In keeping with my 2010 focus on gifts, I am happy to report that I have a real, genuine motivation to make some small changes for better health.  Let me emphasize small…

• I am monitoring my caffeine intake with the goal of drinking fewer caffeinated beverages and cutting myself off completely at a certain time of day, so that I sleep better at night.  For the first time in my life, I have purchased decaffeinated coffee.  I am also trying a caffeine free herbal Chai tea.
• I am exercising in little increments.  Now, I live hours from a gym, and I don’t have time or space to exercise for a large chunk of time, so I have started doing the stairs in the building where I work a few times a day, and walking for ten minutes at a time here and there.  I would like to do three ten minute walks during the day and several stair routines, too.

• I am placing a new emphasis on relaxation!  This is the best one, by far.  I am taking time for long baths, using scented lotion, looking at magazines, reading, enjoying my leisure time!  This is wonderful, and the best part is I am not being selfish–science proves that these rituals of relaxation are very important to control stress & be healthy.

I used to be one to look down my nose at such small changes, but now I find myself grateful do be able to do any small thing to improve my health and how I feel about myself and my body.

Also, I saw a piece of advice in regard to health that I am still meditating on–the suggestion was that every work or chore related “to do” on your list, should be balanced with one restorative, fun, relaxing “to do.”  Now, that’s really a shift in my thinking–to make leisure and rest the same level of priority with work.  It sounds revolutionary…and I am trying to incorporate it into my life…Gotta go work on my all-new to do list now!