Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett
The old adage you are what you eat can be scary in a world where health habits are sacrificed for saving time. Sure the drive-thru may get you to work on time, but at what expense to your health and waistline? Food habits can be detrimental when not left in check. It is your body, and your investment. Are you making a daily effort to do what you can to get a positive return?
How do your life habits play into this quandary? People get fed up and frustrated very easily with trying to change habits, especially when it comes to eating healthy. I admit it is hard to change eating habits quickly. However it’s important to remember that the little things count, and they add up. A simple change in routine can produce a ripple effect of positive benefits!
Where to start? Breakfast and snacks. Read More »
Article by Christian Nanz and Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley
One of the things I am still learning is how to make my days better by allowing myself to do things that bring pleasure to others and to me. I am also learning how simple little things like making my bed can help me feel productive all day long! They don’t need to be major undertakings. It’s interesting that small things bring large doses of happiness or satisfaction.
For example, when I get up on the morning, I like to take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood. He loves going for a walk (and he expects it!), and yet I believe I appreciate the walk a much as he does! It is my time to relax, be thankful for another day and enjoy.
Of course this is not an exhaustive list. There are many things that are simple, inexpensive, and easy to do that can add to your day in an incredibly satisfying way. Perhaps this will spark you to try some of the things on our list or to add to it with ideas of your own. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett
I do not have children, nor am I married. I consider myself a self driven independent, self motivated man deriving from the fact that I grew up an only child and was entrenched most my life with overachieving parents. I have been called a lover of solitude and a breadwinner of independence, so you can imagine the strong dose of reality I got when I started dating a woman with a 2-year-old child.
It is incredible what children can teach you about family, even if they are not your own. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley
The alarm goes off. Quickly, you slam the snooze just praying for five more minutes. And, you get them but feel even worse after the alarm rings again. You get up, already feeling the dread seeping in. It’s not waking up that’s the problem, it’s facing whatever it is that makes you feel “just not right.”
So, what is it? Your relationships? The pain in your body? The boss that dries up your heart the moment you walk in the door? Is it the daycare that you just don’t feel right about or those five pounds you were going to lose? Maybe, it’s your finances? Whatever it is, you just wish the feeling would go away. You try everything to make it disappear. You explain away your fears, making excuses for things that just “aren’t right.” Or, you just ignore them.
And there lies the challenge! None of us can ignore what’s going on around us and to us. Everything that comes into your life has come for a purpose. Even the feelings that you just can’t shake, no matter what you do to be rid of them. You have been given a gift and these gifts can change the course of your life. It all depends on what you do with them.
It’s time for each of us to pay attention to our lives. No more rationalizing, making excuses, or ignoring the problem. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett
Addictions may have good intentions. Lifting weights is a good habit, but it may mask a release of stress, which could lead to injury if the body is pushed too hard. Running is a great addiction, but any runner or athlete for that matter will tell you that pavement and knees ultimately do not mix without moderation and tender loving care of your body.
What is your addiction? What is the one habit you can or cannot be without? Life is a consistent rotation of addictions, good and bad. The idea though, is to admit when one addiction is harmful no matter what the associated pleasures may be, and embrace a balanced state of mind and body. After all, “good” addictions like running can help us have at least a little serenity each day.
Find a positive habit that allows calm for just a few minutes, or even a few seconds. People struggle with this concept, as simple as it may be. Addictions themselves can bring into true light what it means to make every day count. Fixations of addiction are mere masks of determination. The direction of the determination is left to the addict.
Good addictions are not limited to exercise. Read More »
