Playlist:
Fudosan-Uttara Kuru
Its In Our Hands-Bjork
Skinny Love-Bon Iver
A Heaven in Your Eyes-Psicodreamics
Dear Avery-the Decemberists
Everyday is Like Sunday-Morrissey
Lazy Line Painter Jane-Belle & Sebastian
Roll Away Your Stone-Mumford & Sons
Happy-Public Image Limited
Heads Will Roll-Yeah Yeah Yeah
God Only Knows-Jonatha Brooke
C’est Toi-Edith Piaf
Snow in Woods-Tao of Peace
Harmonic Crystal Bowls-Tibetan Singing Monks
Try this 5-minute morning meditation when you wake up and see if it changes your outlook for the rest of the day!
• Set an alarm for 5 minutes so you do not have to watch a clock. If you can choose the sound, try to find something soft and peaceful, not too jarring. If you can, use an ipod that you can set to play relaxing music to alert you that your time is up.
• Start in a comfortable position you can remain in for 5 minutes. If you know your back is going to ache sitting cross legged on the floor, sit against a wall for support, in a comfortable chair, or lay down! Who says meditation has to be seated anyway??
• Begin by focusing on your breath as you gradually deepen each inhale and each exhale. Label each breath, silently saying to yourself, “I am breathing in, I am breathing out.” This is a way of keeping your focus in the present moment.
• You can chose to stay with this labeling of the breath as your mantra (repetition of a word or phrase) or chose another mantra if you would like, one that describes the kind of day you are going to have. You can say to yourself “I will be relaxed today.” Or “I will remain present in this day.” "I will remain calm in all situations today" " I will be kind to everyone that I encounter." Or any other mantra that resonates with you. Repeating a mantra is way to focus all of your attention on one word or thought, and stay present in the moment. This allows all other thoughts to melt away, and your mind becomes calm and clear. By repeating and focusing on an idea or a theme you want to incorporate into your day, you are putting that energy into the universe. Remember, what we think we create & what we think we become! So think good thoughts!
• Continue with full deep inhales and complete exhalations as you silently repeat your mantra to yourself. If your attention wanders, acknowledge that it has wandered, and then gently guide it back, without judgment or frustration. Even if you find your mind wandering every 5 seconds, try not to get discouraged. Treat your mind during meditation the way you would treat a puppy you are training to sit: with kindness and patience.
Tonight’s flow focuses on the revolved side angle pose (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana) which can improve digestion, cleanse abdominal organs, and enhance spinal flexibility and alignment.
Post Yoga Snack
Mango Mandarin Smoothie
1 c soy or skim milk
½ c diced mango
½ tsp honey
½ c mandarin orange segments
1 banana diced
Put all ingredients in a blender, and puree. Drink immediately
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity. Margaret D. Nadauld
Showing posts with label Healthy lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy lifestyle. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Don't You Forget About Me
Don’t You Forget Me
Knock, knock.
Is this thing on?
Hello? Hello?
Is anyone there?
Oh, hi. It’s me-your healthy self. Do you remember me? We used to be really great friends, once upon a time. We did a lot together-run on the treadmill, lift weights, practice kickboxing, danced, did pilates…good times all. I miss that special time we spent together.
I think kickboxing was a lot of fun. You huffed and puffed your way through, but were ultimately successful. I began to look forward to Mondays after work because you were ready to “punch, punch, jab, kick”! Tuesday evenings were belly dancing, and oh man did you get your groove on! Those shimmies and shakes and the waterfall-you were working it girl! Thursday nights were ballet conditioning-going back to your dancer roots, which helped increase your flexibility and posture. On Fridays, that Latin dance groove and Zumba helped increase your endurance and cardio levels PLUS were a lot of fun. You got back to your old club kid ways and had a blast.
The challenge of running a 5k was something you were up for. You trained really hard for it, and met that challenge. However, you stopped running one morning because you were tired and then, well let’s just say life happened. I know I miss you feeling the endorphins-that runner’s high-that let you feel strong, confident and powerful all day long, no matter what. Then there was you actually taking a break during the day and walking, either outside or in your office building. You started lifting weights and began building up strength. It was getting easier to carry in the groceries, your back pain began to subside and your clothes looked great on you. You began to have all sorts of definition-dare I say, getting cut?-and your posture improved greatly. On top of it all, you were doing Pilates, which lengthened your muscles and helped you stand taller. Your gait became more graceful, and your twirled like a ballerina again, instead of lumbering along. I really miss you going to Saturday morning yoga, because you were able to stretch out that body and get all Zen.
Speaking of Zen…your spiritual life has really fallen apart hasn’t it? I mean, I know you have sporadic moments of spending time in prayer, but overall, you don’t seem to be consistent with it anymore. Your prayer journal is blank. You seem to collapse into sleep every night, and not count your blessings as you drift off. You don’t meditate anymore, and how you carry yourself shows that. Its obvious that you are not cleansing your mind and spirit everyday. You have stuck chakras, and that is causing distruption on so many different levels. Not only that, your relationship with G-d has fallen by the wayside.
I miss you drinking water, especially when you added lemon and mint to it. It kept you hydrated, and you had more energy. No more aches and pains, you felt younger than you had in years. I think you miss feeling that way too.You stopped putting unnatural foods and drinks in your body, and it reflected all over you. Every single molecule looked and felt better.
You also started to take better care of yourself overall. It was fun going with you when you got a mani and pedi, and when you got that rocking hair cut-oh man, good times! The outfits you put together played up your assets and you just looked really, really good. You also got enough rest every night, and practiced self care, with giving yourself spa time at home and out as well. You went out with friends and read books. You enjoyed life. You weren’t living in that self inflicted bubble of unhealthy choices.
What I really miss most is you eating fresh, nutritious food. I miss the fruits and vegetables you consumed by the bushel. I loved how you incorporated them into every meal, and made sure that most of what you ate was healthy and nutritious. I miss spending the time reading labels and recipes to make sure your whole family ate well. I learned to love high fiber foods, because that would help counteract your family’s history of cholesterol and triglyceride problems. Oatmeal became a breakfast of choice, especially after you started to add fresh ground peanut butter, fruit and soy milk to it. You made so many really healthy choices. You didn’t even have to cut back on calories-you were losing weight because you were feeding your body what it needed, not junk. The cravings for junk food disappeared, and you actually began to crave healthy stuff. Wasabi pea trail mix became your go to snack. You ate so much salad, you used to joke that you had it at every meal and snack. You made smoothies for a quick breakfast. The transition to almost vegan was smooth, and it you wore it well. Your skin glowed, your hair was thicker and shinier, and those bags under your eyes disappeared. You weren’t a wreck, and it showed. You were glowing.
So, what do you say…can we make plans to get together again? You know where to find me.
Knock, knock.
Is this thing on?
Hello? Hello?
Is anyone there?
Oh, hi. It’s me-your healthy self. Do you remember me? We used to be really great friends, once upon a time. We did a lot together-run on the treadmill, lift weights, practice kickboxing, danced, did pilates…good times all. I miss that special time we spent together.
I think kickboxing was a lot of fun. You huffed and puffed your way through, but were ultimately successful. I began to look forward to Mondays after work because you were ready to “punch, punch, jab, kick”! Tuesday evenings were belly dancing, and oh man did you get your groove on! Those shimmies and shakes and the waterfall-you were working it girl! Thursday nights were ballet conditioning-going back to your dancer roots, which helped increase your flexibility and posture. On Fridays, that Latin dance groove and Zumba helped increase your endurance and cardio levels PLUS were a lot of fun. You got back to your old club kid ways and had a blast.
The challenge of running a 5k was something you were up for. You trained really hard for it, and met that challenge. However, you stopped running one morning because you were tired and then, well let’s just say life happened. I know I miss you feeling the endorphins-that runner’s high-that let you feel strong, confident and powerful all day long, no matter what. Then there was you actually taking a break during the day and walking, either outside or in your office building. You started lifting weights and began building up strength. It was getting easier to carry in the groceries, your back pain began to subside and your clothes looked great on you. You began to have all sorts of definition-dare I say, getting cut?-and your posture improved greatly. On top of it all, you were doing Pilates, which lengthened your muscles and helped you stand taller. Your gait became more graceful, and your twirled like a ballerina again, instead of lumbering along. I really miss you going to Saturday morning yoga, because you were able to stretch out that body and get all Zen.
Speaking of Zen…your spiritual life has really fallen apart hasn’t it? I mean, I know you have sporadic moments of spending time in prayer, but overall, you don’t seem to be consistent with it anymore. Your prayer journal is blank. You seem to collapse into sleep every night, and not count your blessings as you drift off. You don’t meditate anymore, and how you carry yourself shows that. Its obvious that you are not cleansing your mind and spirit everyday. You have stuck chakras, and that is causing distruption on so many different levels. Not only that, your relationship with G-d has fallen by the wayside.
I miss you drinking water, especially when you added lemon and mint to it. It kept you hydrated, and you had more energy. No more aches and pains, you felt younger than you had in years. I think you miss feeling that way too.You stopped putting unnatural foods and drinks in your body, and it reflected all over you. Every single molecule looked and felt better.
You also started to take better care of yourself overall. It was fun going with you when you got a mani and pedi, and when you got that rocking hair cut-oh man, good times! The outfits you put together played up your assets and you just looked really, really good. You also got enough rest every night, and practiced self care, with giving yourself spa time at home and out as well. You went out with friends and read books. You enjoyed life. You weren’t living in that self inflicted bubble of unhealthy choices.
What I really miss most is you eating fresh, nutritious food. I miss the fruits and vegetables you consumed by the bushel. I loved how you incorporated them into every meal, and made sure that most of what you ate was healthy and nutritious. I miss spending the time reading labels and recipes to make sure your whole family ate well. I learned to love high fiber foods, because that would help counteract your family’s history of cholesterol and triglyceride problems. Oatmeal became a breakfast of choice, especially after you started to add fresh ground peanut butter, fruit and soy milk to it. You made so many really healthy choices. You didn’t even have to cut back on calories-you were losing weight because you were feeding your body what it needed, not junk. The cravings for junk food disappeared, and you actually began to crave healthy stuff. Wasabi pea trail mix became your go to snack. You ate so much salad, you used to joke that you had it at every meal and snack. You made smoothies for a quick breakfast. The transition to almost vegan was smooth, and it you wore it well. Your skin glowed, your hair was thicker and shinier, and those bags under your eyes disappeared. You weren’t a wreck, and it showed. You were glowing.
So, what do you say…can we make plans to get together again? You know where to find me.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Lose Control
I circled a date on my calendar: May 12. It's the annual 5k I run in to raise funds for breast cancer patients. I have a little over 4 months to train for it, which has some good and bad points. The good is I will be able to train up to it, the bad is in my mind I have plenty of time to train.
I have not been really great to my body for over a half a year now. I treated it with incredible disrespect quite frankly. I went from being in incredible shape a year ago this time to a wide pendulum swing to my current state.
For a wide variety of reasons, I have not been kind to myself. I tend to eat to stuff down feelings and stress. That time frame was one of the most stressful times in my life. I was on an emotional roller coaster, and felt like I was never going to get off. But, thankfully I did.
And here I am.
I weigh more than I want to.
My dedication (and to a certain extent, motivation) is nonexistent.
I just feel...blah.
I have attempted to silence my little voice telling me to eat healthier and move more. I have shoved onion rings and burgers and sweets down my throat in order to keep it quiet.
The truth is, it makes me sad to eat junk. I feel awful afterwards, and if it's been particularly bad, it's a food hangover the next day. It makes me sad that I continue to do all of this even though I know it's bad for me.
There a wide variety of reasons, but the overwhelming reason is I've put myself on mute. I let myself be silenced. I've given over my voice to others, including unhealthy choices. Instead of saying no, I've either just given silent consent and tacitly went along or just said yes to keep peace.
I've always been tightly wound but in order to regain my health, I need to lose control.
I have not been really great to my body for over a half a year now. I treated it with incredible disrespect quite frankly. I went from being in incredible shape a year ago this time to a wide pendulum swing to my current state.
For a wide variety of reasons, I have not been kind to myself. I tend to eat to stuff down feelings and stress. That time frame was one of the most stressful times in my life. I was on an emotional roller coaster, and felt like I was never going to get off. But, thankfully I did.
And here I am.
I weigh more than I want to.
My dedication (and to a certain extent, motivation) is nonexistent.
I just feel...blah.
I have attempted to silence my little voice telling me to eat healthier and move more. I have shoved onion rings and burgers and sweets down my throat in order to keep it quiet.
The truth is, it makes me sad to eat junk. I feel awful afterwards, and if it's been particularly bad, it's a food hangover the next day. It makes me sad that I continue to do all of this even though I know it's bad for me.
There a wide variety of reasons, but the overwhelming reason is I've put myself on mute. I let myself be silenced. I've given over my voice to others, including unhealthy choices. Instead of saying no, I've either just given silent consent and tacitly went along or just said yes to keep peace.
I've always been tightly wound but in order to regain my health, I need to lose control.
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