It's A New Year: 2011

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 It's amazing to me how fast last year really went by.  There is no question in my mind that time really does go faster the older you get...not that I'm old, of course.  One of my sons explained to me that time is relative to age.  To a child of 4, one day is a big part of his life.  At my over 50 age, one day is a smaller percent of my life, so it simply seems to go faster.  Even if that doesn't make complete sense, my perspective certainly sees time speeding up!

It's time to take a look back at 2010 and write down what you accomplished in your quest for better health.   I'll share my list of positives for last year:

1. Walked or ran at least 5 days each week
2. Joined a running/walking group for women 
3. Did my first 5K in 25 years
4. Kept my body weight in a good place
5. Took Vitamin D and calcium supplements to improve bone strength
6. Communicated with my doctors and followed their advice as best I could
7. Had therapeutic massage for neck and shoulder tension/pain
8. Stretched often

Now that you have half of your list done, ask yourself what you need to work on this year for even better health? Write it down.  For me, I need to:

1. Focus more on reducing muscle tightness; keeping my head and neck loose throughout the day
2. Have a massage regularly every 2 weeks
3. Stretch twice a day...especially my neck and shoulders
4. Put myself first on my To Do list.  It's great to do things for others, but when it's at the expense of me, I simply can't keep it up for too long.  First, I will take my walk, and then I can help someone else.  I'll probably do it even better because my needs were met first.
5. Take at least 10 minutes each day when I just lay down for a few minutes and breathe deeply
6. Ask for help becoming more organized and staying that way.  I think this would relieve some of my neck and shoulder pain.
7. Wear my bite splint every night (it's supposed to help prevent grinding of teeth at night)
8. Work on more strength building exercises, twice a week.  Maybe yoga?
9. Do something fun for me everyday, something I truly enjoy. Play the piano, write, dance, call a friend, or maybe even buy an inexpensive bunch of flowers to make me feel good when I look a them.

A good focus and a firm list of what needs to be done is a great way to start the year!  We'll be building on this list throughout the year:  there is no need work on them or to fix them all at once. You climb a mountain on step at a time, and so it is with you.  One focus at a time.  Patience, perseverance and determination are all on our side and will get us there successfully.

What are you proud of in your 2010 pursuit of health?
What's on your list of things that need to be focused in on to better improve your health?


Fire Up!  You Can Do It!