A healthier we!

Charlie and I (and Lydia, I suppose) have begun the journey of becoming, well, healthier. We're doing this in a number of ways in our house, each taking its own sweet time in becoming part of our daily life:

• Remembering to take our meds/vitamins daily
• Replacing cheap, processed food with just-as-cheap homemade
• Drinking more water and tea, less juice and milk
• Simplifying life by donating our time and possessions
• Getting organized--our wall calendar is getting some respect!
• Keeping the house neat and clean. No more Mount Chapman of laundry.
• Increasing the variety of fruits and veggies in our food (we're bread and cheese people)
• Spending more thriftily and making fewer impulse/non-essential purchases
• Giving back when we can, helping out and spending time with our friends and neighbors
• Treating our relationship with the devotion and reverence it needs to be strong

And Lydia is getting healthier and bigger every day by smiling, blowing spit bubbles, and gaining good weight.

I thought that all of this would be easier to implement in a short amount of time. From my perspective, I am a master at juggling a million things at once. So why is it so hard to lose weight, breastfeed, keep up the house, be mindful of our health and wellness and take on other projects? I didn't even mention exercise in there, because I haven't even made time for it yet!

There are many directions that I'd like to see our lives go, but first and foremost we need to stay strong and healthy in all things, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Each of those items I listed is years of work in itself; trying to tackle all of them at once hasn't been easy. But every time I look at Lydia, I feel a pang in my heart telling me that my work to become a better person (and Charlie's, too) will not be in vain. We both desperately want to be incredible role models for her in health and love; in the almost-four months that she's been alive, I think we've done a pretty good job of it.

I know that New Year's resolutions are clap-trappy and cliche`, but there is something so appealing about starting anew on the date of 1/1/11! It was a day for winners, and I became inspired as I thought about the changes we'd seen in ourselves last year. Part of being in a healthy relationship, and in a healthy community, is wanting the best for each other and serving as a catalyst for that betterment to happen. I always hope that I push Charlie to be his best the way he pushes me in the pursuit of mine.

Like I said, we've been doing pretty good at it. Yesterday's lunch, at one point in our lives, could very well have been cheeseburgers for the both of us with baked fries and a glass of milk. But having this new healthy hair up my ass, I made lemon/thyme broiled tilapia, brown rice and steamed veggies, all with a big glass of water. And supper held a very-veggie marinara over whole wheat penne.

I wish we could divert more of our income to organic foods and products. I buy organic baby products like shampoo, lotion and other sundries for Lydia; we use them so carefully that it's worth it to me to do that for her. I would love to be able to afford all organics for Charlie and me, because I know it's best for our bodies and minds (and Lydia's). I have been impressed with the rise in organics provided at our local grocer, not to mention the HUGE natural/organics section at Hy-Vee these days!

What are your goals and ideas for a healthier lifestyle this year? Or what have you implemented in your lives in the past that are still really working for you and making you feel good and healthy?