Tag: yoga

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Make March Memories……

Hard to believe it’s March….

Seems when we want time to stand still, it really flies by.

Spring is my 2nd favorite time of year, first is fall.  I think both seasons have such beautiful color and that is what my heart yearns for….a world of color, and less blah:)

The days here have been rainy and dreary making me feel a little tired and a little depressed.  I’ve done my best to fight through it.  Yesterday, I took a walk down my road and came upon the most beautiful little field of Daffodils.  It’s been so chilly that I was beyond surprised they had already bloomed, but there they were beautiful in all their glory:)

I hope this month brings lots of color to your days, you may have to go out and find it for yourself, but you can find it.  Start something today that’s good for yourself, perhaps a yoga class, exercise class, or just start a better healthy diet for yourself.

Make March a month of great memories:)

Love & Peace

Cause I’m not there yet, but perhaps, Soon Enuff…

 

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When darkness settles in…..

So just gonna be super vulnerable and honest here, cause my writing is as much therapy for myself, as it is also, the hope that I’m providing for you.  Yesterday, I really struggled.  It went from 75 degrees and sunny to rainy, gloomy and low 40’s. I had people let me down that I was really counting on, I had a loved one yell at me, and I do mean yell, for no apparent reason.  I was kind to several people through text and email, and I was shown not one ounce of kindness.  I felt let down, I was tired, and frankly, I was more depressed than I have been in quite awhile.  I couldn’t even make myself work out.  So I did the only thing I could do, I went to bed.  I slept until the middle of the afternoon, woke up and did some writing, and went back to bed.  I didn’t eat all day, oh except, a few chocolate chips, which helped in making me feel even worse about myself 🙂

So this morning when I woke up, I actually felt better, a little more energetic, and good thoughts, like, “I am not having another day like that…”  It lasted for a few hours, and then I felt the darkness settling in on me again.  So I sat down and looked through my gallery of pictures, which usually helps me feel better, and I wrote this poem:

I hope in the middle of an ordinary day, you’ll be blessed with some things you didn’t see coming your way.  Perhaps kindness shown by another human being.  I hope that you see mountains and streams, or so many other beautiful things.  I hope today your mind will be filled with wonder, the way it used to be when you were younger….–Amy—

And well, I still feel a little gloomy, but it helped, I got up washed my face, got my workout clothes on and did Yoga.  I know exercise isn’t a cure all, but I’m telling you, it really helped me.  I think sweating and getting your heart pumping, stretching your body, opening up your chest to expand your heart, being mindful of your breathing, well, it just makes you feel alive. And that’s exactly what I needed after a day of not feeling alive at all.

Like a lot of others I struggle with depression, and usually I can fight through it, it’s been months since I’ve had a day like yesterday, but I’m real, it happens, and sometimes I don’t defeat it, and that’s what happened yesterday, I gave in to it.  Today, I will not, I will fight like a champion, and even if there’s a dark cloud over me, I’ll look for my own sunshine, and I hope that you’ll find your own as well.

Peace & Love

Cause I’m not there yet, the battle is for sure real, but perhaps, Soon Enuff…..

 

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Don’t let the gray get in your way….

 

 

Happy Weekend!!

So I was really planning all week long to head out for a long hike this weekend, perhaps scout out a waterfall or two.  However, it was raining when I went to bed last night, and of course, this morning it is gray and gloomy, cold, and actually a chance of snow for tomorrow.  Feeling a little down, as I’m indoors much of the week.

However, I got to thinking about ways to make even gray beautiful, and I thought to myself, “add some color…” So I literally got out a coloring book, yes, the adult ones, that I’ve always thought a little strange…After getting a page finished, I actually felt better, my mood had lifted, and I started to think of more things I could do to bring color to my gray weekend.

I decided I would focus on making some new goals for myself.  I work out a lot but over the winter months, actually since October or so, I’ve put on a little weight, and just haven’t been feeling particularly comfortable with my body, so I sat down and wrote out where I’d like to be in say, 30 days.  I have a big trip planned and I really want to feel good in my own skin.  So I planned out a new healthy eating strategy and workout goals, and I’m giving myself my own 30 day challenge.  BTW: I’d love for any of you to join me if you’re in the same boat.  If you’re interested in that, shoot me an email:)  I also set up a private group for only 40 and older men and women who want to set some goals and motivate each other for the next 30 days.  I love meeting and making new friends, especially ones that are as like minded as me, and I also love to see people reach their goals and share in their journey along the way.

I’ve been really into yoga for about  6 weeks now, as well as many other forms of exercise, as I don’t like to get bored, so I mix it up a lot.  But I’m telling you I can feel such a difference with the yoga.  My joints aren’t as achy, I’m so much more flexible, even in this short amount of time, and I just feel better mentally.  I think the mindfulness of a little meditation along with really being aware of your body in the yoga poses has really helped me, and I think if you give it a try it will help you as well. I’m not one of those “serious yogi’s”, that’s why I don’t think I could ever participate in a class at a studio.  I tend to laugh too much, swear a little too much and I’m a little too competitive, I don’t like when I can’t do a pose correctly, hahah.  But I do really enjoy doing it in my own home, and it’s so much cheaper 🙂

So this weekend, don’t let the gray get in your way of having fun, add some color to your weekend, set some goals, focus on yourself and your family, play games, make some healthy new recipes and ya know what?  Color, and when you color, color outside the lines…..

Love & Peace

Cause I’m not there yet, but perhaps, Soon Enuff

 

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Light in the dark…

Good morning, hope your Tuesday is beautiful!

My morning poem: She placed the picture by her bed, she knew there would be some dark times ahead.  It was majestic and made her focus on the light when she was sleepless, on those very dark nights.  Meditating on the sound of the waves made her body calm.  She had always known the ocean, was where she belonged….-Amy-

Spent a long weekend in Rhode Island with my daughter.  This picture was a flight I took my drone on, it came back with some amazing videos and photos.  I’ve always loved nature, but the ocean, has always seemed the place that made my heart feel renewed.  I’ve visited all different places with beautiful oceans from Florida to Washington State to Oregon, to Rhode Island, and all are equally beautiful and majestic.  This was, however, the most beautiful lighthouse I have seen and also one of the oldest.  It was the 3rd light house built on the Atlantic Ocean way back in the 1700’s.  I felt so much history and though a little spooky, it was so calming to know that this beacon of light had probably saved thousands of lives.

Have you ever placed your favorite pictures by your bed, or just in your bedroom?  I have several.  A few of my favorite sunsets, flowers, and now this one of this lighthouse.  I used to think that mediating was quite odd, and to be honest, I can barely get my mind to “be still” for a few seconds, let alone several minutes.  Since beginning Yoga though, I’ve really been focusing on just being mindful, which has helped me calm my mind and let it just be still, even for a few minutes.

I’m a really light sleeper, and honestly don’t sleep too well most nights, but I’ve started practicing placing my most calming pictures closest to my bed.  On those nights I wake up restless, or sad, or my mind is just going a thousand miles a minute, I reign my focus in on one of those pictures, and I replay how I felt at the moment I took the pictures, or on how the picture itself makes me feel.  I remember the excitement of flying the drone and just listening to the crashing of the waves, and it makes me feel happy to be alive and to have had the chance to be there.  I focus on one of my favorite sunset pictures from Washington State on the ocean and it makes me remember how happy I was at that moment, and how absolutely beautiful it was and it calms me.  Sometimes I focus on a few of my favorite purple flower pictures, I think about the smell and of how beautiful the world is if we truly just look to find the beauty in it.

I hope maybe this practice will give you some good ideas if you struggle with resting like I do.  It really has helped me, and just the practice of being mindful alone has changed my life for the better.

I hope your Tuesday is truly beautiful, and hey, run to CVS, print off some $0.39 pictures, put them in some lovely frames, it’s cheap and one of the best therapies I’ve found….

Peace & love

Cause I’m not there, but perhaps, Soon Enuff…

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Life is short why not live…but live healthy!

Hope this weekend finds you well!

Here is my Saturday morning poem:

I hope that you will find me, there along the shore talking to the waves.  I’ve marked the spot where I’ll return each morning to think about the day….If you could just find a way. -Amy-

Yesterday I arrived in Rhode Island for a short weekend visit with my daughter.  It’s a beautiful part of the earth, and I’m so glad I’ve been blessed to get to visit this area.

I went to bed not feeling well and woke early this morning, after not sleeping much through the night, and wondered why I may be feeling this way.  Often, when traveling and getting busy I lose track of exactly what I’m putting into my body. And I’m definitely paying the price for not eating well yesterday.

After doing some restorative yoga this morning, just to get my mind right and hopefully my body as well, I feel much better and ready to face our fun day.

I hope, that like me, you’ll be more aware today, as we can’t control everything around us but we can control what we put into our mouths.

I love this Mindful poem by Anna

“My awareness settled comfortably in the seat of the present moment open to the symphony of life…”

Life is short, why not live!!

Cause I’m not there yet, but perhaps, Soon Enuff

 

 

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Perfect is an Illusion….

Good Morning, Hope you make this Thursday beautiful….

My morning poem:  Exercise, it’s not an obsession, I hope you haven’t been given that impression.  Just finding a better way of living, of balancing this life, all while continuing breathing.  You have to do it for yourself, don’t chase perfection, because I’ve come to the conclusion that “perfect” it doesn’t exist, it’s just an illusion.

Far from perfect as you can see, knees not up high enough, head down to low…but you know what, this shit is hard and it took me almost a month of practicing this everyday just to do finally hold a side crow. I’ll keep working until I get it better, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made.

You have to strive everyday for a healthier way of life.  It’s hard, we’re under a lot of stress to balance family, work, exercise, sex, basically to just find balance in this life, all while continuing to inhale and exhale.

I’m a real beginner at Yoga, but in the short amount of time I’ve been practicing it, I feel better.  Yes, it’s very hard, but hey, so is life.  All we can do is the best we can do, everyday striving to do a little better.

The breathing techniques and just being mindful of each feeling my body has, the temperature change, realizing how tense my body actually is, and then how great it feels to release that tension, even if only for a short while, it’s well worth the sore muscles you may feel the next day.

I challenge you all to simply give it a try, if I didn’t believe it worked make a healthier mind, body, and soul, I would never suggest it, I would have tried it and said, “forget this, it sucks.”  But I truly love this way of living and I’m hopeful that you’ll find benefit in it as well.

Peace & love

Cause I’m not there yet, but perhaps, Soon Enuff….

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Mindful Aging….

My morning poem:  When you walk out this morning be mindful of every smell, color and texture, all these things will bring your senses pleasure.  And just perhaps one day, we’ll share these treasures together….-Amy-

Good Monday Morning,

New day, new week, let’s make it great!

So does growing older every give you a bit of anxiety?

There are days I get so excited about the stage of life I’m in, kids are grown, I’m older, but still young enough to do pretty much anything I want to.  Still, there are days, I look at myself in the mirror, see the little lines getting more pronounced, having to color my hair a little more often, and times when I worry about my future (older) self.  Financially, health wise, all of it, some days it’s a struggle.

But as I’ve grown in my practice of mindfulness, I’ve come to realize, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about getting older, it’s going to happen, we can’t stop time, and honestly, who would want to?

However, we can change the way we age.  Why does the word age get associated with illness, and becoming decrepit.  Why can’t we grow old and remain healthy?

I believe if we take care of our bodies, minds, and soul through exercise, healthy eating, and healthy living, life can be absolutely wonderful until the end of our days.

Learning to live moment to moment, really living, really tasting life, not just being alive, but being open to every opportunity life gives us, seems to make living worthwhile, and worth living a hundred years!

I hope you take today to be mindful of all the beauty around you.  And if your day is stressful or sad, that’s ok too, accept it for what it is, what it’s showing you, and then tonight when you close your eyes, know that you made it through, and you’re ok, and you’ll be energized to wake up to a new sunrise tomorrow.

Peace & love!

Cause I’m not there yet, but perhaps, Soon Enuff….

 

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Fit Friday….let’s talk fitness

Hi guys…

So my daughter, who is also a Doctor of Physical Therapy, has been telling me for months to see a Biomedical Doctor for my stomach issues.  Here’s a little history behind that:

3 years ago I was having some really bad stomach pain, worsened as the night went on until I could no longer take it.  My husband finally made me go to the ER where they did some blood work and rushed me into an emergency exploratory surgery.  Turns out I almost died…had diverticulitis, which I never knew I had, and it ruptured, spilling poison in my body.  Five days in the hospital and my stomach cut from chest bone to pelvis bone. It was really traumatic, I didn’t much want to live, let alone, think I would ever recover.  Six months later, they went back in and reversed the surgery I had, re-opening the same area and also cutting horizontally this time.  So, needless to say, my abdominals have never been the same, nor do I think they ever will be. That’s also why you’ll never see a fitness picture of me with my stomach in it… 🙁

However, after the surgeries and now 3 years later, I am healing and feeling better each day.  I have, though, continued to struggle with stomach issues, despite the fact they also removed my gall bladder during the surgery.  I still have so many foods that I cannot eat without getting very ill.

So, upon listening to my daughters advice I started a new diet and workout regime consisting of very healthy eating (though I do love sweets on occasion…lots of occasions ha) and I work out 6 days a week, sometimes twice per day.  I have started incorporating yoga as well as P-90 and Barre.  Once it warms up a bit I’ll venture back out for a few runs a week, though I’m not super stoked, running isn’t my favorite thing to do.

I wanted to share with you a few things I’ve started this year that have already really improved my overall feeling of well being.  First, I started taking a probiotic called Visbiome.  After doing some careful research I believe this to be the best on the market, having over 112.5 billion bacteria per capsule.

I ordered it on Amazon, around $59 for 60 capsules.  It does say to take 5-6 per day, but I honestly only take two, one in the morning and one at night, and I can tell a big difference.  Well worth the cost…

I’ve also started to just add “more color” to my plate.  For instance, this was my breakfast this morning:

I cooked kale in about 2 tbl. of olive oil, along with a 1/4 of a yellow pepper, onion, and mushroom, just until tender.  Then I scrambled up two eggs, poured it over the top of the veggies and then cut up some little cherry tomatoes on top.  Used some corn tortillas, which have no gluten, and very low carbohydrates to make a little breakfast taco.  Cut up some strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and pineapple.  Like I said, colorful, and oh my, so, so, tasty.  I’m not a kale lover, but I’ve been trying to incorporate it into my meals at least twice a day.  Kale is low in calorie, high in fiber and has zero fat. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of fat. It is great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content. It’s also filled with so many nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium.

I’ll get into the benefits of the other ingredients on another Fit Day.

My workout today is 1 hour morning Yogaflow, and then P-90 legs and back.  I’m telling you I used to think Yoga was honestly for wimps that couldn’t handle a “real work out.”  I’ve been doing P-90 for about two years, and it’s a killer, but I love that type of hard exercise.  I’ve been doing yoga now for about a month, and I don’t believe any other type of exercise has pushed me to my limit quite like this.  I’m a super competitive person, so not being able to master some of the moves is really good for me, it just makes me want to work harder at it until I get it.  I’m quite sure I’ll never be a master at it, but it’s fun, something new, and very challenging.  It also gives me a great time to just concentrate on my breath and be mindful of what my body is doing.  I honestly love it and have rarely missed a day since I started.

If any of you enjoy Yoga, let me know what your favorite type of Yoga is and also what position gives you the most trouble, or that you’re best at.  I love to learn what other people are doing for exercise.

I hope your day is awesome, try to make some better choices for your body and mind today.  Remember, we can’t control everything, but we can control what we put in our mouths 🙂

Not there yet, but perhaps, I will be, Soon Enuff…..