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This is all overkill, and I developed this routine over an extended period of time. Pick and choose as you will.
1. I get 30 minutes or more of exercise 3-5 times a week. (The goal is 5, but during busy weeks 3 is 'good enough.') Find something you like to do -- yoga, running, swimming, walking, aerobics. If you can get a partner, that's better.
2. I'm in AA, so 1 meeting a week is required. More is good, but 1 is absolutely necessary.
3. I save 15% of my salary in my 401(k) for retirement. If it goes in the account before I get paid, I don't miss it so much.
4. I keep a "prudent reserve" equal to three months expenses in a savings account. I keep a monthly budget and draw up an annual budget and a 5 year plan. I revisit those plans in January and July to make sure they're still working and revise them if I need to.
5. Sex is good. It keeps me connected to my husband. 1-2 times a week is the goal. It doesn't have to be a full scale production. "Bread and butter" married sex is also helpful. (If that's TMI, sorry.)
6. I limit fast food runs to 1-2 times a week, and try to pick the least calorie laden as I go. A Happy Meal at McDonalds with a cheeseburger, apple dippers, and a diet coke is less than 400 calories and is less than $4.
7. I eat one "sit down" meal with my kids a day. It's usually breakfast, not dinner, because of our schedules, but we eat together.
8. I take my kids to the park or pool or playground once a week.
9. I schedule my check-ups around my birthday. It helps me remember to do it. So, in April, I get an eye exam (I'm horribly near-sighted), my annual well woman exam at the OB-GYN, and visit the dentist.
10. I clean my house on Sunday morning -- bathrooms, kitchen, vacuuming, finish the laundry, change all the sheets, everything.
11. I do a load of laundry every morning. If I do this, there's no so much to do on the weekend.
12. I run the dishwasher every night and clean the sink. My husband runs the dishes in the morning. They don't stack up this way.
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