Let's Get Healthy in 2010!

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Im starting my New Year's Resolutions early this year and inviting all of you to come along for the ride.
I generally don't make resolutions but every so often I do redo a list of goals for myself. The last few months, I have felt a gentle tug toward putting more energy into getting healthy (er) in 2010.

Getting healthy isnt just about weight either. Sometimes it's about breaking bad habits or working toward a new mindset. No matter what healthy looks like to you, let's work together to support each other!


My personal goals for health in 2010:

* Lose some weight - This isnt for vanity reasons because, HELLO, I'm a FINE-ASS woman just the way I am but my knees are QUITE pissed off at me every time I have to climb stairs or walk more than 2 miles so I plan to work on trimming down enough to be more mobile.

* Cut out the sodas - I drink an unhealthy amount of sodas. I admit it, Im a Coke-a-holic. Like maybe a 6-pack a day. YIKES. I want to work toward trimming out the sodas and drinking a LOT more water.

* Movement - Im going to dust off my exercise bike and actually USE it. I also would like to start doing more outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, etc. Even walking the dog can be good exercise and getting some fresh air is good for the soul.

* Paring down - "Healthy" to me is also having a healthy house. I want to focus on getting rid of the rest of the clutter, unpacking the rest of the crap in the garage, and making order out of chaos in the office.

* Healthy boundaries - I want to continue to focus on making healthy boundaries with toxic situations and people. I did GREAT with that in 2009 and want to continue that progress into 2010.

* Conscious Living - I want to continue to live consciously in 2010. I want to continue making good choices around reusing, recycling, and leaving a better footprint. I want to put more focus on gardening, home crafting like quilting and canning (Im a closet grandma), and moving away from using excess to just what I need.

Let's talk! What are your health goals for 2010?!

This is a fantastic, realistic outline. I wish you much luck.

Originally Posted by Just_G

I, too, want to get healthier in 2010! I have a hard time sticking to "resolutions", so I refer to them as lifestyle changes!

*I bought a stair stepper that I have been using 3x a week already.

*I am going to cut down on the beer consumption...though I don't drink near as often as a lot of people might think.

*Once the weather warms up a tad (where it doesn't burn my lungs to breath in the ice cold air), I will get back to training for a 5k.

*I need to walk my boxer puppy more often....SHE needs it to wear out, I need it for the excercise.

*I am going to start journaling and getting a lot of the stuff off of my mind and onto paper to keep my head clear.

*I will be just as, if not more of a positive thinker....it seems to make quite a difference in my life.

*I would like to get a part time job and get healthier on the financial side of things too!

My life is fantastic..I am very blessed to have what I do, (especially given the financial state of my family business and having to cut out a lot of things from my life)...I just need to fine tune some things to make it even better!

Attitude is EVERYTHING!

The funny thing for me is, I prefer it to be cold when I run outside. I actually LIKE that feeling when you can feel ice crystals forming in your lungs.

I know; I'm a weirdo.

Originally Posted by Diva

What an inspiration!!! Thank You, Medusa!!!
So I'm going to use Your points here as a guide for myself....thanks!

~Lose some weight -- I'm the heaviest I've ever been in my life. I have fooled myself into believing that this is ok. It hasn't affected my knees so much as my hips....especially my left one. And I'm really not in the mood to have that hip replacement thing. So there's only one thing to do: I'm going to move the treadmill back to the middle of the room, plug it in, and get on it!

~Sodas -- thankfully, I cut a majority of those out last year. I haven't missed them much. Of course, I have replaced that with more coffee. So I'm going to cut that down....I'm going to start with that 50% kind first....and wean myself from the caffeine. Some of my Hater Friends were quite surprised to hear that I have 6 bottles of wine left over from Thanksgiving!!! I'm working on not drinking so much wine, too! I think with losing my job, I've been doing what I could to feed my depression.....wine was my answer. No more of that! Or maybe I should say "a bit LESS of that"! And more water!

~Movement -- I'm going back to Yoga.....it was a good tool for relaxation and gaining some strength.

~Purging -- This is also something I've been working on in my home ~ cutting the clutter. It feels SO good. But I'm not very organized and sporatic at best. So I'm going to start with one room/closet and not move to the next one until I've finished a room and taken all purged goods to Goodwill or the trash.

~Healthy Boundaries -- This has been the year of doing this for myself. I got tired of being open to insensitive, insecure & unhappy people cluttering up my personal space. It has amazed me how removing toxic people from my life has opened me up to more peace.

~Conscious Living -- I have begun this process....old habits die hard, don't they? But I'm taking those reusable bags to the grocery store and feel SO good to use them instead of the plastic! (They multiply, I have found!)


Thanks again, Medusa.....I feel that putting this out there will be good inspiration for me to 'put my money where my mouth is' and really DO this stuff!!!

Excellent ideas and goals, miss Diva.

Originally Posted by PapaC

2010 is a year I wanna see taking *three steps forward*, and 1 back. not TWO, not staying stagnant, but constantly aiming. aiming. aiming.

Body/Mind/Spirit must all work together.

And since I'm almost never a guy of absolutes, yeah, I'll indulge in the 'odd' (and really happily do mean: ODD) cigarette. Harder to do with friends who still smoke, but how happy am I that I don't frequently visit friends who do? lol

Now that I've been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, my focus can now be on using all tools I have at my disposal more efficiently. This is exciting for me.

healthier boundaries, a must. 'nuff said.

Some random words and phrases that will shape my 2010:

Work, independence, de-cluttering, organizing, creating routines, bus passes, swim passes, paying bills, personal responsibility, meditation, teaming up with doctors (as opposed to deferring to them), standing up for myself, claiming my voice, remaining calm, reflect, breathe crisp air, finding adventures, stretch, learn, love.

I love your concept of using these words and phrases to shape your year.

Originally Posted by IrishGrrl

WHAT!?@#%

No cake??!!!

That just means there's more for us.


I'll be back later to work up something for myself. Perfect timing for this thread, Medusa.

[T D]

Love this thread, Medusa

Continue to lose weight, I'm down about 50lbs from where I started, with about 65 more to go.

Exercise. I'll be starting some training on pilates very soon. I would have started this week, but the trainer didn't get back to me, and well it's probably not the best week of the year to try and contact anyone. I've joined a nice local gym again and intend to use it regularly. They also have an outdoor pool which I prefer.

Eat more organic foods. I've found that organic does make my Fibro better (or less bad) and it makes me feel better overall.

De-clutter my life. My gosh where did all of this stuff come from???? Having a little spot in an antique store has created a monster in that I collect all kinds of things now. I really need to clean this up. Either put it in the store, use it, or get rid of it!

Continue to keep drama out of my life. For me drama creates stress. Stress creates anxiety. Anxiety creates a cranky TD. I'm so over this kind of thing in my life. I ejected drama for the most part about 2 years ago. However, I admit that it's a continual battle.

I'd like to try living more frugally. I feel that I spend and waste in excess. There's so much food that I waste and can cut back on, or grow myself, etc. Less utilities, less gas, more of those great efficient light bulbs, more recycling, etc.

I'm sure there's more, but why plan more than I can actually accomplish anyway

[Medusa]

Well, Im already off to a good start. Had a little thing happen tonight after work that made me smile:

After work, I decided to run to Target to pick up some marshmallow creme to make fudge for my family. I decided on Target because the grocery stores are CRAZY right now and Target is on the way home.

Needless to say, I grabbed a cart and walked the perimeter of the store and eventually made my way around to the food section. I looked and looked and didnt find the marshmallow creme. As I made my way to the front of the store, I took a real good look in the stuff that had made its way into my basket while I had been cruising the aisles: a sweater for Jack, a hat for me, a game, a new cleaning product I had wanted to try, a CD, a couple of spices, and a new lip gloss.

Random stuff, right?

I stopped right in the middle of my store and asked myself: What did I REALLY come in here for?
That sweater for Jack? $30
That hat for me? $12
The game? $9
The cleaning product? $5
The CD? $13
The spices that I probably would never use? $3 each
The lip gloss? $6

The total $78.

$78 for stuff that I didnt NEED.
$78 for stuff that I had NOT come into that store for.

What did I do? I grabbed my purse, slung it over my shoulder, and walked out of the store, leaving the basket with all of the stuff still in it in front of one of the registers.

I saved $78 and also accomplished a tiny goal of not bringing more useless crap into the house. Victory.
Im going to seriously start doing this every time I go to the store.
Did I come into the store specifically for that item?
Do I REALLY need it?
Will I USE it or will it end up shoved in a closet or under a bed?
Do I already have one? (or in the case of the lip gloss, do I already have 130?)

Still, I have no marshmallow creme but I DO have the $78. Its a fair trade I think

[Gemme]

In 2010, I will:

Mind

• Formulate, put into process and maintain healthier boundaries with emotional vampires, problem causers and other toxic people.

• Delve more into the process behind my emotional eating and take more steps towards fully coming to terms with it.

• Rediscovery my love of reading. My old neurons need to be refired regularly.

Body

• I've done much better in 2009 than in previous years in making gains toward complete physical health. It is my goal to continue this journey and make even more strides towards a healthier, happier body.

• I won't deprive myself, as that leads to further self-sabotage, but I will monitor my intake of less than desirable foods and beverages more carefully.

• My consumption of water has GREATLY improved and I will continue my progress with this.

• I will strive harder to make sure I am receiving the nutrients I need and take a multi-vitamin daily.

Spirit

• I will continue to eliminate unnecessary objects and belongings from my home and personal space.

• Thanks to my housemates, we are an environmentally conscious household, and I hope to push that envelop even further. There's always more we can (or cannot, if that's the case) do to help Mother Earth.

• I shall find ways to regularly tap into my creative vein and explore what is inside of me via journaling, arts and craft projects, penpalling, and adding artistic flair and touches where ever I can.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by T D

Love this thread, Medusa

Continue to lose weight, I'm down about 50lbs from where I started, with about 65 more to go.

Exercise. I'll be starting some training on pilates very soon. I would have started this week, but the trainer didn't get back to me, and well it's probably not the best week of the year to try and contact anyone. I've joined a nice local gym again and intend to use it regularly. They also have an outdoor pool which I prefer.

Eat more organic foods. I've found that organic does make my Fibro better (or less bad) and it makes me feel better overall.

De-clutter my life. My gosh where did all of this stuff come from???? Having a little spot in an antique store has created a monster in that I collect all kinds of things now. I really need to clean this up. Either put it in the store, use it, or get rid of it!

Continue to keep drama out of my life. For me drama creates stress. Stress creates anxiety. Anxiety creates a cranky TD. I'm so over this kind of thing in my life. I ejected drama for the most part about 2 years ago. However, I admit that it's a continual battle.

I'd like to try living more frugally. I feel that I spend and waste in excess. There's so much food that I waste and can cut back on, or grow myself, etc. Less utilities, less gas, more of those great efficient light bulbs, more recycling, etc.

I'm sure there's more, but why plan more than I can actually accomplish anyway

This is me. I started losing weight last year and making changes but I found my emotions always throwing me into a tail spin. I'll have a few great months and then BAM, I lose my motivation and desire. Desire, I have learn is the key fuel to create almost any change. Desire is often stifled by depression, loneliness and old past shit we never completely healed.

I started doing Debbie Ford's "21 Day Conscious Cleansing " and it's shed some light on some things I know I must hurdle or all of my attempts, as in the past will be useless.

In season I try to grow most of my food. I will buy organic first depending on quality and availability. When you grow beautiful organic food its really hard to pay 1.50 for a fucked up looking cuke that was probably picked too soon and sat there too long.

I've been slowly getting rid of shit I've carried around for years. It's been hard because I get attached to things and this is a process I am learning. I don't need this big house and all this land. I really want to down size and live more simple and frugal as well. I learned that my attachment to money and the importance I place on it is just unhealthy. Living more simple and to continue to live more independently- growing my food, preserving, etc. gives me true freedom. Money really can't give that to me but what it can give me is stress.

I have the same problem with food. I'm sure something from my past. I hate the waste. I've been more conscious and prepare things I know I can make a few meals or worse case it's healthy enough to mix in with dog food or one of my other animals can eat.

I share shopping with my sister. she goes one week i go the next and when my son goes to work or run an errand I have him pick me up things. I've saved at least 40.00 a month in gas, maybe more just by doing things different.

TD do you juice or smoothies? This makes a huge difference for me. If I get lots of fruits and veggies into my system I have less cravings. Increasing this will also help MANY illnesses- the list is way way long but Fibro is on it.

I haven't dated at all. 2009 was exciting and yet filled with intense heartbreak. I spent quite a few years healing from a bad break up and 2009 was the year I thought I could fall in love. I did and got my heartbroken and although I'm not the same person i was in round one, I'm smarter, it still hurt and made me withdraw. This year I am working on myself and opening myself up more to the idea. I'm not looking but I'm praying and opening my heart, for the first time in a long time to find a partner, lover and friend. Someone that is also ready to slow down, enjoy life, grow a garden, walk in the woods, hold hands and sit on the front porch. I have a feeling this person will enter my life this year or maybe my desire is setting in. lol

I have so many animals and decided to adopt out a few dogs I had rescued and planned on adopting but kept one too long. I finally adopted him to a wonderful family but I'm having a really hard time with this. More so then normal. I've rescued and adopted out dozens of animals but this really affected me. I have more to go, to make my life easier but I'm a little freaked by this.

I'm looking for the right roommate that love farm living to share the house and garden. I'd like to spend some serious time in Costa Rica by the ocean. If I get the right roommate I can afford to do this and hopefully she/hy can start living their best life too.

It's going to be quite a year but its off to a great start. I'm simply opening myself up to receive and trust in God to bring me the peace and balance I long for.

I would love to have a pool. I love water and swimming. This is the hardest thing for me in winter and living in a house without a pool.

[canmarielan]

Ms. Dusa,

Thanks for this thread....I've just now gotten around to checkin out the site fully and found this.

I think it's obvious by my recent activity here what one of my goals for this year is. I'll list that one and the rest:

I will be under the 300 lb mark by New Year's Eve. I need more energy. I'm 25, it's time to do what's right to make my life healthier and happier.

I will focus more on my spirituality. Currently label myself as agnostic. I want to delve further and decide what exactly I believe, and what I can do to use that to improve my life.

I will be more active in acquiring knowledge about relevant political issues, instead of just allowing other's opinions to sway my own.

I will work harder to maintain my friendships nation-wide, remembering that my friends have carried me through the roughest points in my life.

[Linus]

I love all this. One of my biggest problems this past year was the fact that I teach online and have become even more attached to my computer (as I told my boss, my chair is being welded to mah butt!). Sedentary lifestyle is a challenge for me and it is something that has to change. To that end...

** I'm with y'all about chucking sugar out the door. Explicitly in my sight is HFCS (high fructose corn sugar). This hidden gem is in nearly everything and I have suspicions has a far more addictive quality than regular sugar.

** get rid of my dependence on soda (even diet soda). A few years ago I managed to kick it and lost 5 lbs -- and this was **DIET** soda I had stopped drinking.

** more water. Because of T, it's even more important than before and being sedentary doesn't help either. For those who have iTouch/iPhones, there is an app called "Water". This helps keep track of how much water you drink in a day and how much you need by body weight. It's been an eye-opener for me.

** remove any and all processed foods from my diet. If it's not from a tree or the ground, then it ain't going in me. This means removing flour, sugar, etc.

** more exercise. I've started this (although this week was a bit of a washout because of the early start and long end of day). Thankfully, I don't teach this particular class that often. To this end I have a few things to help:

1. Iron Gym (hangs in the door -- every time I enter or exit I do or try to do 10 pull-ups)
2. Blue Rubber Fitness Band (use this for curls, flyes, raises, etc and I can do it when my colleague is teaching)
3. Yoga iTouch App (10 min x 3 times a week)
4. Kettle Ball exercises (30 min x 3 times a week)
5. Do the X number of exercises 3 times a week (as part of Kettle Ball workout)

• 100 pushups app (3 times a week to try to eventually be able to do 100 pushups)
• 200 situps app (as above)
• 200 squats app (as above)

** go through my books, sell what I can or give it away. Keep only what I truly need.

** go through clothes, sell, give away or toss.

** go through old documents and such and toss anything over 7 years (age that most tax Ministries or Departments require you to keep stuff)

** sell Dell system (after February) as it's not needed. Return Dell laptop to corporation (not used/needed)

** enter at least 3 blog entries into my personal blog a week and 2 a week in the cigar blog (yes, I won't give that up since it's limited to 1-2 a week)

** do a weekly ToDo that includes many of the above to help me keep track

I think this is a good start for now. I may add more but for now this will do. Go Team BFP!

[Medusa]

Hey all! I am loving everyone's "Get Healthy" lists!

I was about to post that I have sucked lately at cutting back on the sodas but when I really think about it, I have done better than Im giving myself credit for. For instance, yesterday I had half a can of coke in the morning and half a can last night. That was IT all day long. I had some sparkling apple cider with Jack when I got home from work and my nightly cup of hot tea.

I am definitely not drinking enough water so cutting back on the Cokes needs to equal more water for me.

Today, I drank half a Coke before leaving for work and am now swilling away on a Diet Mountain Dew. These are wonderful but chock full of caffeine so I wont have any more soda today once Im done with it.

Water Water! I need more water! I am going to take the suggestion about the iPhone app from Linus and try to track my water

Best of luck to all of us. Little changes along the way can mean BIG results later.

XO

[IrishGrrl]

Am I the only one here who KNOWS I need to do this stuff ..but am totally feeling whiney, and annoyed at giving up my beautiful smokes, cake, and soda??

*whine*

[always2late]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Hey all! I am loving everyone's "Get Healthy" lists!

I was about to post that I have sucked lately at cutting back on the sodas but when I really think about it, I have done better than Im giving myself credit for. For instance, yesterday I had half a can of coke in the morning and half a can last night. That was IT all day long. I had some sparkling apple cider with Jack when I got home from work and my nightly cup of hot tea.

I am definitely not drinking enough water so cutting back on the Cokes needs to equal more water for me.

Today, I drank half a Coke before leaving for work and am now swilling away on a Diet Mountain Dew. These are wonderful but chock full of caffeine so I wont have any more soda today once Im done with it.

Water Water! I need more water! I am going to take the suggestion about the iPhone app from Linus and try to track my water

Best of luck to all of us. Little changes along the way can mean BIG results later.

XO

I was a TOTAL soda addict since my teens (I even kept a couple of 2-liter bottles of diet Pepsi in my room). And although I don't really drink soda anymore....I had a hard time with the whole water thing. I'll drink water if nothing else is around...but it was never my first choice

AND THEN!! Just when I had given up hope that I would EVER get my daily water requirements in....I discovered Totally Light Tea2Go in those handy little water bottle sized packets. It is WONDERFUL!! I get the sugar free green tea with honey and I love it! 0 calories, 0g of carbs, sugar, fat, sodium, etc...AND 100% vitamin C. It also doesn't contain aspartame (which also makes me happy).

I am now a water drinker! I can have my iced tea indulgence and get my daily water in (I've even started drinking "plain" water between the tea..gasp!).

Hope this has been helpful

Ooops had to come back and edit....I was so busy waxing rhapsodic about my tea that I forgot my list!! lol

My goals for 2010:

Lose the extra pounds - I don't care how I look and I like me...but I am starting the feel the extra weight as I am getting older, and I don't like how it feels

Get rid of the clutter - for example..the magazines that I keep for the ONE recipe in them that I keep telling myself I will someday make...but which have been sitting on the bookcase for, oh, about two years now.

Deleting the negative - its time to get rid of the negative influences in my life...family, friends, acquaintances, exes....whoever brings negativity and useless drama into my life. Sounds harsh, but at this point its just a matter of emotional and mental survival.

Green up - start recycling more, choosing better products and companies which actually support the environment, making the house more energy efficient, etc...

Think that's it for now