Newest Enterprise

I've finally decided to reform and start being healthy. I've decided it's a must if I want Operation Live-to-113 to go as planned.
Mostly to order my own thoughts, I'm making a list of the things I've started doing to increase my chances of giving those Okinawa residents a run for their money:

Walking. I started walking. Actually I flippantly told my mom I would walk with her and she started waking me up at dreadful hours to do it. I would go back to sleep, but I have this obsession with the idea that I might miss something exciting, so I get up and go anyways. Even though sometimes I think my health would be better with a little more sleep. But it's actually a cheerful start to the day...as long as I guzzle water and bolt coffee as soon as we get home.

Drinking Water. This makes a big difference. I'm using the notorious Simply Orange bottle, and drinking one full of water every day, sometimes a little more. (I know, it's disturbing...the next thing you know I'll be wearing Earth Shoes, bamboo clothing, and going without deodorant). It's amazing how much better you feel when you're hydrated! I can tell a difference in my skin after only a week or two, and I feel less tired, have less headaches and body aches, and I actually noticed a difference in my vision, which had started getting unreliable and blurry whenever I had spells of exhaustion. Yes, I was having exhausted spells, and since I don't do anything that merits this reaction I decided that was ample incentive to make a change in my diet and habits.

Daily Vitamins. Yes, I've started taking pills...but these are earthy ones, Beeyoutiful's SuperMom multivitamins. They're almost as zippy as a cup of coffee. Once you get into a regular groove of taking them every morning, going without is like an addict going cold turkey. Essentially, the rest of the day is a wreck and you feel groggy and uncomfortable. But this is such a good addiction! While they don't make me feel quite super enough to be a mom (I'd need a lot more energy) they supply almost enough vigor to make me think about cutting back on my coffee intake! Which I'd never actually do, but it just goes to show how amazing they are.

Drink Milk. I've started trying to drink one glass of milk a day. I don't know why I don't, especially since milk is pretty available in this household. It's just such a pain...I have to get out a glass, get out the milk, pour it, put the lid back on, put it in the fridge, drink the milk before it gets slightly lukewarm...what a nightmare. However, after thinking logically about this I decided I just need to buck up and drink that calcium!

And now, some things I'm going to do...

I'd like to start taking some herbs, particularly milk thistle, for my liver. For about six months to a year I took Advil or Ibuprofen pretty much every day, and sometimes as many as eight or nine at a time. I've now decided that was completely self-destructive and my poor liver needs a little loving care and cleansing. So I've decided to take some steps to fix the problem I have probably created, because I'm not going to live to be one hundred and thirteen if I go into liver failure before age thirty.
I plan to start making my own face scrub again, with honey and oatmeal...right now I'm using the classic stand by, St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, but sometimes I just feel the chemicals fry out the face a little, and I can't use it in the summer. Being out in the sun, on top of the harsh face wash, is just too much. Also, last summer I started using a little olive oil instead of store-bought moisturizer, and had wonderful results. It wasn't heavy at all, and after looking at the baffling ingredients of most lotions, olive oil seemed so blissfully simple! But it became too heavy in the winter, when I'm mostly indoors. Also, I was warned to beware of sun exposure, but it seemed to me that as long as the oil had a little time to dry and absorb before I went outdoors, it didn't make much of a difference. Speaking of...
I'm going to try and resist the urge to tan this summer, while still getting enough vitamin D, which is something I know I'm deficient in right now. I can definitely feel the difference when I don't get enough. However, I don't want to die of skin cancer. And also, I really don't want to have skin fit to make a leather jacket out of by the time I'm forty-five.
Go to bed on time! I've found myself staying up (inadvertently) until at least midnight for months now. I'm going to try and back my bedtime up to around 10:30...starting tomorrow, since it's 11:13 right now. ;-D
Get in some calcium and magnesium, since another goal of mine is to build bone density so that I don't break my femur every time I trip over myself when I'm an old lady. And if I don't grow any more graceful between now and then--which honestly, I probably won't--I'd probably just be confined to my bed. Because I'm clumsy. So I want bones that can withstand brutally careless treatment.
Eating regular greens! Especially dandelion. I never eat enough greens, since if I had my choice my diet would consist of meat, meat, meat wrapped in meat, coffee, water, meat, desserts, chocolate, more coffee, and oranges. Yes. I definitely need some renovation in that area.

While I have plenty of other ideas, I've decided I should focus on those things for now. My mother has always been extremely health-oriented, but at this point it's up to me whether I want to go along with that. And since I'd sort of fallen off the granola boat lately, I've decided to even make that ultimate sacrifice and perhaps even pass up the sugary, ultra-refined glory of General Mills for a healthier start to my day. Some all-natural breakfast matter; I'm not exactly sure what yet.
Hopefully I'll know by tomorrow morning.