1/1/11

Happy New Year!  

The first week of the year, we love to plan out what we would LIKE to happen, begin trying to make it happen, and stay flexible.   Here is a simple list of things to consider to begin 2011.

Be blessed, happy and well this year.

Organize yourself:  I love to sit at the computer and make a list for myself and my family.  Not everything happens, but often more happens than you think.  I try to look it over at the first of each month and see how we are doing.  I have been looking over last year's list, and am happy.  My five categories:  Physical health, Spiritual health, Financial health, Household health, Garden (or Farm) Health.

Begin a daily Bible Reading program:  Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.  This is critical.  Use your IPhone, IPad App, or Laptop.  One great online program is Bible Gateway Reading Plan. Use your BIBLE and some bookmarks, ask if your church or place of worship is beginning a program, something.  This is so important to get into your day.  Schedule it around something.  Spend time with the Lord every day.  It will cleanse you.

Begin a prayer journal:  Keep a list of people and situations.  Pray over the list daily.  Release these people and situations to the Lord.  He loves them more than you.   Allow the Holy Spirit to change others.  You cannot change anyone on your own.  Your most effective course of actions is to pray and bring God into it, and then take your hands off.   Write it down, it will be encouraging to you.

Dump the junk:  Take opportunity to get the junk out of your house.  It is NOT a sin to throw junk food, candy and energy robbing food away.  Look for words like SUGAR, hydrogenated, fractionated, soy, msg.... fill in your own list.  You cannot be healthy if these foods are there constantly tempting you.  Take a couple of hours, clean your fridge and cupboard and hidey holes, thrown them OUT, then take the trash OUT!  Christmas is over.  Let it be done.

Add good foods in:  In order to feed yourself healthy food, you have to plan ahead.  Either do a weekly menu, or a seasonal menu, something.  You have to have a plan.  This has been my biggest failing this year.  Last night my sister and I hashed over some kind of solution for me.  I think I will try a 6 week menu (for example, soaked hot oatmeal every Tuesday.... like that).

Make sure you have healthy snacks and foods available.  Adding good, healthy foods into your day to day life is easier than taking tasty, but dead foods out.  Just replace the junk with life giving foods.

Drink more water:  Flush the toxins out of your system.  Drink more water.  Add a splash of lemon, lime or apple cider vinegar to boost the effectiveness.

Began taking a good, food based vitamin:  Something that covers the bases and is high quality.  We like the All One Senior Formula mixed in ginger ale/juice with our breakfast, but there are a lot of good ones out there.

Began a modest exercise program..... or boost the one you are on:  Exercise is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your family.  Please do not begin with an intense, unachievable program.  Begin with something you CAN do and set yourself up for success.  You do not need to spend a fortune.  A couple of DVD's, a few weights, 20-30 minutes, warm up, cool down.  That is all you need.  Try Wal Mart and $20.  Find something that appeals to you.

Don't try to go from NO exercise to a 1 hour, intense program.  You will be setting yourself up for failure.

Spend some time with your finances:  Make a budget.  Do you need to do Dave Ramsey again?  When you make a line item for money, you give it priority in your life.  This week, schedule your finances.  Do it as a family.  Talk over what you would like to see happen.  Plan, write down, budget, figure.  This is a good time to clean up last year and begin afresh.

Clean your house:  Go through room by room, if necessary.  Do you want it, love it, need it, use it?  If not, should it be donated, trashed, burned???  You cannot be healthy if your house is cluttered with stuff you are not using.  This is valuable real estate, and it is good to have a peaceful, useful space to live in.

This might be a good time to paint, clean, change a fixture, something.  Take some time and organize your household.  You will feel cleaner, more free and more effective.

Plan your garden:  We have a New Year's Eve tradition of drawing out next year's garden.  My sister is good with design and sketched out our plans last night.  We talked over success and failures and plans for next year with a lot of laughter and good memories.  Everyone chose their favorite tomato and we began our seed order - Baker Creek Seeds- be ready for our order :)

2011 is here, whether we are ready or not.   Take the opportunity to bring the gift of health to yourself and your family.

Cindy