The Best Things: Part I

There's one thing I know to be true and that is: if you want to be happy, you, and only you, have the power to make that happen.
I hear some of you saying right now, "Well, not exactly." I'm holding up my hand to all you naysayers! True, I'm an optimist, someone who (annoyingly to some) finds the good in most everything. I can say no easily. I recognize my limits and most importantly, I know what fulfills me. So with all that smugness behind me, I'm letting you know that to achieve happiness, you first have to experience unhappiness, or in my case, restlessness.
So, in the essence of pure self-indulgence...I'm offering a few posts on the best things I did for myself this year....

Number one on my dissatisfaction list was: Losing a Healthful Mindset.

Problem: Last year, at this exact time, I weighed my heaviest. I don't have weight problems, but my caloric indulgences went way over the top. I noticed my pants no longer fit and my knees were developing some issues. On top of that, my generally fit husband had elevated cholesterol levels for the first time in his life. Something was wrong.

Solution: So after watching Bob Greene on Oprah one day, I signed up for his Best Life Diet. Okay, I'm not a fan of diets, but rather subscribe to the mantra that everything is fine in moderation. Having read his book of the same name, I knew of Bob's healthful mindset and so subscribing to his tactics was natural for me. His meal plan, all of which you make yourself (recipes provide) is not one of deprivation, but of elimination. Remove white bread from your diet and replace with whole grain--that type of thing. As you get use to one thing, he takes you a little farther. It's a great education in nutrition. If you don't lose a single pound (which is impossible if you follow his advice) this knowledge alone will improve your life.
But food is only one part.
Exercising is a major part of a healthful lifestyle and this is where The Best Life Diet challenged me most. I'd been spending far too much time with BIC (writer's know this acronym well) and not enough time in the great outdoors. So, with an online record keeping journal, I methodically began to add exercising into my life again.

Results: I lost ten stubborn pounds in three months and have kept it off. I feel very satisfied with my weight, even better with my fitness. I have more energy, my husband lost 15 pounds, and my kids are eating healthier than ever before (even though my fifteen year old claims that I'm starving him to death).
I encourage you to explore Bob Greene's philosophy if you ever wanted to improve your overall well being.

So that's enough for one post. I know the Oprah Show has a show devoted to Bob Greene next week and I encourage you to watch. He is really the most sensible voice in developing and maintaining a healthful mindset.