As April 1st looms, I am considering my choices. I know I have to restrict my diet again. I know wheat & gluten especially are making me ill and pooing all over my life.

I know that I am being lazy and unmotivated, in my health and writing.

I know I feel soooo much better when I exercise daily and eat very little complex carbs.

I know I love a nice piece of cake or a really great muffin. And chocolate…goodness me, I love chocolate.

I know I don’t want to live without these things.

I know that if I restrict them, I will only want them even more in a month or two.

I know that my past “diets” have been successful for short periods only.

I know I need to make it a lasting lifestyle change. But how?

I don’t want to be a martyr but I do want to look and feel good  great.

The older I get, the wiser I become. I know myself fairly well these days.

Restricting all will only last a short time, this I already know so I’ve come up with some tips for myself (and maybe for you) to ensure my success and good health.

1. Write down goals, dreams and desires for yourself. Post them where you will view daily.
2. Make the commitment: Be true to yourself and fight (yourself) for a better life and way of living.
3. Read and watch: Anything and everything that will motivate & inspire you to stick to your goals. This may need to be done daily!!
4. Delay gratification: We live in a ‘I WANT IT NOW’ society and maybe that is why we are all so spoilt. Hard work, patience and determination deserves reward,  nothing less.
5. Celebrate your wins: Preferably not with something you are restricting!! Choose a treat that will enhance your wellbeing: a massage, a day at the beach, a long walk or snuggle down with a book or your favourite TV show.
6. If it makes you feel good, keep doing it. If it makes you feel bad, stop doing it. Sounds simple, eh?
7. Set aside time for quiet: meditation, reading, journal writing, a hot bath. Choose a time when you are guaranteed silence to just be.
8. Be grateful for what you have: Being thankful for everything in your life, the good and the bad will turn every experience into a lesson, not a drama-filled crisis.
9. Step out of your comfort zone: Do something that you have always been too afraid to do. This is a great way to boost confidence that will spill over to many areas of your life.
10. Take a day off each week: Have one free day with no rules, restrictions or boundaries. If your one day turns into two, then three….you’ll have to start over from the beginning again.

I’m loving #10. I have decided that Sunday, the traditional day of rest will be my day off. It doesn’t mean that I will eat everything in the house or not exercise even if I feel like it. It means I will have a day to sleep-in, relax, be more casual with myself. I’m confident that these guidelines will be the way to a positive, life-long solution instead of the constant see-saw I have been living on for the past 8+ years.

Life is hard sometimes but often, we make it harder than it has to be. My goal is to have a happy family, stress-free career, care-free lifestyle, healthy and fit body and a creative mind. I’m nearly there…I’m so close to it. Any.Day.Now.

On my next big win (selling an article) I am booking myself in for a massage.

What are your favourite ways to celebrate a victory?