Yvette vs. the world

I’m going to give myself challenges like I’m a little guinea pig. Things I want to try or do or experience. I’m a scaredy cat though so I doubt there will be anything involving heights or going upside down or spinning around. This may need to be considered on a case by case basis. I’ve made some positive changes in my life-sober, minimal, early riser (on track for monkhood) but there’s a lot of healthful things I’m keen to try.

Things like; cold showers (to increase alertness- not just because I’m thinking of Ryan Gosling too much), bulletproof coffee (biohack my tiny mind), cycle class (poor man’s spin), charcoal toothpaste (dirty yet clean), sugar detox, (eek) and cooking things (surprisingly hard for me). Will I win or come off second best? Only time with tell.

I’ve set myself a few challenges this year and found it gives me motivation. Case and point; February’s buy nothing challenge, everyday’s yoga challenge and April holidays daily-gym-challenge. I’ll be sharing my findings with you Dear Reader and my cat, who’s decidedly uninterested. Do these things make a significant impact on my health and wellbeing or are they just a load of baloney? It’s time to put on my spectacles and enter the Ponds Institute to analyse my findings thus far.

Yvette vs. Buying Things: This was my February minimalism challenge: To see if I could go a month without any new purchases. Result! Yvette: 1 Buying Things: 0. I bought food and hygiene things and at first it was hard and then it became easier. I have been a more intentional consumer ever since. I’ve become one of those annoying, ‘$5? For a coffee?’ type people. I’ve enforced a one-in, two-out policy which really makes me pause for thought as so much has already been culled.

Yvette vs. Yoga: This is an ongoing challenge. A minimum of 5 minutes of yoga daily. ‘5 minutes? Pish-tosh!’, you might scoff. But it is a good idea to make these daily goals achievable so you can gain momentum like a toboggan. Everyone can manage 5 minutes! Surprisingly for such a short time, it’s having a positive impact on my flexibility and on my back being not so kinky. 5 months down, 7 to go. Will I win-win-win-no-matter-what-what-what?

Yvette vs. gym: I never thought I was a ‘gym person’ but I joined the gym in a blaze of January resolution glory and can now be found discussing reps, intervals and leg days with the best of them. Not really but I have liked the flexibility of going whenever and the regime and repetition of ‘my program’. Committing to going everyday of the 2 week term holidays, took away the deafening daily discussion in my brain. Me: “I should go to the gym’ Also me: ‘Nah’. Me: ‘I really should”. Also me: ‘Nah’. (repeat ad infinitum). Result: stand by for tickets to the gun show everybody.

I’ve heard that God loves a trier! What do you think my next challenge should be?

Love and light and sparkling guinea pigs xxx Yvette