New Year, Same Decade
Jan 8th, 2010 by Kathy
Well, another year has begun; and, while many people are complaining about winter’s icy grip, my gripe is with all of the articles and news stories summarizing the “first decade” of the millennium. It’s incredible that so many supposedly knowledgeable news professionals are calling 2010 the beginning of a new decade, when it is, in fact, the last year of the first decade of the 21st century, which began on January 1, 2001. They seem unable to understand that, since a count of ten always begins with 1, the first year of any decade will always end with a 1. Sheesh!
Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, another thing that everyone is unhappy about is all of the weight that they gained over the holidays, and the trouble that they’re having trying to lose it. While this is one of the most common challenges (and one of the most frequently broken resolutions) of every new year, with the right mindset, it can be done. The important part is just getting started; and you don’t have to join a gym or spend any money to do it.
If you want to begin slowly, your everyday housework and yard work can help you burn a lot of calories. In fact, the after-Christmas cleanup can give you an exceptionally good workout, because it requires a lot of energy just to take down the decorations and the tree. You’ll probably have to move some furniture around, too, if you rearranged it to make space for the tree. This is also a good time to tidy up your closets, by adding, or re-organizing, modular shelf units, wood storage boxes, dressers, armoires, and storage chests.
Mopping, sweeping, polishing, vacuuming, and carrying boxes and loads of laundry are also great exercises, especially if you’re going up and down a lot of steps. Outside, you’ll get a great workout taking down your lights and displays, hauling everything back to the shed, garage, or outdoor storage boxes, and putting up new outdoor décor.
These are just a few of the simple ways that you can get started on losing weight, before you move on to more strenuous activities. Of course, I’m not a health care professional, and, since I don’t want anybody getting hurt, I guess I’ll add that you should always consult your doctor before doing any housework!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
