Put Your Oxygen Mask On

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body, Healthy Eating, Healthy Mind

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adequate sleep, Basic Needs, Breathing, breathing exercises, Creating a Healthy Lifestyle, Eating Well, fruit vegetables, Health, Healthy Lifestyle Habits, Healthy Snacks, Meditation, Mental health, Oxygen mask, Relationships, Self care, Sleep, Water, Whole Grains

Creating a healthy lifestyle is like putting on your oxygen mask on. When we take care of our basic needs we have so much more to give, making us better partners, better parents, better friends, better employees or employers, and just better human beings.

Let’s start with breathing. Take a deep breath. Breathing is one way to calm our nervous system, reduce stress and restore clearer thinking. Meditation or breathing exercises that include slow deep breaths are like putting on an oxygen mask.

Next to breathing, eating well and often enough are vital for your body. When we get too busy it’s easy to choose something quick to eat that may not be very good for the functioning of our body. Aim for more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and remember to hydrate with plenty of water. For snacks, apples, pears and almonds are quick and easy to eat at home, when traveling, at work, or when out and about.

Sleep is vital. In fact, it may be one of the most important things you could do for your body. Getting adequate sleep allows for regeneration, repair and healing of your cells. Sleep also affects your hormones that and regulate your body systems and everything from mood to weight.

Without your oxygen mask on you can’t respond to an emergency, yet alone daily life.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

If You Could Be One Thing For The Next Seven Days, What Would You Be?

09 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun

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acts of kindness, Beauty, Breathing, Choosing to Be, Cultivating Happiness, Developing New Habits, Giving, Happiness Journal, Healthy Eating, Meditation, Peace, Physical Activity, Self care

Here’s a fun way for family members or friends, to support each other in “trying on” being a different way in one area of your life for the next seven days.

Select one of the following or come up with your own:

Be an athlete – Do some form of physical activity each day. It can be the same thing each day or something different. You might challenge yourself to improve over the week by seeing if you can increase the amount of steps you take daily using a pedometer, or the amount of time or distance you walk or run. Or get a friend or two together and shoot hoops, play tennis, kick a soccer ball, play catch, etc.

Be peace – Do things that create inner peace. Meditate daily, do breathing exercises, take a warm bath by candlelight, listen to calming music, do yoga, etc.

Be a healthy eater – Select some healthy recipes to prepare and eat throughout the week. Choose to eat an extra serving of fruits and/or vegetables each day, eat whole grains, try a new vegetable, eat one or two servings of raw vegetables a day, have a salad each day, etc.

Be giving – Do something for others each day. It could be as simple as writing a note of appreciation to someone, picking a flower to give someone, making and giving a fruit or vegetable basket to someone, volunteering, etc.

Be beauty – Each day do something to take care of your outward appearance. Your smile (brush and floss your teeth daily), your hair (deep condition and style it), your face (give yourself a facial or at least wash and moisturize your face daily), your skin (put lotion on you arms and legs), your feet (soak your feet then rub lotion on them).

Be happy – Focus on being happy and cultivating happiness by keeping a happiest moment of the day journal (write 3-5 happy moments from your day), or share your happiest moments of the day with someone, and each day look for things that make you happy.

Keep it fun, positive and supportive!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Feel The Spark: A Breathing Meditation

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

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Automatic Breathing, Breathing, Breathing Meditation, Calming the Nervous System, Controlled Breathing, Deep Relaxation, Health, Healthy Body, Meditation, Stress reduction, The Spark of the Breath

The breath is a function of our body that is both automatic and that we can control. The focus of this meditation is on allowing your body to breathe itself.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Get into a comfortable position either sitting up or laying down.

2. Take several slow deep breaths to calm your body down.

3. Once relaxed, then slow your breath down even more, so that you are taking fewer breaths per minute.

4. Next, let your breath just happen on its own without you starting it. You will feel a tiny spark of energy just before the breath.

5. Continue this slow body breathing for up to 20 minutes.

6. When you are finished take a couple of minutes to come out of this breathing meditation. Gently begin to move your fingers and toes, then your hands and feet, and finally your arms and legs, to bring you out of the deep relaxation.

7. Notice how your breathing has increased to a more normal pace. Then get up slowly.

Don’t be surprised if you feel like you just slept for a couple of hours. While sleep is important, a deeply relaxed meditation experience for some people can be equivalent to several hours of sleep.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Movement and Focus

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

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Awareness through movement: Health exercises for personal growth, Breathing, Feldenkrais Method, feldenkrais practitioners, Flexibility, Focus, Health Benefits, healthy-living, Improved Athletic Ability, Improved Coordination, Jogging, Mental health, Mindfulness, Moshe Feldenkrais, Movement, Nervous system, Posture, Reduced Pain, Running, Walking, Well-being, Yoga

Movement and focus are two aspects, that when paired together can provide the benefits of calming your body’s nervous system, leaving you relaxed and centered. The use of movement and focus, takes us from over thinking or being on auto-pilot, to a new awareness as we are mindful about how we are positioning or moving our body. This can have a profound calming affect on your body’s nervous system, decreasing stress and anxiety, and increasing your feeling of well-being.

In yoga the focus is on holding positions and breathing. I have tried yoga a handful of times and have had difficulties with the positions, yet loved the focus on the breathing. The alternative I found almost 10 years ago is The Feldenkrais Method, created by Moshe Feldenkrais in the 1950’s. With Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes, the focus is on the movement and sensing the movements, this can also include sensing your breathing. There are Feldenkrais practitioners teaching this method throughout the U.S., Canada and around the world. If you don’t find a class or practitioner in your area you can visit the online bookstore for books, CDs and DVDs. I highly recommend the book Running With the Whole Body, by Jack Heggie. The lessons in it are great for anyone who walks, jogs or runs.

Both yoga and the Feldenkrais Method provide additional benefits such as, better movement, posture, flexibility, coordination, athletic ability, and in many cases reduced pain.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis