21 Days to Good to Me- How to prioritize your health

Are You In? It's okay to be good to Yourself!

If you are wondering what's going on, yesterday's post was the beginning of a three-week intensive  TLC campaign. I have committed to making my health and I would love for you to join me on this journey! Why? Read yesterday's post for the whole story, but if you are in a hurry, just answer this question, "If you don't take care of yourself, who will?" Our health impacts those who need us, and this is not just about our physical health, but our emotional health as well. Stress, worry, anger, and bitterness can directly affect our physical bodies. A fantastic book explaining the amazing connection is called, "Deadly Emotions" by Don Colbert.For the next 20 days (after surviving the first day and feeling great) I have committed to the following five. I chose them because in my recent excessive googling, these keep showing up in my search.

Big 5

1. Get eight hours of sleep.
2. Drink half of my body weight in ounces of water.
3. Eat clean- no refined sugar or processed foods. (The most intimidating one for me.)
4. Exercise 20 minutes each day.
5. Write down one positive statement about myself in my journal or on a sticky note or on my mirror.

[For the rule followers: don't get caught up in getting this perfect. You may need to make a tweek within this list. You may need to start at 10 minutes of exercise. Maybe your biggest issue is too much caffeine. Don't beat yourself up, but don't slink away from a challenge either. ]

Progress=Joy

Yesterday was a success, and  I have to tell you that I feel great! I believe it's true that one good choice leads to another. If you are wondering, I did paint my toe nails! Doing something for myself, even as small as that left me feeling beautiful. If you did not read yesterday's post, each day comes with a simple way to be good to yourself.Guess what? My children survived for the 15 minutes I devoted to my toes. The world continued to spin on its axis and the sun came up this morning. I can't even think what I might have sacrificed to make it happen.As an encouragement to you, my friend, let's chat about one of the Big 5 before we get to today's Good To Me Challenge.

Sleep

"Sleep is a basic human need, as important for good health as diet and exercise." This is a quote from an article from the National Sleep Foundation. You can read their entire article about the necessity of good rest by clicking here.Until I really thought through my sleeping habits, I did not realize I was in the red. I owe my body some rest! I wake up pretty early to get things rolling at our house, and I prefer to be up with one cup of coffee in my system before I attempt to say, "good morning" to anyone. My family appreciates the benefits of that part of my routine. I have only been getting around 6.5 hours of sleep. That could explain a lot of my issues with stress and anxiety, not to mention the strain on my already unbalanced hormones. I would encourage you to take a few minutes and read about the benefits of adequate rest. It really shouldn't be a luxury in our lives, but a necessity.So, I have to decide, as I pursue good health, what changes have to be made. I think if I'm consistent for these next few weeks, I might not want to go back to my 6.5 hours. Wondering how you might make this happen in your life as well. Please comment in the box below. I for one will have to limit my Netflix streaming which is way out of control at this point

Today's Good to Me Challenge

Take a bubble bath and then lay out clothes for tomorrow. (Double blessing to yourself! Shave your legs and triple the fun!)I was reading in Romans 12 today and was challenged by Paul's words , "never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (verse 11) I really believe that I can serve God better when I am taking care of myself. We will not be made completely whole this side of Heaven. We will battle physical and emotional stress here on this earth, but God has called us to be wise managers of these bodies. We only get one.Don't forget to comment below in the comment box. Many of you are my Facebook friends, but some of you I only see here at Messy Journey. In order to encourage each other, let's comment here. Feel free to share this post or any post on Facebook, however. We are better together!