In reading the title, you are reading my mantra for the coming year. I am focused on simplifying every area of my life. I have realized that I let life and the circumstances surrounding life control me. My family and I had gotten so busy, that I didn’t have the control I wanted. I simply kept my head above water. Consider this, if my life was simpler, would it be such a struggle to manage? If I have fewer things in my house, I have less to clean, less clutter to pick up and less to eventually throw away. If I spend time meal planning, I spend less time grocery shopping, figuring out what to eat last minute, and throwing away unused and wasted groceries.
Keep thinking about these two examples. There are other goals embedded within these examples as well. When I looked at my goals for 2018, I quickly realized that simplifying my life would be the first and biggest step toward achieving my goals.
- Reduce waste
- Increase amount of $ in savings account
- Eliminate processed foods
- Embrace minimalism
In addition, while simplifying my life, I will have more time for the goals I care about most such as training for a marathon, spending more focused time with my family, strengthening my marriage, and exploring new hobbies.
The biggest drive for simplifying my life is in regaining my sanity. I’m studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and my nutrition was the cornerstone of my focus and activities in 2017. You know what happened? I was far too strict. I learned some things along the way but the biggest thing I learned is that I have to be very careful when trying new diets. Losing weight would not be healthy for me, but it was happening. After doing Whole30, I was so afraid of eating anything that wasn’t a raw fruit or vegetable that I was miserable. I was weak. I was always hungry. I had no energy. It took me months to climb back out and start eating like a normal human being again. While I do see the merits and benefits, it wasn’t for me in the end.
This year will be different. I will continue to make improvements in my health, fitness, nutrition and overall wellness but I will be doing it slowly and I’ll be doing it my way. Baby steps. Right now, I’m removing coffee from my diet and limiting my alcohol to one glass per night on Friday and Saturday nights only. These are simple changes that I can make that will improve my health over time. Once I have these under control (and have made it through the withdrawal phase of reducing caffeine intake), I’ll add a new item to focus on in improving my health.
The big takeaway here… if a diet is not working and you aren’t feeling well, stop. It’s not for you. Move on. The creators of these diets make it seem like you just need to push through because it should be working for you since it worked for them and many others. You are not the creator and you are not the person next to you. Listen to your body. Listen to what it is trying to tell you. I promise it’s not your fault. It’s the diet not you. One thing I will urge you to do is use it as a learning experience. Look at the aspects of the diet that you struggle with the most. Learn something new about yourself and now the diet is a success! 🙂
GlowLoveThrive 