If this is early January, then this is the time of year that we are driven to make significant changes in our life and lifestyle. Doughnuts are replaced by granola bars, milkshakes give way to skim milk, and a walk to the fridge becomes a walk around the block. Add the cheesy smile to your next door neighbour.
But by the middle of January we throw in the towel, and drop the diet, and stop the exercise routine...at least till next January.
It's really hard to implement all these great ideas into one's daily regimen. It's even harder to wake up one day to discover you can no longer stand drinking almond milk and eating fewer carbs on a regular basis. That includes no longer being able (or willing?) to walk for twenty minutes, or to spend thirty minutes on the treadmill on a regular basis.
It's tough to realize it isn't going to happen anymore, and that you just have to be that flabby and cranky old person you always were—no matter how hard you try to improve. Or, as someone might say, " another piece of cheesecake, please, and will you hurry up and shovel my driveway?"
Well, that makes 2019 a new year but the same old you.
What you need is a change that is not quite so drastic. Make small changes in your current lifestyle, that's all--one day at a time, one step at a time, one gulp at a time.
Let me work with the word "better," and see what I can come up with for you. And this advice is free of charge, or at least till the middle of January, when I get cranky again myself. It is as follows:
Eat better I say "better" because a. you already eat; and b. you probably have some things in your diet that you could possibly cut down on, though not necessarily cut out. The battle with carbs, dairy, and sweets, is a never ending one. And it's important to focus on the battle and not the war with this one.
I am not "Dr. Fun," a nutrition or diet specialist, but I am fully aware you are what you eat. Of course, if that was the case, I would be a chicken, but I don't think that's what it means.
Eating better could mean that you scrap most of your pills, like I have, and you just get serious about a well-balanced diet, like I do. It means you eat what you want, but in moderate proportions. I think there is a lot of "weighty" misinformation out there and this obligates you to buckle down to investigate for yourself. Investigation is a good "exercise." Every body (versus everybody) is different, and you should eat whatever works with yours.
That means fewer supplements, less processed food and sugar, more fruits and vegetables, more bran and vitamins. if necessary, spend more money on healthy food, You only have one body and one life, and it's worth the investment. The Bible calls your body a "temple," and you should care for it accordingly.
Sleep better It has taken me years to get this down pat. For years I would stay up late, sleep in later than I should. In my first full-time job (a letter-carrier), forty years ago, it was really, really tough to get to work on time, 6:30 am. Today it would be a breeze.
In fact, at this point in time, I consider sleeping in till 6:30 naughty and slothful (okay, slight exaggeration). I find if I go to bed regularly (and that means well before midnight), I have a better sense of physical and mental balance for the next day. Do that every day, you'll be more productive and sweeter for weeks and months to come.
Maybe even "forever," but forever is a long time.
I don't know your evening habits, and how much junk you watch late into the night, but I suggest that could be tweaked. And that also includes surfing for hours on your electronic toys. There's no doubt that changing your habits will clearly benefits your sleeping habits.
Some people are night owls, something I once was. Now I'm an early bird and it works for me. And you know which one gets the worm...if it's worms you're after. You can't be both. If you try, though, then you become sleep-deprived and that's very unhealthy. I know some who live that away, because I can count the bags under their eyes.
So, promise yourself that you'll go to bed earlier than usual this coming year, then get up a little earlier than usual, even if it's 30 minutes earlier at each end. You'll want to increase it to an hour as soon as possible, working up to something well before midnight in order to get your eight hours in. After that, feel free to text me and gush over my helping you feel so much better.
If you want to reward me for my wonderful advice, a gift card for "Sleep Country" could work.
Please, though, don't do it any time after 9:30pm. I'll be asleep by then.
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