6 Simple Actions to Take TODAY Toward a Healthier You: Number One

My husband's heart attack was one heck of a wake up call that it was time to analyze the choices I was making when it came to my health.  For the past nine years I've been running and going to Zumba and lifting weights and cooking healthy foods, but nine years is a long time and I had started to drift a little.  Plus, life changes a lot in nine years.  My old basket of tricks was not working like they used to. 

On a positive note - It's been eight months since his heart attack and while I'm still anxious about whether or not another heart attack will sneak up on us and my stress level feels through the roof most of the time and I'm so incredibly tired all of the time, I'm proud of myself that I've maintained a focus of making healthy choices. I guess after a heart attack, how could it not?

If you are reading this than I imagine that you, too, are juggling many balls in the air.  You know those juggling routines where someone starts to juggle three balls and then someone throws in a fourth and a fifth and a sixth?  You watch amazed at how the juggler is able to keep so many balls in the air.  At the same time, you're wondering what's going to happen when the next ball is tossed in.  What will be the juggler's limit?  That's how I feel.  I'm working very hard to keep all of my balls in the air.  If one more ball is tossed in or if one ball goes out of sync, it's going to be all over.

So how do I keep my healthy choices ball in sync with all of the other balls that I'm juggling?  Answering this question forced me to pause and analyze how things were going - what habits needed to be added, what habits needed to be tossed our and what habits need to be tweaked a little bit.

Since February, I've been telling people - begging people -  to let our wake up call be your wake up call.  Over the next week, I want to share with you seven simple things that I am doing in my crazy life to continue to make my health a priority.  So here we go with number one . . .

Meal Planning is VITAL to my being successful in making healthy food choice.  

Meal planning is a simple task.  It can take as much or as little time as you want it to, but the benefits of meal planning are HUGE!  You will feel more in control rather than wandering aimlessly through the grocery store so you are more likely to make healthy choices.  You're stress level will be greatly decreased because what you're serving for dinner is one less worry.  You'll be more likely to stick to your food budget and waste less food because everything you put in your shopping cart will have a purpose.

I normally get my meal planning done during a break at work.

I've been planning my family's meals for years.  Having a plan in place helped me avoid last minute trips through the drive-thru or picking up a pizza on my way home.  Meal planning is actually one of my favorite things to do.  Looking through old cookbooks, cooking magazines and Pinterest to find delicious recipes to try.  Coming home and cooking was a way for me to relax after a busy day.  At this stage in life, however, that feeling of relaxing went out the window and meals have been adding to my stress.  So I still plan our meals every week, but I've made two key changes:

1) Cook two meals over the weekend to last me the entire week.  Seeing as I am currently often out of the house for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I need to have things to grab out of the fridge and throw in my lunchbox.  I still have the joy of looking up new recipes to try.  Instead of trying them on my family, I just make them for myself.  On the weekend, I cook my two meals and then divide them into containers for the week.  For example, this weekend I made Chicken Vegetable Soup, a Barbecue Beef Roast and six baked potatoes.  Luckily for me, I don't get tired of eating the sane thing multiple times in one week!  And selfishly, I can prepare meals that I like, but that would send my family running from the table.

I couldn't live without my crockpot!  This is simply three chicken breasts,

peppers, onion and a jar of spaghetti sauce.  YUM!!

2) Introduced my family to OYO Nights (aka On Your Own!).  Between my daughter working and  going to school, my husband managing his multiple medical appointments, tests and therapies and my working three jobs it got nearly impossible for me to cook for us as we are never at home all at the same time or by the time dinner was ready it was 10PM.  I love cooking for my family!  It's one way that I express my love for them.  But in this season of craziness, I realized that cooking for my family every single night of the week is not a reality.  Now when I write out my menu for the week, there will be several OYO nights.  I make sure that the kitchen is stocked with the ingredients that they need to make a dinner that they will like, but after that it is up to them.

These may seem like two simple ideas, but I'll tell you - it took me several weeks to figure how to juggle healthy meal planning, healthy meal prep and this season of crazy schedules.  Since I made these changes, I feel so much more relaxed and I have time to make additional healthy choices which had been dropped from my juggling act.

One thing you can do for your health is take a little bit of time to plan out what you're going to eat over the next few days.  That time you spend will have great benefits in the long run!

Happy planning!!

Words of wisdom from my dad!  

The Holiday Hype and My Boo Hoo Party are Over. NOW is the Time to set My 2019 Goals!

It's been nine years since I made a "resolution" to live a healthier life and actually saw it through.  I challenged myself to train for and complete a 5k in 2010 and I did it!  After that, I kept on moving and striving to make healthy life choices.  Nine years later, while the journey has been filled with many twists and turns, I'm still on that path to move more and make healthy choices.

A Journey with Many Twists and Turns
photo from www.fscaston.org

Though I can't lie - 2018 was ROUGH!  I actually did not meet any of the goals that I set for myself last January.  What I viewed as my year of the downfall started in February with a trip to the ER via ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack - turns out it was stress.  March brought an unexpected and (at the time) undesired job transfer.  September arrived with the realization that I was going to have to get a second job in order to keep us afloat.  So, I did.  Come November, we celebrated our first holiday season with both of our children working.  Add in my first year working retail during the holidays and I was thrown for a complete loop.  2018 wrapped up with me covered in hives conked out in an allergy medicine fueled haze.  What a year!

Needless to say, I was thinking that I was done.  Ready to throw in the towel on the whole move more and make wise choices  philosophy that I had been celebrating for the past nine years.  It was not working for me anymore.

Then, two things happened:
1) I adjusted my perspective.  
My family spent some time reviewing our highlights from 2018.  My son talked about his high school graduation and his successful first semester in college.  My daughter talked about getting her first job and her drivers license.  My husband talked about achieving his dream of getting to travel to California.  I realized that each member of my family achieved great things in 2018 and that I played a key role in each of their journeys.  I've tried to teach my children to find joy in the journeys of those you love.  Adjusting my perspective, I saw that I had shared in a tremendous year of great accomplishment and adventure!  2018 is a year that I should remember with great pride.   

JJ's Graduation

Ellie's First Solo Drive

Jamison enjoying the Pacific Ocean
during a Church Conference

2) I remembered my commitment to not give up.
One of Facebook's features that I love is how memories pop up of everything that has happened on that date since you joined.  These past few days have brought back memories of setting personal goals, my inaugural day of training for that first 5k, and words of motivation I shared.  One Scripture verse that I had shared was Galatians 6:9 (NIV), "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  It's been nine years and while there have certainly been times when I have grown weary, I have NOT given up on myself.  So why would I give up now?

So here I sit on January 6, 2019.  The Holiday Hype is over.  I've declared my Boo Hoo Party to be over effective today.  It's time to look forward to 2019 with great hope and anticipation for what is to come. 

In 2019 I will . . .
* Complete six 5K's by the end of the year.  I've strayed from running, but I'm going to get back out on the road this year!
* Donate blood once a quarter.  I have the same universal blood type as my dad.  He donated on a regular basis for most of his life.  Plus, this is a simple way for me to give back.  In his honor, I want to become a regular donor.
* Go the beach this summer.  Sitting on the beach staring out at the horizon fills my tank. We did not get to the beach last year and I've felt it. 
* Take the Pennsylvania Social Work Licensing Exam by the end of May.  One of my regrets has always been allowing my Ohio license to expire and never obtaining my Pennsylvania license.  That all happened when we first moved to PA 13 years ago - my kids were little, my husband was newly battling his health problems and I was barely functioning - so I can't be too hard on myself.  However, one of the things I learned in 2018 is that it is time to get this done.  

I open up my heart and soul to you simply to say that if I can do this, YOU can do this.  Life is hard.  We are each fighting out own battles.  But we shouldn't give up on taking care of ourselves - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially, professionally - all of those "allies!"  I encourage you to take some time over the next couple of days to think about what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.  It might be one goal or four! 

Here are a few tips for you
1. Make sure your goal is a smart goal!

image from www.smartsheet.com

2. Don't set too many goals.  You want to enjoy this journey and not overwhelm yourself.  Plus, if you achieve all of the goals you set, you can always set more!    It's better to set small goals and celebrate success often rather than risk struggling and giving up.

3. Share your goals with someone.  Saying your goals out loud and to another person makes them feel real.  Whoever you tell can help to hold you accountable.  You don't have to be like me and splash your goals all over the internet, but I encourage you to tell at least one person. 

This post turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated.  Thanks for reading this and for sticking with me these last several years.  I wish you happy goal setting and a very successful and healthy 2019!