Friday, November 21, 2014

Be present for every moment, take pressure off the perfect ones.

At the beginning of every session we start by clearing the mind of unneccessary thoughts - the ones that do not serve us well, they get played over and over with no resolve, cause stress and negativity; let that all go... Breathe in and feel light traveling into all your spaces, breathe out and let go of darkness, breathe in an and take stock of your physical being, breathe out feel yourself relax deeper, breathe in and be at peace with your emotional, spiritual, physical self, breathe out become settled in this place at this time - nothing else matters. It sets us up for a wonderful experience, all things come together and we are focused, connected, in tune with ourselves and the universe. Why do we wait for a designated time to allow this to happen? Why is this peace reserved for only an hour of our day? Shouldn't we want this all the time, every hour, every breath? YES! But we don't. We move through daily life rushing from one task to the next, allowing our minds to play back an endless loop of 'to-dos', stress and negativity. Never fully appreciating one moment from the next, arriving at our next stop before we fully realize we left the last one. It is easy to get caught up in the mindless activities of living - home, work, meals, commute can all become routine. We find ourselves looking forward to the next big thing on the horizon - a party, a trip, a date night...and we build it up for perfection. We go through the motions of daily life anticipating that big thing and allowing all the little things to pass us by. Life is not meant to be lived waiting for the perfect moments, the big things - it is comprised of the imperfect moments and all the little things that make us who we are. These are the things that count, these are the moments we live for - the hugs heading out to the school bus, the sighs over muddy paw prints, the laughter over a cup of tea. Big things come once in a while, let not the little things slip past. At the end of every session we close by once again quieting the mind, noting the small shifts in who we are now from when we began and we appreciate those shifts. Many clients tell me how nice it would be if they could feel this way every day and I let them know the good news - You can! You don't need me to make this happen. You simply need to take a moment, take a breath and be present. Next time the alarm goes off in the morning, before jumping out of bed and into the day - take a moment. Breathe into every space of your body, wake it all up, feel more alive with each breath in and more grounded, preparing for your day with each breath out. Don't let that moment pass you by. Next time you find yourself aggravated in line at the coffee shop, grocery store, traffic, wherever - take a moment. Breathe in and feel light, breath out and let go, breath in peace for yourself, breathe out peace to everyone around you. Next time things don't go perfectly - take a moment. Breathe in all the wonderful blessings in your life, breathe out frustration at the current situation, breathe in grace and kindness, breathe out unmet expectations. The more we practice presence in every moment the more we notice perfection in every moment. Sure, I love big things when they come along; but I live for the little things that are completely unscripted, unplanned, and chaotice that make life worth living and full of love.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Welcome winter and chase away the chills

Winter Chills and Blues It is that time of year again - days are shorter and colder...keep warm. Time and again I find myself playing the same old record over and over - Folks come in with shrugged shoulders, stiff necks, sore bodies...because when we are cold our natural tendency is to curl up, bundle up, tighten up and try to shrug off the chills. This usually leads to still feeling chilly and adding extra aches on top. Our bodies have a beautiful way to fight off the cold - and it doesn't include burying yourself under a mountain of blankets! Move - Take a few moments to stretch and then get moving. You build heat from within, aches and stiffness will melt away and before you know it you will have forgotten all about how cold you were. Breathe - deeply and through the nose to help hold on to that heat. Your nose has an amazing system in place to filter and warm air as it enters your body, it also helps to hold heat in as you exhale. Soak up the sun - find the sun while it is shining and bathe in it. Sure it may still be dark when you roll out of bed in the morning and dark again before the day's activities are through, but there is still sun time to be found. Even a 10 minute sun break can have a huge impact on your day, enjoy those stolen moments by spreading your arms wide all the way out to your fingers, smile up at the sun and feel it's warmth smiling back on you. Exercise, diet and sun time all release hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain that have a positive effect on your mood. If you find yourself suffering with winter blues let's find a solution to get you through the season. Join us for a drop in class, hunt up some new recipes that celebrate the change of season, explore outdoor activities. Harmony Health provides full service fitness, life and nutrition coaching, contact us for our current schedule and more information on how you can get started today to live better tomorrow!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Holiday food, fun and forgiveness

One of the biggest challenges we face is holiday food and fun - especially if you are just starting out on a weight loss journey and lifestyle changes have not become a part of your lifestyle just yet. Fortunately for us, the biggest success we find during the holidays is forgiveness. Whether you have recently implemented healthier food and exercise into your life or have been on this path for years. Take a moment to prepare and set yourself up for a great weekend, it can make a huge difference in how you feel come Sunday evening. As the old saying goes - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"! Give yourself permission to enjoy in moderation. Realize that during a holiday weekend, such as the 4th of July, there will be temptation and opportunity to stray from your path. If we allow ourselves to indulge a little in traditional BBQ fare then we will be less likely to deny, deny, deny and finally binge, binge, binge. Ramp up your exercise routine. Make time to go for a run, bike ride, fitness class, whatever it might be and get your metabolism working for you. The great thing about exercise - once you get the fire burning it will keep burning for you even after you have finished working out. Best option: make fitness a family and friend activity such as a playing ball, swimming, walking, etc. We are way more likely to be active when we enjoy it and when we have buddies with us. Stay hydrated! This is so very important - we are out in the sun, drink in the hand, food on the plate, water in the pool/ocean/lake... make sure to drink plenty of water too. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you, so although you may be drinking plenty, your body is not getting as much water as it needs. Heat and sun cause us to perspire, again losing water. So be sure to drink plenty of water to replace what you are losing and keep your body hydrated and healthy. Forgive yourself! The next best step. If you slip up over the weekend, recover quickly. The more time we spend dwelling on what we did wrong is less time we spend focusing on what to do right. So you drank too much, ate too much, didn't work out for 4 days... we can get back on track and the sooner the better. Start by drinking plenty of water and adding back in your healthy food items. Make time to begin working out again, and if you have to - start small and slow. Our minds are powerful, be sure that the power of your mind is positive, encouraging and uplifting. Our bodies are adaptable, a slip up is not the end of the road, simply an opportunity to begin again. Every day we start anew, yesterday is over and done with - move on.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Love who you are, where you are

Ahhh, it has been a long time since I have been here. Life gets busy and sometimes if you don't pay attention life gets away from you. I have come back to my love of helping people get well. Guiding people on their journey to better health, stronger bodies, quieter minds and happier lives. It is what I do best and what I love most. Since I have been gone I have also grown in many ways: I have added more tools to my bag - knowledge is power and I love to learn! I have spent a lot of time these past 2 years working as a health advocate for the community. Working closely with a team of doctors, therapists and support staff was a great adventure. I gained so much and now have more to give because of it. I have removed some unnecessary items from my life - stuff has a way of piling up! Self inventory is always a great practice that I get a lot out of. Meditating on items, people and patterns, how they affect me - good or bad and deciding if they are something to hold on to or let go of. All things in life have a season, knowing when a season has changed is important. I have grown in my faith in God - and this has made all the difference! Searching for answers is a never ending process, there will always be new questions to ask. Knowing that all things come back to the same beginning helps me to trust even when I don't yet have the answers. Trusting that all things work together for my good. This all helps me to be a more effective advocate for the people in my life, whether they be personal or professional relationships. In every interaction there is always an exchange of energy - we bring one another up or down. Our focus should be reaching out to build up those we see struggling just as equally as we reach out for support and guidance when we struggle ourselves. Life is meant to be lived in love - this does not mean that trials will not pass our way. It means that love will overcome trials if we allow it to. Love yourself - who you are, where you are. Love one another - in all things. It is not always easy but it is always worth it.