beauty home

We've gotten into ruts. Habits. Comfort, TV, and bunny slippers. And it's got to stop. There is no weight-loss with junk food in our pantries. There is no career-building time with long queues of movie rentals.
Being energetic, strong, well-rounded, beautiful, and mentally sharp is a lifestyle we can all have right now.
Are you ready for a new life? Here's how we do it:
1) We eat more fruits, veggies, and soy. We cut way back on meat of any kind, including fish. For most of us, this is the most radical change we will make.
2) We prohibit junk food of any kind, type, or shape, to enter our homes. No sodas, no chips, no frozen snack-type things. It's not just for ourselves that we do this, it's for our children. No child should be allowed to wander into the pantry and just start munching away at cupcakes. Adults must not stock freezers with ice cream, frozen pizza bits, or overly salted and chemicalized prepared meals. The fridge needs to be cola-free at all times.
3) We stock our homes with fruit juices, interesting teas, and healthy snacks. You can find healthy snack recipes anywhere, but a cold fresh veggie tray with a health-food store dip is a good place to start. And by the way, fresh carrots are actually sweet! Children usually love them. Keep ingredients for wholesome meals always on hand. This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of time cooking. But it does take planning. Egg dishes, wok meals, whole wheat spaghetti-based dinners, are all good start-up ideas.
4) We give up cocktail hour. A glass of wine with dinner once in a while is not a problem. A glass of wine every night is. You must set your own limits, but most of us need to make radical cut-backs in the amount of alcohol we drink. And guys, don't forget - beer is alcohol, too. Keep alcohol out of the house. If you're going to have company over, buy just the wine for that occasion. Usually if it's in the house, we'll eat it or drink it. Alcohol is a natural depressant. It also slows our mental processes down.
5) We initiate - and stick to - family-based exercise. Yes, the kids have to workout too. American children are at risk for obesity, and changing to a radical lifestyle of daily exercise for everyone, is one way to keep yourself and your kids in shape. The gym can be expensive for an entire family, so you might opt for walks or bike rides in the evenings, dance lessons after school, or a family sport such as ice skating or baseball.
If you're single and don't have the momentum of other people behind you, you must still exercise every day. Going for a walk is easy, takes little motivation, and is actually pleasant. Just remember, this is it. We can't put it off any longer. Radical changes must be radically adhered to.
6) If we don't already have a hobby or an activity that relaxes our bodies and minds, now's the time to get one. Teach the children to relax with their hobbies instead of zoning out in front of the computer or TV. We need to put some muscle into our parenting. Remember, you're the boss of the children. You're not their servant, housekeeper, or friend. Your job is to teach them skills for successful living. Reading is always a good hobby, as is gardening, scrapbooking, sports, music, dance, writing. There are so many awesome activities that we're all missing out on. Radical change: take advantage of the good fortune with which we are blessed, rather than vegetablizing in front of electronic games.
Radical Compassion Makes You Beautiful, Too!
7) We learn to react to situations with love, compassion, and understanding. We can always get mad or go to war later, when we understand intellectually what must be done. But (aside from being suddenly attacked on the street at night) our new radical lifestyle requires us to practice compassion.
How does radical compassion translate into daily living? A million ways, from tiny to huge.
Tiny: Someone cuts in front of you while driving. Instead of feeling your blood pressure rise, cursing out loud (often in front of the kids), or honking, we simply slow down to allow them in, take a deep breath, understand that they are wrong to do that, but we are right to drive safely anyway, and perhaps imagine them (if we're still riled up) saving a lost puppy in the rain.