A List of Things To Do
Posted by January Harshe on January 21, 2008
I’m here! So sorry I did not post last week. I went out of town kind of on a whim to visit a great friend and her children. It was a lot of fun and I’m happy I was able to make the trip. You would think I lost a lot of weight running around with six children ages 4, 4, 2, 2, 5 months and 3 months! LOL. It was a riot! The highlights of the trip were getting to see a good friend, the beautiful mountain views, going to the movies (one of my favorite things to do), eating at the Bear Paw, checking out Colorado City and finally getting to buy some raw cheese and milk!
Actually, I got sick while I was there. I ate some food on Tuesday night that did not settle well and Wednesday I felt horrible. Okay, Staci is going to pee her pants when she reads this, but I was burping sewage out of my mouth! I’m not kidding. Her husband finally lit candles. All I could do was crack up that I was having the nastiest burps any human could possibly have. Gross! On Thursday, my body finally decided to dispose of things in the toilet instead of out my mouth! I don’t remember the last time I had bowel movements like that. My kids also didn’t feel well. This is just not "normal" for us. Why am I sharing this with you all? While I was sitting, staring at the toilet, thinking I was going to barf, I just couldn’t believe I was there. There was no one to blame but myself. Why do I do this? I know what is good for my body and what is not. So, why do I continue to eat foods that are not life sustaining? Why am I not fed up enough to progress to the next level of health? These are the questions that have been on my mind.
I am home and getting back into the swing of things. While I was gone I had time to reflect on what I was doing and more on what I was not doing. I know that I am not making the improvements in my life that I truly want. Brandon and I had time to discuss this on our seven hour drive home. It is obvious to us that I have somehow lost some of my spark. I care too much what others think and I do not do what I need or want to for myself while taking care of my family first. I am never going to be at my optimal level of health (mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually) if I don’t change this.
Finally, I asked my husband to make a list of things he thinks I could be doing to improve my life and become my best self.
Here it is:
-Meditate about visualization in the morning and gratitude in the evening
-Read 2 chapters a day of personal development material
-Listen to 1 CD a day of personal development material
-Read 1 chapter a day of scriptures
-Eat a vegetarian diet with no white flour, white rice (my love!), pasta or sugar
-Do 30 minutes of cardio a day and work my way up to 45 minutes to an hour (start at 3 times/week)
-Do pushups, crunches and lunges every other day
-Set a goal of how many blog posts I want per week and write them. I can do them all in a day, just decide what is best for my and stick to it
-Get a success journal and write down good points on things I have read, listened to or think of. Write in it every day. We can do this together and share if we want to.
We discussed each thing and I feel they are all great. My only thing is finding time to do all of these things being home with three small children. That is not an excuse, just something to work around. We decided that I should start with doing one of these things today and work my way into all of them. They all have to become routine and habitual. My days will eventually be shaped into a rhythm of doing all these things.
I am adding these to the list:
-Pick up and keep the house clean. The kids can help
-Do more activities and crafts with the children.
-Have more reading time with me and the kids.
-Start scrap booking again (get that 3rd bedroom organized!)
I am realizing that I have to integrate all of this. I can have reading time with the kids where they look at their book while I read my few chapters and when I’m finished I can read to them. I can set them up with a craft at the table an work on it with them while listening to a CD or posting a blog. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, it’s just a matter of finding the right flow for us.
I hope to report back soon on my success starting and continuing to do these things. I also hope that Brandon can give me great support, because my biggest thing to improve is following through.
What are some things you have done or are going to start doing to get to your best self?
