Happiness Project: Resolution Area #2

You can click here to read my post about why I am pursuing a Happiness Project.
You can click here to read my post about my first set of resolutions.
You can click here to read how I did with my first set of resolutions.

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When I first considered a second set of resolutions, I wanted to do something related to diet and exercise.  As I looked over a number of articles I had saved over the years, as well as articles in the August 2011 issues of various magazines, I discovered a more over-arching theme that "gets at" my goals for this month:  detoxifying my body.

Please note:  There will be NO juice fasts, and NO enemas or colonics for me this month (whew, that's a relief!).

Every single resource I came across recommends drinking lots and lots of water--for better skin, healthier organs, and longer life.  I picked up a book at Borders in its final days called Secrets of Longevity:  Dr. Mao's 8-Week Program.  Dr. Mao recommends a whopping 64 ounces of water per day.  I recently bought a BPA-free plastic bottle from Target that holds 24 ounces, and I am currently drinking at least 48 ounces per day.  I am going to work up to filling it three times a day from just two. 

I've never had any problem drinking lots of water; I don't have to add juice or fruit slices, or fool myself into getting more of it than I can easily bear.  Once I start exercising, I think getting that additional 16 ounces won't be any problem at all.

Which brings me to...exercise!  It makes every articles that gets published --"Ways to Beat Stress," "Ways to Lose Weight," "Ways to Live Longer," "Ways to Detoxify Your Body," etc, etc, etc.

I have never been able to incorporate exercise into my life on a regular basis.  I was the kid who got a doctor's note excusing me from physical activity at church camp because I had just had oral surgery.

I even got my required high school PE credit by taking bowling by correspondence.  I kid you not--my dad took me bowling and signed off on my scores, and it fulfilled my PE requirement so I didn't have to take gym class. 

Now, I find myself looking wistfully at the folks I see through fitness club windows, sweating it out on treadmills and StairMasters, and I've often wished I was among the joggers I see on weekday afternoons and weekend mid-mornings. 

My first plan was to join a local YMCA and use the mornings when my girls are now in preschool to finally get some exercise.  I was taken aback to discover that an individual membership costs $744 for a year.

Then Christina, my closest friend since high school (you can see her picture here from our 20-year reunion), told me about the Couch to 5K program.  When we talked about it, she was in week 4 and could jog for five minutes at a stretch--which was five minutes longer than she had ever been able to jog before!  I have printed out the program (which you can find here), and week after next, when both girls are in preschool, I'm going to get started. 

If this "exercise thing" sticks, then I might reconsider a YMCA membership when the weather turns cold, and I have to contend with snowy sidewalks and icy roads.

For the last part of this month's "detoxify my body" resolution, I am going to look into my current household and personal health care products to assess how many toxins they are introducing into my home and my body.  Then I am going to investigate some more natural, organic house and body care products that will reduce all the chemicals I'm being exposed to on a daily basis.

I want to find out what safe, organic brands I have access to in markets nearby, and how much I am willing to pay to make the switch to less toxic ingredients.  This will include makeup, hair care, skin care, cleaning products, and laundry detergents. 

I've read so many additional ideas for detoxifying, and I will likely incorporate them in the future, but I don't want to try to do so much at once that I end up doing nothing.

I was pleased to see deep breathing on several lists of detoxifying strategies because it is both fun and gratifying to have resolutions from the past carry over into my current efforts!

I have also determined that food will form an entire resolution of its own.  I've already gotten plenty of ideas for incorporating healthier, less toxic, and potentially more interesting foods into my diet.  I may begin to play around with some of these ideas this month, but a concerted effort will have to wait for a future set of resolutions!

Have you tried any organic, non-toxic beauty and household products that you could recommend to help me get started on that part of my resolution?