Small Changes for a Happy Healthy Life

I have spent the past few weeks making some small changes in my life to feel healthier and happier. The past years of care taking really took it's toll and my formerly energetic and positive self. One morning I woke up and looked closely at myself in the mirror and knew I needed to make some changes fast.

The first thing on my list of changes was this ….
No nightly glass of wine. That was a tough one. I had relied on that nightly glass of red wine to get through the stressful days. Once the stress had passed, I was still reaching for that glass on wine each evening out of habit. Now I know that red wine is supposed to be good for one's heart, but I think it was also interfering with my sleep.
Trust me ~ I did not sleep much at all!

Everyone can get by without some sleep once in a while, but when it becomes nightly, the effects will show up. Boy did they. I was nervous all the time. I was like a taut wire about to snap at any minor annoyance.
So for the entire month of January I quit drinking wine. And to my surprise, it was easy. I didn't miss it much at all. I would take out a pretty glass, fill it with ice, a couple slices of lemon or lime or both and top with water. It was delicious.
Once the month was over I returned to having a glass of wine on Friday and Saturday nights only. Just one, and sometimes not at all.

After a few short days being wine free, I started sleeping better at night. Not every night at first, but better. I reminded myself to not stress out if I was not sleeping well at first and eventually I started making it through the night.
I know that it will take a while for my sleep bank to fill up, but the important thing is that it is filling up. I am actually starting to feel rested in the morning and that feeling is so very good indeed!

Then came the diet. I wanted to be healthy once again. I was not focusing on losing weight as much as feeling good and compliment the return of sleep. So I cut out all the junk. No diet coke or diet Dr Pepper. No chips. No cookies or those little tiny red velvet cupcakes I so dearly love.
I built my daily diet around healthy grains, lots of fruits and veggies. Limiting the meats like beef and pork and substituting fish and chicken. Two cups of green tea daily and lots of water. It took a few weeks to start noticing the change but when I did it was a fabulous feeling.

The next thing I added was regular exercise. I focused on toning muscles first so I started with daily Pilates. I eventually worked up to 45 minutes of Pilates toning for abs, chest, arms, butt and thighs ~ every day ~ no excuses.
After a couple of weeks of that routine I dropped the Pilates back to 45 minutes 3 times per week and added 30 minutes of aerobics on the other 3 days with Sundays off.
Wow! Really starting to feel and see great results now!!!

My next step is to add some yoga to my routine. However, the most important thing I have added is an attitude adjustment. No matter what happens, I just count to ten, breathe and let the tension go. Nothing is worth getting stressed out about.
So now I am two months and nine days into my new routine. For any of you who are thinking of making some changes to improve your health and outlook, here is my advice. Change comes slowly and steadily when you stick to a program. Don't expect miracles in one day and don't be disappointed when you don't see fast results. Stay focused, stay committed to healthy changes and you will reap the rewards. I am feeling better, happier, more relaxed and rested. There is so much of life to embrace and enjoy and I don't want to miss a minute of it.
Big Texas Hugs, Susan and Bentley