Why It’s Crucial to Keep Your Eyes on the Road
This morning in the carpool lane, I drove past a motorcycle cop who was hanging out between the center dividers watching the carpoolers coming in the opposite direction. He was checking to see if they really had a passenger with them. As I passed the cop, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided to do my own “policing” and while driving, started to watch each car pass me in the carpool lane going the other way to see if they had a passenger. Before the fifth or so car passed me (they all had passengers, by the way), I heard my car driving over the reflector bumps on the highway (hey, I know you’ve done it too!). It quickly got my attention, so I grabbed tightly onto the steering wheel, realigned my car back into my lane, and exhaled in relief.
This small incident got my attention and reminded me that in life, if something doesn’t get our attention and make us quickly grab the steering wheel to our lives to realign if needed, we can, and probably will, end up in a direction we never intended to go in the first place.
We’ve all seen a goofy comedy movie like “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” where the driver (John Candy in this case) gets distracted while driving and finds himself veering onto a different freeway and eventually ends up in a completely different state than anticipated.
All it takes is taking our eye off the “road of life” for just a few moments before something gets our attention and pulls us back where we need to go.
If YOU need some “course-correction,” what better time do to it than half way through the year? Yes, we’re half way through 2015 and it’s a GREAT time to evaluate where you are. Maybe your health and quality of life have never been better. On the other hand, maybe you need a little wake-up call that will get you back on the “road” you wish to go.
As you know, I help women in midlife improve their Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise habits. When I do a live workshop or webinar, I make sure that I let the ladies know what a healthy life looks like, that is, what optimal Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise habits are.
In case you don’t know (or need a refresher), here’s what’s optimal if you want to live your healthiest life:
Sleep – 7.5–8.5 hours of sleep per night
Food – Healthy, whole foods in an appropriate quantity
Mood – Carry around little stress
Exercise – Exercise on a regular basis
| Rate yourself: | Excellent | Good | Average | Poor |
| SLEEP | ||||
| FOOD | ||||
| MOOD | ||||
| EXERCISE |
So, how are you doing? Are you on course? If so, CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the great work!
If you’re not where you want to be, it’s okay. Be gentle with yourself. Like I said, it’s easy to veer off in the wrong direction if we’re not occasionally course-correcting. My hope is that today I got to be your “reflector bumps” so to speak, that can get you back on track to living the life you want to live with the health you want to have in midlife.
If you’re really serious about getting back on track with your health habits, I’d like to invite you to my next ReINVENT Your Health 6-week online course starting July 17th. You’ll get everything you need to begin to improve your Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise habits. If you choose to join, and after the experiencing the first week you decide it’s not for you, I’ll give you a 100% refund, no questions asked. You have nothing to lose, so why not give it a try? At least read more about it and see if it’s right for you.
Learn more and register for ReINVENT Your Health HERE.
Wishing you joyful health in your 50’s,
Kim
There is so much out there in the media and eating and exercising but not as much about why the need to get enough sleep. I learned that not enough sleep can be a major contributor to the inability to actually lose weight, even if someone is eating right. I think this was a big factor for me for decades. And it became a vicious cycle. I would eat right, not get enough sleep and then not lose weight. And then I would eat wrong to console myself. And then I would find the discipline to eat right but still not sleep enough and then not lose any weight. So glad you include this crutial element in good health!
You’re absolutely right, Heidi, however, more people are speaking out on the importance of sleep, especially in this American society that praises those who can “push through” their week with little sleep. We’ve seen this for a long time, but now people are starting to recognize it. It’s true that Sleep, Food, Mood, and Exercise are ALL connected. In fact, if you’re interested in this stuff, I have a few webinars coming up where I talk about these areas in more detail: https://www.transformationwellnessforwomen.com/webinar/
Thanks for your comments, Heidi! And thank you for acknowledging my well-rounded approach to health 🙂
When we take our eye off the ball, all heck breaks loose! You tend to not concentrate on all of the things you want to like proper sleep, getting enough exercise and eating healthy! I am so glad I am taking your course!
You’re right on, Suzanne! It’s so easy to stray off course and it’s so subtle when we do, oftentimes it’s unrecognizable until something gets our attention. Thank you for your comment and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my course!