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Every Journey Starts With One Small Step! Let's Take it Together!

Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life From the Middle of the Road!

I am very excited to be sharing a great new theme I am starting at a Moderate Life based on my blog premise, which as you all know is moderation and living life in the middle of the road for a well balanced lifestyle.

It is called Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life From the Middle of the Road, and this is something I have been dreaming about for a very long time!

Looking over the Cliff!

We are all so very busy, and the first thing that tends to go in our lives is taking good care of ourselves, because we are so dedicated to helping those we love. Then we usually create this big “transformation plan” and the minute we look over the “Cliff” of what we “should be doing to get where we want to go”, we feel overwhelmed and we simply sit down and don’t move.

Taking baby steps can be very positive because it gets you going in the right direction. Taking enough baby steps, like the turtle, gets you there eventually and its all about the journey and not the destination anyway!

These tips, or “life hacks”,  are to make people feel good that they are making a change, and successful when they integrate each one into their lives and it becomes a habit. We all have little things we have spliced into our daily lives that never leave us. WE might not be eating 100% organic, but we might be taking a 30 minute walk every day. WE might not be doing 3 days of weight training a week, but we are definitely drinking 10 glasses of pure water. Sharing these healthy tips with people in a focused environment will show all the different ways you can add to your health and well being and overall lifestyle in tiny but positive ways.

Getting Ourselves OFF the Back Burner!!

Each day, most of us get up, and without even realizing it, we immediately think about people, animals, places and activities that are not related to ourselves. We literally put ourselves “on hold” until the needs of others are met. It’s ok, you were trained to be that way from the get go, and that is all very well and good if you have figured out a way to make time for the most important person in your life, which is YOU!

Most of us do not make adequate time for ourselves and our mind, body and soul suffer because of it. Your soul knows you are the most important thing to YOU, your body needs certain things to thrive and your mind wants to accomplish tasks that make it feel important. If we put all that on the back burner for a few days, that would be OK, but most of us have been putting it on the back burner for years.  Eventually, this makes you feel overwhelmed, unimportant, uncared for and unloved because you have been ignoring YOU. It is time to change direction and start taking baby steps to putting yourself first in all areas of your life!

Years ago, when I was first a new mother, I was speaking to a priest about the struggles I was encountering and he told me the story of his mother, who had eleven children. When she was overwhelmed, she would simply get up and lock herself in the bathroom. Her children learned from experience that when Mom was in the bathroom with the door locked, you did not disturb her. He concluded with saying that you simply cannot pour any more milk out of a pitcher unless you stop to fill it up again.

We are here to fill ourselves up again. We are here to make the choice to add in a little time during the day specifically for ourselves in an effort to “fill up that lovely pitcher of life that is YOU!”

Your Five a Day for You!

So, I ask you to join me here each week  for five tiny steps or life hacks to think about that can make your life better in ALL areas. It is all connected after all isn’t it? If you can make a small step in the right direction with organizing, you might have more time for a small step in the right direction for health!

Each Wednesday I will be sharing short tips for better health, more happiness, organization, scheduling, routines, harmony, peace, contentment, cooking, finances, personal care and family life (really any positive aspect of life!). I will also be joined by many other wonderful bloggers who have great information to share with you as well! These “mini-guest posters” are all such wonderful inspirational bloggers and I hope you visit them on their home sites to get more of the good stuff they will be talking about!

Each tip is doable, based on positive action with cumulative effects applying consistent but minimal effort. In other words, it will take you very little time to do this thing but if you do it a lot, you will reap great benefits. Conversely, not doing it is not gonna slip you back into a rut.

We have all heard that repeating an action 30 times makes it a habit, but how many times have you incorporated BIG habits into your life only to have them fall away when life gets tough? I know that it is the little things that stay with you, and if you add up all those little things they can turn into big things!

You are also going to feel much better about yourself when you “check off” any of the five little things you do for yourself a day, if you make the commitment to put yourself FIRST. Yes, I mean that. Setting aside time to do five small things for yourself every day and making that a priority will turn your thinking around and make you a happier person because YOU will feel the love you are giving yourself. When you feel that love, all other things seem to be better! We will be sharing many things over time and you will have plenty of different things to choose from that will help you take baby steps to a rockin’ life!

Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life

Without further delay, here are the five Baby Steps for this week! Remember, these baby steps can be in ANY area of your life, but doing them will leave you with more time for YOU, and that means, filling that time with FUN stuff you want to do instead of piling on more things for others. We want you to have more time for yourself to do the things you love like crafting, cooking, blogging, dancing, painting, you get my drift! These are the very things that add quality to your life and make it more Rockin’!

Glad you could stop on by!

Take a deep breath:

This Baby Step comes from me! Did you know that most of us breathe in such a way that we are not getting the maximum amount of oxygen into our body? When born, we all breathe with our belly, dropping the diaphragm and filling the lungs more fully, but as we age, most humans seem to switch to a more shallow chest based breathing where they lift the ribcage to get air in. Tidal breathing simply exchanges the top air in your lungs and will keep your body functioning, but getting more oxygen into your body can help it to perform at a higher level. Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor whenever you think about it and put your hands on your stomach. When you breathe in imagine an elevator going down and feel your stomach expand as air rushes into your lungs, which should take about 4 counts. When the elevator is at the bottom, pause for a 2 counts and then send the elevator back up again, exhaling and feel your stomach contract as the air rushes out, which should take 5 counts. Repeat for a few breath cycles, adjusting the counts to fit your body’s own rhythms.  Remember to go slowly and pause after each cycle in order for your body to adjust to the increased oxygen. This will relieve stress, revitalize you and provide plenty of oxygen for body functions, all of which will put you on the road to a more rockin’ life!

Use the 2-minute rule:

This Baby Step Comes from Dr. Laura at Who Is Laura?! The 2-minute rule states that anything that can be done in less than 2 minutes should be done immediately. For example, if you get a dental appointment reminder card in the mail, instead of putting it in a pile to call later, make the call right away (because it would take you less than 2 minutes to do), then note the appointment on your calendar, and throw away the reminder card. Almost 90% of the activities that we procrastinate on can be done in under 2 minutes. When you incorporate the 2-minute rule into your daily life, you will get more done in less time. For more on the Two Minute Rule visit Dr. Laura’s Site, Who Is Laura.

Top Tips for Stress Free Cooking!

This lovely list of Baby Steps comes from Ruth Daniels of Once Upon a Feast! We all look at fantastic recipes in magazines, books, online and somehow, we get in over our heads. The counters are crowded with ingredients in varying states of readiness. Somehow, we’ve forgotten the order of things and or even… Heaven forbid… an actual ingredient until it’s late in the process. Now we’re sweating, dropping things, seeming to run on a treadmill going nowhere.

So with that in mind, here’s a way to start 2011 a little less stressful in the kitchen

1. If you’re choosing one new and complex dish to cook, let the rest of the meal be simple, and easy to put together;

2. Read the recipes. I mean *REALLY *read it. More often than I care to think about, I’ve started dinner with nowhere near the time required, and missed the “marinate overnight in the fridge”;

3. Check the ingredient list carefully, making sure you have everything you need – or at least a substitute;

4. Professional chefs call it “mise en place” which roughly translates to “get everything ready before you start cooking” . That means, peel, and cut the vegetables, meat, etc as the recipe directs;

5. Line baking sheets with foil for easy cleanup. No one enjoys scrubbing pans and ovens;

6. Plan your cooking and baking so that everything is ready at the same time. That means, start backwards from the time you’re going to eat. If dinner is at 7, and something takes 1 hour and something else takes 15 minutes, start with the one that takes the longest and fit the rest of the cooking as appropriate;

7. If you’re baking make sure the butter and eggs are either very cold or at room temperature – depending on the recipe;

8. Clean up as you go, or your kitchen may look  like it’s been hit by a tornado! After all that wonderful work and a delicious meal,  it’s so nice to have everything done.

Please visit Ruth at Once Upon a Feast for more great stuff!

Tweeking Your Eating!

These baby steps come from Roz of La Bella Vita! I can simply begin a healthier approach to life with incorporating baby steps into my daily diet.  Many of you know that I drive an hour and a half every morning to work.  Halfway during my drive, I often (not always) stop for a sausage and cheese biscuit.  I’m going to now pray fervently while I drive by the fast-food restaurant that teases and taunts my will power!  And I am going to drive on by!  A baby step that’s doable!  Secondly, I love my job (which is a good thing), but I get so focused that I skip a mid-morning snack and lunch . . . so I eat at 3:00 which at that point, I am ravished . . . so I pick up something unhealthy and in a hurry.  So I’m going to pack healthy lunches, which I’ll share all of the recipes and photos, plus a snack so that I can eat more mini-meals and graze throughout the workday and so doing will keep my metabolism plugging along!  That’s my second baby step to accomplish. You can see more on What’s Doable Right Now at Roz’s wonderful website La Bella Vita!

Menu Planning Made Easy!

These Baby Steps come from Kristi of the Veggie Converter!  Setting themes for each day you menu plan makes menu planning easy and fun (and encourages you to stick with it). Here’s what I try to go by each week, and the best part is, I don’t have to stick with the themes, I can change them up whenever I want to suit my family’s needs. On Mondays, I follow along with the Meatless Monday movement. But, since I’m already meatless every day, I do Vegan Mondays! On Tuesdays, I do Taco Tuesday and stick to a Mexican theme. Wednesdays are Asian dishes. And here’s my inner genius coming out. On Thursdays, I do Leftover Frankenstein Casserole Day. That day allows me to clean out my fridge. I always make too much food every week (especially with my yearly challenge to do a new vegetarian recipe each day). So, I make up a Leftovers Casserole on Thursdays. It lets me be creative AND save on food expenses by not throwing away that leftover food! Fridays I usually try for Italian, while Saturday is my freestyle, chef’s choice day. On Sunday, I do “Sunday Brunch,” by preparing breakfast or brunch for dinner. I truly enjoy meal planning, but sometimes life just gets in the way. This simple formula helps me have fun and stick to it. If I can’t think of something to make for that day of the week, I google the theme of the day or search my favorite blogs’ tags for those meal-types. See more of Kristi’s great meal planning and vegetarian ideas by visiting the Veggie Converter!

So, you see, these are all positive and to the point, giving the benefits you will gain immediately from using these techniques, which you can employ whenever you want!

Please visit again next week for more Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life and good luck doing your five a day for you!

These Baby Steps come from many different wonderful bloggers all over the map who have various expertise and insight so we can hit a wide variety of topics. If you want to participate, please check out the Baby Steps to a Rockin’ Life Guidelines, because the more the merrier! This article is a part of Eat, Live, Be,  Nourishing Resolutions,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tidbits,  Real Food Deals,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,  Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays,  Real Food Wednesdays, Tip Day Thursdays, Fight Back Fridays, Momtrends Friday food, I’m Lovin’ It and Fresh Clean and Pure Fridays ! Now Get to Rockin’!

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