Source: lottaagaton.blogspot.com via Bri on Pinterest

I am following Dr. Mao's 8-Week Program. No, I do not intend or expect to reach my goal in only eight weeks, but this book is just part of the journey. The intent of the book is to add years to your life. It's not about being thin, it's about a healthier mind and body.

Before starting the book, I made two steps of my own last week:

1. Add more vegetables and fruit to my diet
2. Drink less alcohol

I'm not restricting myself, I'm just trying to make more conscious decisions about alcohol intake. If I have a rough day and crave some wine, I'll think twice about it. If I see my husband pouring a beer, I'll resist the urge to make a rum and coke "just because". I'm really just trying to save the alcohol for social outings and date nights, which, as a mother of two toddlers, doesn't happen that often. It's been just fine cutting out the extra drinks and I'm not missing them.

This week, with Dr. Mao as my guide I am working on:

- drinking 8 glasses of water a day*
- drinking lemon water first thing in the morning**
- take at least a 20 minute walk a day***
- spend some time focusing on breathing or meditating

* I only ever drink water and coffee. The problem is that I don't drink nearly enough, and am probably so thirsty that I don't even realize how thirsty I really am
** lemons are known to aid digestion, cleanse the liver, and maybe even boost metabolism
*** we bought a treadmill and I've been walking, but I am committing to at least 20 minutes of walking a day, whether I have hours or work left to do or not

So, by the end of this week I am hoping to have made drinking water a habit, and basically be addicted to walking. I'm a low-impact kind of girl - jogging in college seems to have ruined my knees a bit, so I stick to yoga, pilates, and walking.

How about you? What is your favorite form of exercise? Is there something you call exercise that you really enjoy?