We're Going Streaking!!!

Woooo Hoooo!  I'm going streaking!  Who's in?

Wait a minute, put your clothes back on.

I'm not talking about Will Farrell streaking through the quad streaking, I'm talking about consistently practicing a healthy behavior.  Sorry to disappoint you.

photo from www.pacersdigest.com

I first heard about "streaks" from Chris Downie, the founder of SparkPeople.  In his book, The Spark he describes SparkStreaks as, "sustained, consistent acts of self-improvement".  Mr. Downie believes (and I absolutely agree 100%) that starting a streak can create momentum and build self confidence that can and will spill over into all areas of your life.  Who doesn't want a little more momentum and self confidence?  I do! I do!

Chris Downie started making changes in his life when he decided he would set a goal of ten minutes of daily exercise each morning.  Seven days quickly turn into 50.  50 days turned into 100 and eventually he reached over a 700 day streak of ten minutes of exercise each morning! As you can see the long you keep up the streak the harder it becomes to break.

The truth is sometimes doing a complete over haul to your diet or going from zero to 100 with your exercise program can be overwhelming for many.  And for those who can initially survive dramatic changes like that often times burn out sooner rather then later.

So why not start with a small change and build from there?  Remember the story of The Tortoise and the Hare?  Maybe you're already practicing a healthy diet and exercise routine- is there something else you've been thinking about adding to your diet or workouts?  Cut out soda, go to yoga twice a week, walk for ten minutes a day, write in a gratitude journal every night..... the possibilities are endless.

I'm writing about "streaking" because I'm in need of motivation to take my multivitamin.  I know some of you are reading this and thinking, "That's it? Is it really that hard to take a pill?".  My answer to that is, yes.  I'm terrible at taking pills.  I take thyroid medicine and can't combine certain pills with it (one being a multivitamin) and I can't take them on an empty stomach because they make me sick and I forget more often then I remember.....I could give you a list of excuses why I don't take one but the bottom line is- I need to and more importantly, I want to!  

So... beginning tonight I am starting my streak.  I will take my multivitamin every night before bed.  

Check out this article at SparkPeople full of tips to help you get started with your streak.

What about you?  Is there a streak you want to start?  Big?  Small?  Have you ever started a streak before?  If so, how long did it last?  I wanna hear it!

Come on, let's streak together!