5 Healthy Habits

 I've struggled with body issues most of my life. Between pregnancies (eight of them) and menopause, my adult years have been a rollercoaster. Fortunately, after seven grueling years of hot flashes, I'm beginning to feel (somewhat) stable physically as well as emotionally. Here are the habits that have really helped me. (Maybe they'll help others, as well, although, I really think everyone should choose and embrace the habits that will work for them.) These are in no particular order because I think they're all critically important.

1. Sleep at least seven, if not eight hours, every night.

2. Drink 4 24 ounces of water every day. I try to drink one 24 ounce water bottle before 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm.

3. I can eat whatever I want, but I have to plug it into a calorie counter program. I try to eat at 7, 10, 1, 4, and 6:30. Ideally, each meal consists of 200 calories or fewer and has about 10 grams of protein. Dinner has a slightly higher calorie count of 400-500 calories. (I use My Fitness Pal, but there are lots out there. I like it because it has a pie chart showing my nutritional values.)

4. I spend at least 20 minutes outside every day. Typically, I walk 4-7 miles a day, which, of course, takes much longer than 20 minutes. But even if I can't, for some reason, exercise, I need time outside, even if I'm just sitting in a chair and staring at a tree. To be honest, this is more for my mental health than physical health.

5. Occasionally, I'll set a health goal and reward myself when I meet the goal. At the moment, I'm working toward a pair of gray alligator heels. A year ago, I went on the Optivia program. I absolutely loved it. I miss it, not the food, although some of that, and not the structure--because I can do that on my own, but I mostly miss the tremendous sense of accomplishment that came with the rapid weight loss. Thanks to Optivia, I lost the 25 pounds that came with menopause. And thanks to these habits, I'm healthier and happier than ever.