health improvement

A few blogs ago, I had listed some of the things I might write about. Perusing that list I had the realization that many of those topics overlap or are linked together. Tonight, I feel like discussing health improvement, with perhaps a smattering of motivation and goals, a peppering of patterns of behavior, and, maybe...just maybe a dash of my Naropa studies.

Some of the things that I do/have done:

• Stopped eating most meat about 7 years ago (beef, chicken, pork, etc.) with the exception of seafood. (I call myself "the bad vegetarian") This change was rather easy, except apparently for other people who seem to have difficulty understanding why I gave up eating meat. I shrug it off because it really does not make any difference in their lives if I choose not to eat something.


• Cut back on dairy. My naturopath suggested that I cut dairy out of my diet for the two weeks of the month, but I would like to cut back even more.
  
• Lost thirty pounds. Okay, I'm not yet at my goal weight, but I have maintained this initial loss for four months.


• Getting regular acupuncture. I love it!


• Exercise. This is something I do for a while, get lazy for a while, get motivated all out, slack off......
  
• Worked on my mental health. Letting go of past hurts and losses, bringing positive people into my life, helping others, loving always, and utilizing mindfulness.


• Expanding my mind through learning, writing, art and reading.

I try to improve my health in little ways here and there, and my motivation and habits certainly ebb and flow. Currently, I find myself in a major ebb and am looking for a jolt of motivation. I find my biggest killer of motivation is being tired, which I am right now. Trying something new is one way I add fuel to the fire under my ass.

• I am considering trying a (mostly) raw foods diet for a time to see how my body reacts to it. Perhaps I will switch to a mostly vegan diet first.


• Finding a 5K or a 10K to train for, preferably for a fund raiser to sweeten the motivational honey pot.


• Find a second part-time job at a health center, dance or yoga studio.


• Find a training partner. Greg is a great exercise partner, but our work schedule aren't always conducive to fitting it in everyday together.


• Getting back to drinking lots of water daily.


• Start tracking my food intake again and cutting calories.


• Getting full night sleep every night.


• Taking a class (dance, tai chi, yoga) regularly.

I know how great I feel when I am consistent with healthy habits, and that should be motivation enough. I'm open to ideas, suggestions and your stories, but until then, I'm going to wash up and head to bed for that full night sleep. :)