Clean Up Your Act!

I'm not sure what got into me last weekend, but, before I knew what I was doing, well, I was cleaning my house: dusting; de-cluttering; bagging up clothes for the Salvation Army... the full Monty of domesticity. My husband, a neat freak by nature, thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

You see, cleaning the house is not my normal weekend behavior (or weekday behavior, for that matter). That's what made this act of cleanliness all the more shocking. It was completely out of character.

But sometimes, even if it goes against the grain, spring cleaning is necessary. Not only does clearing out the cobwebs make you feel virtuous, it serves another, higher purpose: It allows you to feel lighter, both physically and emotionally.

With that in mind, I took the concept of spring cleaning to the next level. What if, I reasoned, we were able to spring clean our lives? How much better would we feel then? Pretty darn good, I'd imagine.

In the article that follows - Spring Clean Your Life: 6 Easy Steps - I've done just that: provided some tips on how to shed old habits and allow new, healthier options to take their place. The payoff? A lighter, brighter, happier you.

So pick up your dust rag, grab your Pledge and enjoy the results of
your labor. You deserve it.

Happy spring!

Melissa Roske
Life and Personal Coach for Women
Wheels in Motion Coaching

646-736-8502

Spring Clean Your Life: 6 Easy Steps

--> 1. Clear the decks.
If you're a city dweller and space is a luxury you simply don't
have, the best gift you can give yourself is to make the most of
your available square footage. One way - which happens to be the
simplest and most effective - is to take a long, hard look at the
stuff in your house, and then start dumping.

That's not to say that you need to toss out all your beloved
belongings or prized possessions. That would be futile, and deeply
unnecessary. Just consolidate the things you do have and toss what
you no longer need. For instance, who needs five pairs of
sunglasses or 12 umbrellas? Gaucho pants circa 1978? A Buns of
Steel VHS tape? No one! Dump them!

Same goes for junk mail. Who needs it? Not only does it clog your
mailbox and waste your time, it wreaks havoc on the environment and
contributes to global warming. To get rid of pesky, unwanted mail,
go to www.Donotmail.org and learn how you can kick junk mail to the
curb.

--> 2. Toss your cookies.
If you're among the 40 percent of women who report feeling tired
and weary all the time, your diet could be the culprit. Sugar and
refined carbohydrates - the "white" food in our diets - produce an
instant energy boost that leads to the all too familiar
crash-and-burn syndrome.

The solution? Trash the Twinkies and load up on complex carbs
instead: unrefined pasta, wholegrain bread and brown rice. Not only
are these foods a more healthful option, they're loaded with fiber
and offer a slower release of energy. And paired with veggies,
fruit, beans and pulses - not to mention protein (lean meats,
chicken, fish) - you'll get an even greater energy boost.

And don't forget, when it comes to choosing your fruits and
vegetables, opt for darker-skinned varieties, which contain more
antioxidants - the healthy chemicals that protect us against heart
disease and cancer. Fruits to look out for include plums,
blackberries, blueberries; red apples; vegetables include
eggplants, carrots, tomatoes, kidney beans and peppers.

For more information on how to work more fruits and vegetables into
your diet, as well as easy-peasy fruit- and veggie-based recipes,
go to: www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.

--> 3. Shed your skin.
At the risk of sounding like an Estee Lauder ad, there's something
to be said for peeling away those yucky layers of dead, wintry skin
and replacing it with a new, revived epidermis. If a spa treatment
isn't your thing, or you simply don't have the time or cash, try
this at-home almond body scrub to gently and thoroughly exfoliate
the top layer of dead-skin cells.

You'll need:
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon of herbs (lavender, chamomile, etc)
Plain yogurt, milk, or buttermilk, sufficient to make a paste
Essential Oils for scent (optional)

Combine the dry ingredients in a blender or food processor until
they are reduced to a coarse meal. Keep this "scrub base" in a
glass jar with a screw top in your refrigerator until ready to use.
When you want to use the scrub base, scoop out 1/4 cup into a small
bowl, and stir in enough of the liquid ingredients (vary it by what
you have on hand - yogurt and milk are best, but water works) to
make a paste. Scoop up the paste with your hands or a washcloth,
and rub over your body to exfoliate peeling skin. Rinse
thoroughly. Ahhhhh...

--> 4. Turn off the tube.
Enjoying an occasional evening with the Desperate Housewives and a
well deserved pint of Chunky Monkey is fine - necessary, even. But
new research has shown that the more we channel surf, the
unhealthier we get.

In fact, a recent study in the British journal The Lancet found
adults who were avid TV watchers as children were more likely as
adults to be overweight, to smoke and to have high cholesterol. And
women who watched three to four hours of TV a day were twice as
likely to be obese as those who watched one or two. Scary!

The moral of this story? It's better to take a brisk walk down
Wisteria Lane than simply watch the Housewives do it. What's more,
not only will regular exercise help shed pounds and improve your
mood, just 30 minutes of exercise a day (or 10,000 steps), five
times a week, is all you need to stay fit. So lace up your Nikes,
strap on your pedometer and step lively!

--> 5. Ditch the cigs.
We all know that smoking is a major health hazard. But did you know
that smokers lose, on average, close to a decade of life? That's
scary stuff, to be sure.

The good news is, those who call it quits, after 10 years of being
smoke-free, are able to cut their risk of lung cancer by half. They
also feel healthier and have more energy to exercise without being
short of breath. For an online guide to quitting, including free
print resources and downloadable fact sheets, go to
www.smokefree.gov. You'll be glad you did.

--> 6. Start a journal.
While you're in the throes of cleaning up and clearing out
externally, how about a session of internal spring cleaning too?
According to studies conducted by American psychologist James W.
Pennebaker, journaling - also known as "expressive writing" or
writing therapy - for at least 15 minutes a day, about your
innermost thoughts and feelings, can help release "blocked
emotions" and make you feel "significantly better, physically and
mentally." In fact, retelling a problem or experience in words,
rather than simply thinking about it in your head, can help "bring
about a change in perspective."

To make the most of your expressive writing session, Pennebaker
suggests asking yourself three questions: 1.) What happened? 2.)
How did I feel about that? 3.) Why did I feel that way? When
writing down the answers, don't worry about grammar, spelling
complete sentences or repetition. As Pennebaker says, "What counts
is that you delve into your deepest feelings."

For journaling inspiration, you might want to check out these two
helpful books on the subject: Writing for Emotional Balance: A
Guided Journal to Help You Manage Overwhelming Emotions, by Beth
Jacobs (New Harbinger, 2005), and Journalution: Journaling to
Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life and Manifest Your Dreams,
by Sandy Grason (New World Library, 2005).

The Mission of Wheels in Motion Coaching

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