Spring Cleaning

What do you think of when you hear the term spring cleaning? Does it bring to mind cleaning out closets, deep cleaning your kitchen and bathrooms, or purging your home of clutter? What about your mind and soul? Do you ever consider spring cleaning your life?

While I believe that cleaning our houses, closets, etc.. can be cathartic, I think a spring cleaning of the mind and soul could be tremendously helpful also.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and I have come up with a few ideas for cleansing your life.

• Prayer - How's your prayer life? Does it need a revamp? I personally believe that prayer is a very important part of a personal relationship with Christ. I sometimes get into a rut and need to reevaluate. It's simple really. Like talking to a friend, just be honest and speak from your heart. I believe that God understands that we are human and sometimes need a fresh start. 
• Mind Dump - Do you have a lot of negative thoughts or clutter in your mind? I know I have days where I am overwhelmed by the negativity that seems to surround me. Some simple things to try to purge those thoughts: praying, meditating, deep breathing, exercising, listening to music, reading a good book, starting a list of all the things that you are grateful for; try one or all of these the next time you get overwhelmed by your own thoughts.
• Health/Diet - This one is a top priority for me. I recently had weight loss surgery and my diet has changed radically. I concentrate on getting a lot of protein in my diet, staying hydrated, and eating little to no carbs and sugar. I feel like if we take care of ourselves physically then the mental and spiritual will follow. Let's face it, we just feel better overall if we take care of our physical health. Just remember, garbage in, garbage out.

I think we need to be intentional if we want to live a healthy and fulfilling life. I'm working on me, in every area. It's a daily commitment to create and maintain new, healthier habits. I pick one thing to work on and when I've mastered that, I move on to the next. Trying to change everything all at once is a set up for failure. 

It's not easy to live a life free of negativity, but we can take small steps everyday to bring some balance by engaging in activities to relieve the stress that life brings. 

My challenge to you this week is to choose one area of your life to spring clean. It may be a different area than what I've mentioned. Just focus on decluttering or developing new habits in that area. We only get one life to live and it really is a beautiful life.

Finding My Power

Someone shared the following quote on Facebook today and I have made it my new motto:

"You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself."

Glinda in The Wizard of Oz

When I read the above quote today something clicked inside my head.  I have always had the power inside of me to change my health for the better.  I just had to believe it.  And nothing is more empowering than progress.  As of today, I can report that I have lost two more pounds bringing my total loss to six pounds since returning home from vacation.  

This new journey is not easy; but what is that old saying?  "Nothing worth having ever came easy."

Getting a handle on my eating habits has been easier than increasing my activity levels.  My biggest problem is lack of energy.  At the moment I am really battling my insomnia.  No sleep equals one very sluggish woman.  However, I am aware that regular exercise will produce more energy and boost positive emotions; so I'm going to start putting one foot in front of the other and pushing through.  Hopefully my sleeping will improve as well.

Speaking of exercise, I promised that I would keep you all apprised of my Zumba experience.  I was very optimistic and excited about trying it.  But I really should have considered how terribly uncoordinated I am before I ordered the DVD.  I suffered a temporary lapse in judgement; I forgot that I can barely walk and chew gum at the same time.  That being said, I'm not giving up.  I'm just going to move and try to have fun at the same time.  Like I've said before, if I don't like it, I won't do it.

Before I go, I want to share a few tips/tricks that I am finding helpful.  Maybe they will work for you too.

• Munch on Crushed Ice:  This keeps me from looking for something to eat between meals.  Added benefit; I'm upping my water intake.
• Brush Your Teeth or Chew Minty Sugar Free Gum:  Brushing my teeth or chewing minty sugar free gum will temporarily cause foods/treats to taste bad.  
• My Fitness Pal:  As I mentioned in my earlier post, at http://www.myfitnesspal.com you can sign-up for a free account and journal your meals, exercise, and progress.  I can't recommend this tool enough.  It is essential for me to keep track of my calories so that I don't get off course.

It is my hope that sharing my journey will encourage others who are struggling.  I am by no means a professional. There are going to be ups and downs and I am going to make mistakes along the way.  But I feel like I have finally found my power.  I encourage you to search within yourself and find yours too.  It's there, you just have to believe it!

Until next time, God bless!!!  :)