Moderation

Every diet I've ever been on, and there have been lots of them, starts with a list of what to avoid and what to eat.
I can follow a list like that for about 3 days, unless I'm really motivated, then maybe a month or two.
So, what is the root of the problem?
I've seen some dogs eat everything in sight, even swallow socks whole. I've seen other dogs eat just enough food to satisfy their hunger, and then try to cover it when they are finished eating. Iko and Keiko mostly eat to satisfy their hunger, unless we are eating something that Keiko really wants. Then she will go tap her communication button that says "hungry." She wants yummy things! If Iko isn't hungry, she just won't eat. How can I learn to be like Iko?

My goal of the day is to consider the word moderation before I eat.

Proverbs 23:2-4 The Voice (VOICE)

2 If you are the type who eats too much too fast,
    do whatever is necessary to curb your enthusiasm for food.
3 Also, do not eye the ruler’s delicacies,
    for the food may not be what it seems.
4 Do not overwork yourself just to become wealthy;
    have enough sense to know when to quit.

Maybe Keiko and Iko are trying to tell me something!

Taking steps

Finding places to walk in a Michigan January takes some creativity.

Today, we made use of the Homeschool Building during my daughter's auditions. 

We also got in some training time for Keiko.

It's a Monday

It's a snowy, cold January Monday.

I need to remember the promise of spring. My plants remind me. 

When I'm training a dog, I have to use wisdom to decide when to push through with training, and when to take a break. So, why do I force myself to push through and become frustrated to the point of giving up when I try to train myself.

Today I'm going to use wisdom to keep going on my lifestyle changes, but not add any more goals. 

Sunday Rest

After two weeks of craziness, working on painting sets, painting costumes, and sewing costumes, it's wonderful to have a day of rest. I appreciate that our church does live-streaming of the service, because I slept in this morning.
Today's message is about rest!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25E-a3yoDp0

It's so appropriate. We were created to rest.

So today, I rest.

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."  Psalm 127:2

Big Picture and Details

I like to see the big picture.

I also like to know the details.

So when I'm training dogs, I like to know where we are going to end up eventually, but I also love breaking down the process and figuring out the details.

When I'm designing or painting sets for a drama production or making costumes, I like to know how it's all going to look together, but I also love learning how to achieve the big picture by figuring out the detailed steps.

So, if the big picture of my Healthy Living journey means that I'm going to end up healthy, what do I need to figure out in the details? Putting together the look of a musical requires knowledge in different areas, such as building, painting, sewing, design, color theory, etc. Putting together a training routine for a dog also requires knowledge in several areas, such as training methods, socialization, stress-reduction, nutrition, motivation, communication, etc. What areas are involved in a Healthy Life journey? Movement, mindfulness, motivation, and moderation.

So I'm going to categorize the random changes I've made so far.

• Movement
• 5 active hours per day
• Mindfulness
• Journaling
• Think about why I eat something before I eat it
• Motivation
• Breathing
• Humming
• Light Box
• Taking Vitamin D
• Moderation
• Going to bed by 11:00

It looks like it's time to add another Movement goal, so I'm going to take 5000 steps per day. 

sleep

I should go to sleep earlier.

So, lights out and screens off by 11:00.

Light

I live in the city that's ranked 12th of US cities that get the LEAST amount of sun.

I get winter depression.

My new Level Up step for today is to start using my light box. 

When depression hits every year, motivation to do anything stops. So will my new healthy lifestyle steps be enough to keep me going in the midst of winter, or should we move somewhere sunny?

Level Up

To have a well-trained dog, I need to break down every learning challenge into it's smallest components, and make changes one tiny step at a time, until the dog can learn the activity. To have a healthier mind, body, and spirit, I also need to make changes one tiny step at a time. I usually try to make huge lifestyle changes, and overwhelm myself, and quit.

So every day, I'm going to add one tiny lifestyle change, that I can actually sustain over time. I started yesterday with journaling. Every day, I will write down at least one sentence about my journey to giving myself the gift of being healthier before next year.

Today, I'm committing to doing a breathing exercise every day. I've done it in the past, and noticed huge changes in my mental health, my ability to handle stress, and my creativity. I also stopped taking antidepressants after doing this exercise faithfully for a month. But then over time, I stopped doing it faithfully. So for the next year, I am going to breathe intentionally every day.

Here is a link to the breathing exercise, if you want to improve your mental health with me.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thevagusnerve/learning_content/?filter=631935287319434

What tiny change can you commit to today, to Level Up your health?