A linchpin is "something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together"

The first linchpin for Fly Lady home management is shining my sink. If I do this, then shiny spots seem to appear magically throughout my home, just as easily as red wine spreads out all over your new white carpet. If I skip a day, things start to fall apart.

The second linch pin for Fly Lady home management is setting up small do-able routines. If I don't make my bed the minute I get out of it, then I tend to let other routines slide, too.

From the Sleep Challenge, I learned my linchpin for getting a good night's sleep was playing the harp for at least 15 minutes before bed.

The linchpin for sticking to my nutrition plan is having my refrigerator filled with prepped fresh , frozen, or cooked fruit and veggies. If I come home from the grocery and prep my fruits and veggies, I reach for two fruits for my cereal; or take out containers of a variety of chopped veggies and washed and spun salad greens for salad or stir fry, and I do it all week long. If I don't do that prepping, I don't meet my veggie or fiber goals each day which slows down weight loss and affects my health.

My newest linchpin for eating whole foods is sprouting beans and cooking batches of legumes and grains. I have baked rice, quinoa, and oat groats ready to be the sides or basis of a hearty stir-fry, stew, or soup. Legumes are sprouted, ready to throw on a wrap or salad, or add at the last minute to a stir fry. And for a heartier meal, dried soybeans or garbanzos were slow cooked and wait in the refrigerator, salt free.

If I don't have these simple things ready, I resort to processed veggie burgers, fake chicken, loads of salt, hidden sugars, or feel just plain hungry and deprived.

When I go to NC I will continue my routines of buying 28 servings of fruit, and 42 servings of vegetables and taking them home to be prepped and refrigerated. I will set up red lentils and soybeans to sprout. I will bake black japonica, golden rose brown rice, quinoa, and oat groats and refrigerate each in single servings. I will cook soy beans, and a bean mix and make my own veggie burgers. What I have learned works while at home will not be thrown out because I'm on vacation.

So my goal "Be Healthy" is my linch pin. It makes no sense to not want to be healthy while on vacation. I can put off a weight goal for a day or two while I eat something I know is unhealthy for me. I know I can get back at it and be back on track within a weeks time.

But that Health goal, not so much. It doesn't take a holiday. My body celebrates healthy. Every ounce of my soul rejoices in healthy.

I could say, I don't feel like cooking lunch today. I'm going to __________________ for lunch. Insert any fast food restaurant. I know I can stay within calorie range at any one in the area. So I won't even affect my weight loss by going out for lunch.

But that Health goal reminds me I know I will not have access to those anti-angiogenic foods or fruits or vegetables or very much fiber at the fast food restaurant. And that will affect my health. Can I get back on track. Maybe. But I've had fat cells running amok because my body kept building more blood supply for the fat cells without any foods to keep that in balance.

I've had cancer twice, with tumors growing uncontrolled without the foods to keep their blood supply from growing and feeding them. Medical science has taken over with surgery, radiation and 4 years of chemotherapy to make my body healthy?? again.

That health goal is my linchpin. It will control my choices for the foods I eat, the sleep I get, the exercise I get, the questions I ask to get the information I need to make healthy choices.

May you enjoy a healthy life!

What is your linchpin?