September 17, 2009

Here at the CLNC^® Certification Program in Philadelphia one of the students asked me, “Where do you get the energy to teach six straight days? Do you just wake up like that?” I had to chuckle before I answered. That’s because I don’t pop out of bed like a piece of toast. Tom jokes that he has to “shuck the oyster” each morning (being from New Orleans I like the simile) to get me out from under the covers (I have been known to burrow with the best of them). But, once I’m up, I’m a woman on fire and I burn white-hot until the end of the day.

I often say, “We are what we eat.” You can’t feed a thoroughbred horse potato chips and then ask him to win the Preakness. But there’s more to energy than food.

After two cups of healthy green tea interspersed with that bowl of Fage Greek yogurt mixed with ground flax seed, it’s off to the gym three times a week for a butt-kicking workout (usually it’s my butt that gets kicked) to lift some free weights (dumb bells and barbells) to build bone density as well as muscle mass. I mix in some aerobic exercise or a brisk walk to keep my heart healthy alternated with some yoga (to stretch myself literally and figuratively) and you’ve got my morning regimen. I know some of you are already tired after reading this, but this is a look into what I do, before I start my day. I know that I cover a lot of ground between 4:00am and 8:30am, and I have to. My workday starts early and it ends when it ends, whenever that may be. If I don’t work out at the beginning of the day, chances are I won’t get to at the end of the day.

I haven’t always eaten healthy. New Orleans is known for fried foods, French bread, celebrating funerals with donuts and putting condensed milk and Hershey’s chocolate on our snowballs. In short, I’m lucky to have survived my childhood without being larger than a size 2 (just kidding). I had to learn to eat healthy on my own. It wasn’t something that was taught, much less encouraged.

So, I understand that for some of you it may be hard to figure out how to exercise, how to eat healthy and how to accomplish this as you juggle work, children, your spouse and other obligations. But here’s my point, you can make those excuses into a crutch that supports your bad habits or you can use them as a reason to turn your family into something better.

Trust me, having dietary issues can easily be compounded by family. My sister has two sons and a husband who won’t eat anything green (except Jello). One of my godchildren thinks a complete meal comes with a toy in the box. If my husband Tom planned the meals we’d be eating a whole lot more cheeseburgers than we do.

Someone has to be responsible for your nutrition and guess what – that’s you. If you want to have the energy to run your CLNC^® business, your family and your life, you’re going to have to make some changes. Start with the simple ones. Pack a lunch instead of eating from the cafeteria or meal machine at work (it’s all fat, salt and sugar). Snack on celery instead of those darn tasty potato chips.

Take a little time each evening to prepare a meal for dinner and prep some stuff for the next day while you’re at it. One of my friends involves her daughters in cleaning and bagging the veggies for snacks. Freeze your healthy leftovers for later in the week.

It’s not hard to make time to take care of yourself and your family once you get into the habit and it’ll only get easier. But like the journey of a thousand miles that begins with a single step, the healthy life begins with a single action. Make one healthy promise to yourself today and then keep it. Once you’ve mastered that, make and take the next one. Set some rewards for milestones to make it fun and before you know it you’ll have the energy and the inclination to seize your own day, and make time for all that marketing to attorneys you’ve been putting off. Enjoy watching your legal nurse consulting business soar.

Success Is Inside!