Don’t you love new beginnings and the start of a new year? I know I do! While I usually vow to lose weight as my goal, this year I’m going to start from the inside out. I’m starting with what feeds the soul and just living healthier. What’s your goal for the New Year?
It seems the whole world is obsessed with being thin and looking great but not all of us can look like a model from a magazine. What we can do is live a good life. That’s hard to do if we don’t feel good — mentally and physically. My plan is to start on the inside — changing the hardest thing — my mind and one bad habit at a time.
What Feeds My Soul — What Feeds Yours?
I’ve neglected a lot of priceless things I could be including in my life for a while now. I let a new job and new schedule get me off track with some activities that are vital to my happiness and my well-being.
Reading my Bible and spending time in contemplation used to be a part of my daily routine. That will be my first goal — to take time for my soul and work on being the best person I can be.
I’ve always loved music and it’s always added joy to my life, but the last year I’ve sat more in front of a television set than working around the house listening to beautiful music. It’s one of my goals to add music to my life each and every day.
My grandkids are so very special to me. They’re growing up so fast and I know I need to spend more time with them. They add that special ingredient to my life — a zest for living. I want to spend the most precious thing I have with them — my time. I’ll also do my best to spend more time with my parents and my grown children. That always brightens up my life.
Planning to Add Healthy Habits to my Life — What are Your Plans?
Food & Drink
Water – It’s not my favorite drink but I’m planning on changing that! I’ll start out by setting a four-glasses-a-day goal and increase it from there. It will help to drink it cold through a straw.
Food – I plan to add more vegetables and fruit to my diet and I’ll try to have fish at least once a week. I’ll cut back on the carbs and when I do eat them, I’ll try to make healthy choices like sweet potatoes and whole grains. During these winter months, I’ll make a lot of soups with healthy ingredients. To me, soup is comfort food and it’s also a way to get more water in my diet.
Exercise – My only goal at this point is to take one walk a day for at least 30 minutes. I’ve learned it adds years to your life. I’ll also try to sit less and move more throughout the day. I’ll use housework for my additional “exercise.” I might not lose a lot of weight, but at least I’ll have a cleaner, tidier house! Cleaning windows, vacuuming, and sweeping can add a lot of movement to my day.
Keeping Track of Small Victories
I’ve already bought one of those desk calendars from the dollar store. I’ll use it to give myself brownie points each day I stick to my new plan. I’ll also remind myself often that this change will help me feel better on the inside and on the outside. I hear it doesn’t take long to make progress when you live a healthier lifestyle.
We’d Love to Hear Your Plans for the New Year!
Perhaps you have also set goals in the past that served you well. What was your most successful goal or goals? How did you accomplish them? What were your challenges? We’d love to hear from you and you could encourage others!
