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January 16th, 2014 Here we are on Z in the A-Z Blog Hop. I’m sad it’s the last one. I’ve enjoyed each and every letter. Today’s letter Z, for me, stands for Zodiac and I’m going to make it special by ending it with my first give-away! (For those of you who read yesterday’s post On The Receiving End I’m repeating the story and extending it with a give- away today so keep reading, and for those of you who didn’t read yesterday’s story, you might want to venture back to it and see why I wrote it in the first place!) 🙂
 Not long ago I was reading a post in a blog I follow (My Bikram Yoga Life). Leigha Hall was talking about this necklace she found on Etsy. The name of the artist was Eternal Girl and she makes these gorgeous necklaces that can even be customized. I immediately fell in love and for $15 had to have one. I ordered this one with my Leo sign on it because I love being a Leo. Every characteristic I’ve ever read about Leos totally describes me, so what better way, for only $15, to make a fashion statement that speaks to who I am, than to wear my Leo sign.
The package came in a few days. It was a small envelope. When I opened it the artist provided a beautiful card in a tiny envelope with tissue paper accent. Next out came the necklace delicately wrapped in tissue paper. I remember how I felt opening the package. I was delighted with the care she took in presenting her work to me. I only paid $15 for it, but I felt I was opening something that was far more precious.
If you would like a chance to win an Eternal Girl necklace of your own, do two things:
1. Share this post on Facebook
2. Visit Eternal Girl and browse the designs, then post your favorite in the comments below.
Contest closes next Friday 1/24. One lucky winner will be chosen next Saturday, 1/25, to win the design of their choice, delivered to their home. This give-away is my way of saying thank you for reading and for all your loving support. Each and every one of you are dear to me and I can’t wait to see where our journey will take us as the days of 2014 begin to go by.
And so, as another day goes by, and the blog hop ends, hurry and get in on the fun – you may be the lucky winner, and…I have written.
January 16th, 2014 Not long ago I was reading a post in a blog I follow (M Bikram Yoga Life). Leigha Hall was talking about this necklace she found on Etsy. The name of the artist was Eternal Girl and she makes these gorgeous necklaces that can even be customized. I immediately fell in love and for $15 had to have one. I ordered this one with my Leo sign on it because I love being a Leo. Every characteristic I’ve ever read about Leos totally describes me, so what better way, for only $15, to make a fashion statement that speaks to who I am, than to wear my Leo sign.
The package came in a few days. It was a small envelope. When I opened it the artist provided a beautiful card in a tiny envelope with tissue paper accent. Next out came the necklace delicately wrapped in tissue paper. I remember how I felt opening the package. I was delighted with the care she took in presenting her work to me. I only paid $15 for it, but I felt I was opening something that was far more precious.
It occurred to me that I was enjoying being on the receiving end. When I create something I always have a purpose and a vision. My work is always going somewhere for something. It was nice to stop and let someone else’s art come to me. It was nice to receive the pleasure of their craft. That concept transferred over into my morning meditation (Silent Journey). As the music played and I took my usual spot at my God’s table, clutching my hot cup of tea, I thought that maybe today I’d stop filling the whole time with prayers, petitions and gratitudes. I’d make my statements to God then I would spend the remainder of the mediation sitting on the receiving end. So I did. Amazing when I stopped asking and thanking. Answers to things I’d forgotten about surfaced. Assurance for things I’d brushed aside bubbled to the top. My Lord spoke, and for once, I simply listened. I didn’t even thank or comment back. I just sat – peacefully – on the receiving end.
And so, as another day goes by, I once again realize it isn’t all up to me, and…I have written.
January 12th, 2014 I have never played games on Facebook. Candy Crush just wasn’t my bag. Why? Because I thought it was a waste of my time. I do play words with friends because that keeps my brain nimble – and, of course, I am a lover of words. Tonight I discovered a new “brain gym” that is game playing, but has a science behind it.
For awhile I’ve been meaning to investigate the Lumosity add on TV and today I did. I went to Lumosity.com and registered. They asked me about which brain tasks I’d like to improve and then built my program. They are supposed to send me a set of games to play each day that will improve my brain function. After all, who doesn’t need to improve their brain function?
I received my first set of games and I was hooked – hooked like you get on Candy Crush, but these are good for me, based on science, and geared to the areas of memory, speed, flexibility, attention, and problem solving I’d like to improve. The best one was where they wrote a color name above a color name. The top one was always written in black and you have to answer yes or no quickly if the bottom one was written in that color. Very cool! Like being addicted to exercise.
As I further investigated the site, you can have a paid subscription to track mood and sleep and access graphs of your progress. The free one keeps track of your points and gives the areas of your brain that you’re most proficient in. I like these games. There’s substance and reason to spending time playing them. We all know it’s been proven that our brains, just like our all of our muscles, need to be consistently exercised outside of the way we use our brain in our jobs everyday. It’s like walking. If that’s all you do for exercise, only the muscles used in walking get exercised and the rest atrophy. Go ahead and try Lumosity. It’s free and who couldn’t use a little free exercise – especially if you can sit on the couch and do it! 🙂
And so, as another day goes by, my brain is doing jumping jacks, I’m having fun, and…I have written.
January 11th, 2014 Once again it’s time for the Fun Friday A 2 Z Blog Hop. (And I’m getting better – I’m doing it on Saturday instead of Sunday!) This week’s letter is Y.
Obviously and totally of course, for me, Y is for Yoga. Yoga is the way to put the mind, body and spirit together. I have done many forms of yoga throughout the years and it have practiced Bikram yoga for the last three years. Since I’ve started working in August, my Bikram practice had to slide to the roadside while I got used to working again, but I fully intend to integrate it back into my life before spring. The writing is coming back slowly, so there’s high hope for the yoga.
Why? Why would I work hard to get my yoga practice back? My new job at Koko Fit Club has totally enhanced my life and brought back a renewed joy that I had lost since retiring. So why would I care to bring the yoga back? Yoga is a major cancer fighter. Surprisingly the best cancer fighters are not medicines at all, and yoga is one of them. One morning on Facebook my sister-in-law shared an amazing link that validated everything I have ever believed about cancer. I have always believed that everyone has cancer cells and they way we live our life and the things we do to our bodies decides whether or not the cancer cells get to multiply into cancer or not. Turns out, according to this article, I’m right, but it’s the last item on the list that is the clincher. (I’ll let the author speak about it.)
And so, as another day goes by, that is why Y, for me, stands for yoga, and …I have written.
January 9th, 2014 One of my New Year’s resolutions was to focus on what I was doing during my strength workouts and get that perfect workout. January 9 and one resolution accomplished already! I did it! This morning I got my first perfect workout:
When I showed my husband, he asked if I wore headphones. I told him no, I didn’t. There were people in the club, but I kept focused on that pace bar. I lifted 7000 pounds and paid attention to every pound.
And so as another day goes by, it feels good to just stand there and say I did it! after accomplishing something, jump up and punch the air, and move on to the next thing.
January 7th, 2014 …from 2013. And when the dog bites and the bee stings I’m grateful for them. I am the kind of person who loves anything that makes life easier. I can’t help sharing any piece of technology that alleviates an annoying thing or any food that helps maintain weight or make me feel better, or any exercise or meditation that has truly helped me. This year I came across some awesome finds.
First is a food. Belvita Breakfast Bars are amazing. They come in both a pack of four thin crispy biscuits or one soft cookie-like cake. They are not sweet so they’re perfect for an early morning meal. With a cup of tea or coffee, I’m not hungry until lunch. No other breakfast bar or shake has ever lasted that long – and I’ve tried them all. They come in many enticing flavors: brown sugar cinnamon, apple cinnamon, blueberry, and, my favorite, chocolate. (Not sweet and simply divine with Dunkin Donuts Mocha Peppermint K Cups coffee.) The soft ones come in mixed berry, cinnamon, chocolate chip, and banana bread. My husband loves them too. We get up early and it’s wonderful not to have to fuss with breakfast. Give them a try.
Next is a technological breakthrough that eliminated an annoyance at work. At Koko we are not allowed to have our phones out on the counter. We can keep them underneath the in the cabinet though and check them when the club is empty. (This is a good rule – if members see you on your phone, they hesitate to ask you for help because they think they are bothering you.) My problem is I leave my phone at work. After going all the way back to get it twice, I decided to just leave it in my bag. The downside with that is that I would get so involved in work, eleven hours would go by and I’d never check the phone. My husband and kids tell me they could die and I’d never know it. So……ta-da….enter The Pebble Smartwatch! It syncs with my phone and let’s emails, phone calls, and texts float over the face of a super cool watch. It vibrates and I glance at it. I know at all times what’s happening on my phone. You can’t respond on it – it’s purely informational. And it’s totally customizable by using the settings on my phone. If I want, I could set it to only allow texts from my husband and kids. It doesn’t save anything so there’s nothing to clean-up or delete. Genius. I love not having to dig in my bag for my phone – or remember to.
Third is my new favorite hot drink. During the summer a friend of mine stayed with me. She put a jar of honey and a container of cinnamon out on my counter. I asked what that was for. She said she drinks hot water with cinnamon and honey in it in the morning and before bed. Then she copied off a list of the health benefits . I was skeptical. I don’t care how healthy or good for me something is, I have to LOVE it to incorporate it into my life. I said what the hell and tried it. Wow. Best thing I ever drank – AND it’s good for me! Pure awesomeness. I now drink it morning and night and in the morning I dunk a green tea bag in it making it even better for me. I dare you to try it. (I use hot water from my keurig.)
Fourth is a car with a back up camera. Nuff’ said.
Fifth is the gas fire pit we built last spring. I found this great thing online and it was sold right here at the grill store. It simply sets up anywhere and you just click the natural gas line from the house to it and Voila! …fire! It even has cool ceramic logs that my daughter’s friend swore were real. We set the bricks for the wall. Filled it half way up with clamshells. Set the logs on top of the clamshells and light it with a grill lighter. No buying and hauling wood. No having half our guests sitting in smoke. No having to close the upstairs windows or the bedrooms will fill up with smoke. No sparks flying and landing on our roof. No having to interrupt conversations to fuel the fire. And…best of all…no running out of wood at height of the evening. And when it’s time for bed there’s no waiting for the fire to go out safely – just turn it off. I love my fire.
And last, but certainly not least, is my Silent Journey meditation series. I tried everything from Oprah to Dee Pak to Gabrielle Bernstein and more, and there was no meditation series that was worth spending money on other than this one. I use it every morning and the difference it has made in my days is indescribable. When the guy says at the end I’m going to count to three and you will open your eyes and be energized and ready to go, he’s NOT kidding. I jump out of my chair and off I go – no matter how bad or tired I felt when I woke up. I highly recommend clicking the link and getting the free session and trying it everyday. You’ll see. Everything it says in the ad is true. It REALLY does alleviate anxiety. Best money I ever spent.
And so, as the first days of 2014 go by, I wonder what great foods and products this new year will bring, and…I have written.
January 6th, 2014 I know. You’re saying how can you move and meditate at the same time? Didn’t you say you sat in a trance like state for thirty minutes while doing the Silent Journey meditations? Yes, you’re right, I did. In fact I just finished the one on Gratitude and I feel wonderful, energized, and ready to start my day – and it’s only 6:34 am. After I do my mediation, I sit with my email and read blogs. The post I just read was by called Sitting In Peace, from the blog My Bikram Yoga Life.
Bikram yoga was where I was first introduced to the concept of a moving meditation. It takes some people longer to get it, but I immediately got it. Even though I was constantly moving in and out of postures for 90 minutes, my mind was away from my life outside the studio, totally focused on what the teacher was instructing me to do with my body. To quote my teacher “It’s a 90 minute vacation for your mind.” This concept is perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned in three years of Bikram, and now it travels outside the studio with me.
I’ve transferred it to my new job at Koko Fit Club. I have clients to train that come in totally opposed to exercise, but due to health concerns their doctor sent them here with the “do it or else” philosophy. It’s my job as a fit coach to change that attitude. The concept of a moving meditation and a mind vacation intrigues them. You can actually see their faces soften and change when presented with a new way of reframing adopting a consistent exercise program. I simply explain to them that their 15 minutes of cardio and thirty minutes of weight training will fly by because their mind will be busy listening to Michael Wood on the treadmill and watching the pace bar on the Smart Trainer, while their body is engaged in exercise. Their jobs and the whole outside world will be put on hold for their hour in the club, just as mine was in Bikram.
Reframing exercise as an hour of vacation from their everyday lives immediately changes their attitude. Koko becomes a place they want to come. A craving sets in – their bodies know it’s good for them and crave it – and they develop a positive addiction. Also, just like in Bikram, they begin to crave healthy foods. The similarities between the two are striking. I see many lives being changed between Bikram and Koko here on the Cape, and the common tie is a moving meditation.
The idea of engaging the body and the mind to fully focus on the task at hand and participate simultaneously is one of the best stress and anxiety relievers I have ever seen and experienced.
What about you this new year? Do you know in your mind you have to do something about exercise, but are having a hard time taking that first step? Ok. Don’t take a step. Pick up your iPad and start there. First look up Silent Journey and get yourself started on a path of “not moving meditation.” Then begin researching exercise programs and yoga programs in your area. See if there is a Koko near you. If so, run, don’t walk, there. Just take the first step inside the door and your fit coach will do the rest. We do change lives. Take a glance at finding a Bikram yoga studio in your area. I know, I know, hot yoga, I’ll die, I can’t breathe, yadda yadda , but what a sad way to live if we defeat ourselves before we even got off the couch. I was there. I fought it. Read some of my posts from October – November 2010 to see what my first steps were like. I died many deaths on a Bikram yoga mat whose brand name was “Breathe”.
The very things we hate and are hard for us, are the very things we need the most. Nothing easy ever changed a life. True change takes place in our very core, not on the peripheral edges of our lives, and when you crack that core to initiate change, it’s hard – it hurts – but you will never feel more alive.
And so, before another day goes by, take that first step toward doing what you know needs to be done, my thoughts and prayers are with you on this, and…I have written. (Two days in a row! Yay!)
And for your listening pleasure.. get:
January 5th, 2014 Once again I’m taken by surprise that it’s Friday already. (Ironically it’s Sunday – but I did remember the Friday blog hop) Last week I completely missed Friday and it seems so long ago, I can’t even remember why. I do remember the blog hop letter was W and I had some interesting thoughts about wishes. I guess those seeds of thought will stay buried for another day. This week’s A-Z blog hop letter is X. For me, X is for EXTRAS.
Lately a lot of EXTRA things are being added to my little world. When I started my new job four months ago I realized all the EXTRA things I used to do would have to be temporarily put aside until I got used to working again. By now my work schedule has settled down and I am back to having a rhythm to my days again. This enables EXTRAS to find their way back into my life.
I made five new year resolutions –
-to be more focused
-to let my return to writing and Bikram yoga settle back into my life gently, without force
-to let go of things not meant for me
-to never live through another day with the sole purpose of getting through it
-and to earn my blue lanyard at Koko Fit Club .
I’m going to add an EXTRA resolution to this list. I’m doing three strength sessions a week and I’m going to shoot for four during the month of January. An EXTRA resolution and an EXTRA strength session.
Another EXTRA is working to format and put my friend’s beautiful memoir on Amazon. (I can’t wait to bring it to you when it’s done.)
Lots of EXTRAS are included my daughter’s wedding preparations for her July wedding. I secured my “mother of the bride dress” yesterday. I designed and am making the the decorations for the center pieces. I’m working with the florist. I’m obtaining 100 tea light holders and ten glass globes for favors….and the list goes on. Lots of EXTRAS.
EXTRAS are good. EXTRAS add the spice to our lives. EXTRAS keep life interesting and colorful. EXTRAS are God’s way of throwing some glitter onto the blessed life He’s given us.
And so, as another day goes by, the letter X helps me to appreciate those EXTRAS, see the value in them and not treat them as ” just another thing on my to-do list”, and…I have written.
My EXTRAS are teaching me to fly.
Check out the letter X on these awesome blogs below – especially my author friend Diana Lesire Brandmeyer ‘s new grandson – a precious sprinkle of glitter on her life! 🙂
January 1st, 2014 My sister knows just when to say (send) the right thing at the right time! I have been really focused on my fitness goals for 2014. (Earn that blue lanyard!) These holidays have been – well – these holidays. It’s been full of wine and good food after good food (and I don’t mean good for you food). I had my enhanced BMI down into the Koko fit level of 29. I was 29.7 before Xmas. Today I was 31.4. 🙁 I had a great workout yesterday – lifted the most weight I ever lifted – 7700 lbs – but I was a bit discouraged. It takes a lot to get from 31.4 back to 29. Just when discouragement begins to creep in, my sister saves the day. This morning I get this text from her:
First it’s a pic of me at a pool party at her house a few years ago. Then it says:
Sister: My New Year’s Resolution is to look like my hot sister.
Me: Whoa! I want to look like HER too!
Sister: Haha!!
Me: Man – I got a ways to go before July! Let’s do this!
Sister: I’m so ready!
I was shocked when I saw the pic. That wasn’t that long ago. If I did it once, I can do it again. Now that I’m back to work and my energy and activity level are through the roof, I can lose and reshape all that I accumulated sitting “in the chair”. Depression, heartache, and pain can rob you of your inner peace, but in it’s place they deposit fatigue and pounds. After you turn sixty, moving those pounds is a whole different ball game than it was when I was in my late fifties when that pic was taken. Now I have to fight a decreasing metabolism in addition to exercising and eating right. When you reach sixty, the carbs you eat come to a fork in the road inside your body. If they go right, they turn into energy. If they go left, they are stored as belly fat. After sixty, your metabolism slows and the carbs very rarely turn right. Most, even good carbs, end up being stored as fat.
The answer? Get control of your blood sugar levels. Your body’s ability to process carbs comes down to your insulin sensitivity and your body’s ability to quickly and efficiently shuttle carbs to muscle tissue and not fat. After sixty your body loses this ability and it seems no matter how good you eat or exercise, things just don’t move as fast. If you don’t exercise it’s even worse and you begin to lose lean muscle tissue at the rate of 40% a decade while piling on the belly fat. The kicker? You don’t know it’s happening. It happens so quietly you don’t even know it until someone sends you a photo of you taken not so very long ago.
I did find a product I’ve been testing for over a month now and I’m convinced my energy level is due to this product. I’ve tried the garcinia cambogea and the many other herbal supplements recommended by the likes of Dr. Oz. Every product either contained caffeine or acted like it. It would be an additive that would increase my energy level for a few hours, but never change the way my body used the food I ate. I’ve finally found something called IC-5 from a company called BioTrust.
Check out the video on this site and tell me if it doesn’t make sense. It’s the first product that came along that does. So far I’ve lost four inches off my belly and I feel great all the time, everyday. No more need for a nap. If I do take a nap now, it’s because I want to, not because I have to to function for the rest of the day. I was actually to the point of having to plan my day around a nap or the fatigue would be too overpowering. I used to worry about having enough energy to spend a day in Boston with my daughter. That was never me. My blood sugar and insulin levels really needed attention and this product fixed it naturally, without medication. (I hate any and all medication because the side effects are scary.) With IC-5 there are no caffeine highs. I take two capsules fifteen minutes before I eat a meal – especially a high carb meal – and my energy stays level all day. So far, this combined with healthy, unprocessed food, lots of water, and my fitness program at Koko, I’m beginning to make real progress. I really think it’s possible to make it back to the woman in that photo.
The best part? I’m going to hang up a pic of MYSELF for inspiration – me – not some actress, popstar, or fitness guru. I can use myself for inspiration and that makes my goal ultra-attainable. I can’t think of a better way to kick off a new year than with fitness goals inspired by a photo of myself and not some unreal, airbrushed image from a magazine.
And so, as another New Year’s Day goes by, I’d like to thank my sister for swooping in at just the right moment, we CAN do this, sis, and…I have written.
Will you join my sis and I and set some fitness goals for 2014? Even one small change is better than doing nothing and will make a huge difference. Go for it! (Cape Cod friends – come see me at your local Koko Fit Club and we’ll do this together!)
My inspiration: (starting tomorrow – lol!)
December 31st, 2013 Today I stand with one foot in 2013 and one on the precipice of 2014. Of course this movement into a new year sparks thoughts of how can I do it better in the new than I did in the old. My list of ways I can better myself as a person, add quality to my life, and continue moving forward began about two weeks ago as it usually does every December. So far I’ve got:
1. Be more focused
2. Let my writing pattern and return to Bikram yoga settle and rearrange themselves around my new working life, gently, without force. (Still feeling anxiety over not posting everyday, so this will take some doing.)
3. Let Go. Here is a great list of things to let go of and ways to do it: Twenty Things To Let Go Of Before 2014
4. Earn my blue lanyard at Koko. (I have : white – beginner, orange 50,000 points – I can earn up to 1500 points per workout, black – 150,000 points, yellow – 250,000 points) Blue is for 500,000 points. It will take all year. I need at least one tangible, measurable, resolution.
I like to have five. Today in another blog I read a sentence that said something about not living through everyday just to get it over with. So many times we rush through our days only to get to the next ones – to “get to” something in the future. I’m hugely guilty of this one. My favorite phrase is “I can’t wait until…” Lately I say I can’t wait until my daughters wedding this summer. That’s way in July. How silly to rush through the first six months of the new year to get there. So, number five, for me, is never to live through a day just to get it over with. I will enjoy wedding preparations as much as I enjoy driving to work. I will continue to let God drive my path and find joy in everything He puts on it – good, bad or ugly – there is joy in there somewhere.
This has been a year of hard loss. Losses that made me stop and see how foolish it is to waste time wishing for what might have been. Putting energy into negative people and/or situations. Wasting precious minutes letting other peoples problems steal my peace. I see the importance of separating my happiness from depending on what other people do or don’t do. I have made a lot of progress this year in the gratitude department. It IS true what they say – focus on being grateful for what you have instead of what you don’t have and your mood, attitude and life will make a sharp turn toward the positive. The thing I’m most grateful for this past year is my new job. Funny, working double ten and eleven hour shifts boosted my energy level. I always think of that commercial – a body at rest stays at rest – a body in motion stays in motion. “Outta the chair” will continue to be my mantra for 2014.
And so, as another day, ending another year goes by, it’s good to stop and consider where I stand, where I stood, and where I’d like to go in 2014, and…for the last time in 2013, I have written. Happy new year my dear readers. I will leave you with what I consider to be the best quote of 2013:
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