[Girl♥Health]: Kicking February's Butt

I know I've been slacking off in terms of posting my monthly exercise plans (was November really the last one I created?!), so I wanted to be sure to post one this month.  It's also just really useful for me to outline my goals and to feel somewhat accountable for reaching them because I've sent them out in the interwebs for all to see.

I will say this about February's plan: I am super excited about my reward, which means I'll be trying extra hard to reach my benchmarks!

February Action Plan

My main EXERCISE goal for the month is to push and incorporate.  I want to push myself in terms of my running.  I want my physical activity to be consistent and progressive.  And I want exercise to be my default activity.  I'm bored?  Why not exercise.  I have a few spare minutes?  Why not take a walk with my dog?  I'm stressed out?  Wouldn't a run be great?  And I want to find another 5k to enter for the late spring.  For a specific goal, I want to run half a mile farther every 2 weeks (with my current baseline being 1 mile).

In terms of my FOOD goals this month, I want to focus on maintaining the progress I've made so far -- no drastic changes this month, just normalizing the changes I've already made.  So, that means continuing to cook, or to help Nate cook, every meal; continuing to eat breakfast and lunch during the day; continuing to eat less meat and buy only free-range, organic, humanely-raised meat products; and continuing to buy organic for veggies that are heavily sprayed with pesticides.

Key Activities:

Wake up before 8:30am (weekdays)
Eat breakfast, lunch and small snacks throughout the day (daily)
Cook dinner (daily)
Walk with Finn or on treadmill (daily)
Run (3-4 days a week), going half a mile farther every 2 weeks
Back strengthening exercises (daily)
Pilates or yoga at home (2 days a week)
Read food labels -- don't buy what I can't pronounce and what's not naturally raised

Reward:

Lunch at the Cliff House in San Francisco (I'm currently reading Laurie R. King's "Locked Rooms," a Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novel, and this restaurant is not only pictured on the cover, but the couple have dinner there one night.  Plus, I've been wanting to eat here for about 4 years).