Raise your hand if you've heard me say this before

I have started and deleted this opening sentence several times. I started with, "I am not happy with myself," but I know that's not true because I actually AM happy with myself. So then I went to, "I am not happy with my life," but that's not really true, either. I mean, there are certainly areas of my life I'd like to change but I'm pretty happy with it on the whole. What I'm trying to express, I've decided, is that I'm not happy with the unhealthiness of my current lifestyle...the lack of exercise, abundance of fast food, lack of fruits or vegetables, and no integration of natural movement into my daily activities.

I am no longer the naive girl who started this blog a few (7-1/2) years ago. That girl believed that diet and exercise were the way to happiness. The ONLY way, to be very precise. But then, she also believed that you should only pay attention to your appearance - dressing nicely, wearing makeup, getting regular hair cuts, etc - when you are either thin or on your way to getting there. (Poor, misguided girl!) What I now know is that happiness and the way my body looks and feels do not have to be conjoined. It's true that I feel better - literally feel - when I don't eat crap, don't eat too much, and get 30-45 minutes of exercise most days of the week, but that's a physical thing and doesn't necessarily have to affect my perception of being happy (or not). I've learned that I can be miserable and still eating and moving properly just as surely as I can be happy while ordering most of my meals from a drive-through and not getting enough exercise.

But still, I feel the too-familiar yearning to get better with my exercise and eating...to stop the craziness. I want to live more simply. I want to go through the crap in the garage (finally!) and throw it all away. I want to get rid of the clothes in the closet that make me feel like my grandma when I put them on. I want not to have 30 pairs of shoes but only wear four of them with any regularity. And I'm pretty sure that the simpler life is a healthier life, and that movement in one area (de-cluttering) might help create movement in another (eating and exercise). It's at least worth a shot, right?

What would a good first step toward this goal look like? Perhaps I take the kitchen timer into the garage this weekend, set it for 15 minutes, and go at a corner of the garage? I think I like that idea...let's do it. Any other suggestions for how to start pruning away extra crap from your life - share in the comments, please.

Comments

missy said…
Check out FLY Lady. flylady.net, I think? She gives some great, great tips on how to start conquering clutter. They send out ridiculous amounts of email, which I hated, so I bought the book at the bookstore instead.
gingersnapper said…
Check 'Drea's blog, she's been decluttering recently. I'm a natural declutterer, I can't stand having a bunch of crap around, so I don't have any suggestions!
Unknown said…
When I moved in September I needed to get rid of quite a lot of stuff, mostly what had been hibernating in the attic. The new apartment wasn't big enough for everything, so one night my good friend Michelle came over with a box of garbage bags and we cleaned house. 10 full bags went to donation sites and 6 to the trash. It helps to have someone help you, someone who can say to you "Now really, do you NEED that shirt from 1987 that hasn't seen the light of day since George H. Bush was in office?"

Good luck and it sounds to me like you're off to a great start just by deciding to take the plunge.
MargyB said…
Watch some episodes of Hoarders. It's amazing how much purging I can do after that!
MargyB said…
Watch some episodes of Hoarders! It's amazing how much purging I can do after that.
Just discovered your blogand was inspired to write as soon as I read this post.

I started my own weight loss blog 6 years ago myself, and I know I've
done a lot of growing up since 2004.

Your posts already resonate with me to the point that I have had the
same thoughts/suspicions about my own struggle. Through a lot of
cognitive behavioral therapy (self-administered) AND accepting the
fact that I will have some terrible days managing whatever mental
disturbance I have, I can relate to where you are in life.

I now will spend the next couple of weeks catching up on the last 7.5
years of your posts. :D Thank you for putting your story out there,
one post at a time.

Lori
loricious.steelbuddha.net

P.S. found you through Jessiferseabs/seejessicarun.com

Popular Posts