Happy gardening!

As I welcomed spring this April, I can almost feel my soul awakening to spring back into life after hibernating in the cold winter months.

Questions I ask myself every morning

• “Where am I going to see new life today?”

• “What are the life-giving changes I am going to implement for today?”

• “What specific vegetables am I going to eat to make my eating plan look a little greener this spring?”

• “How am I going to fit in all the nutrients into my daily diet?”

• “When will I go to the grocery store with enough time to make healthy choices instead of grabbing the processed, conveniently packaged selections?”

When I ask these “Where, What, When, and How” questions, they refocus my mind on my goals. However, none of these questions is as important as my “Why”.

Why am I doing 

this in the first place?

For each of us, our “Why” may look a little different but it’s essential to write it down and put it in a place where we can see it. There are days when I forget why I’m doing this; the tough days when I come home so exhausted that all I can do is take off my shoes and put my feet up. The days where the outside world piles one disappointment on top of another I forget my “Why” and just want to cry! These are the days when I am so depleted emotionally and physically that all the plans I had for a healthy lifestyle fly out the window.

When things are going according to plan, I have nothing to worry about. It’s those other days that turn my plans upside down, that get me into trouble. Keeping the “Why” in a place where I can see it, helps empower and remind my forgetful self. The strength of this “Why” varies depending on how weighty I make it.

If my ‘Why’ is…

If my ‘Why’ is to lose weight quickly because I have yet another event that I must look good for, then I caution myself that this short-term goal is going to sabotage me shortly after the event is over. The quicker I lose weight with fad diets, the more I will pile it back on, causing that yoyo effect, which is more detrimental to my health than just staying at my current weight.

If my “Why” is to look good for others, then I fail myself miserably as I starve my soul from the peace that comes from living for something even bigger than other people. 

If my “Why” is that I want to be healthier so I can have the energy to run after the kids and to live longer so I can see my grandchildren one day, that’s a “Why” worth living for. 

If my “Why” is that I want to cut my cancer risks or my risk for diabetes so that I have less chance of getting sick, then that’s a “Why” that is weighty enough to anchor my plans. The stronger the anchor, the better chance I’ll have to ground myself instead of drifting away in the sea of denial, doubt and failure. 

Sharing my ‘Why’

I may put up my list of “Whys” on the fridge and share them with my close friends and family so they can help encourage me and hold me accountable. My family is now less likely to bring junk food to the house. My friends have stopped offering me chocolate or cake when I visit them because now they know my “Why”. For those who insist on pushing these foods at me, I begin to wonder if they’re really my friends in the first place. Good friends don’t sabotage their buddies; they help empower them.

Seeds of health

This month of April, let us each take a deep breath as we drink up the new season and experience the renewal that our bodies desperately need. I am bringing fresh ideas and fresh foods and I am processing through my feelings and emotions, instead of grabbing processed food to shut those negatives emotions out.

These are the life-giving ways that we can plant in our gardens as seeds that will grow. What we focus on grows. By focusing on these positive goals, we will ensure and increase our chances to thrive as healthier individuals and be less desperate as dieters.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine