For those of you struggling with getting enough sleep, have you tried increasing it by 15 min every week. In other words, if you go to sleep at 1am, try 12:45 the following week, etc. You will eventually get down to where you need to be and it will be gradual. While you're up, think about the things you're actually doing and weigh it against what is more important, that task or the extra sleep.

Rag Top: I like your hobby idea! Yes, it does take concerted effort to repair bad habits & health issues. I know from experience!! As far as sleeping problems, there are web sites that outline good sleep "habits", but some of us have chronic insomnia so those don't work. I've had a sleep study & don't have sleep apnea but do have a problem of continued interrupted sleep so trying things for that (when very severe had to take medication as only 2 hours of sleep for months on end led to bad mental health problems of depression & cognitive distortions).

Bless: So glad to see you getting back into your ballet. I remember when you were taking many classes a week & your passion for ballet.

My daughter also was a passionate ballet dancer when we lived in Calif. & took classes at San Francisco Ballet from the age of 6 & I had to take her out of school early to get her to class each day & ended up home-schooling her as her dancing got so intense. Now she is a law prof w/very good posture & very graceful! She still takes classes & pilates which way back then the ballet dancers did on the reformer, esp. when injured & couldn't do their jumps & our insurance paid for it when she had a stress fracture! I can't hardly get insurance to pay for anything these days!

I remember when she took a tennis class & the instructor said he had never seen anyone serve the ball so gracefully!!

I think for this "bay steps" are the way to go, as usual. If you try to do the treadmill an hour a day & do 100 sit-ups or something, you will give up very soon. If you slowly start & add 2 min. a day, you will be much more likely to be successful.

Will be joining in as I recover from pain issues treatments.--Suzy

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome. I've started with baby steps. If I try to do too much at once, I know I will feel I'm spending too much time on myself and won't follow through with it. 1/1 I started with using a pumice stone on my elbows in the shower and then moisturizing them and my face morning and night. Before I get into bed, I'm moisturizing my feet. Over the weekend, I picked up a heart rate monitor. Today half way through washing the wood floor in my foyer (on my hands and knees), I thought about the monitor. I strapped it on and found out I was at 75% of my max heart rate and then kept it up for about 15 minutes from there. I also did 20 minutes on the stationary bike late in the afternoon. As I establish these habits, and get used to them, I will add more healthy habits, a few each month. I can do this!

Rag Top, isn't it great to know that taking care of a needed household task also met an aerobic exercise need? That's very cool!

I am also trying to make some changes for 2011. Some I have tried before (weight loss) and continue to struggle with. I did join WW online.

I like Rag Top's idea of making this a hobby, that just might work for me! I love doing the research involved with eating nutritiously, coming up with new recipes and planning my meals. It's sticking to it long-term that seems to be the issue. I really need to focus on getting some weight off and exercising more or I worry about health issues in the future.

I did get on the treadmill today. Forgot to check my miles when I got off but I will do the same pre-set workout tomorrow. Though it might be fun to track miles both on the treadmill and when I walk outside and go for a goal for the year. I saw a web challenge where they are trying to walk 1400 miles I think. That is four miles a day and probably more than I will do. But still I think I will track my miles in my day planner and see what I can accomplish!

Wow everyone is so creative and preplanning for when the "burnout" may happen. Good job with the planning. I'm learning so much.

Sleep - no problem. I love to sleep and get from 8-10 hours every night.

Taking meds - no problem (If I forget to take them, I go into severe withdrawals similar to DT's. Therefore, I do everthing I can to not forget to take them.)

Going to the doctor regularly - no problem (If I don't go to the doctor, I don't get my prescriptions renewed. If I don't get my prescriptions, I suffer the withdrawals and end up in the hospital.)

Drinking Water - no problem because that's all I drink (with the exception of one glass of fat-free milk with dinner and an occassional sugar-free hot cocoa).

Eating properly - well.......

Excercise - another


I think my biggest problem with these two areas is my lack of planning. I need to start PLANNING my menus and PLANNING a time for excercise. One thing that will be different for me (starting yesterday) is DD is now in the Advanced Wind Ensemble at the local high school (the director BEGGED her to join them ). She is there for one hour 3 days a week and two hours 1 day a week. On the one hour days, it is too far for me to drive back home just to turn around again to pick her up so I am thinking that I may schedule in walking while she is at the high school for those one hour days. I'll count that as my "lunch hour" since I don't usually take one.

Did my treadmill workout again today and it was 30 minutes and was 1.35 miles. Sure seemed like it would have been more mileage than that, LOL! But it's a beginning anyway.

With the new WW plan, I need to replan some of my favorite meals. There is real focus on more whole food and less processed food, which is a good thing. That way I am more likely to get my fruits and veggies in each day. Trying to increase the water and decrease the coffee.

Jodi, I started WW too. I need to move more! This really needs to be my #1 priority, as so many things hinge from this.

I'm familiar with the old plan, so this new points plus is very confusing to me. Once I get used to the new points, I'm sure it will be fine.

Rag Top: I also do my floors on my hands & knees. I got some of those knee guards roller bladers wear that you put on w/Velcro straps. They also have them for hockey players, etc. Just strap them over your knees & boy, it is so much easier to be on your knees while cleaning floors. Looks a bit funny if someone rings the door bell, but you can always fib & say you were just about to go rollerblading!!

Also, for the treadmill or stairmaster I found that keeping a daily record of exercise is great (as is writing down food as I follow a diabetic diet). I write down how many minutes I do on the stairmaster & try to increase it by 2 minutes a day for a maximum of maybe 4-5 minute increase a week (that thing is hard!!) & for the treadmill I'll try to do an extra .25 miles a week to slowly build up. Writing it down is a good incentive & by not making your goals too huge you can think to yourself, "I can do 2 more minutes or .25 more miles." If you make your goal "40 more minutes"--that is much harder to convince yourself to do if you "aren't feelin it."

I also keep track of which DVD's I do--like abs, arms, yoga, etc. so that they are varied but to make sure the jiggly arms get a workout often & abs for my back & yoga for the good stretching & because I like the yoga. I also have some 10-minute DVD's for the "no excuse" days when I am on a tight schedule.

I have finally told myself: "You have no option. You MUST exercise every day. It is medicine for you." I was testing in the diabetic range & have been on diabetic medication before & don't want to go back on it again. With exercise & food plan I am now not testing in diabetic range but still need to lose weight to get off cholesterol medication & high blood pressure medication (ex. helps w/those, too, as well as depression).--Suzy