I am now on my 12th day of completing these 4 cards. Doing all four at once may seem like a lot to take on at the same time but it's actually pretty manageable.
No drinking - I stopped drinking with my friends on December 29th, 2014 after years of binge drinking. (I would still have a glass or two of wine with my family.) Before 12/29 I usually got borderline blackout drunk one night and then took a few days off. My drinking used to drastically effect both my mental health and my physical health. I don't feel like I was an alcoholic but I was not drinking in a healthy manner. One random day this past March I decided to get obliterated and drank two pints of Tequila. The next morning was one of the most miserable hungover experiences that I had ever had. I decided to get strict and disciplined. I am not going to drink with friends nor family over the next seven weeks. This I consider the easiest one to achieve because I essentially already wasn't drinking.
No smoking - I quit for 6 months in 2014 before relapsing after a night of binge drinking. I am back on the patches which have worked well for me. Now I am about 19 days smoke-free (I quit a few days before I made the cards). I don't consider this much of a challenge either because I have absolutely no will to start smoking again. When I am not wearing the patch and get urges the idea of smoking still disgusts me. I am excited to be off of the patches completely and to remain smoke free the rest of my life. I also needed to quit because I have crohn's disease and I am in remission. The only thing they really know about crohn's and remission is that you have a much higher chance of coming out of it if you smoke.
Brush teeth - As disgusting as this may sound it was not uncommon for me to go 3 days without brushing my teeth. I think oral health and a nice smile is super important so I decided to challenge myself to do this. This challenge is actually a little harder for me then not drinking and not smoking. There will be times when I am lying in bed and I know that I haven't brushed my teeth yet. I have to force myself to get out of bed to do it. This one takes a different type of "do it now" discipline that I think is good for me. Also, optimally I will brush my teeth twice a day but as a goal I decided to start with once a day because I think it is more realistic and actually achievable for me. I'll tell you this: it's nice to be able to mark one of my little red Xs in the morning instead of having to wait until night.
Paleo+Coffee - this is by far my toughest challenge. So far I love my new paleo lifestyle. Before I used to eat mainly takeout, pizza, burger king, and ramen. I would drink lots of whole milk as well. This first few days were tough. I had minor headaches, low energy, and was going through a carb withdrawal. Now I feel great. I feel healthier. I already am more comfortable with my body and I have lost of a few pounds. I decided to be strict with paleo for the duration of the X effect to really get adjusted to the diet and lifestyle then I may start adding a few things back in like keffir yogurt and goat's milk. Being paleo takes a TON of preparation. I can't go out at night unless I have eaten. I can only go to a few restaurants in town. So often non-paleo foods will be in my face and I have to make sure I am prepared. On day 7 of this challenge I accidentally ate a piece of breaded chicken. When I realized it I stopped eating the chicken mid-bite. I decided to mark an X for that day because I ate it unknowingly and I was disciplined enough to stop as soon as I realized. I hope you guys agree that this is in the spirit of the X effect.
Experience so far: I love the X effect. Marking the little red boxes is one of the highlights of my day. I feel like I may have a more challenging time a few weeks from now (like when I get off the patches or feel too lazy to go shopping for food) but for the time being I feel like I am cruising. I am excited to follow through with this. Also I like thinking of what I want to do next. It's hard to wait to add other challenges that I want to implement into my life but I feel like it's important to wait because I feel like if I break down with a new challenge it may cause me to break down with this round of challenges. (Not falling asleep with my computer by my side is definitely going to be on there but I'm not sure what else. I'll see. I like thinking of them) I would love any input anyone has. And I'm so pumped to be apart of this community! Discipline has not been one of my strong suits but each day I feel like I am working on turning that weakness into a strength.
(I was a little hesitant to create this post because I feel like posting gives me positive affirmation of something that I have yet to complete. I am worried that it will crack into my discipline and my drive. Ultimately I felt that because I was cognizant of that potentially being an issue that it was okay to post.)