30 Days to a New You!

Greetings friends!

We've made it to February and I'm still excited about doing new lifestyle changes for this year! I am determined to get back on track by taking better care of myself and one way I'm doing that is by getting my meditation on. Yes, I'm talking about sitting in a cross-legged position holding my pointer finger and thumb together and chanting 'OMMMMMM’. The effects really are glorious!

Although I tend not to show it so much in public, I carry a lot of anxiety and it hits the hardest when I’m around high strung people for long periods of time. Mediation is a great way for me to come back to center and feel balanced again. I feel more alert and calm when I meditate on a consistent basis. So what do you do when you need practice? Duh! You join a 30 day meditation challenge!

Sometime last year I happened upon a 30 day yoga challenge through DoYouYoga.com. It's a totally awesome website where you can find out everything under the sun about yoga and meditation. A major rabbit hole is what it really is, because if I read one post then I end up reading at least 5 more!

Here are a few benefits of meditation:

Reduces Stress 

Encourages a Healthier Lifestyle 

Slows Down Aging (woo hoo!) 

Improves Concentration & Clarity  

You Become More Self Aware

Reduces Pain Brought on by Tension  


What's there not to love about everything on that list? And all I did was list a few! I implore you to do something good for yourself today..... I dunno, with maybe meditating! :) So will you be brave enough to join the challenge with me?? I think you should. Just click here to sign up! 

Ciao! 

#DivineFriday: Keep Your Head to the Sky

Greetings Friends!

Congratulations on making it through another work week! Its Divine Friday so let's have some fun. How does Divine Friday work, Sparkle? Everyday, I try to find The Divine in my everyday life and take a picture. I choose which one I think is the best and I share it here with you guys! I post it on my Instagram and Pinterest using the hashtag #DivineFriday. You should join in the fun too! Just snap a shot of whatever made you smile this week and share it on your Instagram or whatever social media of your choosing. Sounds easy, right? :)

I thought I would draw a little inspiration this week from the clouds. As a little girl, I would drag an old carpet sample out from the storage space in the back of our house and flop it in the grass. I would lay down on my carpet and look up at the clouds and find shapes and relaxation (although I didn't know it at the time). I miss the days of just being able to lay out in the yard and not have a care in the world. I often would feel so safe that I would fall asleep right there on my little carpet square.

Every now and then, I still get those peaceful moments like when I found this beautiful piece of sky! I love gazing at the sky, especially when I'm traveling to my destination. Looking up there just makes everything that I desire seem like a possibility.

 

The sky is massive, so you get a two for one today on pictures. :) Wondering why there's a bar in the 2nd picture? I was sitting at the drive-thru at Wendy's when I noticed how pretty the sky was. Me having no shame whipped out my phone, let the window down, and started snapping shots of the sky. So that's the 'Clearance' bar at the drive-thru. This time while looking up, I saw a poodle and an astronaut! 


 As a bonus, I will leave you with this song for today! It's one of my favorites of all time and I listen to it when I need to be encouraged.

When is the last time you let your imagination let loose and take over? Don't forget to get on Instagram and share your #DivineFriday photo!

Ciao!

P.S. Here's the First, Second, & Third Divine Friday posts!

Weight-Loss Wednesday: on Thursday

Greetings...

So it’s time for what I’ve decided to be our weekly update. Last week I told you that I was reading Eat Q by Susan Albers, PSY. D. and have been learning about that method. I like the idea of it all, but it’s definitely harder than I expected. When is anything dealing with changing how you think about things not hard though? I’m still in for the ride. Anyway, I’m learning a lot about myself and my eating habits. It raises a lot of questions about why you crave certain things, what specifically you normally go to for good eats and are they comforting. Speaking of comfort foods…. You know how when you’ve had a really crappy day and you need that piece of chocolate/bag of chips to calm you down and make everything right in the world again like RIGHT NOW or you’ll implode? Well it does comfort you….. but studies show that that only works for three minutes… 

Three Minutes!?!

Crazy right? Also.. did you know that when you eat, it causes dopamine (the pleasure hormone) to be released in the body. Every wonder why the act of eating in general feels good? That’s why!

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So here is the core method so far: The Eat Method

 Step 1) Embrace your feelings - in other words identify how you're feeling whether it be angry, sad, happy, excited, etc.

Step 2) Accept Your Feelings - The author says that you have to live with how you feel. Don't try to distract yourself from the feeling because, when you ignore your emotions you end up eating mindlessly. When you eat mindlessly you aren't thinking about what you're eating, how much of it you eat, or if there will be a consequence in the end. 

Step 3) Turn to Positive Ways to Manage Your Feelings - She says that you can do so by talking to a friend about what's going on in your life, taking a brisk walk, writing in a journal, meditating, just anything really to help you unwind from life's woe's.

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So what's happened since last we talked? Last week was good. I struggled to up my liquid intake, but I did it. I’m not one of those people that has to be drinking something all the time or even with my meal. I can go hours without one drop of anything and be fine. Between water and tea I generally hit 6-8 cups on the daily depending on the day. I hadn’t cooked in quite some time and so last week, I made taco soup which is healthy and oh so good and Hamburger Helper was thrown in the mix as well and made with ground turkey. I felt good about last week. I identified, accepted, and managed even though I stressed.

This week is a different story. I’ve been in misery mode where everything is annoying and it all started out with catching a stupid cold. I was tired of being sick, I just wanted to breathe, I was super exhausted, stressed out from work and I was craving yummy horribly unhealthy foods. It’s amazing the effects being tired has on your body. Apparently when you’re tired, you crave sugary & salty foods and I can attest to that! 

I have an intense need for salty foods when I’m stressed and so wanting immediate relief from the ‘pain’ I got some fast food. It wasn’t even worth it though, because the food was lousy for the most part. I totally didn't accept how I was feeling. I just wanted the bad feelings to go away and so I comforted myself with food, which ended up not being comforting at all. Well... let me not lie. It was some comfort. For about three minutes! ;) Can I just say how weird it is to know that you're eating mindlessly, while your doing it? At least I can recognize it, right?

Having a cold was awful and being stressed out from work was no fun, but the thing that threw me off my game was being tired. I couldn't remember things and I didn't want to think hard about anything at all. This weeks lesson: Get enough sleep at all cost!! So that's my journey so far. Share with me what you think of the Eat Method. Sound good or like a bunch of baloney? What are your struggles or successes? I'll be here. Let me know. :)

Ciao!

A. Sparkle