Saturday, April 26, 2008

Five Minute Friday: More/Less

I made the decision this year to make more of an effort to listen to my body and follow its directions. Because honestly? It tells me things. It tells me when I need to sleep more. It tells me when I've eaten something I shouldn't have. It lets me know when I'm treating it well and when I'm not. When I listen to my body, I'm so much happier. When I don't, I suffer and so do others around me because I feel crappy.

I was doing pretty well the first couple months of 2008, then we went out of town in late February, and I never got quite back in gear with the listening. But I really need to. Boy, do I need to. (At the moment I'm suffering from a kick-ass headache that I believe was precipitated by the most sinful piece of chocolate cake I've ever eaten. It was to die for. Unfortunately, I'm paying the price for all of that sugar now. :P Not fun.)

In the spirit of this issue, this week's FMF is a dual list...things I know my body is telling me I need more of and less of...

I need more...

1. Sleep, and starting at an earlier hour than 2 a.m.
2. Fruits and veggies. The garden is growing. This should help!
3. Water.
4. Movement. I hate the word "exercise"...to many negative connotations. I just need to get up off my a** and find more reasons to move.
5. Whole grains.
6. Meal planning. I eat so much better when I think ahead a little bit.
7. Motivation to make positive lifestyle changes.
8. Healthy proteins.

I need less...

1. Refined sugar.
2. White flour.
3. Sedentary activities (how to knit while taking a walk?)
4. Coffee. One or two cups is plenty.
5. Last-minute meals, because they are usually full of processed foods that make me feel icky.
6. Grocery shopping without a list.
7. Fast food stops.
8. McDonald's sweet tea and Starbucks mocha frappuccinos. Argh. Both should be controlled substances, they are so addictive.

What's your body telling you these days? Are you listening?

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