"W" is for Walking / ABC Blog Series of #BetterChoices2016

As a single-mom I have plenty to stress about, but I still don’t feel like I have a stressful life. There are stressful moments and episodes, but somehow my life is not a stressful one and I couldn’t tell you why not. I can guess that it’s because of my habits; when I start to get a bit frenzied, I slow my pace down. When I start to feel tired, I sleep or rest, and when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I deduct less important duties from my schedule. I also remind myself that I have gotten through all of the other stressful times in my life, and this one will be no different so I know that just pushing through it will get me to the other side.

There’s a huge difference in the way that I think during stressful times after I’ve finished my walk.

Walking calms me and my worrisome brain. It’s something that I will always make time for, no matter how short on time I am because it puts me back in that place that helps me handle my life better. I’m calmer, happier and more peaceful after a walk.

There’s countless articles on how good walking is for you and how it’s a great exercise and even helps get your heart rate up at the right pace, but nothing gauges how good it is for you more than the effect it has on your mind-frame after a 30 – 40 minute fast-paced walk.

When I start out on my walk I might be tense and anxious but by the end of my walk after I’ve listened to countless songs or just the quiet, everything is beautiful to me; the day, the sky, the trees, and then I feel renewed. It costs nothing and it's priceless to me. I have a membership at a gym to use the equipment, and on occasion I join other work-out regimens, but walking is what soothes. I think I even gain back some of my youth with each walk.

I wish I could do it every day like I used to, but as a single mom there isn’t always time, so I squeeze it in at some of the most unimaginable times because I’m always looking for that brief interlude of time, and I always have a set of clothes and shoes in the car “just in case.”

So “W” was an easy one for me.

Walking propels me back into my life full-force and enables me to take on more.

Think about what habit you have that works for you in the sense of bringing you back to life, and do more of it, especially if it's walking.

xo Katherine

Find my books on Amazon.com under Katherine A. Rayne. I write in support of women who want to create a life they love. ♥

"A" is for accepting your present existence
"B" is for be you
"C" is for create
"D" is for do
"E" is for eating and exercising
"F" is for free to choose
"G" is for grit
"H" is for higher
"I" is for intelligence preservation
"J" is for just dance
"K" is for kick crap to the curb
"L" is for look for the lesson
"M" is for Making Memories Last
"A" - "M" to Better Choices
"N" is for Nurture
"O" is for optimum
"P" is for moms are pack leader
"Q" is for quiet your mind
"R" is for reorganizing 
"S" is for simplifying
"T" is for being your own teacher

"U" is for utilizing

"V" is for visualizing your day

“U” is for Utilize – Five (5) Underutilized Tools We Own

I’ve come up with obvious actions that I can take to make better choices for my health because I’m aware of the healthy foods available, of the outdoors waiting to be explored and the energy my body has when I treat it right, but I'm not always making those choices. I love vegetables but there’s also other things that I eat that aren’t healthy. One simple decision can send me in a healthy direction or unhealthy, and it's truly my choice. I already possess all of the tools that I need to do it, and it’s just a matter of putting them to use and to better use.

Here are five things that we already own that will lead us to an improved and healthier lifestyle:

1. Knowledge. We don’t need to get health tips online, buy a diet book or hire a health coach because we're already educated. We know what things should be going into our mouths and what shouldn’t. We have enough knowledge right now to begin making the perfect choices. We can write a list of all of the things that we want to eat for the next seven days that will make us feel better by the end of the week and can repeat weekly. We know it’s okay to cheat once in a while because with our knowledge, we know it’s okay in small amounts. Using what we already know today will turn us into someone healthier tomorrow.

2. Food. We have so much food available to us. Everywhere we go, there’s food. Convenience stores, coffee shops, fast food restaurants and vending machines galore. What if there wasn’t food everywhere we went? What if we had to pack a lunch, pack a snack, and get home earlier in order to cook dinner every night? If we had to work a little harder for our food, we’d put more thought and energy into it and be more aware of what we were eating. We’d enjoy it more, too. I love walking the beach any time of day but mostly in the calm mornings. I watch the birds search, dive and work for their food. Then they rest on the shore before it’s time to do it again. Rarely do I see an overweight bird on the beach (unless it’s a land roaming duck, of course) and their brains are a lot smaller than ours. Work, earn an appetite, eat, rest. We were made to do those things. We also own our own food processor. Everyone shops for the best food processor that will juice their vegetables faster, easier and with less pulp. But we already have a food processor within us that crushes, grinds and liquefies our food like it’s supposed to, and rarely does it break down. It’s called our stomach. Processing raw and healthy foods is what we were built for. Start dumping vegetables into your body and watch what happens. It’s magic.

3. Muscles. Our muscles are the only things that get bigger and stronger the more we use them. Use all of them as often as you can. I have days that I can’t even open a jar and it’s so frustrating. I can rid myself of that frustration easily by utilizing the muscles in my hands and fingers more often so that they become stronger. Lifting weights, squishing a small ball and doing push-ups could help within a few weeks. I already have everything I need to do those things. It’s a matter of beginning.

4. Heart. I think if we could physically see the insides of our bodies each day when we look into the mirror, we’d take better care of ourselves. We all know what a strong muscle looks like and what a weak muscle looks like. Our heart is a muscle. I know what my upper arm looks like right now, and it’s not muscular. When I’m doing my work outs, it looks so much healthier and stronger. That’s what I want for my heart; strong and solid in order to keep pumping for me. It’s much more important than my upper arm. Cardio cardio cardio. No equipment is even needed with all of the exercises we already know how to do.

5. Brain. We function at all because of our brain. How can we work it to its full potential? Our brains love oxygen, healthy diet, exercise and knowledge. Feed it all of those things and your brain will function at a higher and healthier level.

Breaking down our life into those five (5) simple categories will help us make better choices. We have knowledge, food, muscles, a heart and a brain and those are the only things that we need to live a healthier life along with the right choices.

Having a healthy existence isn’t just for living a longer, healthier life. It enables us to have more happy moments, more energetic days and a higher appreciation for life. Make a list now of changes that you are making today in order to thrive off of your five tools.

Four Tickets that help you have a great day are the freebie with this newsletter. Four simple strategies to help you have a more energetic, positive day.

Here are my most recent  Lunch Box Jokes in case you haven't printed them yet.

Get to the root of who you are and to the things that you'd love to be doing. #Live Simply #Live Elegantly Your Life Journal for $14.99 for the paperback on Amazon and $9.99 for the ebook, helps you put your head and home in sync with you and your life so that you can begin creating and living a life that you love. #Live Simply is part memoir, part journal to get you out of distraction and into a frame of mind that helps you to focus on living a happier and more fulfilled life. It was my summer baby two summers ago.

  Katherine is doing an ABC Blog Series for #BetterChoices2016 in order to make 2016 your best year yet. Follow her blog at www.backtobeingawoman.com or get the blogs as soon as they are sent out by signing up for her newsletters.

Find previous ABC Blogs here.