Let’s recap a bit, shall we? If you missed my intro the Elf 4 Health challenge, no worries, check it out here. I’ve been paired up with a great Elf, who happens to be from the same area I’m from – such a coincidence! She’s been motivating and fun to chat with throughout the challenges so far.

Week 1 Recap

Monday’s challenge was pretty easy for me since it dealt with drinking enough water throughout the day. I constantly have a water bottle by my side. I ended the day with 152 oz of water.

Tuesday’s challenge was to clean out the pantry or fridge and get ride of unhealthy or expired  items. I’d recently done this so there wasn’t too much to sort through, but I got rid of a bunch of old food in the fridge.

Wednesday was a veggie challenge. Eat three servings before 2pm which was pretty tough for me. Veggies in the morning – just not my thing. However, I ate some sugar snap peas for a snack and leftover rice with carrots, onions and tomatoes for lunch.

Thursday was a pay it forward challenge. It was suggested to buy coffee for the person behind you in line or buy lunch for a coworker/friend. I don’t usually stop for coffee and in a small office it’s hard to single out a coworker, so as luck would have it I was able to donate $5 at the grocery store that went to give a meal to a family in need.

My elf buddy did the cutest thing – she gave out Kcups with little notes. Look how cute!

Friday’s challenge was to work out with a friend. Well Friday is usually my rest day, so instead I made plans for some future buddy workouts. Yoga classes and races are on the agenda for the coming weeks and months.

Weekend challenge: Donate to a local charity. I cleaned out the closet and have gathered some coats to donate for winter.

Overall, I’d say it was a successful first week. Looking forward to next week’s challenges. Here they are if you are playing along at home!

Week 2 Challenges

Monday: Do a circuit workout

Tuesday: Treat yourself to something you’ve been craving!

Wednesday: Bake cookies

Thursday: Make a casserole for dinner tonight – add extra veggies!

Friday: Pay it forward. Do something nice for someone else.

Weekend: Going to a holiday? Have a healthy snack before you go, choose water and share dessert.

If you visit my little corner of the web often, you may have noticed something new on the right hand side of the page. Starting today, I’ll be participating in the Elf 4 Health challenge set up by two healthy living bloggers, Elle & Lindsay. The basic idea is to complete mini-challenges every day throughout the holidays to keep on pace with healthy habits even when times get busy, people get stressed and the food gets decadent.

This is the second round and I’ve been paired up with another elf to help motivate each other through the challenges. I’ve sent off an email to her and can’t wait to connect. If you’d like to play along at home, I’ve posted this week’s challenges below. Join in on Twitter and Instagram by using the hashtag #elf4health.

Visit this page if you’d like even more information on the challenge and to find out how you can participate in round 3! I’ll try to post my progress with the challenges every couple of days.

This week’s Elf 4 Health challenges:

Monday – Track your water intake today. Try to drink your body weight in ounces of water.

Tuesday – Clean out your fridge today & pantry. Get ride of expired and unhealthy things!

Wednesday – No need to save veggies for dinner. Eat 3 servings of veggies by 2pm.

Thursday – Buy coffee for the person behind you in line this morning.

Friday – Workout with a buddy.

Weekend – Donate to a holiday charity in your area. Look for food drives, toy drives, etc.