Tag Archives: Mind

Take Five to Transform Holiday Stress

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christmas-meditator

“Stress isn’t something that happens to someone. It’s something someone feels about what’s happening. Your capacity to deal with any outer situation is based on your inner perspective. . . How we see ourselves determines everything.”

–Bruce D. Schneider

There is a lot about the holidays that can impact people’s wellness. One of the biggest culprits is stress.

Holiday stress can come from overeating, or feelings of depression or overwhelment, or challenging relationships, or just too much on your to-do list.

Now I’m going to be perfectly honest and authentic with you.

I’ve been stressed the last couple of weeks.

Oh, it wasn’t the holidays. I’ve learned how to manage getting ready for the holidays in a healthy and balanced way.

None-the-less, for the first time in two years, I found myself stressed and I didn’t listen to my body when it was telling me to slow down. As a result, I’m just now getting over a cold that I had for weeks.

Believe me, the irony of that was not lost on me every day when I was writing my blogs!

The thing is, your wellness and finding balance in your life is never done. You’re not likely get to a place where you can slap your hands together and say, “Woo hoo! I can check wellness off my list of things to do. Thank goodness I’ll never have any more stress again.”

New things will come along that you have to make adjustments for and that require re-finding your balance. That is part of the evolution of life.

So what threw me into serious stress mode?

It was taking my business to the next level by launching my new brand and website last week, getting ready to launch a new coaching program on January 7, and planning my first ever Love Your Way Slim beach-side retreat in April.

What I forgot is that stress is not created by the situation I am in. What I forgot is how powerful I am.

We are the creators of the limitations—and the success—that we experience. When we are stressed, we are not accurately seeing ourselves, what we are capable of, what we deserve, and the support we are receiving from the Universe.

When I was seeing myself as overworked, limited, tired, and overwhelmed, I was not seeing myself accurately.

My coach was able to help me shift my perspective slightly so that I could see myself as capable, confident, energetic, and empowered. She reminded me to ask for the support I needed, and to see the support I already had. And that slight change in perspective made all the difference in the world.

Not only did I immediately feel emotionally better, but I began feeling physically better, too. All of a sudden, I was able to see how to work in the rest and self-care I had been neglecting, and my to-do list didn’t seem so overwhelming.

The only thing that was different was my perception of who I was in relationship to what was happening.

We are all so much more powerful than most of us realize. Huge changes can be made with just a slight shift in how we see ourselves.

While it took my body reminding me of this—and to practice what I preach—the great news is I have the tools and have been able to get my body back in balance.

And even better news is I didn’t fall back into old patterns of reaching for comfort food or overeating.That is a huge win!

Now, I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with stress the last few weeks.

You may be having a really hard time right now. And the idea that your stress is a result of limited self-thinking and faulty beliefs may sound like tosh.

But the Truth is, Who you really are is capable, confident, energetic, empowered, and engaged. The key is shifting your perspective just enough so that you can begin to believe it.

One way to reach for a new thought and perspective is to quiet your mind. Even taking a 5-minute mental break can make a huge difference in how easily you can see solutions to your situation.

Make quieting your mind—even for 5 minutes—a priority over the next few days. 

Do this by:

  • Meditating
  • Going for a walk
  • Taking a nap
  • Enjoying a stress-relieving bath
  • Sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book
  • Taking 3 deep breathes

Even if all you can manage is shutting the door and actually going to the bathroom by yourself, that can be enough to help clear your mind.

Then remind yourself that you are capable, confident, energetic, empowered, and engaged. Harness the power of your self-perception.

I know 5 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but consistently quieting your mind for even just a few minutes a day—and then reminding yourself of Who you really are—can have a profound impact on your physical and emotional health.

When you feel better, you’re better able to take care of your family—and be the version of you that your family actually wants to be around!

Make it a priority today to take a few minutes to quiet your mind and remember Who you really are. What difference does that make in your stress-level? What difference does that make in how much you enjoy your holidays?

Together we can do it!

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My blog is moving! To keep following my posts after January 15, you will need to follow my new blog, at LoveYourWaySlim.com. I look forward to continuing the journey with you!

Happy 4th of July!

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Today in America we are celebrating Independence and Freedom.

So to all my fabulous readers, I wish you:

  • The freedom found in optimal wellness.
  • The freedom of independent thought to focus on and create the life that you want.
  • The freedom to choose your response rather than just to react.
  • The freedom to choose the foods that you eat and in what quantity.
  • The freedom to move your body in ways that feel good to you
  • The freedom and independence that comes from claiming dominion over your body and mind.

Health brings freedom. Feeling well helps you connect more with joy and do more of what you love. Allow your life to keep getting better.

One a personal note, I would also like to wish my brother, Richard, a very happy birthday. Sending you much love!

Wellness Tip of the Day

Aside

Wellness Tip of the Day: Freedom is found in wellness. Take charge of your independence of thought, response and choice. Claim dominion over your body and mind.

Do You Need That to Be Healthful?

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nour•ish \ˈnər-ish, ˈnə-rish\ verb

nour•ish•es; nour•ished; nour•ish•ing

[+ obj] 1 : to provide (someone or something) with food and other things that are needed to live, be healthy, etc.

▪ Plants are nourished [=fed] by rain and soil. ▪ Vitamins are added to the shampoo to nourish the hair. ▪ a well-nourished baby

2 : to cause (something) to develop or grow stronger

▪ a friendship nourished by trust ▪ Her parents nourished [=supported] her musical talent.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

How well-nourished are you? I’m not just asking about your diet, but am including your mind, emotions, and soul.

For many, nourishment may not be something they think about at all. For some, nutrition is what comes to mind. There are few of us who can claim to be well-nourished in all areas of our lives.

But if you think about the difference nourishing food can make to your body, just imagine what would happen if you also consciously nourished your mind with information, ideas, and even entertainment that enhanced your knowledge, awareness, and clarity?

Imagine nourishing relationships that are easy, loving, satisfying, and fun? Imagine nourishing spiritual practices that lead to richer, fuller, and more fulfilling life experiences? Imagine nourishing activities (such as work!) that are fun, interesting, and exciting?

What did you do yesterday? How much of that nourished you—body, mind, and spirit? How much of it drained or depleted you?

What are you doing today? How much of what you have on your to-do list is nourishing? What do your choices mean for the overall quality of your life? What choices would you need to make to be truly well-nourished?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eleven Reasons to Exercise Today

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What does optimal wellness mean to you?

To me, optimal wellness is feeling good—mind, body, and spirit. It’s being at the right body weight for me. It’s moving with ease, and being fit, strong, and lean. It’s allowing every cell in my body to thrive, and having a super-charged immune system and metabolism. It’s having every system in my body functioning properly. It’s nurturing my body’s own wellness abilities. It’s treating myself—and others—with love and respect. It’s experiencing habitual feelings of appreciation, eagerness, and joy. It’s a lasting state of well-being, and a confidence in Who I am and what I am capable of.

How important is eating healthy foods and moving your body to achieving optimal wellness? As I wrote in my blog yesterday, it’s pretty darn important to me.

But beyond my personal experience that I feel physically better and have increased physical energy when I regularly move my body, according research cited by Bill Phillips in his book Transformation, the health benefits of consistent exercise are staggering.

For instance, consistent exercise can:

  • Double survival rates of breast cancer patients, and can significantly reduce the chance of developing breast cancer in the first place.
  • Strengthen the body’s immune system.
  • Help relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
  • Boost blood flow to the brain, which increases the energy of brain waves that are responsible for quick thinking, focus, creativity, and problem solving.
  • Prevent and treat osteoporosis.
  • Help manage diabetes.
  • Reduce the risk of addiction and relapse.
  • Slow premature aging of the skin.
  • Promote healthier digestion.
  • Reduce aches and pains.
  • Contribute to optimism and a positive mindset.

Study after study shows that exercise plays an important role in promoting sound physical and mental health and emotional well-being. If the benefits of exercise could be put in a pill, everyone would be taking it.

And what you eat is just as important. When you eat nutrient rich foods, your:

  • Mind becomes more alive, and you’re happier
  • Immune system is stronger
  • Body feels younger and healthier

No matter what your goal is, if you’re trying to create the life of your dreams, exercise and eating healthy foods might need to be a part of it. And if they’re not, why not?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Can You Relate?

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We’ve all heard of the body, mind, spirit connection, but what does that really mean?

It means that diet and exercise alone are not enough to create the body of your dreams. To successfully create optimal wellness, you must also pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

It means you must have a relationship with your body.

How do you currently relate to your body? Do you love and appreciate it? Admire its strength and flexibility? Acknowledge how hard it’s working on your behalf? Consider it beautiful?

Or do you ignore it? Complain about it? Think and say mean and hurtful things about it? Do you consider your body incapable of grace, beauty, or athleticism? Think it’s impossible for you to lose weight, or feel ugly or fat?

These kinds of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs generate negative catabolic energy that is literally having a destructive effect at the cellular level. Stop a moment and think, “My body is ugly.” Is there a physical feeling associated with that, such as an uncomfortable pull in the stomach?

What physical feeling results from thinking, “My body is working hard on my behalf?” Do you feel a sense of easing up?

Because you carry your body around with you everywhere you go, it is truly one of your most important relationships.

Even a little bit of catabolic energy has a huge impact on your life. Have you ever walked around with a pebble in your shoe? How long were you able to keep going before you had to stop and remove the stone, even if it was tiny? Where you able to focus on the beauty of the day and path, or was much of your attention on the stone in your shoe? What might have you missed even being a little focused on the stone?

Catabolic thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are much like a stone in your shoe. It doesn’t take much for them to distract you from the life you are creating, the joy and opportunities that abound, and the love that surrounds you. The draining effect they have accumulates over time.

With that catabolic stone in your shoe, can you do everything that you want to do? Can you achieve what you want to achieve? Can you show up in your personal relationships the way you want to show up?

Many don’t realize they have the ability to shift their thoughts, feelings and beliefs, so they just walk around continuing to perpetuate that catabolic energy.

Maybe you feel your body betrayed you by not being strong enough, healthy enough, capable enough, or beautiful enough? Imagine what you could do with that mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual energy if you were focusing it towards Who you want to be and the life you want to create?

How differently would you approach the physical actions of eating healthy and moving your body if you believed your body was capable of being fit, strong, healthy, and lean? What difference would that make to your ability to create optimal wellness? How might that impact your life?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We’re Having Fun Now!

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When you think of having fun what comes to mind?

Typically fun is associated with relaxation and recreation (re-creation). For most people, having fun means being on vacation, perhaps at the beach or on a cruise, or having a drink with friends, or being at a sporting event. Fun is defined by being kicked-back with nothing to do and no responsibilities.

While this kind of re-creation is indeed fun and incredibly important for recharging our positive anabolic batteries, when fun is so narrowly defined, most of life is spent not having fun.

What if you were to broaden and expand your definition of fun? What if you began to include what you’re doing?

Fun is laughing so hard you cry, being with friends and family, and feeling free, but it’s also solving problems, achieving a goal, being engaged in the task at hand, and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Fun is pushing yourself to and past your limits, knowing you gave something your all, reaching out to help another, and shifting how you think about a situation, person, or event.

Fun is pursuing things you’re passionate about, embracing who you truly are, learning from experiences that many might call mistakes, and being aligned with your core values.

Fun is taking responsibility for everything in your life, is quiet moments of meditation and appreciation, and is striving for excellence.

Fun is repairing damaged relationships, admitting when you’re wrong or don’t have all the answers, and is striving to be the best possible version of you.

Fun is taking life as it comes, focusing more on where you are than on your future destination, and making decisions that move you towards your ultimate goal.

Fun is seeing the opportunities in every moment, cultivating a belief that everything is always working out for you, and enjoying the heck out of the ride that is life.

How can you broaden your definition of fun to include what you’re doing? How much does that increase the amount of fun you’re having? How might that impact your life?

Together we can do it!

Photo by worradmu / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Transformation Mastery

Aside

I am getting excited to start an 18-week challenge tomorrow for Transformation Mastery. During this challenge I am releasing 10 pounds of fat–as well as lingering fear or limiting beliefs about what I can and cannot do. I am also increasing my fitness and nutrition level, and lean muscle mass. I am continuing to strive to be the best that I can be–body, mind, and spirit! This is going to be fun!