Lots of people are talking these days about lifestyle change. What is a healthy lifestyle? For me, it was yesterday. Literally. I need to preface this week’s post with a caveat: Not enough of my days are like yesterday. In general, I spend way too many hours seated at my desk with my face stuck to the computer screen. I spend too much time worrying about what’s next instead of appreciating what’s now. And although I follow my own advice carefully with regard to eating real food and avoiding most manufactured calories, I eat too many meals quickly, and with only myself for company.

But yesterday was a winner. Lifestyle-wise, it was a great day! Here’s what a great day looks like in my book. Very importantly, I went to bed at a reasonable hour the previous evening, so when I awoke just before 8 a.m., I was exceedingly well rested. I dressed, poked around in the refrigerator, identified some cold salmon (leftovers) and cucumber slices as likely candidates for breakfast, and enjoyed them with a cup of coffee as I stared out the window into my backyard at the oak, spruce, and chicken coop. All was quiet, and all looked well. This I followed with a long walk in the cool morning, planned to avoid being hit with the heat and humidity of the day.

I enjoyed reading, sang a little, and then met up with a group of friends for lunch. We had tilapia sprinkled with paprika, hummus with celery sticks, homemade tomato- vegetable soup steaming in the crock pot, a bee-yoo-ti-ful green salad with fresh peas, parsley, romaine, and other greens, and fresh grapes and cherries set out on the table for dessert. We laughed and told stories, we discussed a book we’d all read, and, very importantly, we took a long time to eat lunch.

I got home late in the afternoon, just in time for a short walk in the neighborhood with a friend. I’m not sure what I did after that, but I do know that I spent some time reading up on some knitting stitches I’d been wanting to learn.

I ended the day by cuddling up with Chief-cook-and-bottle-washer plus a large bowl of popcorn (fresh popped in olive oil, and sprinkled with turmeric) to watch Cinema Paradiso, a 1990 Oscar-winning movie, which I highly recommend even if you don’t care for foreign films. If you’ve never seen it, you’re really missing something.

Yesterday contained all the components of a healthy life:  physical activity, nourishing food, companionship, rest and relaxation.