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The Weight Loss Minute
Celebrate without cake
It’s almost here! Saturday, January 13th, I’ll be turning 58 years old. It’s just a number, so I don’t mind sharing it! But my big question is, ‘What will I do to make this a great year?’
Since I’ve proclaimed 2007 as the year of being ‘heroic,’ I have a lot of work to do. As you know from reading last week’s ezine, heroic means pushing out of my comfort zone and taking on challenges that seem almost too hard to accomplish.
I’ve created a formidable list of heroic goals including (don’t laugh) getting a manicure once in awhile. In my busy life, that’s one of the self-care items that I never seem to take time for. I’m also renewing my commitment to doing more exercise, learning new things and building more friendships. Another one of my heroic goals is the way I handle my birthday.
Birthday celebrations
For years, I would wake up feeling sluggish and depressed the day after my birthday. Finally, I realized that my usual birthday routine included doing things that would possibly shorten my life instead of lengthen it. So I made a decision to change the way I celebrate. I decided to proclaim my birthday each year as an ‘ultimate self-care day.’
This means that on my birthday, I intentionally do things that enhance my health and well-being. I make sure that I exercise, even if it’s just a twenty-minute walk. I pay extra attention to eating in healthy ways and remind myself about having a piece fruit and drinking water.
Usually, I treat myself to a massage or a manicure. (Wow, has it really been a year since the last manicure?) I also make time for meditation, reading or other nurturing activities. And finally, I make sure that I play a few songs on my piano—an activity that I truly love.
Here’s the most heroic thing—I never eat cake or dessert on my birthday anymore. For me this is a symbolic way to remember my ultimate goal is taking good care of myself.
The best part of celebrating my birthday this way is that I usually feel great at the end of the day, instead of depressed about being another year older. By the way, next week I’ll include a brief report on how I do with these goals on my actual birthday.
A challenge for you
Right now, locate the day of your next birthday on your favorite calendar. On that day, write, “Ultimate self-care day.” Then print out this email and save it to remind yourself of what that means. And when your birthday arrives, make it part of your heroic plan for the year and celebrate the day by doing some amazing self-care. Who knows? It might even make you feel younger instead of a year older!
To read more about healthy birthdays and vacations, see pages 127-128 in Life is Hard, Food is Easy.
Copyright Linda Spangle, 2007. #108, Weight Loss for Life, Inc.
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