by Lucy | Jun 13, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
“Strength is the capacity to break a Hershey bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of the pieces.”
-Judith Viorst
Do you remember the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst?
If not, it’s about a kid that experiences one horrible thing after the next, which turns into a very unfortunate day. From getting from waking up with gum stuck in his hair to getting punished after shoving the bully that called him a crybaby. Oh, and he is the only one that has a cavity when they visit the dentist.
We’ve all been there. The days or weeks it seems nothing is going our way and clearly the world is plotting again us.
I had one of those last week :-/. I’m okay, all is well (especially after a Daddy sushi date on Saturday!). Anyhow, I know how it goes to feel overwhelmed by the world.
This week I’m sharing some of my favorite tools in my toolbox that get me through the rough days. On the days you don’t want to “adult” anymore I hope you’ll find guidance, peace, hope or at least a smile from one of these resources.
–> Dr. Wayne Dyer – A brilliant motivational speaker, American Philosopher, and self-help teacher/author.
Here are Dr. Dyer’s Top 10 Rules for Success, which is a video (shared here) and a great book.
–> Amy E. Smith – Is a life coach and entertaining hostess of The Joy Junkie Show. She uses humor (some vulgarity) and inspirational tips to teach confidence, peace and self-love.
Here’s an episode I recently enjoyed, called 4 Ways to Love Yourself When You’re far from Where You Want to Be.
–> Chel Hamilton – A meditation and hypnosis specialist who provides free meditation tools through her podcast Meditation Minis.
Most recently, I found this message called The Trap: Breaking Free to be incredibly transformational.
Food for thought:
Life is good.
Life is also hard, messy, stressful, overwhelming, chaotic and exhausting.
In those times, try using a tool in your toolbox – or mine – to help get you to the other side.
Recipe of the week: Fish Tacos w/ Mango Salsa
Now in case the taco teaser has you craving tacos too…
I think these summer temperatures (like 101 degrees F, yesterday!) call for something light and refreshing, such as Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa.
This week’s recipe, Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa, is brought to us by thelemonbowl.com.
by Lucy | Jun 6, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food. -Hippocrates
Recall your last truly enjoyable, savory and delightful meal.
•Think about where you were eating, who you were with and the emotions (happy, peaceful, festive, etc) you felt. Maybe it was at a fancy restaurant, home-cooked or down on the farm.
•Imagine the setting, tastes, and smells.
•Remember the conversation you enjoyed or the connection to nature (if your memory is also on a picnic, like mine!).
Chances are the meal experience you are imagining has nothing to do with the chicken sandwich from the drive-thru or energy bar and apple you ate while you were running from meeting-to-meeting last week.
Most of our meals are eaten as a reaction instead of an experience. Sometimes we eat because of the time of day, an attempt to cope with uncomfortable emotions, or out of habit – including mindless munching on the donuts your coworker brought to work.
How often do you eat and experience the food sitting in front of you?
Below are the first steps to trying out mindful eating for yourself.
(Modified from Eating with Fierce Kindness by Sasha Loring, M. ED., LCSW)
1. Find a minimally distracting place to eat, ideally a clean table set with utensils and a napkin.
2. After you set the food down, sit down and close your eyes to check in with your hunger level. On a scale of 1 to 5 identify how hungry you are – 1 and 2 are hungry, 3 is neutral, 4 is satisfied and 5 is full.
If you are feeling the urge to eat but don’t feel hunger check in on the emotional reason you want to eat.
3. Assess for stress. Do you feel relaxed? If not, take a few deep breaths, and focus on relaxing your muscles especially around the digestive system putting job throat and stomach.
4. Look at your food, notice what appeals to you such as the smells wafting from the plate. Take a moment to consider what went into this meal, including where the food came from, how it got to be on your plate. What do you appreciate about it?
5. Reassess your hunger level and sensations in the digestive track. Do you feel more or less hungry now?
6. Choose to take the first bite. After that, set down the fork, spoon or food item you’re holding and notice the taste, texture, temperature and so forth of what you are chewing. Pause to notice the compulsive reflex of how quickly you typically take the next bite or chew and swallow your food.
7. Continue enjoying the meal, including frequent fork breaks (FFBs) to stop and notice the flavors and reassess your hunger scale.
Food for thought:
A little challenging, huh?
No kidding, my first mindful eating experience – about 3 years ago – included a Facebook post halfway through where I decided that it just wasn’t for me.
Three years later, mindfulness and mindful eating have changed my life. Give it a try today to see how it can change yours too.
Recipe of the week:
On vacation last week, I had the most scrumptious turkey burger. It’s one of those foods I keep meaning to prepare myself – so let’s see how this flavorful option turns out!
This week’s recipe, Garlic Rosemary Turkey Burger, is brought to us by thenewhotess.com.
by Lucy | May 23, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
A body in motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest. -Lucy Hayhurst
At the gym last week, I was watching a gentleman jump rope when his iPhone jumped out of his pocket and rolled onto the floor. This clearly wasn’t the first time it was dropped… The screen was already shattered.
I remembered when I bought my iPhone and decided to invest in the extra-strength case and screen protector in order to prevent a similar tragic ending.
The scenario got me thinking about how much hard work we put into regular exercise and consistently eating a well-balanced diet. Sometimes all it takes is one “wild weekend,” such as Memorial Day at the beach, your baby’s 1st birthday party or a road trip to visit the family, to unravel weeks or months of hard work.
In order to protect your hard work, WBN recommends implementing strategies or game plan to set yourself up for success.
Here are a few ways to stay on track no matter where this busy travel season takes you!
Well-balanced Starter Shake – Before a weekend enjoying “whatever!” I find it helpful to have a fruit and veggie packed smoothie each morning to kickstart my taste buds and my mind onto healthy eating choices.
Keep on tracking – Even if you do not want to write down or enter 10 chicken wings, a large order of onion rings and 4 beers into myfitnesspal, it is important to stick to the habits, such as a daily food journal, that keep us on track.
Don’t stop moving – Find ways to incorporate physical activity into your weekend getaways, during the birthday festivities or travel plans. One idea is to try this awesome website one of my clients shared with me: https://www.doyogawithme.com
Remember! A body in motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest.
Food for thought:
Rest. Relax. Repeat.
How are you planning to relax AND stay on track this summer travel season?
by Lucy | May 16, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Be the change you want to see in the world. -Mahatma Gandhi
I had a great conversation with a colleague and friend of mine, Chan Little, about change. Chan is the owner of The 360 Approach, a boutique wellness studio offering personal training, fitness classes, health coaching, and more!
I asked her about if/how all of us could achieve her fantastic figure.
Her answer? Yes, you can achieve the body and physic you are looking for, as long as you want it bad enough. (Sure, our genetic tendencies will play a role too, but genes do not choose what we eat or how we exercise).
What change are you looking for?
A change in your weight? In your strength or athletic ability? Or maybe you want to feel more well-balanced with your food choices?
My desired change: _______________________
What’s the first step to making this change?
Do you need an accountability partner? Maybe some personal training and coaching from Chan at The 360 Approach? Do you need a plan of what to eat or strategies to make healthy choices?
My first step: _________________________
Who will help me make this change?
There are helpers in our life that want us to be happy and inspire us to be our best. Reach out to your helper(s) let them know what change are looking for and ask if they can help keep you accountable.
My helper is: __________________________
How will I stick with my changes?
Whether it’s a daily reminder, such as a picture at your heaviest, reminding you why you want to change. Or a journal you keep to track the success and progress from this change. Perhaps it’s a mantra written on a post-it note hanging on the bathroom mirror?
My daily reminder: _________________________
Food for thought:
For many of us, change is difficult.
If you really want it, and the change is that important, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.
I believe you can and you will!
by Lucy | May 9, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
| The struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. |
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Last week, I had the opportunity to get a lot of administrative work done because it was national reschedule your nutrition appointment week… I tease ;-).
Anywho, I was working on a few tasks on Thursday afternoon when I noticed a nagging desire to continue eating. It was strange because I had just finished a delicious lunch. I decided to take a moment to pause and meditate over my cravings. During that time, I realized something that I already kind of suspected…
I’m an entertainment eater! I find eating to be a very fun activity so if I’m doing something boring, my mind chooses to wander to food or the idea of eating.
Below are a few common reasons – other than hunger – that people eat. You may identify with more than one description.
A stressed out eater: These are my “I just need something crunchy to relieve the stress” eater’s – you know who you are! Crunching can help relieve some stress; however, it is not helping our waistline.
A procrastinator eater: These folks tend to turn to food when they want to put off another task such as cleaning the house, doing homework, studying or preparing for a presentation.
A social eater: The social eaters are those that love to eat whenever somebody else is eating and may overindulge whenever they are eating with other people – especially in the all-you-can-eat environment.
A reward eater: Someone who is so pleased with whatever task they’ve completed that they decided they deserve a treat, salty snack, pizza or another comfort food.
A lonely eater: These folks may turn to food as their friend when they feel lonely, because food has always been there for them.
Food for thought:
The first step is recognizing why we want to eat. The next step is discovering how to better serve our bodies.
There is a power in naming the problem. Now you get to choose how to respond to it!
by Lucy | May 2, 2016 | Motivational Mondays
Last week at a group presentation, one of the attendees commented I was only suggesting foods and habits to quit. He asked, “wouldn’t there be a benefit to making a healthy addition?” I took a paused… and replied “brilliant!”
This group often frequented a local sandwich shop for a convenient lunch, but typically ate burgers, fried chicken or other fried foods – including very few vegetables. His idea was to eat a serving of vegetables, perhaps a salad, baby carrots or steamed broccoli before going out for lunch. So clever!
By making a healthy choice your mind will then be more likely to want to make more healthy choices.
This idea of adding a healthy habit reminds me of the Keystone habits, which include behaviors that lead to more good habits. For example, when someone makes sure to get 8 hours of sleep they are more likely to make time for exercise, be more productive and consume less junk food. By getting sufficient sleep, it causes a cascade effect of other healthy decisions for rest of the day.
Caution!
Sometimes our minds operate on a reward system. Occasionally, when we exercise or drink a calorie-free beverage we decide we can splurge and eat or drink whatever because we’ve earned it.
Ideas for healthy additions:
1.Add some avo – Did you know ounce-for-ounce an avocado has more potassium than a banana? And an avocado has healthy monounsaturated fatty acids – these are good for the heart. Not to mention, they are very satisfying and fiberful (that’s a new word, I just made up) to keep us satiated longer. Why not add 1/2 of an avocado to your salad, sandwich or leftovers from the night before?
2. Do a smoothie – If you’ve been considering blending up a fruit and veggie smoothie in the morning now is the perfect time to start! Fresh produce is prolific at the farmers market and grocery stores right now.
3. Add 20 minutes of activity – We all have 20 minutes. Maybe it’s 20 minutes you’re looking at Pinterest or Facebook, maybe it’s 20 minutes of a TV show or playing a video game. Consider taking a short walk around the block when you get home from work before settling in for the evening. Or using 20 minutes of the lunch hour to do yoga or a short workout video – such as the Ultimate Fat Burn Workout w/ Denise Austin!
4. Incorporate meditation – Taking time each day – maybe 10-15 minutes to sit and be in the moment. You can find a mantra to repeat, watch the breath or observe the thoughts coming and going as if they are clouds overhead. Or spend time with the poem included in Today is the day!
Food for thought:
Sometimes being healthy feels like we have to deprive ourselves. By looking at it as an opportunity to add to or enhance your current lifestyle you can have the same results with a more positive outlook.
What’s your healthy addition this week?
