New Possibilities

What do you want to happen in the new year? I have been thinking lately that I need to do things a little differently. I love my life but how could I make it better. I realized that I need to take better care of my self. I am relatively healthy but I don't really get the exercise that I should. There have been many health scares and catastrophes in my family lately. My brother-in-law suffered a traumatic brain injury and at one point they thought he would never wake up. Luckily he is practically back to his old self, nine hard months later. If you met him you would never know, as his family we notice small differences, but only small things. My father was also diagnosed with cancer around the same time. Long story short, it is melanoma in his lungs and somewhere in his neck (they never did find the primary location). He seems to be making a full recovery but all of these things made me want to take better care of my self. My first step was to get a physical. Beside being checked when I was pregnant I have not had a full work-up since I was in my 20s, right out of college. I am also going to get a full body mole check next week. Many family members have had skin cancer but, until my dad, it was always Basel cells. Hopefully nothing is found and I am healthy. Assuming that, I need to get in even better health. I have decided to start swimming again. As a child I was on a swim team all through grade school. I was really good at Butterfly that is what I was always assigned for the IM medleys (four person relay and each does a different stroke.) As soon as my girls are back in school in the new year I am going to swim laps twice a week. I do go swimming with my two girls but as they are beginner swimmers I need to be right next to them the whole time we are in the pool.
I also want to eat healthier. We already eat lots of fruits and vegetables but I will admit that I do not eat the recommended 5 servings everyday. I do eat 5 servings on some days but not every day. I want to reach my 80s at least and luckily my family does have longevity. Almost all of my grandparents and great-grandparents lived into their 80s and some their 90s. But I don't just want to be alive I want to be ALIVE. I want to have a full and active life and to do that I need to be health. Now right now I have just a little over 2 hours by myself after I drop my girls off at school before I have to be back. Now next Fall I will have over 6 hours. Soon I will have to think of the possibilities available then.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network blogging program, for a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

About OWN: The New Oprah Winfrey Network New shows. New faces. New possibilities.
OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN will debut on January 1, 2011, in approximately 80 million homes on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel. During the OWN launch weekend, viewers will have the chance to see a little of everything OWN has to offer. OWN programming includes original series and specials, all focused on entertaining, informing and inspiring people to live their best lives.