This book, by “Flylady” Maria Cilley www.flylady.com and “Dinner Diva” Leanne Ely www.savingdinner.com, is a friendly, fast-paced, and supportive book for those of you attempting to live in a more healthy and health-giving way. The book focuses on identifying old “broken records” that play in your mind that give you messages on how/what to eat. Then, through a series of stories, personal revelations, and handy tips, the authors walk readers through de-cluttering, de-stressing, and re-making those messages into positive ones.

De-cluttering, as many of you know, is super-important to me, and any time something new comes into the home or office, it’s time to get rid of something else. I’ve found, in my own experience, that the more you pare down your physical stuff around you, the more open you become to mental, spiritual, relational, and financial abundance. Read some tips in A Successful Woman’s: 30 Days to Focusing.

As background on the authors, the “FLYlady” focuses predominantly on creating clean and clutter-free households: FLY stands for “Finally Loving Yourself.” Cilley has a devoted following of women who have used her tools to fight “CHAOS” (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome”) and to create happy living spaces. She sends out a number of e-mail reminders for those of you attempting to start new habits.

The “Dinner Diva” has a number of easy-to-prepare meals, pre-prepared shopping lists, and kitchen organizing tips on her website. Ely’s tips are a lifesaver for those of you who want ideas on preparing easy meals for hungry families on a regular basis.

Now, I know that more than 90% of people who read a book (or a website!) about making changes for the better simply do not make any changes. Mostly this is a matter of wanting to make changes, but not *really* wanting to make changes (raise your hand, anybody?)

If you’re at a point where you truly do want to make changes, or if you’re prepping to make big changes, or if the prospect of continuing forward in your existing ways is too disheartening for you to contemplate, then this book may work for you.

The book’s backstory is an interesting one: at one point during the writing of the book, both authors found themselves in a situation where they were not “walking their walk” and thus they were at an impasse: they couldn’t write with authenticity and they themselves realized they had their own “body clutter.” Before they were able to move forward with the book’s production, they had to identify and overcome their own issues. With that in mind, the authors are very gentle, and they encourage readers by reminding us that all of us have an opportunity to find out what our own “blocks” are and to identify the baby steps we will commit to taking to overcome those blocks.

I recommend this book for people with weight issues who realize they want to take a holistic approach to identifying and changing their nutritional habits. As a message from FLYLady, “Please do not get impatient with the process. Everything we do is going to help you replace those voices that put you down. We are here to lift you up and celebrate every little accomplishment.”

Anything that works, friends…. anything that works.

We’re on day #27 of a thirty day series on exercises to help us achieve our greatest success.

Stretching our body every day is an excellent way to keep limber, fit, and healthy. Stretching on a regular basis is a great routine to incorporate into your day, particularly in the morning, right when you wake up.

I’d like you to take five minutes now to stretch out your body.

+ Head
+ Neck
+ Shoulders
+ Torso
+ Arms
+ Hands
+ Fingers
+ Hips
+ Legs
+ Calves
+ Feet
+ Toes

When we stretch, we honor and treasure our bodies. We give thanks for the physical body that helps house our innermost dreams, goals, aspirations, beliefs, and values. We value our physical being.

My dance teacher in high school always explained that stretching before anything was kind of like heating up water and putting spaghetti noodles into the water. If we had just taken a dry spaghetti noodle and tried to break it, it would snap easily. However, if we put the noodle into a warm pot of water and heated it up, it would become limber and flexible: we could stretch it, swing it around, or twist it and it would be able to retain its shape.

When we stretch out our bodies, we become more limber and flexible.

(The same goes for our minds!)

Stretch yourself out today. It feels great, and you’ll want to do it every day.

Monica S. Flores is an author, educator, and speaker.

You’ll also like:
Tip #26: Find the Balance

Tip #28: Surprise Yourself

Tip #29: Practice Gratitude

Tip #30: Celebrate!

Tip #1: Take Stock and Organize

We’re on day 26 of a thirty day series on focusing your efforts towards greater success.

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton’s Third Law of Motion

“Our very life itself is a paradox, contradictory in many senses; whenever you have too much of one thing you have problems created by that. You always have extremes and therefore it is important to try and find the middle way, to balance the two” -Dalai Lama, 1976

Today, I’d like you to experience balance.

Literally stand up and feel your body as it stands in one place.
Listen to your breath, feel your limbs, your arms and legs, your fingers and toes.
Feel the top of your head all the way down to the bottoms of your feet.

Now, if you stand on one foot and lean your weight to one side, but you still want to be balanced, your body will start to fall, and you will naturally correct yourself to a different position. You will compensate for any change in direction by either moving your foot, or waving your arms, or changing position until you find the balancing point again.

Trust me, it works every time!

Where in our lives are we “falling”, and how are we correcting or compensating for that action?

Where in our lives do we want to find more balance? Does this mean we will move to a different position in order to find that balance? What will we need to let go of and what will we pick up to get to that new position?

Today, consider some part of your life, such as your health, your relationships, your work or career, your spirituality, your purpose in life…. and find a way to move closer to a state of being that is happier, more fulfilled, and more whole. This will mean rebalancing in your life…. find at least three ways to get to that new state of balance and commit to them.

Monica S. Flores is an author, educator, and speaker.

You’ll also like:
Tip #25: Cultivate Others through Mentoring

Tip #27: Stretch Every Day

Tip #28: Surprise Yourself

Tip #29: Practice Gratitude

Tip #30: Celebrate!