Take It Easy...

It's a week into this new year and something has come over me that has been quite unexpected.  You see, I am a planner by nature and usually by January 1 I have my life goals for the next year written out and ready to go.  But, by January 7, I am usually "over it" and back to my old ways.

This year, I set no resolutions, no expectations and no goals.  To be honest, I have kind of given up on the idea.  But, then it snuck up on me, this new mindset.  I am tired of beating myself up over my failures, so I have decided to take it easy on myself.  Instead of a daily "To Do" list, I have resigned myself to pick about 5-10 things I want to get completed this month and I try to take action towards one of them every day.  It is almost as if the idea came to me from my subconscious as a reward for finally going easy on myself.

As I look out at the landscape of 2012, the word balance comes to mind.  Those who know me personally, know I am not really a balanced person.  It's more like all or nothing with me!  As much as I love that about myself, the older I get the more I see balance is really the key to peaceful living.  My life is more at peace when I have balance.  My kids are happier when I have balance.  When my schedule has balance, I am able to make room in my life for time with my spouse and/or friends, extra snuggles on the couch and lingering phone conversations.

One area of my life that has NEVER had balance is my health.  I tried to start the new year by doing a cleanse with some friends.  Guess who forgot to start on the 2nd and who quit by the 3rd?  This girl.  Guess who immediately was beating herself up over it before she even got started?  This girl.  That doesn't look anything like balance, does it?

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down to enjoy the peace and quiet (since the youngest was off entertaining Gramma).  I decided to watch something on Netflix.  I had heard some people talking about this documentary, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, so I decided to watch it.  I think it is a must see for anyone who wants to make some changes in the area of their health.  By the end I was cheering and found myself inspired to make a change for the better.

After telling my husband about how excited I was about this idea, he was a bit skeptical.  I think the conversation went something like this:

Husband: "Can I be frank?"
Me: "Yes, but I would like to still call you Chris?" 

Husband: {smiles at my humor} "What makes this any different from the cleanse that you already quit?"
Me: {gasps with mocking offense--i knew that was coming} "Well, I am inspired." 

Husband: {shrugs}
Me: "I watched this movie about a guy who has similar problems to me.  I saw him do this one simple thing and get better.  It makes me see that I can do it too."
Husband: "That makes sense."

What I didn't tell my husband was that throughout the film, Joe talked about health and balance.  Not because he wanted to be a certain weight or size, but because he wanted to be a better person.  He wanted to feel better.  I always get hung up on the "dieting" fads because it always seems to be about pounds and sizes--for me a failure waiting to happen.  But, Joe's message of balance struck a cord with me.

I'd encourage you to check out Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on Netflix (instant watch) or check it out from your local library.  There are also several other documentaries on food, nutrition and health out there that are informational and eye opening.

Joe's message is not the only way to better health, as there are many great ways to make healthy changes in our lives.  My encouragement to you is to try to make one small choice each day that improves your health (it's all about balance!)

May 2012 be our healthiest year yet!!