We have all had a thought, an idea, or a dream we felt drawn to follow and explore. Whether it was a childhood dream to be an astronaut or a goal to start your own business at age 50, we have all felt the tug at our hearts and minds to follow a path.
But, for many of us, we have also heard the words of friends, foes and loved ones telling us it is impossible: “You’re too old”, “You’re not smart enough”, “You don’t have the time/money”, “No one has done that before”, “You should give up”.
The thought today is, when you feel that pull, when you know in your heart you should follow a dream, DO IT!
Lately, I have been working on connecting with my spirit guides and ascended masters through automatic writing, which I love and you should definitely try.
Through my “discussions” with these higher wisdoms, I have been encouraged to share some of what comes through in these messages.
The title of this and future posts, “Words to Live By” comes directly from their guidance and inspiration.
Think of them as social media fortune cookies and use them in whatever way serves your happiness and highest good.
As a wellness coach, one of the most common excuses I hear from people about why they can’t: lose weight, lower their cholesterol, be more flexible, or be more active is, “I don’t have time!”.
This excuse, and “yes” it is an excuse, generally comes immediately after this person has given me a detailed rundown of the 6 episodes of “Yellowstone” they watched over the weekend or spent 20 minutes griping about how everyone on Facebook is saying this, that, or the other thing.
Here is the bad news, if you have time to spend hours sitting in front of the TV or scrolling through social media, you have TIME to exercise! The fact of the matter is you don’t WANT to exercise, so you make up an excuse that you are soooooo……..busy with soooooo…..many important things that you simply cannot squeeze 30-40 minutes of fitness into your day.
Sure, we all have days where work, family, and social obligations take up the majority of our day, but for most of us that is the exception, not the rule.
Now, here is the great news, you don’t have to block off 45-60 minutes 4-5 days a week to go to the gym to get some of the benefits of exercise. By simply being active throughout your day you can help improve cognitive function, improve sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and reduce muscle tension and stress. Even doing 3-4 minutes of physical activity every hour can yield benefits.
Let’s say you are awake for 16 hours each day, if you were physically active for 3 minutes every hour, by the end of the day you would have done almost 50 minutes of physical activity! That’s over 5 hours every week! I guarantee you can find a least 3 minutes every hour to do a little something.
This week commit to doing at least 3 minutes of physical activity every hour you are awake!
So, what can you do?
Sit down and stand up from a chair, repeatedly for 3 minutes (or do body weight squats)
Take 5 minutes and walk up and down a flight of stairs
March in place for 1 minute, do jumping jacks for 1 minute, do butt kicks for 1 minute
Step side to side while pushing your arms overhead for 2 minutes and heel taps with arm circles for 2 minutes
Take 3 minutes to walk around your house picking up and decluttering
Or any activity that gets your heart pumping and your blood moving
More is better here so if you can do 5-10 minutes during some hours all the better!
If you have a goal to lose weight or improve your health, you may still need to hit the gym 3-4 days a week for some purposeful workouts in order to reach your goals. But, just think how much easier it will be to hit your goals if you add 30 minutes of activity the other 3 days. Even if you are a total gym rat, extra physical activity during the day can provide a much needed mental and physical break from a sedentary work environment.
So banish your, “I don’t have time”, excuse and get moving! It only takes a few minutes every hour and your mind and body will thank you!
If you have followed this blog for very long you probably noticed that I post a lot about taking note of things you are grateful for.
But often we forget that being grateful is about more than being thankful for material things, gratitude is also about experiences that you’ve had, people you have met, or other non-material things that you have received.
For example, have you ever been thankful that you drove all the way to work and had all green lights?
Have you ever thank the Universe for a complement you received?
Today, make it your goal to make a list of non-material things you’re thankful for:
“I am grateful I had the opportunity to shovel snow from my elderly neighbor’s driveway so she could go to church.”
“I am grateful a colleague made me realize what a terrific job I have.”
“I am grateful I had an amazing time learning to surf on vacation.”
“I am grateful I have a loving family.”
“I am grateful I found an inspirational book to listen to in my commute.”
“I am grateful my grandmother taught me how to make her delicious fried chicken.”
Expressing gratitude is a great way to put a positive spin on your day and your life. And, if you say, “Thank You”, to someone else it can make their life better as well.
If you liked this post or found it helpful, please share it with friends and family. Together we can make the world a happier more positive place, one “thank you” at a time.
Summer is here. For many of us that means weeks (or months) of dieting and extra trips to the gym to “get in shape” for our summer vacation. We cut the carbs, suffer through bowls of dressing free lettuce, trade our lattes for black coffee, and schlog through hours of treadmill interval workouts just so we can look good in our swimsuit, only to ruin our hard won efforts as soon as we reach our destination.
Summer vacation does not have to mean weight gain. Implementing 3 simple techniques can help you maintain your pre-vaca physique. All without giving up the food and fun of your trip.
Technique #1 – Eat slowly
Taking time to eat slowly and savor your meals can help prevent overeating. Research shows that people who eat slowly and mindfully, aka focusing on what you’re eating, consume fewer calories than individuals who scarf down a meal. Take time to enjoy every meal. You are on vacation after all, why not make the most of each moment including meal time.
Technique 1A – Take a bite of food then put your fork down. Savor the bite. How does it taste? What flavors do you notice? Do you even like it? If not, stop eating it. Chew slowly, swallow, take a breath, repeat.
Technique #2 – Eat until 80% full
Vacation often offers the opportunity to partake of foods we normally would not eat at home. Unfortunately, we often over do it by justifying it’s ok because we are “on vacation”. This is a sure way to regain pre-vacation weight losses. Eating until your a 80% full allows you to enjoy your favorite vacation foods while reducing the amount of calories you would ordinarily ingest. This applies to alcohol and sugary beverages as well. For example, if you would normally drink 3-4 alcohol drinks per day on vacation cut it back to 2-3 (or less).
Technique 2A – Ordering a variety of appetizers rather than an entree is a terrific way to sample all the culinary delights your destination has to offer while allowing you to eat smaller portions.
Technique #3 – Keep Moving
Vacation time can be a terrific excuse to skip your workouts, but it is those workouts that got you into summer shape to begin with, so don’t ditch them entirely. You don’t have to hit the gym. Walking can be a great way to burn calories while on vacation. Try walking to dinner rather than taking a cab, take a walking tour of the city, bike ride through the countryside, kayak around the lake, splash and play in the hotel pool, or create a 10-15 min HIIT routine you can do in your hotel room. Being active for 15-20 minutes or more each day while you are on vacation can go a long way in preventing vacation weight gain.
Staying healthy and keeping your weight in check while on vacation does not have to mean giving up trying and enjoying new foods or spending time locked inside the gym. Adding these 3 techniques to your vacation itinerary can insure you look as good (or better) after your trip as you did before.
Are you ready to learn more nutritional habits that can have you looking and feeling your best? Then our Nutritional Coaching program is for you! Visit our website to learn more and get signed up: I’m ready to feel great!
I am going to spend 10 minutes mediating every day.
OR
They can be things you want to manifest, such as:
I am receiving $1500 unexpected income this week.
I am going to get hired at my dream job.
I am going to receive a cup of coffee from a stranger.
For example,
I am so proud of myself for going to the gym 3x this week. I feel strong and confident. I am thrilled that got hired at my dream job. I am excited to be starting in 2 weeks.
You get the idea.
Spend a few moments truly feeling the emotions behind your desires. Then put the list away until Saturday.
If you recall your list during the week, take a minute or two to focus on the emotions of achieving your desire.
If you accomplish/receive before Saturday say, “Thank You”.
Otherwise, just go along in your week, be as happy and productive as you can.
On Saturday, take the list out and see how you did.
What goals did you set for yourself this year? Do you want to: run a marathon, lose 20 pounds, get a new job, find your soulmate, pay off your credit cards, or buy a new home?
No matter what your goals are for 2019, you cannot expect to achieve them if you don’t believe you deserve them. Believing you deserve to make your goal a reality is a crucial step in reaching that goal and yet, I often find when working with clients it is missing from the goal setting equation!
Believing you deserve to have, be, or do anything you want is about loving yourself enough to allow yourself to have, be, or do whatever it is you are wanting.
If you do not love yourself, you will never have the power to press forward with your goal when the road gets rocky and challenges emerge. Instead, you will start to doubt yourself and your abilities and start believing the naysayers and negative Nancy’s’.
See if this sounds familiar:
“What was I thinking? I’ll never be able to lose weight. I don’t have the willpower.”
OR
” Mom was right. Men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”
If you want to finally get on track to achieving your goals and stay on track you MUST start loving and believing in yourself!
Here is a little exercise to get you started:
Find a mirror. Any mirror will work, it can be the mirror in your bathroom, a hand mirror, or the visor mirror in your car. If you can’t find a mirror “selfie mode”on your phone will work.
Look at yourself in the mirror. Look directly into your own eyes. For some of you, this may be uncomfortable. Take a breath and power through. You CAN do this.
While looking into your eyes, state out loud at least 10 things you LOVE about yourself. They can be anything; physical attributes, habits, behaviors, attitudes, accomplishments…
“I love my soft silky hair.”
“I love that I am a hard worker.”
“I love that I am intelligent.”
“I love that I finished my work project ahead of schedule and got compliments from my boss.”
Be creative! Have fun! Enjoy the process. Allow yourself to feel good.
Do this exercise every day for a month and take notice of how your life starts to shift and your goals get closer to reality. You will be glad you did!
Let us know how the exercise worked for you, LIKE, us on Facebook and leave a message!
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