Choices, both constant and conscious

Creating lasting change is about making choices – constantly. Will I eat the pepperoni pizza, or choose the baked chicken? Will I scarf down chips or go for the apples? Will I walk in the rain or watch t.v.? Everyday, we are forced to confront scores of choices and being aware of them is the key to making healthy changes. Often, we are moving so quick we don’t even remember what we had for lunch, let alone how it tasted. But slowing down for a minute, taking a deep breath, becoming present and consciously deciding which choice to make has been important. It’s helped me to become healthier physically, sure, but it’s also helped me become more aware, more engaged in my life. Sometimes I still do choose the pepperoni – and that doesn’t bother me a bit. Other days, I choose the asparagus and chicken. The key is that I’m aware of what I’m doing now. And I am using my thoughts to empower myself, instead of letting my thoughts run me. There is power in that.

Getting quiet

Still thinking about what I wrote last week about how much energy I spend tying up loose ends. I, like a lot of women I know, do the things I should do – even if they take a toll on my physical health. I’m done doing that. Of course I'll keep up with regular chores and responsibilities, but I'm done with the extra things that I end up doing even though I don't want to. Instead, I’m going to take a stand for me. I am taking a stand for optimal health. Some days that might mean taking a nap instead of taking out the garbage. And I think I need to do a better job of communicating, to the people I love in my life, that I can no longer maintain the frantic pace I’ve kept up. I can no longer do it all, nor do I want to. I want a more relaxed, peaceful life. And being healthy is about more than exercise, it also means living with greater awareness, peace and compassion. For me, and for all of us, I really believe those qualities evolve from quiet. When I slow down, when I settle down and reflect – even just a few minutes a day – I feel better, more connected, more energized. Getting quiet, helps me get clear and that is part of being healthy.

Running too fast

I’ve been struggling to maintain my exercise – or really any activity at all – these last few weeks. The baby-work-cooking-shopping-household routine is wearing me out. It’s nothing new. Everybody can relate to a life that only gets busier when exercise is added in. Now, I realize I must set clearer priorities. Spending time with my family IS a priority, but folding the laundry is not. Sure, it needs to get done and I’m not going to refuse to fold a shirt. But I’ve always worked to get EVERYTHING done – tied up all the loose ends, tidied the house and organized my desk -- before I do the things that are for me. It’s almost cliche, but I’m learning that I need to take care of myself so that I have some fuel left for the things that do matter most. And taking care of me, means exercise – not at the end of the day when I’m drained, not in the few moments when I can fit it in. I’m realizing now, more than ever I’ve got to fit it in first. That could mean some early morning walks, which I started and quit early this winter when the dark and the cold got to me. So, with the weather warming and sun rising before I do, I need to make myself a priority and exercise is a part of that. I’m going to give more to myself, so that I have more to give.

Embracing change and asparagus

I’m not the only one making changes in this household. My husband – who grumbles over any green food -- has changed too. Mostly, because I’ve forced him to. I figured out real quick, that I wouldn’t be making separate meals just to indulge his fantasy that potato chips and carrot cake count as a vegetable serving. And, we both want our daughter to have a variety of healthy foods in her diet, so that requires everybody in the house to make healthier choices.

To get him to buy into the changes, I decided, as chief cook, that each month we would add one new vegetable to our menu. And to appear slightly less controlling, my husband gets to choose which one to add.

First time out, he picks asparagus. The one thing I’ve never cooked, because, simply, I HATE asparagus. But I figured, if he’s trying, then I too must walk the talk, or in this case eat the stalk. First I had to figure out to cook the stuff. I took it easy and roasted the asparagus with salt and olive oil. And a crazy thing happened. We both loved it. We both wanted seconds. We both talked about it for days after.

Now we are an asparagus-eating household getting healthier by the day and I’m thrilled to have a third green food on our menu plan, particularly since I was burned out on broccoli and lettuce. Change might be hard, but there are plenty of unexpected payoffs –who would have thought roasted asparagus would be one?

Sleeping better at night

The drag about arthritis -- as if there were only one -- is the fatigue that comes with the disease.
There are mornings, when I’ve slept well, and I still wake up tired. Cooking a quick dinner can wipe me out for the night and grocery shopping is always an energy drain.
Coping with that fatigue has been one of the biggest challenges when it comes to keeping up with my exercise. On the days, when I’ve spent most my time sitting behind the computer, a little exercise feels good and energizing. But on the days, when I’ve got a long to-do list, exercise feels like one-more, exhausting obligation.
In these moments, when I have a finite amount of energy, and an infinite amount of things that require that energy, I often opt out of exercise. I’m too tired, I say. And it’s true. But what I’m also finding is that when I do exercise I sleep better and actually wake up refreshed.
The experts tell us exercise is an energy builder – well, so far, I’m not feeling it. But it does help me relax, and it tires me out in a satisfying way. So, aside from the bragging rights I get when I exercise, it also buys me a good night’s sleep. And that is a definite perk.