The Real Guidelines

I wrote the previous article because I was planning a speech for the ToastMaster's group. Although the previous article contains much good, practical advice, the 10 points are too lenghthy to present in a 5-7 minute speech and frankly, just too boring. I bored myself the first time I ran thru it verbally.

So I decided I should take a risk and be more truthful. And funny.

Here are the real guidelines for 2010:

1. Go Green. It seems that almost every week I find myself in the grocery store, on line for the cashier, putting on my things on the conveyor belt, and as soon as I load the last item, it hits me, I left the reuseable shopping bags in the car! I keep them there for convenience, of course. At this point is is too late to run to the car and get them, so I wind up with 5 or more plastic bags to add to my collection of 7000 bags in the cabinet in the Florida Room. (What I hate the most is when the helpful bagger puts only one or two items in each bag and I get 30 more bags!!)

2. Take a 10 min walk every morning in order to eliminate 10 pounds of excess baggage which has decided to make a permanent home around my waistline. I read recently that the 10 minute walk in the morning is a good way to kick-sttart the calorie burning process, so you burn more all day long!

3. Make Healthier food choices-- for me this means more vegetables. I love vegetables, but I have just gotten out of the habit of preparing a salad or cooking some fresh veggies for dinner. This needs to change. It will help with number 2. Guideline number 2!

4. Indulge in a Creative Outlet Daily--for me this means to write every day. I like to think of myself as a writer and I usually write most days, but I need to write every day and get some more articles published. Also update my blogs more often.

5. Increase Laughs Per Day (LPD). The average adult laughs 15 times per day. The average small child laughs in excess of 400 times per day. Martha Beck recommends at least 30 LPD in her book, The Joy Diet. And I bet you didn't know that if you laugh long and hard enough, it is a cardiovascular exercise!

6. Self-hypnosis-- I recommend this for 2 ten minute periods each day. It is portable,costs nothing, doesn't require any special equipment, and you return refreshed, as if you have taken a mini vacation! Self hypnosis done on a daily basis triggers the "relaxation response," reduces stress, and boosts the immune system.

7. Don't eat snow! There is a 40% chance of snow in my area of Florida tomorrow. So I want to caution you that putting snow in your mouth, letting it melt and then drinking the melted water, causes your body temperature to drop, increasing your risk of hypothermia and death. So please don't eat the snow!

These are my guidelines to reduce stress and improve my health in 2010.

Feel free to use these guidelines if you like them and want to have more laughter, creativity, and vegetables in your new year!