FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I've decided to take better care of myself in 2007. This certainly isn't a revolutionary thought; millions of people like me have probably posted this goal on a Post-It on their own bathroom mirrors across the country.

I'll be approaching my goal like many of those people as well -- trying to eat healthier, trying to meditate more, trying to get more sleep. While I'm doing all this work for wellness, I am also including housecleaning as a part of caring for my temple.

How in the world will cleaning my apartment make me healthier in '07?

The answer is simple. Every time I see a big sink full of dishes or open a dresser drawer crammed full of old t-shirts, my shoulders tense and my head throbs. The clutter is not only making me crazy, it is making my muscles ache.

My husband and I have committed to de-cluttering in simple, slow steps. Nothing radical, nothing overwhelming. Our mission is to get rid of a quarter of the stuff sitting in our home and in our basement storage, not too much work that we will miss out on life outside our four walls but enough that we will feel the space inside expand a little for our family.

I began by purging old and neglected clothes in my dresser, then re-folding and re-organizing how all the good stuff I kept is housed there. I rolled my clothes instead of folding them, allowing me to see exactly what I have and not allowing me to stuff a drawer with just one more wadded up tank top. This simple step has worked wonders. I smile every single time I open my pants drawer to see all the jeans and yoga gear rolled into neat little rows. Next up is my desk and file cabinet.

The key here, I think, is losing the judgement of accumulating so much stuff or being a pack rat, any and all of those messages that keep you paralyzed and feeling bad about yourself and keep you from actually throwing the stuff away. Since I'm guilty of beating up on myself in these moments, I'm also trying to repeat over and over, "Hey, I am taking care of myself by rolling these sports bras. I feel better with each pair of pantyhose I throw away."

This is also a chance for me to do something else that is good for my space and my spirit: Give stuff I don't need away. It is refreshing to be back on Freecycle and to set bags of goods aside for pick-up by my favorite charity. I've chosen not to bother with taking my clothes to consignment even though a little extra cash would relax my shoulders a bit, too. The hassle, at least this time around, outweighs any financial benefit and I need this process to be as smooth and simple as possible.

I've fallen asleep several nights this week thinking about how I might install shelves with baskets in our bedroom to make a bit more breathing room. Those thoughts have been surprisingly soothing, like I have control over our space and how well we're living in it.

Like the puzzle of what food fuels my body on a typical day of working and mothering and being me, like finding the right yoga class to unwind my stress and get my heart pumping, de-cluttering in bits and pieces has its own cleansing effects. I know I'm taking care, not just of my body but in the place where I spend my time, where I cook my meals and play with my child, where I relax with my husband and do my work.

I know now that being healthy rests in my home as well as my body and that feels good.



Some great sites with de-cluttering and cleaning resources are:
FlyLady
Real Simple . I love the Donate It or Ditch It article and resources for making those tough decisions.
Organizational expert Peter Walsh's tips, book and clutter quiz. Find Walsh's website, newsletter and more tips here.

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An article in Fortune magazine puzzles over the role of placebos in modern medicine. A placebo is a supposedly worthless pill, like a sugar pill, given to some of the patients in a study to see if a "real drug" works better than "nothing."

But, as the article reports, a surprising thing is happening in study after study. Too many people are recovering from health problems given only placebos. Since this is supposed to be the "control" where we can assume no medicine is present, this is very puzzling to many, many scientists, researchers and physicians.

There is only a mystery, though, if you think that human beings are purely physical. As soon as you take a holistic view of a person -- that is, body-mind-spirit -- the mystery of the placebo disappears.

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