Move It AND Lose It – Today

Today I choose….

Today I choose happiness over fear.

Peace over Anger

Joy over sadness.

Today I blame no one,

Love everyone,

especially myself.

Today I will make mistakes

Learn and Grow

Educate others.

Today I stop complaining

Accepting what I cannot change

Throwing away the rest.

Today the mask comes off

I am open and honest

I am who I am

Today I make a choice

for a better tomorrow.

Move It And Lose It – Spring Anew!

Today is the first day of Spring, and new beginning!  The “vernal equinox,” vernal meaning Spring, and equinox meaning “equal length.”  This is the celestial tipping point where day and night are of equal length (let the inner geek out.)  Sure it’s, MARCH but the trees are blooming, you can hear the frogs in the creeks, there’s birds everywhere.  It’s an exciting time to renew your vow to yourself.  Make it a point to celebrate who you are and then make your list of where you want to be, not just the BIG things but the little things.  A sampling of my list:

Get a raw egg to stand upright!  Yes, you can do this on the Spring Equinox, I won’t tell you how long I was in my kitchen (it’s still dark at 430am) but I got it!

Take my dog for a walk everyday – she’s so much happier AND she really needs it.  A daily walk is the dog’s therapy – she gets to read the poo poo bulletin board and I get to stand and watch her while doing NOTHING.

Write my morning pages every morning, one page long hand that is then thrown away.  This is my daily brain dump (could be great writing, could be drivel) it helps prepare me for the day.

Work on adding some type of fruit and veggie to every meal.

Packing my boys lunches for school – have you seen cafeteria food lately?

Call one person a day to just chat – especially my friends that don’t live close.

It doesn’t take much to make yourself happy, not a single thing on that list costs any money – but as the Earth starts a new, I choose to start anew too.  What would you add to your list?

Wednesday’s Word: Hope

Today around noon, a young man, goes into surgery for a brain tumor. My heart is breaking for this young man, his wife, their unborn child and their entire family. The young man is the son of one of our Wednesday’s Word blog readers. One moment this young man was going to work (a firefighter like his Dad), celebrating the news of his first child – due in the spring and living life to its fullest and suddenly this big challenge stands before him.

One day after receiving the news, this young man’s wife posted the following on her Facebook wall.

“In all things it is better to hope than to despair.”
(Johann Wolfgang)

This young woman’s word has affected me in a way I will never forget. From this day forward the word hope is imprinted in my soul in a brand new way.  Merriam-Webster’s definition of hope: to cherish a desire with anticipation. For me as a Christian, I define hope as confident expectation or a firm assurance. How do you define hope?

Join me today in hope for this family and families everywhere who are dealing with serious health issues. Will you join me in praying for this family with confident expectation and/or cherished anticipation?

Previous Wednesday’s Words

God     Encouragement    Arrogance      Desidarata 

      Priorities       Gratitude         Devotion     Neighbor      Service      

Peace         Rest        Veggies (Twisted Salsa Recipe)      B R E A T H E

NO MORE Negative Nellies !

I have agreed to write every Wednesday for Forsyth Woman Magazine Blog and I plan to embrace this as a challenge to begin living more fully, more thankfully, more wisely, more healthy and just MORE, MORE! I invite you to walk with me and live your life MORE, MORE. I invite you to share ways you are living life fully, healthy and wisely and I invite you to encourage other women to join us.

Here is my plan. On Wednesdays, you will find a word to consider for the day, a hint to reduce stress in your life or improve the quality of life, a recipe that tastes great and helps you reduce your caloric intake or some other positive reinforcement for life.

Today, Wednesday’s Hint: Simply count your calories. I am beginning this today and plan to do this for four weeks and see how this simple little change in my life might help me lose weight. A skinny little friend of mine told me she did this and I thought, “Well isn’t that wonderful.” By counting calories, she is probably able to stay a size negative two! All kidding aside, it is good advice and I plan to try it.

How can you count calories and keep it simple? Have you discovered a simple calorie counting method?  Join me, let’s be intentional about living life – MORE, MORE!

Need some help? Here’s some ideas…

Here’s a few in house substitutions in case you run out of something in an emergency!

1. Aspirin – have a headache but out of aspirin?  Cut a lemon in half and rub it on your forehead, you’ll smell like Summer and feel much better!
2. Insect bites or poison ivy?  If you haven’t bought the bottle of Calamine lotion for the season, rub dishwashing detergent on the area and it will take the itch out.  You can also use ammonia.
3. Ants!  Ants will not cross a chalk line, if you find where they are marching in try drawing a chalk line.
4. Dirty Windows?  Use air freshener and get the same result as window cleaner, or use your mother’s old standby vinegar works great to clean windows!
5. Warm pack?  Take an old sock and fill with rice, tie the end then heat in the microwave for one minute or until desired temperature.  Ahhh!
6. Splinter?  Take a piece of tape and place it over the splinter, pull off away from the direction of the splinter and it should pull the splinter out.  If not, then head out to the store and get that pair of tweezers.

We’ve had so many conveniences in our life that we forget there’s useful things around the house to substitute in a pinch!  What are you substitutions?

You want to do WHAT to my soda?

by Kelly Melang
(Reuters) – “U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults’ calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year.”

A study out of the North Carolina at Chapel Hill says that if we tax those things that are “not good” for us then we lower the consumption of these products and lead healthier lives. This is a weapon in our fight against obesity, which costs the United States an estimated 147 billion a year in health care costs.

“While such policies will not solve the obesity epidemic in its entirety and may face considerable opposition from food manufacturers and sellers, they could prove an important strategy to address overconsumption, help reduce energy intake and potentially aid in weight loss and reduced rates of diabetes among U.S. adults,” wrote the team led by Kiyah Duffey of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

There are two sides to this study, one saying if we make it more expensive for people to buy sodas or pizza, then they’ll live a healthier life as they make better food choices. The other side is do you want the government making choices for you as to what you put in your body? This whole argument started when states and federal government created what was called “sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol to help pay for benefits to all citizens like new sports arenas and stadiums. The argument was that if cigarettes become too expensive then people will quit. Many protesters said back then, “What are you going to tax next? Food?”

Here it is, a tax on food, in some states it’s on high salt food, other’s it’s the unhealthy soda tax. So what do you think? Is this the beginning of the Nanny State everyone is talking about? Do you want to make the choices of what you put in your body? Is this a good idea to keep our obesity epidemic under control? If pizza and soda become too expensive then American will turn to water? What do you think should be taxed?

B R E A T H E

How many breaths per minute do you take? Take a few minutes and count them. Most people take 15-17 breaths per minute; however, we should be taking 5 – 7 breaths per minute. If we take less than 10 breaths per minute, it will require most people to pay attention to their breathing. It will require breathing slowly and deeply and exhaling fully. Most people just rush through the day taking quick, shallow breaths. Try it now, take slow, deep breaths and then exhale slowly and fully. Try to take less than 7 breaths per minute.

For one day, try to be mindful of your breathing, slow it down. Take deep breaths and exhale fully. Be mindful of your breathing. Try it when you are traveling behind that slow car, try it in line at the grocery store, take two deep breaths before speaking. Just for one day, could you be mindful of what is going on around you and be grateful for life and breath?

Two weeks ago, I spent a weekend being mindful of my breathing and having intentional moments of quiet. Additionally I spent time recording circumstances that I was grateful for. This slowing down of life and reflecting restored my soul. I wonder, is it possible to have mini retreats even in ordinary days of life? Is it possible to really experience life and appreciate it? How do you slow your life down? How do you cultivate a spirit of gratefulness and thanksgiving for each breath you take? From our first breath at birth until the last breath we breathe, we have something to be thankful for and the opportunity to experience the gift of life.

8 smells that boost your well being

I just read an article about 8 smells that boost your health. We have millions of smell receptors in our nose that is 10,000 more precise than our sense of taste. Here’s a list of the smells that improve our health and well being:
To resist snacking – green apple or another favorite smell, thought I’d think smelling something you like would make you more hungry.
To calm down – try smelling lavender or orange. Spray a light lavender spray in your bedroom before bed and enjoy the light, fresh scent as it calms you down to sleep.
To help learn something new – sniff on the scent of rosemary that’s why we keep a rosemary bush planted outside, not only for cooking but for sniffing before memorizing for a test.
To help with pain – sniff on lavender or peppermint. Put lavender on an eyemask and sit and rest until the headache stops.
For your libido – baby powder, pumpkin pie or lavender. Maybe it’s the thought of babies, which would kill my libido, but these scents are said to turn women on.
To feel younger – sniff on the fresh citrus scent of grapefruit. I recommend Love’s Baby Soft, it always makes me feel younger.
For your workout – peppermint puts an extra umph in your workout, sniff that before and make sure you’re pushing your limit.
Whatever part of your lift you want to help, use these scents to put you on the right road to living a more healthy, better you!

Salad for Breakfast

I’m one month into my salad for breakfast phase. I read that starting your day with salad is a quicker way to rehydrate the body and as an athlete now that it’s getting cold, I’m never sure when I’m heading out the door. With lighter fare in my body along with hydration, I’m quicker out the door on a moment’s notice. As a Mom, I’m quicker to the bus with the left behind lunch box. So over 30 days into it, well?

What a difference! I feel great! I used to start the day with the big bowl of steel cut oats and then lagged around while my system worked through that, now I eat the salad and there’s no dip in energy. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice. So how did I get a salad down at 6am? Surprisingly it went down just well. I put in the chickpeas, cheeses, chia seeds, even with regular dressing then wash it down with some 100% fruit juice and follow with dessert in the form of yogurt! I feel good and put all the whole grains in at lunch then eat a light dinner.

I’m using the old adage – eat like a king at breakfast, apprentice at lunch then pauper at dinner. Your lightest meal should be before bedtime, not first thing in the morning. If only I could forgo the coffee. Why not try stuffing yourself with a full salad followed by juice and yogurt and tell me after 30 days how you feel? Do you have any strange morning habits that your friends think are crazy?

Rambling Rose Triathlon – The Gear Bag

There are still spots open for the Rambling Rose Triathlon-a250 yard swim, 9 mile bike and 2 mile run this Sunday August 23^rd at the Southeast Gateway YWCA.  Join Forsyth Woman on the course and celebrate women with proceeds to benefit the Southeast Gateway YWCA!    A triathlon requires a little more planning including packing a gear bag for all three sports.  Your gear bag can be as sparse or packed as you want it to be.  Here are the contents of a basic gear bag:

Swim cap and goggles

Two towels – one to dry off one to sit on for putting on your shoes

Race Number with Pins

Biking Shoes

Biking Shorts or Triathlon shorts for Bike and Run

Socks

Helmet-required, you cannot race without a helmet on and buckled as you leave on your bike.

Running Shoes

Shorts

Sunglasses

Hat

Sunscreen

Body Glide

Energy gels or Nutrition

Water Bottle

Am I missing anything?  What’s in your gear bag?  Are you ready for the Rambling Rose?