- Exercise 30 minutes 4 times per week
- Eat more fish
- Eat more fruit and veggies
- Consume less meat
- Reduce or eliminate my refined sugar and flour consumption
- Lose weight
- Lower my blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Avoid diabetes
- I now exercise 45-1 hour or more DAILY (for a non-exerciser who previously hated to sweat, that is a huge development)
- my blood pressure is now in the normal range
- more vegetarian meals and international cuisines have made their way onto our table
- my joints don't hurt, I don't get migraines as often and I have more energy since going gluten and refined food free.
- we are saving money by eating at home
- I am truly enjoying challenging my body and proving that I CAN do things I never thought possible
So as I look back and as Valentine's Day approaches, I realized a few things and I'll share them with you here.
I LOVE ME!
Ahhhhhhhh Valentine’s Day approacheth. Visions of flowers, wining and dining and love come to mind. Thoughts of our loved ones, finding a love one or being loved come to mind. Yet in all of the love fren...zy, we often overlook loving ourselves. Our self-talk is often negative and takes our magnificence for granted. It has been said that we wouldn’t speak to others in the fashion we speak to ourselves. So this Valentine’s Day, I am doing something a little different. I am writing a love letter to myself. It is time to appreciate my attributes and revel in the glory that is ME.
I recently had a health challenge and have begun making strides toward becoming healthier and in doing so, I am learning to love myself enough to take care of myself. I am feeding myself with clean, healthy, real food and discovering the joy of vegetarian meals. I am adding spice to my meals by bringing a sense of adventure to the table and trying new flavor combinations. I am discovering the joys of moving my body and using exercise to energize, challenge myself, release stress, anger or to relax.
My goals have become more important to me, both my educational goals and my health goals and very little gets in the way of reaching of them. Even when life throws a curveball into my plans, I am finding ways to adjust and make some progress toward my goals.
My heart is a kind one and I have begun to make a more conscious effort to live simply so that I am able to relieve the suffering of others. I may not have a lot but I have enough and if I have enough, I also have enough to share. Making a difference does not require much more than caring about one another.
Looking over this past year, it has been filled with huge trials and tremendous growth and while many things have come to fruition, the biggest accomplishment is that I have learned to love myself and to care about me versus pouring everything into everyone else and not giving myself what I need.
I LOVE ME!
