Dream Big—and Get There This Month

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Welcome to thethird month of our Dream Big challenge, where we help you reach that goal that you thought was just too crazy-big and impossible to accomplish. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from putting together these challenges, it’s that anything—even the most ambitious, complex goal—is possible when you take baby steps.

This month we’re arming you with the tools to go after three big challenges related to your fitness, nutrition, and mental wellness. Each week, we'll kick things off with our Move-the-Needle Monday column, breaking down the details for each of these goals, to help you succeed in reaching them by the end of the month. You’re going to get there, and we’ll be there with you. (Show us your progress on Instagram or Facebook at #DreamBigGetThere.)

Ready to take a step? Keep reading for this month’s goals—plus your Week 1 Plan.

Dream Big: Think Only Positive Thoughts for 24 hours

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Week 1: Identify Negative Thoughts

The science:Thinking happy thoughts may seem trivial, but research shows it has the potential to boost your health and well-being. Focusing on the silver linings in life may even help you live longer. Research published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences表明，乐观情绪平均寿命延长11％至15％。它还增加了你活到85岁或以上的机会。是的！

Move-the-Needle Monday:积极思考的道路的第一步是善于识别它在射入你的大脑时识别每个负面的想法，艾莉森·楚格娜，授权的社会工作者和临床心理治疗师，直觉顾问以及纽约市的经过认证的生活教练。然后，提出一个新的，积极的短语或想法来取代它。For example, if you’re thinking: “I have too much work to get done today, there’s no way I can do it,” replace it with: “I am good at what I do and will do my best to tackle it today.”

“You want to keep[积极的想法]succinct,” Chawla adds. “If you make it too complicated, you’re just going to get overwhelmed and flip the switch back to the negative thought.” Once you’ve settled on the positive version, repeat it to yourself until you believe it. By getting in the habit of stopping negative thoughts in their tracks, you can start to rewire your brain to think differently (aka, positively) moving forward.

计划：日记是一个很好的工具，可以帮助您开始识别和放松消极的想法。乍看是如此乐于帮助，即使这是非常简短的，她的所有客户都在开始日记。再次，你想保持简单 - 甚至只是写下句子，或者两个可以做出巨大的差异。

Here’s what to do:Keep a pen and notepad next to your bed; When you wake up every morning this week, take a few seconds to jot down whatever negative thought or worry you have. Think of it as a “purge,” or “wiping the slate clean,” Chawla says. Your journal is where negative thoughts go to die. “You’re emptying the space[在你的大脑中]因此，正面的思想可以进入，“她解释道。

Top tip:如果你对它的自我意识或紧张有人可能会看到你写下的东西，撕掉它并扔掉。严重地。你不必保留你写的东西，但你也不希望它消耗你的思想。所以只要写下来，就把它拿出来，把它扔掉，为积极腾出空间。

梦想大：抬起你的体重

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Week 1: Prep Your Body

这是科学：想觉得自己像一个超级英雄吗?增加你的力量ength so you can benchpress your own bodyweight will help get you there. And while the sense of accomplishment sounds great, the health benefits you’ll get along the way via the strength training it takes to get there are even better. A few: strong bones, weight management, and upping your quality of life,according to the Mayo Clinic-OH并根据a2018年研究JAMA, boosting your mood).

Move-the-Needle Monday:Your aim this week is to get used to the movements that will train the muscles involved with a benchpress (the chest muscles, anterior deltoids, shoulders, and triceps), says Jamie Costello, MSC, certified personal trainer, functional movement specialist, and vice president of sales and fitness forPritikin Longevity Center和Spain Miami, FL.

But first, bear in mind that your starting point matters a lot. Realistically, says Costello, for even a seasoned lifter, “you should expect to be 20 to 25 percent stronger by the end of the month.” For example, if you’re 150 pounds, you’d want to be lifting about 75% of that (around 115 pounds) at the start of this program to make it to your bodyweight by the end. But for everyone else, the goal here, really, is to get you stronger.

This baseline test will tell you what’s realistic: After a warm up (like 10 minutes of cardio followed by 10 bench presses done with a weight you can easily lift) and with a spotter present, load up the bar with a heavy (for you) weight you feel confident you can push up one time. After you successfully lift it, wait a few minutes, add a bit more weight and try again. Repeat until you hit the absolute max of what you can lift one time. That’s the baseline you’ll need to keep in mind as you kick off your program.

计划：在这些练习上适当的形式 - 特别是在使用重物时至关重要。如果您不熟悉执行任何这些动作的确切方法，现在是时候使用私人教练预约预约，以便覆盖每个可能需要的任何修改。当你推动你的极限时，有一个可以踩到重量的观点，这是安全的一点太远了！

Monday, Wednesday and Friday perform three sets of each of these moves: benchpress, chest fly, shoulder press (seated or standing), and tricep extension. You’ll want to do each move with progressive overload, so for the first set use a weight that gets you to muscle failure in 10 reps, then rest for a minute. For the second add weight to get to muscle failure in 6. Then for the third, add weight to max out in 2 to 3 reps. Any of these moves can be done with free weights or on a weight machine if you prefer.

然后在周末，至少休息一天，或者如果你感觉到它，请尝试像瑜伽一样的主动恢复例程。

Top tip:Train your back on your days off! Although this specific plan is focusing on the benchpress, weight training your back on the in-between days will ensure you don’t end up with imbalances that can throw you out of whack says Costello. His suggestion: Train as if you’re doing the corresponding challenge for a pull-up. The moves that would get you there: Assisted tricep dips, lat pull-downs, reverse flies, and bicep curls.

Dream Big: Go Vegan for a Week!

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第1周：从素食午餐开始

这是科学：Is being a vegan a worthy goal? The science says YES. Research shows that people who follow a vegan diet typically have a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure, lower body mass index (BMI), and a decreased risk of cancer.

In fact, a study published in theJournal of the American Medical Association发现，根据疾病控制和预防的中心，植物基蛋白质（与动物蛋白质）的植物蛋白（Vs.Ablet蛋白）的消耗作用在支持更长，更健康的生命（并且有助于预防心血管疾病，美国人的主要杀手）。

星期一移动 - 针头：To ease into vegan life, start with a meatless midday meal first (and don’t worry about going 100% plant-based just yet for breakfast, dinner, and snacks). If you’re headed to work or school first thing in the morning, you’ll have time to plan and pack your vegan lunch the night before. If you’re working from home, take a real lunch break with a plant-based meal that’s easy to prepare.

MD哥伦比亚哥伦比亚衰老霍华德县办事处的营养师和烹饪专家营养师和烹饪专家建议制作汤，您可以长期前往整个星期。“我最喜欢的素食午餐食谱是用鹰嘴豆，土豆，烤花椰菜制成的咖喱，并用一些椰奶，石灰和香菜完成。任何一般的汤都是一种创造性的方式，可以在一个锅中获得碳水化合物，脂肪和蛋白质的平衡！“Leno补充道。

计划：如果你更多的是夹心食者，你不必去汤坚果。只需换出素食奶酪，素食汉堡或装满Hummus，Sprouts，Tomato和Lettuce的强者三明治的午餐。需要更多的蛋白质？您的土耳其三明治贸易为该蛋白质包装的沙拉：

Spring Onion and Herb Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 Tbsp. avocado oil mayo

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 1/3 cup spring onions

• 1/4杯切碎的欧芹

• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mash beans in a large bowl with a fork and add remaining ingredients. Mash together and serve open-faced on toast or as sandwich filling.

Top tip:需要一些汤和三明治的各种吗？制作营养和美味的entrée沙拉用豆，坚果，豆腐和种子来获得蛋白质填充，然后加入一些水果和蔬菜到混合。

Contributors: Amy Marturana Winderl, Beth Shapouri, Carmen Roberts, R.D.

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