Gratitude

Today I realized that I have something immensely amazing to be thankful for: my health. For much of my life, I've been sick with one thing after another, ranging from colds to pneumonia to mononucleosis... Then just a general malaise that I could not seem to shake or lift.

But for the past year, I have been healthy! I have not taken one sick day that was for the actual purpose of being sick. I've had 2 colds that were a doozy, but they did not knock me out of commission, and they were virtually gone in 3-4 days, rather than 2-3 weeks. Taking the time to take care of me, spiritually, mentally, and physically, has certainly paid off, and I'm sure it will continue to.

The things I've done that I credit for this sudden change:

1) Eating a minimum of five servings fruits & veggies per day. Often higher. A lot of it is raw, but not all of it. I still eat canned/frozen fruits & veggies. I make lots of fresh juices.

2) Losing 10% of my body weight. That 20lbs. has made a huge difference. I can't wait to see what the next 20lb. loss will bring.

3) Peace and relaxation. I've spent a lot of time in the past year increasing my time for me. This time has been spent reading, journaling, meditating, laughing, hanging out in parks. It's time that is not spend doing work, not spent sitting in front of the TV, not spent wasting time on the internet.

4) Movement. Get up and move! Last year it was running and yoga, now it's been the gym & strength training. Some Wii Fit. Whatever it is, get it in. My body aches to move now, and I miss it desperately enough to keep lazy streaks to a minimum!

So yeah, that's my four keys to health and happiness. I'm sure I'll add more eventually, but those things have really made a world of difference in my life this past year, and if you're thinking about just making one change -- one of those could make the world of difference to you too.