Getting My Health “In Order for Life”!
It’s Time for Some Healthy Living!
I returned from a week in New Orleans yesterday.
I joked to my friends that I was, “Eating and walking, walking and eating, and eating was definitely winning”. When I stepped on the scale this morning, I realized it was no joke! The scale has been inching up for years, and my activity and exercise have been dwindling. Not a good combination! I’m not a young chick anymore, and it’s definitely time to make some permanent lifestyle changes.
I spend my days helping other people get their homes and lives in order, so that they can spend their time and energy on the things and people that matter most. It’s time for me to do the same. It’s time to get my health “In Order for Life”!
So, it’s time for me to come up with a plan. I know I won’t change by sheer will alone. I have gotten into some long-standing bad habits. I need help and I need change. I learned many years ago, through my walk of faith, that I can’t just “stop” a negative behavior in my life. I need to replace it with the positive. When we do that, we leave no room for the negative behavior, thought, or habit.
As I think about the “how” and the “when” of a plan that will lead me toward a healthier lifestyle and ultimately a healthier me, I’m considering the positive healthy habits that I would like to develop in my life. They are two fold. Eat healthier and exercise.
My next step is to take into consideration my lifestyle, my past attempts at healthy living, and my personality. Going to a gym or exercise classes are out of the question for me. I live off the beaten path, and it bothers me when I’m spending more time getting to and from exercise than I’m actually exercising. Settled. I will be exercising from home, as my schedule allows. I have everything I need here; beautiful countryside for walking, a treadmill for poor weather, and exercise equipment. In the past, tracking my eating has been successful. I will try that again. Group meetings such as Weight Watchers are out of the question, again because of the distance and time involved. So, I check online options. Weight Watchers online is one option, but it’s not cheap. I find several other options and check out the pros and cons of each. Finally, I settle on SparkPeople , an online free service that provides helpful weight loss resources and user tools. Their goal is to make weight loss a permanent reality by encouraging members to fulfill their fitness and weight loss goals. Aside from deciding on an exercise and food-tracking plan, my husband is an excellent support system and accountability partner. And he is ready to begin this journey with me.
As I have been preparing for this new journey over the past few days, it has occurred to me that I have been doing exactly what I do with my clients on a daily basis. When I begin work with a client, I begin with a visit to their home to see their current situation, first hand. I ask many questions, attempting to get a feel for how they work, what systems they currently have in place, and how we might improve on them or create new systems. I also spend time figuring out what they may have tried in the past, that didn’t work, and why.
So, whether you are trying to “Get in Order for Life”, by organizing your time, organizing your home, or creating balance and order in your health, the process remains the same. Take a good look at your past, and see what has and hasn’t worked for you and why. Resurrect those things that have worked in the past, and tweak as necessary. Then create a plan and get moving!