🍽️ It’s One Week Into the New Year…How’s it Going? ✨

     A  New Year can bring about change, an effort to get healthy, slip into a good exercise routine, eat clean and attempt to give up the bad habits.  Well, one week in and how’s it going?  Have you been able to stay focused and maintain your goals so far?  Any journey starts with a few steps forward and any journey worth making could include a few set back.  That’s life and detours are part of every “road trip.”  Accept that when they do, make sure you have plenty of gas, make  maintenance part of the routine, good snack for along the way then “get back in the car and get going.”  

     Make the journey fun, wear your FAV clothes,  listen to good music, have good company in the car with you and stop along the way to enjoy the “View.”  Look at your good health and fitness journey as you would a road trip.  Map out some good places to stop for good meals and enjoy your company.  Put the phone down, look across the table to your companion or companions and have some good fellowship. Any trip is better with good company.  

     Do the common sense things like get a good night’s sleep, dress for the weather, wear your hat and mittens when appropriate, everything in moderation and don’t drink and drive. 

     Eventually the exercise becomes part of your daily routine, you recognize how well you feel when you eat right for your body, you notice your disposition is better when you get your rest and it all becomes part of just “How You Roll.”    Making changes can be hard.  It’s easy to stay in the same routine day after day, year after year.  Staying in your comfort zone can be cozy, however, if you want to see improvement, you’re going to need to step out of that place.  Have you seen people who have committed to change in one area of their life and then it spills over to every other area and before you know it their life is totally different.  They gain control of one facet of their life, like the confidence it gives them and  now they have a method or know what it takes to succeed.  

     And then there are some people who are not  comfortable with change.  If they change their life, it just might mean more work so why make more work and just stay where they are.  That’s fair.  Everyone has different goals and expectations for  how they want their life and everyone has the right and freedom to life their life the way they wish.  

     On the RECIPES page here on itsagreatdayto.com, you can find recipes or inspiration to look up YOUR version of these.  Nothing here is difficult, (remember, “always something simple, something good.”), there is my book, It’s a Great Day To…Gather Around a Table and of course an internet search of any recipe you can’t find here, will yield results as well

     There are consequences to every behavior and action.  Make sure your actions and behavior are getting your the consequences you are hoping for.  At different times in your life, the goals may be different. Assess where you are, assess your goals and make progress towards reaching those goals.  You have  everything it takes to get going, just put one foot in front of another, or get in the drivers seat, allow for some “carrots” to entice you and get going on the journey.  It’s never too late to start and who knows, it may be the start to many great days or even a great year.

These are a few of things that help me, you probably have your own list…

1. Faith in check.  Whether it is a designated time of day to say your prayers or do your devotion, or time with your spiritual reading.  Hallow has a new series on C.S. Lewis narrated by Liam Neesen, The Chosen is a good Biblical series on Amazon or available on the Chosen Ap, these are just two of the many options available.
2. Make your health a big priority.  Do the simple things like getting a good night’s sleep, wishing your hands, etc. My friends have all herd me tell the story of the Mom of a friend of a friend who, in her fifties was so busy taking care of her family, parents, in-laws, running the Greek School, the ladies group at church and so on and soon.  She missed her physical, her mammogram and let herself get run down, went in to see what the problem was and she had breast cancer that was so far along, there was not much they could do.  She didn’t get to see her three children get married, see grandchildren or get to grow old with her husband.  Make your appointments, get your routine tests and screenings.  It DOES matter.  Catching a problem early may make a difference in the outcome.  You can’t take care of anyone if you are no longer here.  Your people NEED YOU!
3. Speaking of health get your exercise in.  I was talking with some good friends on Friday night about this.  There is so much variety out there, FIND SOMETHING YOU ENJOY DOING AND YOU”LL DO IT.  Maybe classes motivate you and if so find the best instructors at your club, on your desired fitness AP to motivate you to get the most out of your workout.  What ever it takes to get you to move, figure it out and get moving.  There is no excuse on this one and you may even enjoy it.  
4. Clean up your diet if you have not already.  We all know so much about nutrition now, and recipes are so readily available again, no excuse and the variety and knowledge can make eating well delicious and fun.  Checkout itsagreatdayto.com for Marvelous Mondays on my RECIPES Page for additional inspiration.  
5. Get your finances in order and see where you can save and eliminate what you don’t need. Go through your Aps and subscriptions.  You may find an extra couple of hundred dollars by getting rid of what you don’t use and if you don’t use it, you are not going to miss it.  Consider renegotiating your cable service.  We have switched to You Tube tv.  It works for us, has what we need and the savings was considerable. If you are happy with your service, negotiate a better price. 
6. Meet up with your friends and those you love. Make plans and make it happen.
7. Plan time with your special people and family vacations.  If you don’t get it on the calendar it won’t happen.  
8. Make a list of things you wish to do this year, post that list in a prominent space so you see it daily and make it happen. I hope to read more books this year, I read my first one this weekend. 
9. Carve out some time for you. Again, get it on the calendar. maybe it’s a walk solo, time to watch a Hallmark movie or time to spend doing your favorite hobby,
10. If organizing is at the top of your list, take on a big project one drawer or closet at a time so you don’t get discouraged or give up.Break up the big jobs into little pieces.