some ways i've been moving toward health and wholeness since starting this blog:

* food - a big one. eating reasonably-sized portions (much smaller than my traditional average)... choosing healthy foods whenever possible... cooking healthier, more colorful meals... still enjoying a cup of chai or mexican hot chocolate here and there (along with some fresh flowers and ripe apricots at the street fair in uptown whittier last night :) - i don't believe in total deprivation ;)

my attempt at fashionable gym attire... ok mostly i just liked the headband - i used just a stretchy black one, but topped it with a strip of lace... i can't help "altering" what i wear. :)

*exercise: enjoying heading to the gym these hot summer mornings for my own self-directed cardio and circuits, or... ZUMBA! i've taken a few classes now, and it is so much fun! it's like i'm playing... learning dance moves and working out my body at the same time... i come out sweaty, but loving it! so much high energy from the teachers (and loud music: salsa, hip-hop, zumba! my ears take a little while to recover...). i just wish i could keep up with the constantly changing steps and movements... i have never been a dancer, and some of the steps (and hip shaking: "muevela bompe bompe!") feel completely counterintuitive to me. and it seems like everyone else does it just fine... i'm sure most of the ones i'm seeing have been doing it for a while, so they're used to the tempo & what steps happen where. but i

truly feel like i'm living out the whole "two left feet" thing - i feel bad for the people behind me, hoping to follow me as i can see the instructor better than them... good luck with that! i find myself having the urge to quit, thinking "oh, it just comes naturally to these little latina girls; this white girl just can't dance - might as well give it up". but i really have the desire to push through, work hard at something, and learn to excel at what did not just "come naturally" to me. it's risky. but part of being healthy for me is being brave. stepping out and trusting.

 *brushing & flossing my teeth, and washing my face at night - healthy skin & healthy teeth - two things that are usually the first to go by the wayside when i'm lacking energy. but the last four nights, i've been making the effort, and somehow it seems to keep reinforcing the cycle, and i feel healthier all around!

*counseling & spiritual direction: it was a good week. learned some things about myself and how i reflect God's image like no one else. learning to love. steps in the right direction.

healthy steps.

toward freedom.