Sometimes I get stuck with silly problems that aren’t a big deal to resolve. I just don’t give them any energy because well, like I said, they’re silly.

Usually, these hang-ups of mine have really simple solutions. When I finally get around to acting on them, I feel pretty darned satisfied.

Here are a couple that have me feeling happy with myself.

Problem #1

Just a reminder – I said silly!

Every fall, in preparation for cold and flu season, I like to reintroduce a daily vitamin into the family routine. I buy jumbo, cumbersome bottles of gummies of varying types. Plain C for scratchy throat days, multis for any family member’s consumption and women’s just for me, because the bottle said they help with metabolism and energy – yes please!

The daily part was the problem. We kept forgetting to take our supplements because I kept the bottles hidden in a kitchen cabinet. Sure, I could leave them on the counter, but I don’t like the way those clunky bottles look hanging around in plain view.

Solution

Why it never occurred to me before I do not know, but finally I realized if I just transfer the fun little gummies into more “counter-friendly” containers then the out-of-sight-out-of-mind problem disappears. Three inexpensive mason jars later, and maybe three minutes of my time, our vitamins are now sitting pretty right where we can see them. Finally, our daily vitamins are taken daily.

Problem #2

Another of my simple solutions came to me over the summer when I found my collection of flimsy flip-flops strewn all over my closet. It was a mess and I could never find a matching pair.

A $15 Fix

Finally, my unusable closet real estate is put to use. On an angled portion of the closet ceiling, that served no purpose whatsoever, I secured three, $5 plastic shoe bags! Voilà– a flip-flop fiesta.

I love cost-effective simple solutions to everyday problems.

Do you have any quick and easy fixes that you love?

My kickboxing gloves may have seen their last punch. While I am sad to see them go, I just recently realized that the activity I love is causing me more harm than good.

I have been enjoying kickboxing for about five years, maybe more. I like cardio-kickboxing and kickboxing with bags. Both give me a physical workout like no other. Not to mention, the mental workout is addictive. Through the years I have worked out so many frustrations in my kickboxing classes that it seemed more like therapy than exercise. Whether I was punching air or slamming a bag, I loved visualizing the target in my mind.

Every class made me feel good. In the moment, I’d get a killer workout and afterwards I enjoyed the mental clarity that comes from a good sweat.  Recently, however, my lifelong back issues seem to be exacerbated by my beloved kickboxing classes. The biggest problem is that, while I’m in class, I feel great. The adrenalin is pumping, I’m in the zone and I feel strong and powerful.

But now, I’m the one feeling beaten down for days, sometimes weeks, following my classes. I only realized that my kickboxing classes were the problem when my loved ones called my attention to it. Because I never felt pain during class, it never occurred to me that the kickboxing classes were, in fact, the problem.

When I gave up running because of my back, I knew without question that running itself was the source of my pain. Somehow, I just never made the connection to my kickboxing classes which now leaves me with the difficult choice to give up an activity that I really enjoy.

The reality is, I don’t see any way around it. I’m getting older and my body just can’t do the things it used to. So sadly, I must say goodbye to my boxing gloves. Kickboxing, along with running, jumping rope and jumping jacks, must be a thing of my past in favor of lower impact activities that won’t leave me quite so broken.

Alas, getting older is tough, but after just one week free of kickboxing I already feel relief.

“Don’t be afraid of change. You might lose something good, but you’ll gain something better.”