30 Days

Starting today, January 2nd, I'm tackling numbers 8 & 15 on my list. This means that for 30 consecutive days, I must abstain from eating anything animal derived and dedicate 30 minutes everyday to my Pilates routine. 

8. Eat vegan for 30 consecutive days

Adapting a vegetarian diet to a vegan one isn't that much of a stretch; in fact, I became a vegan shortly after declaring my vegetarianism back in 2000. I maintained the diet for 2 years, but decided to revert back to being a vegetarian after eating a Kit Kat bar on a grueling hike in the Adirondacks (no joke!). My sister Van and her partner P have been vegan for over 10 years and they really are an inspiration- I always eat super well and get new recipe ideas whenever I visit them. But despite my past experience and family support, it won't be easy! There are a few things that I will really miss:

Nutella
Milk and cream in my coffee
My favourite tea biscuits
Nutella smeared on my favourite tea biscuits dunked in creamy coffee
And anything with cheese (excluding the aforementioned)!

15. Do Pilates everyday for 30 days

The Pilates DVD I have is actually a relatively short (30 minutes) and relaxing exercise routine, so I'm not stressed about having to do it every day. By January 31st, I should have a stronger core and be more flexible, and if I can keep it up throughout the winter, it will help with yoga (see #5) and prevent injury when I start running in the spring (see #1)...