I declared my New Year’s Resolution a little early this year. I said that I want more time. More time to enjoy my family, more time to move my body, more time to do things other than work. This has meant taking stock of my life, of my relationships, and my various jobs. Obviously there are some activities that have rewards (love, pleasure, health benefits, emotional/spiritual growth, learning or even money) and others that just don’t do anything for me…or don’t do anything for me anymore.

One of those things that isn’t doing anything for me anymore is the Healthy & Fit Family blog carnival. When I started the carnival, I was hoping to attract ten submissions each week from bloggers who care about leading a healthy lifestyle and encouraging the entire family to move more, to make better eating choices and to be more conscious of how we take care of ourselves and each other. Very quickly, I started getting dozens of submissions each month that were either advocating unhealthy diets or just completely off-topic. I read each submission (or split that chore if there was another host), but often I had to go looking among blogging friends for posts that were both family-oriented and health-oriented.

I am very proud of the work the other hosts and I did during the lifespan of the Healthy & Fit Family. Here are the links to all the editions I hosted or announcements to the wonderful hosts who helped out: The 18th, the 17th, the 16th, the 15th, the 14th, the 13th, the 12th, the 11th, the 10th, the 9th, the 8th, the 7th, the 6th, the 5th, the 4th, the 3rd, the 2nd, the first.

I afraid, though, that I have to accept that not enough participants were linking back to the carnival, it wasn’t generating any extra traffic, it didn’t inspire people to comment and I have started to resent the time suck it has become.

Sure, I planned to do one last edition to inspire everyone for 2007, but I realized that good health doesn’t start in the new year. For me, it starts every morning when I wake up, every time I open the fridge door, every time I decide to do a yoga pose just because there are no toys on that part of the floor. Right now, the healthiest thing for me is to discontinue the Healthy & Fit Family and open the door for someone else to start something wonderful, community-oriented and fresh on their own terms.

Any idea what it might look like?

Post from: Babylune

Post from: Babylune

I am thinking of opening a rustic spa in our village house here in Bulgaria. Visitors would experience sun, fresh air, proximity to woodlands and rivers and the environmental benefits of not having a flush toilet. Plus, there would be agrifitness workouts. I figure it would take care of any residual baby fat in about 10 days…

Post from: Babylune

My goal is to find the time to do one activity from each of these posts this weekend.
1. Movement for Mere Mortals points to all the ways to get started after you have a baby.

2. Stand Up Straight talks about how motherhood affects posture.
3. Don’t forget, a fitness routine is something you have to ease into after giving bith.
4. Fitness isn’t about losing weight. It’s about living a healthier life, for the whole family.
5. The Abs Omnibus points to all the belly posts.
6. Walking is always great exercise and it’s free.
7. Agrifitness! It’s hard work and it’s never finished, but if you’re lucky you get fruit and vegetables out of it.
8. NIA may be the perfect exercise for new mothers.
9. I reason that maybe a little pain, is the price of getting back into shape.
10. Pump iron points to research that weight training helps to control abdominal fat.

Post from: Babylune