8 Weeks to Optimal Health -- Week 4

Okay...I'm gonna plead guilty on this one, BUT I do have mitigating circumstances. (Ah ha! All those years as a legal secretary paid off, didn't they?)

Week 4 went down the drain a little while back. Last week, I spent a lot of time getting ready for school to begin. We'll be back at the books next week, so look for an update on how that's going soon.

Anyway, I didn't keep up with Google Reader most of that time...or housework...or health.

But the Housewife recently linked to me. So, now I have to get going.

Here's how I did on Week Four:

1) Check on your bed, mattress, and sleeping location. Is [anything] interfering with restful sleep? If so, consider making the changes described.
Okay, I’m trying not to be sarcastic, but this is just funny. Anything interfering? Uh, yeah. It’s called a baby. Changes? Well, none for now. Really, I’ve been sleeping really well lately, except for when Ashlyn wakes up, which is still sometimes 2 times a night. Other times, it’s just once. Billy’s also been helping me out as we trade mornings to get up with her at 6 am.

2) Find out about getting an air filter for your home or bedroom if you live in a polluted area or suffer from ailments that might be worsened by inhaled irritants. I’ve had an air purifier for years now, and I really can tell a difference. Ironically, this week I’d been getting headaches, so I turned it off because I realized that I need to replace the ionizer. I have a call in to my supplier to get one of those ASAP.

3) Eat some more garlic this week, in any form that appeals to you. I'm a fan of fresh garlic, but this week, powdered had to do. I do have some fresh in the fridge, but can you believe I was actually too lazy to use it. Wow! How's that for a spoiled brat? Still, one teaspoon of powder equals a clove of garlic, so we used some of that this week.

4) Replace at least two meals of animal protein with soy protein. Made some yummy TVP tacos. Mmmm-mmmm.

5) Be sure that your multivitamin is providing you with the B-complex group. I haven't used my vitamins for a couple of weeks, and boy! Have I been feeling it. B gives us some much-needed nerve energy. And I've been low on that lately. I'm feeling very worn out, which cause me to go to bed at 7:30 last night.

6) Increase your aerobic walk to 25 minutes, 5 days of the week. Again, I'm claiming that my religion forbids walks in the heat. But it is cooling down some, so hopefully this coming week.

7) Do two days of news fasting this week. I actually feel like I need to watch news more. Someone mentioned something about a bridge collapse somewhere in Minnesota (?), and I had no idea what they were talking about. I have no clue these days about the world around me, so I should probably subscribe to a news feed in Google. Then, I can do a fast from it next week!

8) Continue to practice the breathing exercises you have learned. This week you will add a powerful Relaxing Breath that will improve both mental and physical health. I did this stuff with my daughter a bit this week. She can really get herself worked up sometimes, so I thought it would be good to give her some skills to utilize when she gets overly anxious or nervous. It went well. We used an article from About.com that helps bring it to a kids' level.

Well, there we are! Back at it. See ya next week for Week Five.