RELATIONSHIPS - Friends and family...we need them both. Relationships are hard work, but so important for our health and happiness. As human beings, we need people to care for and learn from. It keeps us from becoming selfish and self-centered and it gives our daily lives more meaning. In an age of social media and trying to gain more and more followers, it is easy to believe that more is better. But, if we spread ourselves too thin, it's almost impossible to be a good friend. So, spend time with your family and then make time for building true and lasting friendships. Good friends are hard to find, but well worth it!
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| Me and my sisters! |
FITNESS - I am that girl that hates to exercise, but I am trying to teach myself to love it...not because of the actual work out, but because of how it effects the rest of my life. When I am consistently working out I notice that I have a more positive attitude, I sleep better at night, I have better skin, I have more energy to live a more active lifestyle, I am stronger and I feel better about how I look. Since I got married in 2007, I have steadily gained a little weight here and there until now I am 30 pounds heavier than my wedding day! Although it might be ok to stay the same size that I am today, I know that if I don't do something about this, I will continue to steadily gain weight in years to come. I go to the gym to do cardio and weight machines and a few classes, but my favorite has always been to meet a friend at the rail trail to walk while we talk! However, if you can't afford the gym and you don't like this walk, I recommend the 30 Day Bodyweight Challenge with Betty Rocker...it's only 15 minutes a day and it's free. I have already completed it and could tell a huge difference within the first few days!
WORK - Not gonna lie, I have had some jobs that I hated. Some were physically hard. Some mentally hard. Some emotionally. In some way or another, they were hard. I remember waking up many days (for years), not wanting to get out of bed because I didn't want to face the day. Although, I love my job now, it took years and years, and lots of jobs I didn't like, to find the job that was right for me. This is such an important part of a persons health. Think about it...you wake up and get ready to go to work. Then, you come home, get ready to go to sleep. Then you start it all over again. You live for the weekends. You dread Sunday nights. It's a vicious cycle. Does this describe you? Maybe you aren't in the right career. I highly recommend you read DO OVER by Jon Acuff. I've heard Jon speak, read his books and changed so many parts of my life due to his positive influence!
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| Me and some ladies from my Young Living Essential Oils team! |
REST - Since I grew up overseas, I knew and loved the slower lifestyle. I heard once that the America was run by the clock, but Bolivia was run by relationships. Everyone is late, all the time. Due dates and shop hours are just suggestions. Daily siestas are pretty much mandatory. True, it sucks when you are in a hurry to get somewhere or do something, but it's so much better for individuals. Expectations are less and everything just slows down. After all, tomorrow is another day and that's when it will get done. I know that Americans are missing out where rest is concerned. Everyone is too busy working to use their vacation time. There are too many emails to answer to take your lunch break. You can't get to the gym because you are going in early and staying late. But, when does it stop? Everyone needs down time each day...and I don't mean just time to sleep, but time to calm down and be quiet and still. And everyone needs off days...weekends and vacations. Don't believe me, google it :)
HOBBIES - In addition to rest, hobbies are so important! I love traveling and seeing new places, natural health, bike rides, walks, reading, spending time with Ironman and my friends and so much more. I'm trying to learn to love exercise and cooking more. Each day, I spend a little time on at least one of my hobbies! I think it's important to have things to look forward to. It improves my outlook on life and keeps me from wasting time doing nothing. It is not good for people to just sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat, work, etc. People need hobbies, no matter what age. If you don't have one. Think of something that you loved doing in the past and consider picking it back up. Did you used to love Yoga? Go once a week to a yoga class at the gym! It doesn't take much to have a positive impact on your health.
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| My favorite place...in the airport headed somewhere! |
MONEY - This is a hard one. I want a nice, finished home. I want an SUV. I want a great wardrobe. I want monthly massages and facials. I want to travel the world indefinitely. I want. I want. I want. But, I don't need. It is so important be aware of my priorities and my budget. When Ironman and I got married, we decided to never have debt so we took the Dave Ramsey course and paid off student loans as fast as possible. We lived a few years debt free, but are back into debt because of now owning a home and having a mortgage. Although, I feel like a mortgage is very different, we do look forward to the day that our home is paid off too! Our rule is that if we don't have the money for it, we don't buy it. Yea, it sucks sometimes when I just want to go on the world's biggest shopping spree. But, in the end, it helps us live healthier lives because we don't have all the weight on our shoulders that debt brings. I believe that everyone should live within their means, even when it means sacrifice and putting needs before wants. Remember that the "American Dream" is really just the "American Burden" if you are up to your eye balls in debt. Don't let the media fool you. And be generous...help those in need! You'd be surprised how good it makes you feel to give!
NUTRITION - I see so many commercials where you take this supplement or eat this meal plan, blah blah blah, and drop weight. Maybe it will help short term, but most people end up gaining the weight back because it's not sustainable. I've also heard it said that an ideal body comes from 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. So, you could be exercising all the time and still not a healthy size because of what you are eating. I know that people have so many different opinions on nutrition, but Ironman and I believe that the healthiest option is a plant-based, whole-foods diet. You should take time to watch Forks Over Knives and Fat Sick and Nearly Dead...we watched them free on Netflix years ago! Also, don't forget that getting enough water and avoiding sugar can have a huge effect on your health! Check out this post that Ironman wrote years ago about diets.
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| My favorite salad at Schlotskys! |
GREEN - Our skin is our largest organ. Everything that you rub or spray on is in your blood stream within 26 seconds. So, think about the toxins you unknowingly putting into you and your family. Your toiletries, your food, your cleaning supplies...your kids bath bubbles and vitamins. It is so scary! I dare you to take each product around your house and look up the ingredients on the EWG...this site breaks it all down, tells you what's in your products, whether they are cancer causing and more! You will want to throw out what you are currently using and replace it with better options. I mean, what's the point of doing great with exercise and nutrition if you are going to use hair spray that is slowly killing you? That's one reason why I love Young Living Essential Oils. I buy all my essential oils, cleaning supplies, toiletries, supplements and more from this one company that I know, love and trust. I feel so much better about what I am putting in and on my body. Plus, I love Ironman and want to make sure that he is using products that are safe! Since this is my full time job, I also love that I get to help others make better choices too!
FAITH - And lastly, I believe that faith is part of our health and wellness because we need to be mentally, physically, emotional and spiritually balanced to live truly healthy lives. God created each one of us, loves us unconditionally and wants us to know Him, love Him and enjoy Him forever. We need purpose to be truly happy and whole.
BALANCE - The thing is, it's not a one size fits all. For example, I can't eat terrible, never exercise and then expect the Young Living essential oils weight loss trio to help me lose weight. And I can't drink espresso at 8pm and expect my Young Living supplements to relax me. I can't have terrible relationships and spend money (that I don't have) like crazy and expect to feel calm and at peace. And I can't have a job I hate and truly enjoy times of rest. It's all a balance. Healthy relationships, regular exercise, a job I enjoy, down time, hobbies I look forward to, spending money wisely, good nutrition, safe products, and faith are some of the things that I believe create whole health. It's not one thing, but many things in a delicate balance.
Am I missing something? Is there another item that you believe is essential to whole health? I'd love to hear in the comments below!
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