A Healthy New Year

Aloha everyone! Are you getting back into the swing of things at work? We started back to school on Wednesday the 6th and it was nice to have the kids for only 3 days to ease back in.

This week we had a PC day on Monday so it was a 4 day week, along with this coming week. Not so bad.

Along with the start of a new year comes those New Year Goals and resolutions. I didn't really have any specific goals for school this year, but I think it's important for me to focus on my personal life this year.

Teachers, mothers and women in general are very giving and generous by nature. When you are all three you tend to give a lot! This last year was pretty tough trying to balance out all I needed to do for work, my kids and myself. I seriously thought I could do it all and for the most part I did.

What happens is we tend to forget to take care of ourselves in the midst of taking care of everyone else. I am so guilty of this. I want to make sure everyone is happy and I say "Yes" even when I want to say "NO!"

In November and December I was stretched beyond my capacity, but I still did everything that I had promised to do for everyone. Let's just say I was completely exhausted and unhappy at the end of those months.

So here it is a new year and I have some positive and simple goals for ME.

I have so many ideas and things I want to do this year, but I have to plan it all out to make it work.

I have a simple daily planner that I am using to list everything I NEED to do and other things I might want to do.

I notice that when I plan too much sometimes I either stress myself out and do it all, or I just throw it all out the window. When I write it down, see it and prepare myself, it is so much easier to do. I leave all of my work at work and I have planned time for me to blog and work on products during certain times and days of the week.

This is the hardest one for me. I really do want to help everyone, but I have learned how taxing it is on me. It isn't just friends, it's my daughters too. I want them to be able to participate in all of their extra curricular activities like any good parent. My youngest wanted to try out for every musical production available and I learned very quickly that it is tons of time on me! I was driving to auditions, making costumes and spending hours waiting around for her to finish with dress rehearsals and regular rehearsals. I told her already that we are cutting back and she was fine with that. She still loves me and I'm sure will enjoy some much needed down time as well.

This is a huge one for me. I love working out and that is something I didn't do enough of this last year. I went for weeks without surfing because I was so busy!! Exercise is like an anti-depressant for me. I have always been able to find the time, but becoming single and the sole provider for my girls this year, my extra time disappeared. I may not be able to surf all the time, but I have been getting up early every morning and getting in a quick workout. Right now I am doing this 30 Day Challenge from Betty Rocker.

She is awesome and each workout is only 15 minutes! I love that I am getting in a little every day and if I have time to surf during the week or jog even better!

This is another biggie for me that I let slide, especially when I got busy. I am guilty of eating junk several times a week due to being busy and too lazy to want to cook. If I plan my meals and buy everything I need we do so well. It's when I don't that we end up eating junk. I don't have a weight problem, but clean eating makes me feel so much better. Since I did The Whole 30 this summer I have adopted more of a Paleo diet. I have kicked bread and dairy out, but I really need to balance out more fresh veggies and lean meats. The holidays really got me off track too and I am still working off those few extra pounds around my middle. That doesn't mean I am on a strict diet. I love eating out and plan to continue to do so with family and friends.

I think all of these are simple and doable for me. I am taking back what I really should have never let go.

I lost two dear friends this year to heart attacks. One was only 38 and the other just turned 50. Both were hard working moms and full time teachers trying to do it all. The statistics show that heart disease is the number one killer of women, more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.

I don't want another stressful year, but a happy and healthful one. Not only for me, but for my daughters, my family and all those little bodies in my classroom who expect me to be ready for anything every single day!