Half Way through the Month!!

Let's change paths a bit and go from Mental to Physical Improvement.

We all could use more exercise in our lives (unless you're a Gym Rat, then you can ignore this). The United States is ranked #1 Top "Industrialized" Country for Obesity, (Canada is #3).

I know I'm out of shape, I'm still recovering from Chronic Kidney Disease, I got a Transplant last year and slowly improving, so I'm gonna start exercising and improving more.

I'm going to start with this basic exercise plan until it's "easy" then move up to more strenuous  ones:

You don't need a lot of equipment or even a Gym membership to get started. Even walking around the block is a good beginning exercise, just take longer and longer walks over time.

Also with exercise comes food diet. It doesn't mean starving yourself or going on some food fad. Just cut out the "whites" - white bread, white sugar, white rice and white flour. I've done these except white flour, that's the hardest to exchange in recipes. I've also eliminated Pop (Sodas for the rest of y'all). 

Of course the first thing you should do is get a Doctor's approval for any exercise and diet plan first before starting anything. 

It may be hard at first and might get get discouraged, but just remember this:

Welcome to Day 14....

Part of improving yourself is learning to cope with negativity from others. Whether its discouragement from doing something or bad statements towards you:
"You can't do that"
"You're no good"
- insert whatever you've heard over the years.....
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Y'all may have read a few previous posts and articles about how I've dealt with negative people (such as this one), so you know it's not new to me.

Here are some pointers to remember:

​- The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.

- When people are rude to you, it reveals who they are, not who you are. Don't take it personally.

- Don't argue with negative people, they will constantly come up with excuses and drag you into more negativity. You can offer constructive comments, but don't get sucked into getting pulled down with them.

- Sometimes they're asking for help but it comes across as complaining. Ask if there's anything you can do for them and try and help.

- Remember you can't change someone, but you can change your response. Change how you see the situation instead of the emotion behind it.

- Try telling them directly how they're affecting you. Some people just don't realize how much of a "Negative Nancy" they are.

- If all else fails, walk away.

Today I'm going to post Inspirational Quotes and Sayings I like. I hope they encourage you too!
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On Day 10 is the last in the Self-Care Series - Mental Self-Care

Here's 10 things to do to uplift your mental spirit and think and feel better.

1. Play a Quick Game Online or on an App
A quick game to perk up your mental stamina is a good start to your day too. Try games like: 
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2. Explore a New Language
Stimulate your mind with a new language. Try These Apps out:
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​3. Take a Screen Break for an Hour
Turn off all your technology and TVs and just take a mental break.

4. Read an Interesting Article
Look up something new about your field of work, a hobby, or just something of interest and read up on it.

5. Spend Time in Silence
We spend so much time in a noisy, hectic world we forget how much silence can be "golden". Get some headphones (noise cancelling if you can) and just go about in the quietness.

6. Take Your Time Eating Breakfast
We're usually in a rush in the mornings, some of us even skip breakfasts. Take extra time to get up early, make a great breakfast and actually sit down and eat it slowly. It brings a nice calm before our day starts.

7. Keep a Notepad or Document of all your Ideas
How many times have we thought of a good idea, only to forget it later? Keep a notepad or online document of all your ideas and go over them later.

8. Clean out your Email Boxes
It doesn't help you mentally when you stare at your computer or phone screen and see all those emails scrolling down into oblivion. Start cleaning out the Spam, unsubscribe from ones you've lost interested in and make new folders to sort the types of emails you do want to keep.

9. Enroll in a Class
Go and learn something new! I read a great quote today:

So if you've thought to yourself "I wonder how to....", go and take a class and learn about it.

10. Cross something off your "To-Do" List
You don't know how mentally satisfying it is to complete something and cross it off your list. Make lists of things you need to do today, this week, this month and complete it! Don't worry if you don't finish all of it though.

So, are you enjoying my Self-Improvement month posts? Do you have any areas you'd like to concentrate on? Please let me know in comments!

Tracy,
 ​​"One finds limits by pushing them" ~ Herbert Simon

Day 9 is here and let's talk about Practical Self-Care

Just little things you can do to improve your life with practical ideas and keeping order.

1. Create a Weekly Schedule
Whether it's for a designated grocery run, a budget check, children's homework and school activities, et al, having a designated time and day for certain activities can be practical in our lives. It creates a mental expectation, smooths our hectic schedule, and creates stability. Don't be so rigid in this schedule that you miss out on spontaneous events too.

2. Designate a Place for Everything
We all know the frustration of searching all over for something we need right then. If we plan out storage spaces for things it would be so much easier to find things and easier on our nerves and patience.

3. Embrace Systems Whenever Possible
Create systems for many parts of your life - a finance system (savings, bills, retirement), a beauty regime, a home maintenance system, car care system, and many more. This just doesn't add ease to  your life but will become a routine habit over time and be simpler to manage your everyday life.

4. Clean for 15 Minutes a Day
Doing a chore for 15 minutes a day every day will keep your home clean and well managed. It sure beats spending a whole Saturday going from top to bottom and feeling wiped out afterwards. One day just concentrate on the Kitchen, a bathroom the next, the vacuuming the third and so on.

5. Live without Excess Clutter
Do you really need all those knick knacks, magazine subscriptions, all that memorabilia from High School, and the like? Learn about de-cluttering and go through everything in your home and garage and really think about what's behind your attachment to certain things; 

It sure would make finding things easier, make cleaning easier and make your home seem bigger without all that clutter.

6. Learn about Slow Cooking and Freezer Meals
It sure is nice to come home from a long day of work and have dinner already simmering for you in a slow cooker, or being able to just pull out a meal and pop it in the oven to cook while you unwind.

With today's hectic family schedules it sure is a time saver as well as a money saver as you don't spend so much grabbing fast food.

7. Live Within Your Means
Forget about the age old habit of "competing with the Jones" and trying to outdo your neighbors, co-workers, family and anybody else. Honestly these people don't really care about you as they're too busy trying to make themselves look good. Besides what people think of you isn't really any of your business.

So stop trying to get the newest technology, the better car, bigger house and so on. Your bank account and sanity will thank you.

8. Set up Binders for All Your Information
Set up small binders or files for different parts of your life that you need to find easily. Whether it's medical information for each family member, warranties and manuals for all your appliances, Contact names and numbers for every person that you'll need - appliance repair, car repair, doctor, dentist, vet, etc.

Also a master list of "repetitive information" is helpful, such as for filling out all that paperwork every year for your kid's school. It cuts down on time and energy.

9. Designate Time to Update Everything
Once a month, go through everything I mentioned above and update new information, make adjustments, learn new techniques and improve on them. Move things around, declutter some more, adjust your budget, whatever you think needs improvement.

10. K.I.S.S.
This means "Keep It Simple Stupid". Too often we overthink, overdo, stress over and just plain overwork things. Keep things simple and practical. Look up different life-hacks to simplify things, keep a practical outlook on situations, take a step back if need be. 

Life should be fun and enjoyable, so keep things simple and enjoy the ride.

On Day 8 I'm going to talk about Physical Self-Care

I'm not going to talk about exercise, et cetera. I'm just going to list a few things you can do to feel better physically.

Drink Plenty of Water
Whether its plain or flavor-infused, we all need to drink a lot of water. Standard agreement among authorities is 8 8oz. glasses of water a day. Those with additional health problems should drink more.

Get Up and Stretch
This will help get your body going in the mornings or at any time of the day. It also helps relieve stress and tension.

Take a Nap
I don't mean to sound lazy, but your body knows what it needs. If you're feeling physically and mentally tired, a quick nap would rejuvenate you greatly.

Take a Walk around the Block
Or around your office building, or any other place you're at. This will boost your physical health, mental health and be the nice break in your day.

Try a Green Smoothie
Drinking a green smoothie has so many benefits besides making you feel better physically. Health Benefits of Green Smoothies:

• Natural Weight Loss.
• Increased Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables (Particularly Greens)
• Easy Digestibility and Nutrient Assimilation.
• Antioxidants.
• Increased Energy.
• Mental Clarity and Focus.
•  Increased Fiber Intake.
• Clearer Skin.

Many recipes can be found online and on Pinterest.

Give Yourself a Foot Massage
Just rubbing your feet releases stress, helps you relax and improves circulation. It also feels good, so what more reason do you need?

Play some Music and Just Dance
I pretty much have Pandora playing all the time (Bonnie Raitt is playing now). So when a good song comes on, just jump up and shake it! It is a fun physical activity as well as uplift your spirit.

Take Three Deep Breaths
 Breathe into your abdomen, and let the air puff out your stomach and chest. Adding an extra burst of oxygen into your body helps you physically feel better.

Get 15 Minutes of Sun
Numerous studies have proven that getting your Vitamin D from safe, limited sun exposure can actually prevent many types of cancer such as Pancreatic, Lung, Breast, Ovarian, Prostate and Colon Cancers.

Vitamin D is also needed to build bones, reduce inflammation, and boost the immune system. Just exercise caution and use sunscreen if you're out longer than 15 minutes.

Find a Reason to Laugh
Whether is from  reading a comic strip, looking at a crazy meme, chatting with a friend, or just laugh at how things are going bad, laughing is a good physical and mental release. Besides it's FUN!