12 for 12

On my quest to health, joy, and serenity I decided to participate in Marilu's "Dear Diary ~ 12 for 12" online class. I've mentioned Marilu's website previously and have been a member for 7 years. Gleaning ooodles of information, friendships, and support. This current online course is nice and short - 12 days (even I can do that!) Simply it's a support group to help each other with 12 healthy habits for 12 days - and these healthy habits don't need to be daily.

I thought I'd list my "12 for 12" for accountability and also to encourage YOU to join along also! So here is my list of 12:
1) exercise
2) no alcohol during the weekdays
3) body brush
4) make personal time w/hubby
5) clean/declutter 15 min. per day
6) moisturize daily
7) post on the Marilu boards daily
8) do something fun daily
9) eat greens
10) eat fruit first thing in the am
11) floss
12) read

What would your 12 be?

Misc. Musings

Misc. Musings

“Life is a bag of peaches. Be the juicy one.” ~ H. Jackson Brown

Love that quote! So relatable. Have you ever bitten into a peach and have it be dry, tough and tasteless? How about biting into a peach that was surprisingly soft, exploding with flavor and the juices are so overwhelming that they run down your chin? That’s what life should be!

Photo Credit: *Laura Ann's Photography*

On to another subject: I am almost bouncing off the walls this morning. I have been coffee free for some time now, choosing herbal teas instead. I have been reading Mariel Hemingway’s books “Healthy Living from the Inside Out” and “Mariel’s Kitchen”. I would highly recommend both of these books. They are very well written and she has such a wholesome view of foods, space and being. Anyways, she recommends being “mindful” of what you eat. Eating foods that are wholesome, from nature and not “noisy”. (Sugar laden, caffeinated, ECT.) But if you choose to eat “noisy” foods, be aware of how you feel afterwards. Well my friends, the coffee smelt wonderful this morning so I had myself not only one cup, but two. Keeping Mariel’s suggestion at heart, I noticed after my first cup that I felt constricted. Like Sponge Bob when he visits Sandy in her underwater dome. After my second cup, I feel like a 3 year old, bouncing off the walls, jittery, attention span at zero! (Which is probably why this posting is ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE!) I have consumed coffee for years, and never had been “mindful” of what the effects are to my body and mind. This was a real eye opening experience. I plan on taking this “mindfulness” to all my meals and really tuning in to what these foods do for me.

Finally, just for fun I thought Id share with you a little splash of my IPod. I’m listing the first 15 songs from my IPod in Shuffle mode:
1) S.O.S. – ABBA
2) Lay my body down –Midge Ure
3) Storm in Africa – Enya
4) It it’s in my mind, it’s on my face – Seal
5) Session – Linkin Park
6) Everywhere – Michelle Tumes
7) Fumbling towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan
8) Jamaica Inn – Tori Amos
9) The Chinese Way – Level 42
10) Pocketful of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield
11) Tall trees in Georgia – Eva Cassidy
12) Thank U – Alanis Morissette
13) Bears – Lyle Lovett
14) Barracuda – Heart
15) Man in the Moon – Martin Page

I don’t know what the above selection says about me, if anything – I think I’ll just leave that up to you!

Done with Plastic

I realize that we've all become more aware of our consumables and if they are recyclable. I've started using reusable bags when grocery shopping, washing out my Ziploc bags instead of trashing them (unless raw meat was involved). I also reused my plastic water bottles throughout the day. I justified that instead of going through 6-8 water bottles a day, I was only using one. Then I noticed the pile of plastic water bottles accumulating in our recyclable bin. I was convinced that I can do better than that! Then I read Carolyn's blog and Alison's blog and realized that I had the necessary tools to change my ways! I spent a wonderful weekend back in March with my best friend at the Natural Products Expo-West and received a free water bottle! What then I thought was neat, now I think is brilliant! Today I brought my new found treasure to work and have been refilling it with joy!

Photo credit: Me!

Yay Me!

I have just realized that I have been sans coffee for two weeks now…..2 WHOLE WEEKS! I haven’t made a conscience decision to stop, it just doesn’t sound good to me these days. I’ve never been a coffeeholic, but usually I have two cups a day. These days, tea is much more my beverage of choice. Currently I’m enjoying my second cup of Jasmine Green Tea – go figure!

Photo Credit: dadadreams

How do you chew?

The earliest I can remember, I have been a fast eater. I came from a family of 8. If you didn’t eat it fast enough, someone else would snatch it up. So fast eating worked well for survival as a child, but now as an adult – I have the blessing to be able to sit with my family for a nice, leisurely meal without the threat of bro #1 or bro #2 swiping my food off of my plate.

I have discovered that by eating so fast, I don’t take the time to savor the flavors, textures, colors, temperatures of my food. I’m not “present” while I eat my food.

Last month I took an on-line class at Marilu.com. She is a great advocate for all things healthy (health in general, eating, and living). Please stop by and check her site out – it’s fabulous! But anyways, one of the assignments was to eat a meal with your eyes closed and note to yourself the experience. Was this an eye opening (pun intended!) lesson!

I realized that I:
1) Eat too fast – I slowed down when my eyes were closed.
2) Do not chew my food enough (my stomach does not have teeth.)
3) Enjoyed the textures, flavors and temperatures much more. The food even tasted
better!
4) Surprisingly was more aware of when I was full!

My challenge to you is to try this exercise yourself! Granted, you don’t need to eat your entire meal with your eyes closed, but close them periodically and enjoy the sensations! And please share with me your experience!

I have resolved to chew my food more, to always sit down when I eat, and to savor every morsel that gives me life!

The Benefits of Skin Brushing

I've been skin brushing on and off again for the past 9 years. If you've never heard of it...it's a wonderful means of skin health and detox.
It obviously removes dead skin cells
It promotes movement of the lymphatic system
It improves circulation
It softens your skin
It promotes even sweating, eliminating toxins
It encourages cells to regenerate
It stimulates production of sebum
It helps combat cellulite
It results in smooth and glowing skin

Use a natural bristle skin brush, brush your skin in an upward sweeping motion towards your heart. Starting at the sole of the foot moving up the legs, up the buttocks and back. I return to my groin area (lymphatic system) brushing up my abdomen, starting again on my palms and work my way up my arms and down my chest. I avoid my breasts and face...but I've read other articles that recommend brushing there.

I'm sold on skin brushing and it's benefits...my problem is that I forget to do it. It is recommended to skin brush first thing in the morning before showering...I'm already in the shower when the thought occurs to me. Does anyone else skin brush, and if so...do you have a system of reminders? Do share!