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Fall and Winter Wellness Goals
I used to love fall. The colorful landscape, the aromas of cinnamon and spice, the cool, crisp air.
But this year, fall feels a little different to me. We moved into our new house with the loftiest of goals – to garden on our new land, be more self-sufficient and sustainable, and eat the healthiest food we can while instilling a love of the earth and appreciation for all things homegrown. But, we’ve had nothing but problems since we moved in, and my beloved spring seems so far away. With my long commute to work, the impending winter seems insurmountable and I’m finding that I really just want to bury my head in a box of doughnuts.
But, for fear of emerging in the long-awaited spring actually looking like a doughnut (which I’m kind of starting to feel like already…) I’ve decided that we need to get creative, refocused, reinspired–and my husband is totally on board. We need to rededicate ourselves to a life of good health, and this is how we’re going to do it:
1. Focus more on a plant-based diet. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a million times over: veggie, veggie, veggie! It’s just easy to fall off the wagon after missing this year’s garden, living in limbo for months waiting to move, and then going another month without a fridge. 😡 I’m sad that we weren’t able to can this year’s crop, but until next year, we take advantage of what is fresh and abundant now! Pumpkins, kale, turnips, lots of bumpy, thick-skinned squash, beets, parsnips…all the good things fall and winter have to offer will remind me why the colder weather isn’t so bad after all. 🙂 (And why I adore recipes like this one…)
2. Prioritize mealtime. As a full-time career mom, blogger, and overall “take-on-too-much-stuff” kind of personality, I’m always overwhelmed and busy. But, studies show that families that make the time to sit down to a family meal on a regular basis benefit in tons of ways, from better communication to better behavior and grades in school. I may not pull it off every day, but the goal is 4 times a week. Homecooked, at home. It’s good for the body, but even better for your family bond.
3. Speaking of family bond, we’ve got to keep our eye on the prize for next year. 2012 will be our year. The year of the big garden. The year of canning and preserving. The year of really getting our son out in the soil, digging and planting and understanding where his food comes from, what it looks like from the earth, and how it helps him grow big and strong. So we’ll spend the next few months planning and getting the whole family hyped up. Being creative and cultivating ideas will keep us motivated and sharp for when it’s time to spring into action early next year!
4. Sleep. There’s really no need to elaborate here – sleep is vital to good health, and far too many of us get far too little of it. I need to change that, and you probably do, too!
5. Move! This one is a toughy. Having no time to exercise sounds like an excuse, but sometimes it really is a valid reason. But even so, it’s a problem that needs to be fixed. So, it’s time to send these sedentary past few weeks packing and get back to business. That sleep thing I mentioned? It goes hand in hand with exercise–the more you move, the more energy you have! Since I have a nearly-2-year-old, I plan to harness that unyielding energy for good instead of evil, and get him to move with me! Some days, that will mean running with the jog stroller. Others, it may simply mean a jump jivin’ silly dance party in the living room. But hey, what good is living out in the country if you can’t make a fool out of yourself with the window wide open? 😆
So there you have it. My top 5 goals for how I’m going to focus on family wellness over the coming months. How will you keep wellness top of mind in your household? I’d love to know!
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