"What's That You're Eating?!"

The college bowl games are on, and the men in my house are watching a pretty good one.  In the oven are fries, to be topped with canned chili, cheese and bacon.  Bleh!  Seriously?  I did not prepare them, and I won't be eating them.

I think, after the Advent and Christmas here, something more nutritious is in order for me.  For lunch, it'll be a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, with lettuce and grainy mustard, and the remaining half of a grapefruit I had yesterday.  Water, water, water for me today, too.

Later, dinner will be chicken breast nuggets and sliced apples for them; salad with apples for me.  They get to eat the "junk" only because they'll do it even if I say no.  Dad's in charge, you know.

Yesterday, my husband and I went for a two-mile walk.  It was windier than we expected, but we remained upright (not an easy task till we got to the bottom of the hill), and it was a good workout.  It's very cold outside right now, and when it warms to the high 30s later, I may take a short stroll, just to keep my metabolism going.

I'm making after dinner my Scripture time, when I'm calm and receptive, and no one else is usually where I am.  But the format is very thought-provoking, so I may rework my day and read in the morning, so that I can ponder throughout my activities.  The "21-Day Plan for Busy Women" is different for me in that it's topic focused, and I like it.

Fresh Start

2011 is "buh-bye" and not a minute too soon!  Let's just put that one behind us, shall we?  So many changes, frustrations, disappointments, and lessons learned.  Some losses.  And blessings!  There were blessings!  But I'm so, so happy to have a fresh start. 

I don't usually make resolutions; more like reminders.  Throughout the year, we're admonished, we need to pause and remind ourselves of what is important.  "Be still, and know that I am God."  Yeah, I try.  Rest on the Sabbath -- I do that one!  So many occasions to refresh, regroup, re-do.  Every day, actually.

The 25 pounds I lost three years ago stayed off for about two years.  I'm not quite where I was in late 2008, but I want to stop the progress.  No matter what's going on in life, I know I need to get back to the healthier lifestyle.  Exercising my body, spirit, mind, is going to be priority for me.

Our eating patterns took a huge hit this year, and since yours truly handles the meals, it's on me that we slunk into less healthy eating.  Back to the board!  I'm reining in on the fat, salt, sugar and unnecessaries.  If it's not in the house, it's less likely to get eaten, so my cupboards will be filled with healthy ingredients, not potato chips!  My freezers will hold meals and ingredients for healthy eating, too.  The inspiration for this is "What The Bible Says About Healthy Living" by Rex Russell.  When I first read this book years ago, it shocked me that I'd not known most of it.  I made immediate changes, and saw immediate change.  We've slipped.

But most importantly, I'm taking the first month of the year to get back in the habit of spending time in the Word -- regular daily time, not the five minutes before I fall asleep after a busy day.  I'm going to try the "21-Day Plan for Busy Women" reading plan on YouVersion, to start out my year's journey.

I'd love to hear your plans for the new year.  Share your comments, and we'll help each other out.