Positive Twist: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #20: The Final Challenge!

Dr. Grimes' 20-1-7 CHALLENGE: 

• For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
• Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
• Commit to that change for SEVEN days.

Positive Twist: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #20

A couple years ago, I heard a motivational speaker issue a challenge- every time that you find yourself saying or thinking something NEGATIVE, add a comma and a "but..."and finish the sentence with a positive twist. (I wish I could remember her name, to give credit- my apologies.) For my last weekly challenge, rather than focusing on a physical change, I thought it would be great to focus on attitude.

Negative thoughts drag down our energy, feeding a cycle that can adversely affect not only our own mood, but those around us. Especially when life hands you a bunch of challenges at once- and really, that's how it seems to happen, right? Your family member is ill or has an accident, someone else loses a job or ends a relationship, AND your computer crashes...etc. Take a day and really "listen" to your self-talk. How often is your glass half-full, or the majority of your energy focused on what's WRONG, rather than what is working?

Recently, I've found myself spewing anger, frustration and disappointment over a situation that has consumed my thoughts the past few months. For my final 20-1-7 challenge, I'm ready to pro-actively change this negative whirlpool.  This week, I will focus on what is coming out of my brain and mouth, and will use this positive twist technique to reverse gears.

BOTTOM LINE: Every time you have a negative thought or comment, add "BUT..."with a concluding positive twist!

20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR

20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer

20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser

20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation

20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER

20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS

20-1-7 Challenge Week #8: ZZZ 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #9: RESIST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #10: No W(h)ining

20-1-7 Challenge Week #11: YOGA 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #12: CLUTTER CONTROL

20-1-7 Challenge Week #13: NEW SHOES

20-1-7 Challenge Week #14: Hide It 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #15: Nuke It   

20-1-7 Challenge Week #16: Old School Keyboarding 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #17: Candy Day 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #18: Eye "Floss" 

20-1-7 Challenge Week#19: Travel Snacks: Not only did this improve our diet along the drive, but also shortened our travel time (since we eliminated several fast food stops!) Definitely a Win-Win!

Travel Snacks: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #19

Dr. Grimes' 20-1-7 CHALLENGE: 

• For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
• Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
• Commit to that change for SEVEN days.

Travel Snacks: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #19

At home and work, I have a well-established routine for bringing healthy snacks. I always take a thinly sliced apple and a single serving-size of peanut butter or a handful of nuts. However, when I travel...the lure of french fries and Coke will create a force field that sucks my car right in to that drive through (with a long list of rationalizations why I "deserve" this treat.) And honestly, I have no problem with the occasional fast food, but our family tends to have LONG driving trips, and relying on fast food for multiple feedings over several days does our bodies/brains/stomachs no favors.

So- this week, I fly across the country to help our college daughter drive the 1200+ miles back home. My challenge is to make our FIRST food stop be a grocery store- where I stock our car with some nutritious body fuel and bottled water. Yes, we will still enjoy some Culver's delicacies on the drive, but my challenge is to make that the exception, not the default.  

Side note- this summer, especially if you are headed out on a family driving vacation, start your trip with handy healthy snacks in single serving sizes. Our favorites include baby carrots (& single serving hummus),  apples, raisins, nuts*, Luna bars and pretzels. Nothing that melts, nothing that can be "squished"...and we try to limit choking hazards.

BOTTOM LINE: Traveling or not, try taking healthy snacks WITH you to reduce the siren call of fast food!

20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR

20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer

20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser

20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation

20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER

20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS

20-1-7 Challenge Week #8: ZZZ 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #9: RESIST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #10: No W(h)ining

20-1-7 Challenge Week #11: YOGA 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #12: CLUTTER CONTROL

20-1-7 Challenge Week #13: NEW SHOES

20-1-7 Challenge Week #14: Hide It 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #15: Nuke It   

20-1-7 Challenge Week #16: Old School Keyboarding 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #17: Candy Day 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #18: Eye "Floss" Feedback: Lid scrubs are so simple to add to your shower routine! Not sure if I can credit the lid scrubs or a change in pollen, but my eyes have been less irritated every day. 

Eye "FLOSS": 20-1-7 Challenge Week #18

Dr. Grimes' 20-1-7 CHALLENGE: 

• For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
• Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
• Commit to that change for SEVEN days.

Eye "Floss": 20-1-7 Challenge Week #18

We all know flossing our teeth is a good idea, right? Certainly our future 70 year old selves would engrave that in our bathroom mirrors if they could. Every dentist that I know is quite faithful about flossing daily. Interestingly, most eye doctors that I know have a similar but lesser known ritual for their eyes. Not actually eye "floss" as my title teased, but eye LID SCRUBS.

The base of our eyelashes are well suited to collect debris, especially if you fall in the mascara, eyeliner or eyeshadow-wearing cohort. While we dutifully wash our faces and possibly use a makeup removal cloth, most can attest from the smears under their eyelashes in the morning that this is not the most thorough of processes. 

"BLEPHARITIS" is the medical name for inflammation of the eyelids. Symptoms include red, itchy eyes, often with some crusting or flaking alongside the inflamed edge. Contact lens wearers often blame their lens for this irritation, only to discover that it is the lash area causing the problem. If you suffer from this issue, then a simple routine of "lid scrubs" may significantly improve your ocular health. 

Lid scrub products are sold commercially as wipes, or you can DIY with non-irritating baby shampoo. Simply keep a small bottle in your shower, and when you've finished your normal shower/shampoo routine, squeeze out a drop of baby shampoo on to the tips of your fingers, rub them together, and then gently massage the base of your eyelashes (with eyes closed, obviously) for about ten seconds, then put your face back into the spray of the shower and rinse thoroughly. That's it! 

My own eyes have been itchy and mildly irritated for the past few weeks, which I have attributed to the oak pollen that blankets central Texas in the spring, but this is a great time for me to return to the hygiene habit of lid scrubs. 

BOTTOM LINE: This week, add lid scrubs to your daily shower routine- all it takes is a small bottle of no-tears baby shampoo and less than a minute of your time

20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR

20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer

20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser

20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation

20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER

20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS

20-1-7 Challenge Week #8: ZZZ 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #9: RESIST

20-1-7 Challenge Week #10: No W(h)ining

20-1-7 Challenge Week #11: YOGA 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #12: CLUTTER CONTROL

20-1-7 Challenge Week #13: NEW SHOES

20-1-7 Challenge Week #14: Hide It 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #15: Nuke It   

20-1-7 Challenge Week #16: Old School Keyboarding 

20-1-7 Challenge Week #17: Candy Day Feedback: The candy habit was more ingrained in my routine than I would have thought, so rather than simply giving up my candy "rewards" during a work day, I substituted a new sweet treat- dried fruit (strawberries or bananas).