I need to confess something on Day 7 of this challenge: I don't love drinking water. Actually, let me be more specific. I hate lukewarm water. Room temperature water is the beverage equivalent of beige wallpaper—utterly forgettable and vaguely disappointing. When I think about drinking almost a gallon a day, all I can think is: Great. … Continue reading Day 7: Confessions of a Water Hater (Or: A Gallon of Bleh)
Challenge update: Down 3.7 pounds in six days. My shoulders are still protesting yesterday's first free weight workout—incline press, standing press, the whole deal. Good sore, not bad sore...but still sore. Here's what's been rolling around in my head during my 30 minutes of reading today. I'm working through "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath … Continue reading Day 6: When Knowledge Gets in the Way of Starting
My alarm went off at 5:00 this morning. Not because I'm a morning person—I'm not. But because I made myself a promise: all workouts done by noon during these first rounds of the 7-40 Challenge. An hour of exercise doesn't happen by accident. Eight years ago, I was in a hospital bed with a 13 … Continue reading Day 5: Why I Got Up at 5:00 AM
When I designed the 7-40 Challenge—seven daily habits practiced for 40 days, repeated throughout 2026—I had to make hard choices. Only seven habits. Not eight. Not ten. Seven. Bible study made the list. So did exercise, calorie tracking, water intake, reading, and creative work. But the seventh spot? That one is special to me. I … Continue reading Why Gratitude Is Habit #7 in My 7-40 Challenge: Three Gifts That Changed Everything
For more than 20 years, I've written lists. "Someday I'll get in shape." "Someday I'll write that novel." "Someday I'll..." Here's what I've learned: someday never comes. I've had wins—career success, creative projects completed. But they came out of balance. I'd crush it at work while my health tanked. I'd focus on one goal while … Continue reading Day 3: The Best Time to Start Is Now
