Aha-Ha Moment

A conversation with a Lisa, a fellow book club member created a mini aha ha moment yesterday. This month my book club is reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. Disclosure: I haven’t read it yet as I’m still waiting for my copy from the library. The book has led many people to alter their lives for the better. Another one of our book club members wants the club to do a happiness project together. Since I haven’t read the book yet, Lisa gave me a quick rundown starting with the challenge to change 5 things in your life a month. My stomach started to clench with the stress of a) coming up with 5 things b) the upheaval in my life to change 5 things in a month and c) oh God I’ll have to come up with ANOTHER 5 things for the next month. With these thoughts swirling around in my head, I zoned out on the recap of the rest of the book. Then I tuned back in to hear Lisa admit how changing 5 things was beyond her at this point.

Wait a minute, what? This is a very organized and together lady we’re talking about. I’ve lost count at the number of self-help books and organizational blogs I read, while my life and house remain a mess. This is not a knock on any of the authors I’ve read, this is all about me. Why is it when I go in with such good intentions about implementing all the fabulous ideas, nothing happens. Oh a pile of stuff might be cleaned up or I create my affirmations list, then… I get overwhelmed and nada. Oh wait this was about her response not mine. Without guilt my friend said since 5 changes were to overwhelming, she decided to pick one thing to change a month to create more happiness in her life. Hmm, pick ONE thing to change in my life and do it for a month. Well yeah, that I should be able to manage. (As soon as I decide what that change should be). The aha-ha for me is I can take a piece from a self-help book or blog and just do that piece. AND thats OK! I don’t have to implement the entire process, just incorporate the part that really resonates with me. 

De-cluttering my way

I made this vision board a few months back when the clutter in my life really began to irritate me.  It was very specific as to what I wanted and what needed to be done. I wanted to reclaim the organized person I was; to do that I needed to do A LOT of pruning. Monday morning I woke up bright & early itching to get rid of things. I spent an hour going through my book collection bagging books for an upcoming book sale. After that hour I had 4 bags of books for the sale.  On the way to work I dumped 4 boxes from my garage in the dumpster. Later that afternoon, I was able to collect 2 garbage bags full of junk.  This morning I dropped those off at the dumpster. God I love dumpsters, it’s so liberating to throw boxes & garbage bags into a non-judgmental receptacle. I spent another hour this afternoon clearing out notebooks and other useless stuff I’ve accumulated in other lives. Here’s a picture of this afternoons hall. I can’t wait until the garbage men get here tomorrow morning! Maybe I’ll even throw the bags in the garbage truck for good measure.

I'm Trying Something New Today

I’m trying something new today, its Jin Shin Jyutsu. Jin Shin Jyutsu is an ancient art of harmonizing the life energy in the body. Jin Shin Jyutsu brings balance to your body's energy, which promotes optimal health and well being. It complements conventional healing methods, reducing the effects of stress and promoting relaxation.  Typically a Jin Shin Jyutsu treatment is supposed to leave you feeling relaxed, balanced and serene. Yay, I can definitely use more balance and serenity in my life. For my treatment, which I get to stay dressed for, the practitioner will with a light touch clear blockages to harmonize and restore my energy flow. I can’t wait to feel the results. I’ll keep you posted.

Understanding Everyday Stress

WHAT STRESS IS...

Stress is an abnormal condition that disrupts the normal functions of the body or mind. No two people are affected in exactly the same way, or to the same degree, but most people living in our society suffer from its effects at one or more times during their lives. Symptoms range from mind headaches, occasional bouts of insomnia, overall restlessness, digestive problems, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

SELECTED LIFE EVENTS THAT CAN BRING ON STRESS:

•       Death of a close family member or friend.
•       Major personal injury, illness or pregnancy.
•       Major change in the health of a family member.
•       Marriage, marital reconciliation, divorce.
•       Arguments with spouse, family members, friends, co-workers.
•       Financing major purchases.
•       Major change in eating habits, living conditions, moving.
•       Changing to a different line of work.
•       Major change in responsibilities at work.
•       Changes in working hours or conditions.
•       Being fired at work.
•       Starting a new job or career.
•       Retirement from work.
•       Business readjustment, changes in financial condition.

How many of items on this list are effecting your life right now? Know you are not alone and there is help. There are a mirade of healthy things you can do to relieve stress; walking  outside, talking with close friends, hugging a pet, taking a bubble bath are on my list. Life coaches, therapists and support groups are available to help you help yourself.  

Growing Old Gracefully

Today, according to the World Bank, our life expectance is 78.4 years. Conservative experts believe that man is really build to last about 100 years; and that medical advances and more healthful living habits could bring this about within a generation or two. Gulp, panic is setting in as I try to figure out how I’m going to finance that many years, let alone what to do with all that time. The truth is what good is it to add years to life if we do not also add life to years?  In fact, unless people learn to enjoy life and to grow old gracefully, the extra years may be an additional burden. I don’t know about you but I intend my golden years to be joyful as I gracefully age into Centurion status.

The traditional view of aging is generally accompanied by a loss in physical and mental flexibility.  This is noticed in a tendency to become stiff in the joints; a slower comeback after a strenuous trip, or excessive "night life;" in slower healing of wounds, sore muscles, and sprains; in slower recovery of pep after an illness; and in greater difficulty to adjust to new people, new places, and new ideas. Well wasn’t that just a cheery future to look forward to.

Gratefully new studies have brought about new thinking. The conclusion now is that the performance and ability of the elderly has long been underestimated and can be greatly improved by a proper diet, sleep and exercise along with rest and relaxation. Many elderly people tend to lose their joy and will to live and chronic worriers may mope around and withdraw.  Medical authorities now say that laughter is one of the best medicines for the elderly.  You can always keep your sense of humor tuned up by surrounding yourself with pleasant and interesting people.  So don't be afraid to laugh at yourself even when no else is around.

Now that we all know the role that physical activity plays in our lives, remember to do something physical every day.  The joints must be used or quite simply they will tighten with age creating that stooped worn out appearance we so often associate with getting old.  Keep yourself flexible and fit on an exercise program consistent with your ability and don’t forget to laugh. As for me, I’ll be hitting Planet Fitness later today and texting Diana to find out the when & where of her next Laughter yoga session.           

                               

Tai Chi is it for Me?

Tai Chi is an ancient martial art that marries mind and body to create awareness and clarity of the inner you.  It is proclaimed to have health benefits ranging from strengthening the body to alleviating a variety of ailments such as Arthritis and gastric problems.

I’ve seen groups in the park acting as one going through beautiful routines. It looks like karate in slow motion. Considering how uncoordinated I am, slow is better. Tai Chi has always peeked my interest, but I had never tried a class; until the other night that is. The instructor gave us a brief background on Tai Chi and another meditative practice, Qi Gong. Then he led us through a few movements of each discipline. While looking in the mirror as the class moved through the Tai Chi movements I realized it would take years of working with the same group of people to ever look like those people in the park. The movements themselves were doable, but the precise nature of the discipline left me dispirited due to my aforementioned un-coordination.

Qi Gong on the other hand had a more of a give it your best shot vibe, a much better fit for my klutzy abilities. Qi Gong translates to life force work. It incorporates breathing and slow movement to enhance overall health without the martial arts theme. Qi Gong can even be done lying down. Now this is my kind of exercise. I’m definitely going forward to taking some Qi Gong classes.

The Wildwater Walking Club

I love to listen to books while driving in the car and running errands. The current book playing on my MP-3 is The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook. So far, this is a fabulous read.

I’ve got a lot in common with the lead character, Noreen Kelly. I’m single, live by myself, out of a job I had for a number of years, and trying to discover what to do next. After wallowing in the depression of job loss she wakes up to find she’s packed on the pounds. To combat the weight gain, she straps on her pedometer and heads outside for a walk. This galvanized to pick up a pedometer of my own. After leaving the store I strapped on the pedometer to start counting my steps.

Guidelines suggest we should be aiming to walk 10,000 steps every day for weight management. A sedentary person (me), tend to average 1000-3000 steps a day. That’s a long way from 10,000 steps. So I grabbed friend and went walking around Horseshoe Lake. Not only was it energizing exercise, it was enjoyable to spend time catching up with a friend. Best yet, it has inspired me to do it again.

Steps on Day 1 8604

Health-e-Motion

Yesterday was the Grand Opening Celebration for Health-e-Motion.  There was the typical meet & greet, food, drink and tour. Unique to Health-e-Motion were the Nia classes you could jump into for a song, intuitive readings in a private room or the Drumming Ceremony which was the finale for the day. Now I have never seen a Drumming Ceremony much less participated in one, but that didn’t stop me from picking up a drum and banging along. What a hoot. Everyone started out trying to follow the rhythm but as the ceremony progressed, we all just did our own thing. Some people were drumming or using other percussion instruments, some danced and some enjoyed the performance. Usually I’m in the latter group. Just spending a few minutes in this new space and I was already enjoying being out of my comfort zone.

Health-e-motion is the brainchild of Christine Clifton. She describes herself as a Personal Growth Trainer and has worked as a life coach and Nia instructor. Christine wants to bring healthy living modalities under one roof. Whether you are searching for spiritual, intellectual, emotional or physical enlightenment Health-e-motion is the place to be.

I first met Christine a few months back at a Rock Your Chakras class she was leading. It was fantastic! It was a mix of movement, meditation and soul searching. Just weeks before my mom’s death, I came into the class hopeless and dark and left feeling hopeful and light. It was an awesome internal transformation. Excitingly, this is one of the classes being offered during the free Monday evening classes in March. I can’t wait to take it again. To me the real excitement about Health-e-Motion is the opportunity to try new things in a safe environment. There’s this Dance Your Chakras (March 31) billed as all about chakras and balancing these energy centers through dance meditation. Sounds like something not to miss to me. 

Energy Art

I had never heard of Energy Art before. Then I saw an ad on Facebook which included a painting by Julia Watkins. The ads on Facebook cycle pretty quickly so the image appeared frequently. Every time the ad appeared I would pause to gaze at the picture. It resonated with me, lightening my spirit. Finally I actually clicked on the ad and learned about Energy Art.

Energy Art is a new movement with old roots. Impressionists, Expressionist and Futurists all tried to capture energy forms in their art. The Energy Art Movement officially began a couple of years ago. Their explanation of Energy Art is ‘the depiction of energy using color, form, and composition to create inventive and expressive works of art that resonate with impact and feeling.” Well it resonates with me. And apparently I’m not alone. Deepak Chopra recently bought a paining from Ms Watkins dolphin series. I hope this picture of my favorite 

the "Peacock” speaks to you as well. 

Stress Buster #3

Meditation is a terrific stress buster. I do great at guided meditations. I really get into the zone using guided imagery.  In the past I’ve attended meditation classes in person. The other night I discovered online meditation videos. Google Videos has a variety of meditation videos available for free. Last night I received a guided meditation from Mari Cooper of AHA Moments Inc. It was wonderful. Mari will be speaking at the Bernardsville pod meeting of B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) Monday night at Equus Restaurant in Bernardsville. I’m really looking forward to hearing her in person.

Stress Buster #2

In my search for stress relief, I recently discovered laughter yoga.  Laugher yoga is a fun exercise involving deep yoga breathing coupled with laughing. It taps into your inner child playing games like jumping rope and my favorite, hopscotch. Laughter yoga is creating buzz, Better Homes & Gardens featured it in their February issue. Locally, www.laughterheart.com is a great source. I’m looking forward to my next laughter yoga session. 

Stress Buster

As mentioned in my last blog, the Stress Number Test tells me that I am suffering from major stress. Now the challenge is what to do about it.  Yes, I will take an aspirin for my tension headache, but I’m not a big fan of drugs to solve long term problems.  I love massages which are great stress reducers.  Actually I REALLY love chair massages. My tension burrows into and under my traps.  Those wonderful ladies in the mall with the massage chairs do wonders for me. One of my favorite stress reducers is the long hot Jacuzzi bath.  A few years back, I did my first home renovation project – a bathroom remodel.  Now I have a wonderful bubbling bath tub for long relaxing soaks.  A recent favorite soak that I make is Epson Salt & Ginger (1 cup Epson & 2 tablespoons Ginger). It eliminates toxins and body aches.  To make my tub experience as relaxing as possible, I am always in search of bath salts, oils and milk baths.  Send me your favorite baths; I’d love to try new recipes.