Healthy FOR Life

Hello & Welcome all to a well-intentioned, favorable, and fabulous February as I sit snugly in a snow-covered solarium sipping hot coffee. The next best thing to a vacation? Almost, and it could be for some. The coffee part is the vacation for me since trying to eliminate it from my daily routine. Feeling somewhat weak-willed and chilled, I’ve been drinking it

more often and have had it for two days in a row now. Oh my, better try to nip that in the bud (or bean I should say), but it was much easier to give coffee up during the summer months. By the way, can you say the opening sentence, quickly, three times in a row? Take a deep breath before you begin sequencing the sentence and you will burn up to three calories! See what coffee does to me?

And what about you, how is everyone out there doing on their New Year’s goals so far? Still feeling

overwhelmed or lacking in motivation or time? Maybe finding a schedule, program, or making one up on compromising terms, will help you get a little extra push in the right direction. One that is easily accessible or obtainable may work best for you. Try to make a list or schedule to organize your time better. Writing down what you are doing, and want to be doing, will help you not feel so overwhelmed and help find your balance. If you’ve made a list or schedule already and you feel like you’re not making any headway you may want to re-evaluate or just wait! BE PATIENT, be kind, and get to know yourself. If you don’t like or accept yourself, how will anybody else, and who or what are you attracting? You may need to take a break or clear some more clutter and chaos out of your life for a better perspective. Even if it’s having an occasional cup of coffee or tea. Confide in someone if necessary to help sort out a plan. Feed the faith for a less fuzzy future and follow through for a more free-flowing February. Try saying that quickly, three times! Your soul will thank you.

Ah yes, our beloved weekends. Life doesn’t or shouldn’t exist only for those overrated days and probably doesn’t for those of you who work weekends. It may exist for certain players and sports enthusiasts as football season is ticking away. But what has prompted me to write about weekends is my neighboring columnist Miss Sally saying that someone should write a book about weekend dieting. I’m not going to write a book about it, not now anyways, but possibly suggest a few tidbits - based on insight of course! After moving to California many of my weekends were spent camping while exploring the vast oceanside and mountains. I was a weekday warrior, fervently working out and making good food choices Monday through Friday. Then it was hello weekend! The minute my foot stepped outside our camping site you could hear the succulent sound of a sealed chip bag opening. I would gain five pounds in just one weekend, even when I included some mountain hiking and beach walking. All my healthy hard week laboring had gone out the window. It was a repetitive cycle and I was maintaining, but not making any long-term progress. Time to make a change.

-Realize the unhealthy pattern and cut down or eliminate the scene of the culprit, which was camping in my case.

-Remain consistent in positive thinking and actions to maintain better choices all week long.

-This means being physically active during a weekend day, which allows better consumption choices throughout the weekend.

-Make plans to take time-outs or try doing something fun or relaxing during the weekdays. -When you do have a little indulgence, don’t feel guilty if it’s not life-threatening.

-Get a perspective on the whole picture by living each day like it was the weekend. Creating a mindful balance makes for a well-lasting existence. It is then, perhaps, we can go back to those things we used to love to do with a healthier attitude and know how to live with them for a lifetime!

If you have any health topics, health success stories or a family recipe for a health cure, please email me at juls11@peoplepc.com or drop it off at HTF. Thanks!