Me Before You? But Matzah Before Me?

There's a popular book out right now called 'Me Before You'. When I saw the title of the book I thought to myself, is that a question or a statement?

A lot of the women I talk to, work with, am friends with, am related to, etc.- they all have the same problem. Where do they rank in priority list?

Me before the cleaning?
Me before the cooking?
Me before the shopping?
Me before the bedtime stories?
Me before the date night with the husband?
Me before the homework and the new shoes because there's holes in the old ones?

What do I mean with this priority list?

Exercising and eating healthy takes time, attention, and concentration- no two ways about it.

So something has to give....... something has to be put farther down on the list........

A lot of women have spent their lives putting other people before them- now that's a hard habit to break.

As women- there's a high emphasis on being caring, giving, and selfless- and doing things to help take care of yourself at the "expense of others" seems to go against that. "I don't want to be one of those selfish women"- is something many people in my groups have told me.

But the picture is skewed- the situation is being looked at through a fuzzy looking glass.

To take care of yourself so that you feel refreshed and renewed and can go into each of the relationships in your life in a more whole hearted way?

To take care of your health so that you can dance the night away at your childs wedding, run around with your grandkids at the park, and live years longer to enjoy what blessings G-d gave you.....

Does that sound selfish to you?

Pesach, Passover, The Matzah holiday- its coming soon, and its coming fast.

Stress runs high, tempers run short, and there is a lot to do.

But that doesn't mean you can't plan out what you're eating this week, and even next week.

That doesn't mean you should stop exercising. Quite the opposite- you need it now more than ever.

And if you're taking the time to take care of yourself in the middle of this storm, not only will you be more pleasant to be around- but you will be modeling for all the loved ones around you how to balance stressful life situations with the need to replenish yourself as well.

Get outside, breathe in the air (still cold, but better than last month), and remind yourself that there's a whole world still pumping around you.

Dance, run, job, walk, yoga, whatever- do something for you- because you deserve it, and because it makes you an even better you to be able to share with other people.

And as always- make a plan- here are some suggestions:

-plan out each meal, even on yontif, and don't skip having a healthy breakfast each and every day
-walk and move your body every day
-plan in exercise- at least 2 to 3 times during the week
-give yourself dessert limits like: I can choose one dessert or two dessert items per day- and have fruit otherwise
-drink lots of water (especially since wine at the Seder can dehydrate you easily if you don't replenish
-Enjoy yourself and live in the moment- don't spend the whole holiday worrying about the next part

Lastly- as always- we all make mistakes- just catch yourself as quickly as possible and move on to a healthier day the next day.

Chag Kasher V'Sameach