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!

     More and more, I am realizing it is time to make good and overcome my resistance to exercise.  Why now?  Well, many reasons–my mini-stroke of a couple of weeks back is forcing me to take my health more seriously.  Plus, after reading The Power of a Praying Wife and various other books, I am realizing that exercise isn’t at all about being selfish or cramming some “me time” into an already busy day.  Exercise is necessary and important to feel attractive and energetic–this is a blessing to our husbands, kids, and everyone around us.  When we feel good about our health and our well-being, we are more likely to be open and friendly, and available to others. 

     One of my issues has also been the fact that I would have to drive a great distance to get to a gym, and I have a lack of in-home workout facilities.  The solution for me has been workout DVDs.  I bought the Leslie Sansone Walk Slim: Fast and Firm 4 Really Big Miles in January.  I did the complete workout once–including the 4th mile with the toning band that comes with the DVD, and was so sore that I didn’t do it again for six months!  This week, I have started again, and I am starting smaller.  The workout is divided by mile markers and a stretch, so it’s easy to just do one mile, or two miles and then skip to the stretch.  That is what I have been dong–it’s much more manageable time-wise and easier to be consistent.  Starting out with the full-workout is intimidating to me, but committing to a mile or two at a time isn’t so bad.  Leslie is an enthusiastic and encouraging workout leader.  She emphasizes keeping moving over perfecting every little move, and when you’re stretching your arms up, she’ll say something like, “Count your blessings, while your up there.”  I wish I had started with the three-mile workout because the feeling that I am doing the complete workout gives me more of a sense of accomplishment.  It works okay to adapt the longer workout, too.