From Water to Walking: Update on Health Habits for January 2012

New Year's resolutions often involve health.

Getting healthy takes time and patience.

After I wrote up my list of healthy habits last week, I began to think of many others I could have listed.  Isn't it funny how one can think of all the things they aren't doing?  It's hard to start off small when attempting to improve life.  We are often impatient and want to do everything at once.  I must not overwhelm myself or I will quit like last year, and I don't want that.

Here is the update on my health habits:

1. I have slowed down on my blogging.  I have needed a break from it.  My wrists have needed a break.  Unfortunately, my brain feels guilty about not writing everyday.  Rest assured that I have ideas for new blog entries.  I just needed to break from doing it everyday due to burnout.

2. I have taken a few supplements.  Mostly, I have taken my probiotics.  I have also drunk detoxing tea.  After the long holiday season, I was left feeling sluggish.  I felt I needed to get some toxins out of my body.  The tea contains lots of beneficial ingredients for inflammation, too.

3. I have been eating breakfast.  This is very important to me.  It has set the tone of my day.  On days when I've eaten breakfast, I have had better days.  It didn't matter whether it was oatmeal and an omelet or potato/egg/corn tortilla tacos.  We also switched to a stronger coffee; I'm hoping that it will be strong enough to keep me awake while I wean away from soda.

4. I haven't gone to sleep early.  This ties in with caffeine.  I just stopped drinking soda this Sunday.  Caffeine keeps me awake at night so I have stay away from even chocolate late at night.  I have asked that my husband not keep any soda inside the house; if he must have some, it needs to stay in the van.

5. I started crocheting last night.  This always helps to clear my mind.  It is creative work, too.  I have to do this in moderation, though, because my arms, neck, and wrists start to hurt.  Still, it is fun to see something forming in my hands.  Hoping to make some Christmas-looking scarves and small blankets.

6. I am suffering with terrible headaches.  This could be due to several reasons, like: stress over home schooling; wanting to blog, thinking over the new year goals; concerning myself over bills; and getting off of soda.  The biggest thing is a seasonal allergy to mountain cedar.  I had a migraine last year in January so I am thinking it might be that I suffer with hay fever in a big way.  I had blogged about it last year so it's great that I documented it.

7. I am drinking water.  I started drinking at least four bottles of water last Wednesday.  A few days, I have drank five bottles of water.  I can already feel a big difference in my skin condition, and my face doesn't look so haggard.  I know it has to be helping my allergies, too, because it is keeping my nose hydrated.  I am currently charting my progress by marking the number of bottles on a calendar because I joined a water drinking challenge on Facebook. 

8. Haven't chucked the junk food.  January is a challenging month for me.  I am coming off of the holiday season, but my birthday is this month.  I love to celebrate my birthday with cake.  My hubby is spoiling me by baking me chocolate cakeS...oh, and don't get me started on potato chips.  Stress eating has me over-eating, which is bound to keep me from losing weight.

9. Last, I want to start walking.  It doesn't matter that I it's raining outside.  I will be donning the tennis shoes and pedometer.  I will walk around the dining room table and/or in place in front of the television.  I plan to start with 3,000 steps and work up to 10,000 eventually.

Friends, as I've said before, my quest to get healthier isn't just about weighing a certain amount. of pounds  That's why I don't like to deal in numbers.  I'm not saying that I wouldn't like to lose weight.  Who wouldn't?  My real aim is to feel and be healthier.

My kids love to join and cheer me on in my health quests.

I see that drinking water is helping me feel a lot better.  I've had to take baby steps to improve my health.  I want to rev it up to include the walking.  I feel this will get me pumped up to move more.  I also look forward to having my kids watch me and imitate me. 


Well, thanks for reading about my update on my health habits for January 2012.  I hope this blog entry encourages someone to develop their own health goals.

How about you, my readers?  Do you have any new health goals for January, in keeping with New Year's resolutions?  How do you plan to improve your health this month or this year?  I encourage you to assess your current health.  It's a great opportunity to adjust your habits to improve your life.   

If you need to improve your health, in any form, please ask God to help you; he will, if you pray for His guidance.

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discussed here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.

Health Habits for January 2012

New Year's resolutions often involve health.

Another new year has come upon us.  It's time to dust out the health habits and see what needs tweaking.  What do we need to add or remove from our diets?  What do we need to start doing this year?  What has worked for us in the past?  What do we want to try this year?

I often heard Dr. Phil say that in order to do away with one habit, like smoking cigarettes, one needs to replace it with a beneficial habit.  That's why I am willing to attack unhealthy habits with positive ones.   There are several that have been with me for quite a while.  There are others that have fallen by the wayside.  I'm hoping to institute these before getting physical.

I have a list of health habits I would like to continue or start up, in no particular order of importance:

1. Keep writing.  This has helped me tremendously.  I have kept sane.  I have collected my thoughts many times to sort through my emotions.  This habit is definitely a keeper.

2. Take my supplements.  I want to continue taking the probiotics to balance the good bacteria in my body.  I want to detox, too, with my Swanson-bought formulas.  I also want to take something to suppress my cravings for simple carbohydrates and junk foods.

3. Eat breakfast.  I want to continue this.  It is said that having breakfast helps you have a better start to the day.  I definitely need my protein at this time of day.  To have a good complex carbohydrate will keep me fuller.

4. Sleep early.  Definitely need to do this one.  This is one of the most challenging.  I've heard that sleep helps one to lose weight.  I must make sure to not drink any caffeine after 6 p.m. or I will have difficulty going to sleep.

5. Pray about my health.  Prayer works miracles.  Prayer is communication with God.  I want a deeper relationship with my Abba Father.  I want to get deeper in His word.  Asking God for help for my health, I am sure, will yield a wonderful outcome and witness.

6. Drink more water.  I love water.  I just need to amp this up some more.  When I am thirsty, I need to continue to reach out for the water, instead of other liquids.  This means saying no to soda.

7. Chuck the junk food.  It was hard this past holiday season.  It won't be easy during this month.  My birthday is coming up.  I love cake.  I also can't live without my chocolate. 

Well, thanks for reading about my new health habits for January 2012.  I hope this blog entry encourages someone to develop their own health goals.

How about you, my readers?  Do you have any new health goals for January, in keeping with New Year's resolutions?  How do you plan to improve your health this month or this year?  I encourage you to assess your current health.  It's a great opportunity to adjust your habits to improve your life.   

If you need to improve your health, in any form, please ask God to help you; he will, if you pray for His guidance.

This is an entry for Medical Mondays.  For past entries, click here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints that I discussed here are just my opinions.  Please consult your physician before altering anything relating to your health.  I am only suggesting here to take charge of your health.  Don't just leave your health in the hands of your doctors; become your own advocate.  You know best how your body is doing.

New Year's Resolutions for My Blog

I've enjoyed blogging.

What is in the future for my blog?

Every time a year is ending, I start pondering certain things.  I reflect back on the year that is fast expiring.  I think about what I've been through, and what I can learn from it.  I also look forward to the future and what it holds.  I usually write out my thoughts, and I've been doing this since I was a teenager.

This year, I blogged almost everyday.  Yes, I skipped a few days in November and this month of December 2011.  Still, I know that I blogged for more than 300 days.  I am very proud of what I have accomplished.  I am proudest that, with God's blessing, I attempted to create quality-filled entries.

I thank all of my loyal readers.  Without you, I wouldn't have kept at it.  I know that many of you would have liked to respond to my blog entries, and I tried to provide different ways for that to be possible.  Since I have taught myself how to set up my free blog (through templates and online tutorials), my knowledge has been limited as to what I could actually do with responses.  Still, I am glad that I was able to do what I did do.

It has been a fun challenge to try to blog everyday, but alas, my energy has petered out.  I feel, though, that my objective to create the best entries has been accomplished.  For the new year, I will continue to create quality blog entries.  I could not write something if I didn't think it was polished enough.  I couldn't just write a few lines this year on any given topic; I had to flesh it out.  I hope you, my readers, will agree with me, that I did that to the best of my ability.

I cannot say that I will blog everyday in the coming year.  I have yet to figure out what my new plan will be.  I don't plan to neglect my blog, but I do know that I will step down the amount that I write.  I would like to work on the novel I created back in November for NaNoWriMo.  I would also like to write a few children's stories for my six year-old.

I also need to spend some time monitoring my children's learning in their home schooling.  I have some reorganization to do within my household, too.  These will shape future blog entries, which I look forward to creating.  In addition, I want to write more about my spiritual walk.

One thing that I don't want to do is to use this blog site for financial gain.  If I want to make any money at blogging, I will likely create a new blog.  I am still debating that.  I also want to visit other blogs more in the new year.  I have some of my favorite blogs that I have followed throughout the year, and I hope to highlight them in a future blog entry.

This coming February will be the one year anniversary of this blog.

Again, thanks to you, my loyal readers, for keeping up with me.  Please forgive me for not blogging for these past few days.  I hope you appreciate the varied blogs that I have provided this year.  I look forward to being a blessing to you all in the new year.  God bless us all in the new year as we seek out to accomplish new goals.

Thanks so much for reading this entry about my new year's resolutions for my blog.

If you enjoyed this entry, please share it with others.
I would appreciate that very much.

How about you, my readers?  Are you a blogger or a writer?  If so, what are your resolutions or plans for your writing/blogging for the new year?  What would you like to see for the new year as far as blog entries?  I would encourage you to evaluate your writing to see what you can tweak for the new year.  It's important for our readers to get the best of our writing.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

Happy Anniversary to My Hubby

Lights installed onto grill of van.

My husband went and did it!  He actually put lights on the grill of our van.  It's so hilarious.  I wondered where our giant wreath went.  Well, he let me know after the fact.  I just shook my head.

I love my hubby.  He's a funny guy.  He has a wonderful sense of humor as you can see.  I feel very blessed to have my hubby in my life.  He has brought me lots of jolly moments like this one.

This is the doohickey job for the outer lights of the van.

My hubby loves to create things like trailers and storage sheds.  He also loves to create a wonder-filled atmosphere.  I guess in that respect we are alike.  Where we have differed, I firmly believe it is to complement each other.  He is very energetic and out-going, while I am a homebody, who is more comfortable with writing about our latest adventures.

I am very grateful that God has placed my hubby in my life.  We have spent 17 years married to each other.  There have been challenging times, yes.  There have also been lots of fun times.  I pray that we get to enjoy a lot more years together.

Happy anniversary to my hubby, Frank Villanueva.  My life is richer because you are in it.  May God bless you with more patience with me.  You are like a saint in my eyes.  You've been through a lot with me, and I thank you for bearing with me through all these years.

Enjoy the following pictures of the Christmas lights that my hubby used to decorate our home:

My hubby used more than ten strings of lights.

Hubby even decorated the gates.

Hubby usually makes a runway out of the sidewalk.

Thanks so much for reading this entry about my jolly anniversary with my hubby.

If you enjoyed this entry, please share it with others.
I would appreciate that very much.

How about you, my readers?  Are you married?  If so, is your anniversary close to or on a holiday? How do you celebrate?  I would encourage you to praise your spouse for helping you enjoy life.  It's important for our spouse to know how proud we are of them.  It's a great way to boost their self-esteem.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

A Teachable Moment: Forum Etiquette

My teenage daughter loves to visit online forums.

Let's face it: We, as parents, would love to shield our children from every hurt and boo boo that they come across.  Unfortunately, that is impossible.  Yes, we can pray for their safety, and we can equip them to deal with others.  What happens when our children want to join forums at websites?

My daughter and I were recently discussing her visits at an online forum.  I won't mention the website because she asked me not to.  Anyway, she was telling me that there was an individual who jumped into one of her conversations.  The person was downright rude to all of them.

We discussed the need for mercy in the face of such rude individuals.  Perhaps the person was having a bad day.  Maybe the person was mistreated in some manner.  My daughter then realized that the individual could be an eight year-old.  It was a teachable moment.

The important thing to remember is that we cannot control what others say or do to us.  It's up to us to figure out how to treat others, even in the face of adversity.  How should we respond to such persons.  Should we be rude right back at the person or remain calm?  I think the latter is the better course.  Why do we need to add fuel to the fire, when we have the power to diffuse the situation?

I was glad that my daughter let me know of the situation.  She admitted that she was so mad that her body started shaking.  Do I feel badly that she went through that?  Yes...but I feel that she needed to go through that to learn from it.  She also, in her young years, has realized that what the rude person provided was "unnecessary drama."

Thanks for viewing this entry about using a teachable moment, when discussing etiquette for participating in forums.  I hope I've given an idea of what can be used in the home school to teach strategy.

How about you, my readers?  For those of you who visit forums, do you read the rules before jumping into conversations?  How do you deal with rude participants?  I would recommend reading the rules and regulations before joining any conversations.  Also, if your children will be visiting forums, discuss with them that there are difficult people in all sorts of chatting formats.  That way, they are not stunned when they meet with online bullies.

I pray that God helps us all, whether we are homeschooling or are thinking of home schooling.  May God bless us all with His wisdom and peace, as we teach our children.

This has been an entry for Thorough Thursdays.  If you liked it, please consider sharing it with your friends and family.