pepper. 1 orange/cutie.

2 pm: Protein shake. 4 Chocolate covered almonds. (Shake is from EarthBar.com)

4 pm: Cutie. 4 chocolate covered almonds. String cheese or other snack. 10oz Americano.

5 pm: Snack, string cheese, or something else

Lunch:

12pm/1pm lunch (3 days a week) if not doing protein shake or avocado.

Avocado egg salad. (Plain greek yogurt for dressing) * Whole Foods lunch
Chicken and veggies from Chipotle. No rice, no beans. Cheese and Guac only.
Protein style hamburger with Diet Coke. MAYBE some fries.
Chicken, Avocado, Egg Salad, with plain greek yogurt for dressing.

Weekend Food:

Cheats: Breakfast sandwich. Eggs, Bacon, Chicken and hash browns.
Cheat: Bacon Cheese Burger, fries, Diet Coke 1 refill.
Egg Avocado home made Salad. 2 eggs, spinach, fresh jalapeños, 1 vegan Italian sausage, 1 avocado, tomatoes, pico de Gallo, and hot sauce. MAYBE toast on the side.
Egg avocado toast: One wheat toast, one slice of cheddar cheese slice, one egg sunny side up, and half an avocado. Hot sauce on top.
Breakfast Burrito from wherever I want to go to.
Cheat drinks: Diet Coke. Tea Rockstar 16oz can, Zero Carb 16 oz rockstar.
Chips and Salsa.
Homemade shake. 1 cup of pain greek yogurt. Two handful of spinach. One cup of mixed berries, one banana, little oats, 1 cup of 30 calorie almond milk.

Work Out:

5am: Two mile run. Light to fast jog.
6 minutes of jumping jacks (two, three minutes)
6pm: 45-50 minutes Cardio. Elliptical or treadmill or outdoor night run
Weekend Long run. Goal is one hour of outdoor run. 7-9 miles. Empty stomach.
Weekend light run. 3-5 miles outdoor.
ONE REST DAY. Normally on a Friday.

#HighFiveFriday 057

1: “If you want better. Be Better”

2: If You Can’t Change Your Emotions Do This Instead | Hal Elrod on Impact Theory

3: Carino - The Marias

4: What I’m pondering: Am I willing to let go of old habits for my new ones?

5: What I am working on: Continuing with the positive habits I have been working on developing the previous 21 days.