These are my personal guidelines that I follow to provide some boundaries to help me live my best, happy, healthy, lifestyle.  They may not be right for everyone, but they are small steps that can be taken to help anyone get on the right path.

I’m a firm believer in baby steps and think the “All or Nothing” approach is what leads us to the never-ending cycle of diet/fail/repeat. And having a set of rules that create boundaries allows us to know our expectations of ourselves based on our own individual needs.

MY RULES FOR MY SUCCESS

1. Forgive Me: By forgiving myself when I don’t meet my expectations I never feel the need to beat myself up when I make a mistake.  Everything I do is a conscious decision.  If a make a poor choice, I recognize it and then choose to move on.  In the past I would have made a poor choice and then let that poor choice lead to another poor choice because, “I had already screwed up, so what the hell!”  I think we’re all guilty of that. But when we realize that all of our choices are just that…a choice, then we can accept them and move on.  That’s what being Imperfect is all about!
2. Keep My Kitchen Clean: When my kitchen is a mess, the last thing I want to do before preparing a meal is clean it. So if I keep my kitchen clean at all times, I’m more likely to prepare a healthy meal at home than to eat crap somewhere else.
3. Pack a Lunch Four Days Per Work Week:  It’s too easy to each too much when I eat out for lunch. I gained about 50lbs in one year because of this.  Making lunch doesn’t have to be complicated…or boring!
4. Cook Dinner 6 Nights Per Week: I love to cook so cooking rarely feels like a chore to me. I cook dinner (almost) ever night and I’m always sure to only cook enough for me and my husband to have one serving.   When I used to cook more, we’d end up going back for seconds and sometimes thirds because it was so good…or just because it was there.
5. Limit Caffeine: It took me a while to realize this but it turns out, I’m super sensitive to caffeine.  I had a difficult time trying to fall asleep at night- my mind would just race, I couldn’t shut it off.  Now that I don’t drink any caffeine after 1pm, I sleep much easier and feel so much better in the mornings.
6. Eat Protein at every Meal: I eat a protein at every meal because I should.  That’s all.
7. Eat only one carb (starch) per meal: What I mean by this is that I don’t eat potatoes and bread in the same meal or pasta and bread or corn and potatoes or corn and bread or…you get the idea. I eat very little wheat so this isn’t a huge issue for me anymore but it used to be, which is why I had to make the rule.
8. Eat at least one fruit or veg with every meal:  They’re full of great vitamins and minerals, quick energy and fill me up with fewer calories.
9. Workout at least 3 Days per week: These days I do CrossFit five days per week but if for some reason I’m unable to make it to a class my rule is that I have to be active at least four days per week
10. Keep a water bottle with me at all times: I must have a water bottle (filled with water) at all times.  Being dehydrated is often confused with hunger.  If I’m well hydrated and I feel hungry then I know it’s legit and I should eat.
11. Go to bed by 10:30 pm: I go to bed by 10:30 every night so that I can get up and go to the gym the next day.  This is part of my goal of setting myself up for success rather than failure.
12. Keep My Gym Clothes Clean: I’ve become adamant about making sure my gym clothes are always clean that way I can no longer use it as an excuse to avoid the gym.  Another rule for success in order to avoid failure.
13. No Doggy Bags: Because I don’t eat out very often these days, I usually order something I wouldn’t make at home; something that feels like a splurge. But I never bring it home.  I eat a reasonable portion and then have the server take it away.  I don’t allow it to sit on the table where I’ll be likely to pick at it and I certainly don’t bring it home because that defeats the purpose of the splurge.
14. Follow all the I’mperfect Life Rules for Living a Happy, Healthy Lifestyle

What are your rules or guidelines?  What works for you and what doesn’t?  Let me know!  I’m always up for learning something new! Comment below and share!