My 2012 "Whole Body Challenge"

I promised to post my routines/regimens for my 2012 challenge, and here they are! I'll have a separate one for spiritual development, physical/nutritional development and hair growth.

Spiritual Development:
Strive to spend at least 60 minutes a day Bible reading, and 10 minutes praying, for a total of 70 minutes. I'll break it up into to two sessions every day, 35 minutes each. In the morning, I'll be working through different studies in the 40 Minute Bible Studies from Precept Ministries International: How Do You Walk the Walk You Talk?, How to Make Choices You Won't Regret, What Does the Bible Say About Sex? and Turning Your Heart Toward God. At night (right before bed), I'll spend my time reading through the Bible. It's part of a program my church is doing called The Amazing Read. They divided the Bible into 24 "legs" or segments, and the congregation is divided into teams. Each team can take as long as they want to read through the Bible - as long as they finish reading it. I'm a team leader, and since there are 24 legs, I thought my team could take 2 years to go through the Bible, one leg a month. So this year, I'll be reading through Genesis, Matthew, Exodus, Mark, Leviticus, Luke, Numbers, John, Deuteronomy, Acts, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Romans, 1 Samuel, 1 Corinthians, 2 Samuel, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Kings, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra and 2 Thessalonians. My prayer time will consist of praying through a list of prayer requests for missionaries in Asia (e-mailed to me every month by OMF), my personal prayer requests and my friends' requests. I'm planning to not skip a day, but life happens. My big test will be when I skip a day and feel so terrible that I skip the rest of the week and dump the plan altogether...


Physical/Nutritional Development
I'll be following Phase I of the G.I. (Glycemic Index) diet closely. Basically, I'll only be eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes (beans), high-fiber breads, low-fat meats, low-fat dairy products and water. I'm staying away from sugar, white flour, processed foods, fruit juices, etc. However, the author of The G.I. Diet suggests that you follow the program 90% of the time, and allow yourself leeway 10% of the time. Since next year is a leap year, 10% of the days would be 36 "junk days" where I could eat whatever I want. I'm marking these days on my calendar, because it'll be more helpful for me to know when I can and can't eat junk than just saying "I'll eat sugar once a month." So, most of my days will be given over to birthdays, holidays and PJ Day at Bruster's.
For exercise, my goal is to get in 60 minutes of physical exertion six days a week. I'll be doing different in-home workout DVDs and doing interval jogging in my (very hilly) neighborhood. The DVDs are: 10 Minute Solution Pilates for Beginners, 10 Minute Solution Hip Hop Dance Mix, Walk Away the Pounds Express 3 Mile Advanced Walk/4 Mile Super Challenge and 400 Calorie Fix Workout. When I do interval jogging, I start out by doing 5 minutes of walking and 1 minute of jogging, continuing until 60 minutes has elapsed. The better I become, the less walking (and more jogging) I do. It's great for improving stamina, toning the lower body, and getting in a great aerobic workout. By May (which is when my school has a banquet for everyone in grades 9-12), I hope to have dropped 20-35 pounds. And I'd like to get down from a Women's/Misses' size 16 to a Misses' size 12...and maybe even squeeze into a Juniors' size 13 or 15. We'll see how it goes though.


Hair Growth Development
The nutritional and physical regimens will be beneficial for my hair, so my hair length goal will be to get to the middle of my ears with shrinkage. For hair growth, I'll pretty much be following my normal regimen. But, I'm going to change up my pre-poo/DC that I do with LeKair because the store I purchase my hair products at doesn't sell it anymore! *angry face* So, taking a hint from the wonderful ladies on the CurlyNikki forums, I'm going to be doing an avocado/EVOO pre-poo every week. If I puree the avocado and mix it with about a 1/2 cup of EVOO and use it the same way I used to use LeKair, it will work well.  I'm also going to make sure that I add EVOO to all of my combing conditioners, and apply it to my hair before I go to bed every night. And I'm going to be more consistent with "refreshing"/moisturizing my curly locks every day, and not just when I'm going out in public. Instead of posting my regimen (because it's basically the same thing that I always do), I'll just show you the products I'll be using for the next several months (I don't purchase my hair products for an entire year, so as I run out of products and purchase more, I'll post as needed):
Pre-poo:
Avocado and EVOO blend

Shampoo:
Bioluxe Hydrating Shampoo
TRESemme Vitamin B1 Flawless Curls Curl Moisturizing Shampoo for Curly or Wavy Hair

Rinse Conditioner:
Alberto VO5 Herbal Escapes Balancing Conditioner Sun Kissed Rasberry with Chamomile Extract
Alberto VO5 Repair & Protect Strengthening Conditioner with Vitamin E and Panthenol
Alberto VO5 Herbal Escapes Strengthening Conditioner Anti-Oxidant Rich Pomegranate & Grapeseed Extract
Suave Naturals Sun-Ripened Strawberry Conditioner Infused with Strawberry Extract and Vitamin E
Alberto VO5 Moisture Milks Moisturizing Conditioner Passion Fruit Smoothie with Soy Milk Protein
Suave Naturals Sweet Pea & Violet Conditioner Infused with Sweet Pea Extracts and Vitamin E

Combing Conditioner:
TRESemme Vitamin H & Silk Proteins Smooth & Silky Touchable Softness Conditioner for Dry or Brittle Hair
Aussie Sydney Smooth Conditioner
TRESemme Multi-Vitaminas y Proteinas Proteccion Caida Protege Contra la Caida del Cabello Acondicionador para Cabello Debil y Maltratado
Aussie Moist Conditioner


That's it! Oh, and I posted my pictures and starting measurements for the 12 Inches in 12 Months Challenge on the CurlyNikki forums.

Buena suerte, chicas!

~ Kimberlee