Thursday, December 30, 2010

Eleven things for 2011 - health improvement

 Eleven is my favorite number. I love the number 11. And now it is nearly the year 2011.  I'm planning to celebrate the number eleven all year and culminate it with a party on 11-11-11 featuring the number eleven.

So I was thinking about how to incorporate my love of the number eleven into my annual weight loss efforts and came up with eleven things I can do to improve my health. 

1.  Be asleep before 11:00 each evening, even on the weekends.  Not just in bed, but asleep. I get up at 6 a.m. so I need to be asleep by 11 to get enough rest.

2.  Plan eleven meals each week As in on purpose, on paper - and bowls of oatmeal for breakfast don't count! Dinners, lunches, and breakfast that's more than just a bowl of cereal. There are 21 meal times in a week.

3.  Move on purpose for eleven minutes each day. This is mostly for during the work days when I sit at a desk all day and really do need to move more than I do.

4.  Spend eleven minutes just being quiet. By myself.  Letting my thoughts run free.

5.  Try eleven new foods this year.  Seasonal fruits and vegetables are a good source!

6.  Spend eleven minutes outside each day.  This can be combined with #4 but would be better combined with activity.
 
7.  Read eleven weight-loss-related articles each month. WW online is a good place to start!

8.  Adapt the FlyLady's 15-minute attack plan to an 11-minute attack plan to keep my environment clean and organized. Less clutter and disorganization (and dust) will help my sanity and my sinuses. This can be at home or work.  After all, I spend 9 hours at the office each day.

9.  Send eleven notes of encouragement to others each month.  When you are thinking of others, you find that things often improve for yourself.

10. Drink no more than equivalent of eleven (12 oz.) Diet Cokes (or other soda) each week. This will be a challenge but I know that they offer absolutely no nutritional value or health benefit.  This will actually save me money, too!

11. Post to my Blog eleven times a month. I find when I get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper (or screen) that it frees my mind of worries and such so it can work on other things - like building my commitment to improving my health and letting my body do it's job.

So there it is.  Eleven things for 2011 directly related to improving my health and weight loss efforts.