"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." ~Michael Jordan
We at MindfulEats talk about planning all the time. That's because planning is the key to health. Sadly, healthy eating, exercise and sleep don't just randomly happen! If you're anything like me, then planning doesn't come naturally. If you're the other type of person (born organized), then you can skip this post!
I resisted planning for a long time because I thought of myself as spontaneous. Isn't planning the opposite of of spontaneous? Then all kinds of things would happen like I'd be on my way to a party but wouldn't be able to find my keys in my messy house so it would take 30 minutes of searching, then the car wouldn't have gas so I'd take the extra time to go get it, and by the time I ended up at the party I was so frazzled and hungry I would eat all the fatty food in sight. The results? Weight gain, lethargy, guilt, and a total lack in spontaneity. If I'd planned ahead, I would have eaten a healthy snack before I left as part of my food strategy, grabbed my keys from the designated key bowl, walked out of the house into car with gas, enjoyed a few of the hors d'oeuvres, and had spontaneous fun at the party.
As for my house, it would be in a state of total anarchy, and then I'd make a huge weekend-long effort to straighten it out. Not fun. Then one day I read an article about FlyLady, who insisted shining my sink would get my house organized. Similar to the principles of feng shui, she insisted that a cluttered mess drained a lot of mental energy and even more time. I signed up for the FlyLady program (lots of free e-mails). It was life-changing! Like she said, setting up routines to cover the everyday basics freed me up to do a lot more. My place became neater, I had more time and ability to start planning ahead, my meals became healthier and cheaper, that gave me more time and energy, I started blogging and here we are. FlyLady is amazing, and it's free. If things feel a little chaotic, or you need some help getting organized, go to FlyLady! As Flylady always says, it's all about babysteps and getting routines. Once you have the basics taken care of, you're free to enjoy all the fun opportunities that come up without spending all this time taking care of blowups!
What to Do: Plan Your Way to a Healthier and Happier Life
- Organize your house and life with routines that take care of your basics. Sign up for FlyLady.net for help! A principle of feng shui (this is very poorly paraphrased on my part) is that a neat, uncluttered house will let you relax. Conversely, a messy house will subconsciously bother you so you will never be able to focus on the task at hand.
- Plan your meals for the week and schedule your exercise with the Mindful Battle Plan.
- Create your goals mindfully and go for them!
Resources:
- FlyLady - FlyLady steps you through setting up routines and getting more organized
- Mindful Battle Plan - Want to eat healthy? You need a food strategy!
- Mindful Goals - Achieving your goals is fun. Dream them up and go for it!
What I ate: 2 lattes, 2 hardboiled nyeggs, quinoa, Tasty Bite Kashmir Spinach, brown rice + ground flaxseeds, steamed broccoli, baked tofu, macadamia nuts, Mariebelle hot chocolate, 2 Almond Rocas, 40 oz. water
Exercise: Ran 4 miles (still getting in shape after taking 2 weeks off)
