Hanging Around

Its Saturday, and I am looking forward to a 3 day weekend in honor of the 4th of July. Its a celebration of Independence Day for not only my country but in my life as well. This past week has offered a bit of a wake up call for me, where I realize that I really need to get it together to make my life whole and happy.

Number one on my list is getting healthy again. I am so tired of being sluggish and having low energy and the back pain is ridiculous. Its limiting me in what I can do and causing me to be short and angry. I know that I am not eating healthy-as evident by weight gain and higher cholesterol and rising blood sugar. I DO NOT want to wind up having poor health because I couldn't control my eating habits. In talking to some experts I know, I've gotten a few suggestions in what I need to do to get things under control in my life.

-eat healthier. This is a duh momemnt. Its just that I don't take the time to be as healthy as I can be-and I try to take a short cut. I need to increase my fiber intake (like big time). I don't consume enough fiber, and the best way to do that is to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. Some of my favorites are high in fiber (apples, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, broccoli, corn, peas, black beans) so I know that I can do this. Its just making it easier on myself (like making a big salad in the beginning of the week, so I can just grab and go). The more fiber I have in my diet, the more "full" I feel, and then the less I go for bad stuff.
The other big thing is to choose wisely. Like the pivotal scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I need to choose my foods wisely, because if not, it literally could kill me. I decided that we are back to lean meats and lots and lots of fruits and vegetables. Its not rocket science, and to be honest, I actually LIKE these foods, but I struggle with putting it all together.

-supplements are my friend. I need to take my vitamins consistently. Its another thing that I struggle with. I have them, I just don't take them. In order to be as healthy as possible I need to take a multi-vitamin, vitamin D because I have incredibly low levels in my blood. So, I take that. In addition, I also need to take Omega 3's, because that helps lower cholesterol. It also helps with migraines (another recurring issue for me)and low energy (another problem!).

Number two on the list is exercise. I need to move. Period, no and ifs or buts about it. I need to do cardio every day. I need to get my heart rate up and pumping. Its not about doing this to lose weight, its about doing it to get healthy. Just like I need to add weights and pilates to add to building a better body. Its not to lose weight-the stronger I am, the less back pain. The less back pain, the more I can do with everything. I need to get up and going, no matter what. And what has worked for me in the past is when I reward myself for meeting my workout goals. For example, if I work out everyday for a week I treat myself to a manicure at the mall. Or a book or something that I don't normally buy for myself.

Number three is managing my stress levels. One of my biggest issues is not being able to distinguish between real stress and "imagined" stress. I don't every truly shut down unless I am asleep. And that is a problem. I need to find some relaxation other than sleep. I do know when I did feel better when I took epsom salt baths (did something to relieve the back pain too). Plus doing things that I enjoy helps too (like my crafts or reading). I know that being stressed out all the time is taking a toll on my body-and on my relationships with my family too. Little Man doesn't like me being stressed out and it stresses him out too. The other part of it is time management. I need to get back on track with managing my time better. It doesn't take much time to tidy up my house, it just means taking the time to do it. I need to actually do things-like spending 15 minutes every night to tidy up and take care of things around the house. Another 15 minutes to prep dinner for the next day.
Yoga helps too. It stretches me out, and takes away the pain too. It takes my mind off things too, which allows me to unwind.

I know what I need to do, and I'm motivated to make the positive changes that I need to make my life better. Its not anything truly radical-its just tweaking a few things in my world, and making it a better place. I don't have to go to a gym or buy any fancy equipment. I don't have to get rid of the foods that I currently eat. Instead of hanging around, I need to do.