Small Changes for a Happy Healthy Life

I have spent the past few weeks making some small changes in my

life to feel healthier and happier.   The past years of care taking

really took it's toll and my formerly energetic and positive self.

 One morning I woke up and looked closely at myself in the

 mirror and knew I needed to make some changes fast.

The first thing on my list of changes was this ….

No nightly glass of wine.  That was a tough one.  I had 

relied on that nightly glass of red wine to get through the

stressful days.  Once the stress had passed, I was still reaching

for that glass on wine each evening out of habit.  Now I know that

red wine is supposed to be good for one's heart, but I think it

was also interfering with my sleep.

Trust me ~ I did not sleep much at all!

Everyone can get by without some sleep once in a while, but when it becomes

nightly, the effects will show up.  Boy did they.  I was nervous all the time. 

I was like a taut wire about to snap at any minor annoyance.  

So for the entire month of January I quit drinking wine.  And to my surprise,

it was easy.  I didn't miss it much at all.  I would take out a pretty glass, fill it

with ice, a couple slices of lemon or lime or both and top with water.  It was

delicious.  

Once the month was over I returned to having a glass of wine on Friday

and Saturday nights only.  Just one, and sometimes not at all.  

After a few short days being wine free, I started sleeping better at night.

Not every night at first, but better.  I reminded myself to not stress out if I was

not sleeping well at first and eventually I started making it through the night.

I know that it will take a while for my sleep bank to fill up, but the

important thing is that it is filling up.  I am actually starting to feel rested

in the morning and that feeling is so very good indeed!

Then came the diet.  I wanted to be healthy once again.  

I was not focusing on losing weight as much as feeling good

and compliment the return of sleep.  So I cut out all the junk.

No diet coke or diet Dr Pepper.  No chips.  No cookies or

those little tiny red velvet cupcakes I so dearly love.  

I built my daily diet around healthy grains, lots of fruits and

veggies.  Limiting the meats like beef and pork and substituting

fish and chicken.  Two cups of green tea daily and lots of

water.  It took a few weeks to start noticing the change but

when I did it was a fabulous feeling.

The next thing I added was regular exercise.  I focused on

toning muscles first so I started with daily Pilates.  I eventually

worked up to 45 minutes of Pilates toning for abs, chest, arms,

butt and thighs ~ every day ~ no excuses.

After a couple of weeks of that routine I dropped the Pilates

back to 45 minutes 3 times per week and added 30 minutes of

aerobics on the other 3 days with Sundays off.

Wow!   Really starting to feel and see great results now!!!

My next step is to add some yoga to my routine.  However, the most 

important thing I have added is an attitude adjustment.  No matter what

happens, I just count to ten, breathe and let the tension go.  Nothing is

worth getting stressed out about.  

So now I am two months and nine days into my new routine.  For any

of you who are thinking of making some changes to improve your health

and outlook, here is my advice.  Change comes slowly and steadily when

you stick to a program.  Don't expect miracles in one day and don't be

disappointed when you don't see fast results.  Stay focused, stay

committed to healthy changes and you will reap the rewards.  I am

feeling better, happier, more relaxed and rested.  There is so much of

life to embrace and enjoy and I don't want to miss a minute of it.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley