Wednesday 25 November 2009

Wouldn't It Be Wonderful If...

..I have been reading a lot of books recently about healthy eating and healthy living, because in a year or so, Carl and I want to start thinking about a family, and it is really important to me to give our baby the best start in life by being as healthy as I can.

Now I don't know about you, but 'healthy eating' and 'new year, new you' and all that kind of thing often seems ever so dull. I have been lucky enough to stumble across a few lovely books though,(Sophie Dahl's cookbook, Vidal Sassoon's Year of Beauty and Health, Jean Kent's beauty book from the 50's, Dr Pamela Peeke's Fit for Life, Champney's Year of Beauty and Health) and they have left me feeling much more inspired.

I was sitting on the bus yesterday, when I sudenly thought wouldn't it be lovely if next year I spent eating foods that are delicious and health giving? Whipping up batches of pear and cinnamon muffins for breakfast, crunching my way through bowls of different varieties of apple, savouring squares of dark chocolate, and having a lunchbox full of scrumptious things to look forward to each day.

Wouldn't it be lovely if I spent next year taking walks to look at the changing seasons, and feeling fresh air in my lungs? If I take the time to do stretching to make me feel more elegant when I walk?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to think of a year of skin-softening bubble baths and deep conditioning hair masques? Toes painted red and hand cream rubbed in? Scalp massages and facials...

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have year of nurturing and taking care of myself? That just sounds so much more appealing to me than the idea of 'must lose weight' 'must eat healthily' and so on. Rather than thinking about inches lost, I want to concentrate on vitality gained. I know I have talked before about having new years targets rather than resolutions, but I am definitely going to tweak things a bit more this year, and have a 'wouldn't it be wonderful if...' list.

It will have things like 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I chose a beautiful photo album from paperchase, and use it to keep a record of our year? Sticking in cinema tickets and menus from restaurants and pressed leaves and so on' and 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I had a tea cosy I had knitted to keep my pot of tea warm?'

Do tell me, what would be on your 'wouldn't it be wonderful if...' list?

And now I promise not to get too ahead of myself, and will stop thinking about new years, and start thinking about Christmas instead!

3 comments:

Dinahsoar said...

I'll have to give this some thought. I like phasing it like that! Saying 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I was fit and healthy and at desirable weight' is so much better than saying "I'm fat and must lose 20 pounds".

Anonymous said...

you do cheer me up!

Roobeedoo said...

There is a wonderful book along these lines "Romancing the Ordinary" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It takes each month of the year and makes you notice and enjoy more of the world around you. It's much better than her other books.