You open one eye mad at the alarm and hit snooze. You oversleep and wake up mad and tired at the world. Since you're now running late for enslavement, I mean, work, you stop at Starbucks on the way in and grab a venti caramel macchiato and a marble loaf.
During lunch you swing by a drive-thru and grab something from the value menu and you run back to the office and devour it at your desk. About an hour later you feel sluggish and need a pick-me-up. Off to the vending machine you go for a candy bar. After all, sugar is a stimulant right? You need some more coffee to accompany the sugar, so you make some coffee at the office and sip that the rest of the afternoon.
For dinner, you have a famished family that needs to be fed so you open the pantry and pull out a box of mashed potatoes that claims to be made with real potatoes and you make a quick and easy meal. The table is served with a grocery store bought baked chicken and some gravy from a glass jar. Sounds like a hearty meal, right?
The next morning you wake up feeling even more tired. You have huge bags under your eyes, you don't have the energy to brush your teeth much less function at the office. You keep hearing about people who have time to exercise, eat right and live a well-balanced life. So where does a person who works a full-time job, has children, and somewhat of a social life find time to do all of that?
Well, I'm here to share some information with you about how to start. For starters, I'm not a psychologist, nutritionist or medical doctor. I'm just an average person who has highs and lows just like anyone else. I'm a work in progress. I'm also a full-time professional and a single parent. It has taken me years to realize that a) we are what we eat and b) trying to stay healthy in my 30s is a heck of a lot harder than it was in my 20s.
My college years consisted of eating things I thought were healthy, working on a college degree and still having enough time and energy to exercise 6 days a week and party hardy and let me tell you, I scrubbed the ground back in my hay day. I was always on the go, full of zest and life, but eating all the wrong things. Fast forward to my mid-thirties, a divorce and c-section later and here I am.
I'd be fooling you if I told you that exercising and eating right are the only things that need to be done to be healthy. We must be self-aware first and then set goals not only for our physical health but also for our spiritual, mental, social and other areas of wellness. That is why I started Mojo Dojo. It's not just about me, but about the big picture. Our society is slowly dying because of how we are living. Stress and food are killing us. I'm a firm believer that complaining gets us nowhere. We have to do something and take action steps toward change or we will remain in the same spot we are in with zero progress.
These are my Tips for Getting Started Right Now:
Change your mindset - Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't--you are right." Our thoughts can turn in to our reality. Period.
Observe your own behaviors - Before I could change my life, I had to pay close attention to what I was doing. This included everything from what I ate to what I allowed myself to think about myself and how I viewed the world. My advice is to keep a journal and write all of your actions down. Every activity and nuance should be documented. This is key to becoming more aware of your own behaviors. Self-reflection is an on-going process so we should all do this periodically.
Set some goals - After I reviewed what I was doing, I then set some goals. I made my goals realistic. Stay away from words like never and always. I know my Self and I love me some chocolate so to say I would never eat a piece of chocolate again, was setting me up for failure. I also had to be practical based on work/life commitments. I can't vow to exercise 3 hours a day because I work full-time and have a child that has real homework and a set bed time. I also had to prioritize the goals and started with one or two, "This week I will ______." When it comes to food, there will be a future blog with specifics on why my nutritional goals are what they are, but this is something that is very personal and customized.
My physical goals are to
Increase flexibility
Get more rest at night
Be more active during the day
My nutritional goals are to
Avoid white sugar, rice, flour, sodium, wheat, coffe, meat and dairy
Eat primarily fruits and vegetables
Buy organic whenever possible
Drink more water (minus the fluoride)
My Spiritual Goals are to
Meditate/pray more
Listen to my Self
Be more self-aware
Reflect more on my actions
My Environmental Goals are to
Recycle regularly
Reuse plastic and glass containers
Donate/sell things I don't use
Learn more about renewable energy
Conserve power & water
Plant a food garden
Make my own all natural haircare/skincare products
My Social Goals are to
Listen more
Talk less
Give more
Expect less
Love more
Dislike less
Understand more
Judge less
My Occupational Goals are to
Pursue what I am passionate about
Think less about money
Think more about fulfillment
Eventually work for myself
Provide a cushion of sustainability
Create a fulfilling environment that brings in sufficient income with less enslavement
Be a transformational leader
Some of you may have specific questions or need a sounding board. Feel free to e-mail us directly or visit our Facebook page for more detailed information.
Inform yourself - We've all heard that most of what we learn in life is learned outside of the classroom. Lifestyle changes are no different. Find something that you are passionate about and make it a goal to learn something new about it. Reading is fundamental so put your brain to work and tap into your resources. There is a vast amount of information on the web these days and you can google just about anything. We are all researchers. If you have a Netflix account, view some documentaries about topics of interest. If you do not have Netflix, visit Films for Action. I started by watching documentaries a dear friend recommended. The documentaries were about food so that is where I started. A list will be provided in a future blog.
Detox when you need to - By detoxing I don't just mean your body. I mean your mind and spirit too. In order to be a healthy person it's not just about food and exercise. It's about your thoughts and what things you do to make your Self feel fulfilled. You must have a purpose and take action steps to fulfill that purpose. One thing I started doing was turning off my phone when I spend time with my daughter. It's bad enough we spend 40+ hours per week in enslavement, I mean, work. Now we are also slaves to technology. Learn to turn off the television, the phone, the computer, etc. and spend quality time with those you love. If you find yourself in solitude, enjoy that time to get to know your Self better. Silence can be very revealing. For food detoxing a juice fast is awesome. I like it because my body received the nutrients it needed and I was not hungry. The hard part is getting used to not chewing on something. Starting off with a 1 day juice fast or weekend juice fast is realistic but pick the right weekend. Don't do it when your friend has an outdoor BBQ planned. Juicing tips will be provided in a future blog.
Commit to your Self - To piggyback on the above, you can learn to say "no." Say you are already committed and spend alone time to do something you enjoy whether it's a hobby, going for a bike ride, researching lifestyle changes, or what have you.
Get rid of the stuff that is weighing you down - Some people call this spring cleaning, others call it purging or donating. Look around your home and make it a goal to de-clutter one room at a time. Make piles as you sort through your stuff. This tip can also be about people and relationships. If you are in an unhealthy relationship be it with a significant other or friend/family member, it may be time to move on. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Negativity will weigh you down just as much as a heavy tumor will.
I invite you to think about these things in relation to your life and habits. This blog is more about sharing and exchanging information. Please visit us on Facebook or Pinterest for more information. We hope this has been of value to you. We would love to receive feedback and questions from you. You can either comment on e-mail us privately.
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