The challenge I chose in March was oil pulling. Now, if you've never heard of oil pulling, here is what it is. You put oil (coconut, sesame, etc) into your mouth and swish it around for 20 minutes. It is supposed to be really good for your teeth. I've read that people who oil pull don't have to brush their teeth anymore, that their bad breath is eliminated, and that it is great for tooth whitening. Those are the down to earth claims. I've also read that it can cause weight loss, heal your eyes, reverse cavities, heal cancer [ok, I made that one up]. Google it, you will find tons of info!
So, how did oil pulling work for me? Well, since my goal was basically to find out if it really did help with bad breath and teeth whitening, my standards were set pretty low. And, those weren't met... I didn't really have too much trouble keeping the oil in my mouth for 20 minutes, which is a common complaint. I tried to do this while I was showering and doing my hair, (approx. 20 min). So, my teeth weren't noticeably whiter, and I still felt the need to brush my teeth. Maybe I used the wrong kind of oil, but since it was coconut oil (the kind that is solid at room temperature, the best kind ;) ) I don't think that was the problem. Perhaps I was expecting a miracle, and this is likely something that takes time to really see results.
I won't keep oil pulling, it's too annoying, for the amount of time it uses. Now, to be honest, I didn't oil pull every single day, and since it seemed like it wasn't working, it kind of fell through the cracks. Plus, as I said previously, teeth whitening was high on my list of results. I found a better way to do that. Activated charcoal. (I saw it on Pinterest). Mom had some tablets, so I opened one up and put it on my teeth for 5-10 minutes, and my teeth were noticeably whiter. Quick results convince me ;) The pluses of the charcoal are that it really doesn't have a flavor, your teeth can be way whiter in 5 minutes, and it's much cheaper than buying whitening strips. Downside? Only one, charcoal makes a huge mess... The sink still looks a little gray, and my toothbrush will never look the same. But, hey, small price to pay for white teeth, yeah?
April's challenge is going to be really hard for me!It's a running challenge. While I'm sure I won't actually be able to run 3 miles by the end of April, I will follow the plan, and since it's time based rather than distance based, I think that will work better for me. I do not like to run, but being healthier is important, so I can run every day for 30 days, right? Hopefully... Anyway, April 1, I'll start this. To be honest, I'm terrified about telling anyone that I'm doing this challenge, because I've done such a poor job of sticking to the previous ones. Accountability :/ Gotta motivate myself to do this somehow...
Alright, so, that is all for tonight, and March! See you in April.
Your Turn:
- What motivates you to run, or exercise, or stick to something like this? Any tips would be great!
