Finding Calm Within the Chaos

 

I teach a weekly meditation class for the last several years. I love my students who faithfully show up even when they may not be feeling well. Showed up when we were still in a pandemic and were forced to meet outdoors in all kinds of weather while wearing a mask. But I believe our sanga (community) supported us through some of the most difficult times in our history. They helped me as much as we all helped each other. 

We were all grateful when the world started to open up again. Grateful to be able to leave the house and travel. Grateful to see family and friends we had not hugged in years. So how is it, with all this gratitude going around the collective world, there is so much dissonance, war and hate dominating the world right now?

I figured I couldn't be the only one feeling angst, anxiety and stress over the distressing events occurring around us. Even as an experienced meditator, I felt all of the above feelings. Last straw was waking up Tuesday morning to jaw and mandibular pain. Enough was enough. I needed to take my emotional health into a higher gear and share my healing practice with my students.

I am sharing this Tuesdays class with you. I hope it helps anchor and center you amongst the chaos surrounding us these days.

Emotional flexibility is a trait that people with strong mental resilience possess. It is the ability to hold many different emotions at once and not allow the negative ones to poison the well. It is a skill that is not easy to master but the key is to remain present with whatever emotion bubbles to the surface. The following meditation allows me to come back from the murkiness of the negative emotions vying for my attention during chaotic times.

Find a quiet space and sit. Close your eyes or lower your gaze and focus on the rhythm of your breath. Try to breathe in and out of the nose if possible. Begin to scan the body for any areas that feel tense and send the breath there to release it. Now, begin diaphragmatic breathing. This is where we engage the entire diaphragm and divide it in thirds. The upper section is the lungs, middle section is the solar plexus above the navel, lower section is below the navel. As you inhale lightly fill each section, not forcefully but mindfully. On the exhale, expel the breath the same way. Think of it as a wave of breath. Do this for 5 minutes. If you get dizzy, just return to a normal breathing pattern and ditch the diaphragmatic breathing.

Your mind should have less thought traffic moving through it and you are ready for the next part of this meditation.

Return to normal breathing and drop your attention like a plumb line down towards the middle of your chest, into your heart space and allow it to rest there until you feel the heart expand and relax. Stay present and stay with the breath and focus on the heart space. If the heart space feels blocked, visualize a small opening with a beam of light shining through it dispersing the blockage until the heart space releases.

From this place of resting in the heart, get in touch with the emotions you are feeling. Anger, lack of control, anxiety all come from Fear. All emotions are energy so let go of the "reason" for the negative emotion and focus on the sensation within the feeling. Next, move your focus to a subtle energy in the background, the awareness from where the feeling arises and subsides. Allow the feeling or emotion to  just float there, without trying to control it in any way. Eventually notice how the feeling of anxiety, anger or lack of control slowly dissolves into the subtle energy of awareness and is transmuted by the love, kindness and compassion that is also being held in that container of the heart. Allow those feelings to alchemize the negative ones and either dissolve or dissipate them. 

This works well in a controlled setting but what about those times you are either at work or in your car and the negative emotions overwhelm you? Try this hack for a quick switch.

When you find the anger, anxiety or fear begin to overtake your mind, think of a quick counter thought to it. Find a phrase or a word that resonates with you, as an example " I will keep my heart open and act from Love". If that's too Pollyannaish for you, come up with a wittier one. Sometimes when I vehemently disagree with someone, I remind myself to find common ground, even if it is in my mind. We all want what is best for our children and loved ones, we all want better communities, we all want to get home safe. When I can remember that as I look into someone's eyes it helps to dissipate the anger bubbling up inside. And if all else fails, take 10 deep breaths before speaking. Or walk away.

In my past posts I speak of the physical and emotional damage stress causes us. We cannot control what is going on in the world but we CAN control how we react to it and how we allow it to affect us. 

Do not allow it to poison the well of your heart.

Our Brain Needs Pushups!

 

We now know exercise helps the brain build new pathways, so the old saying that after a certain age we could not is now defunct.

New research at UCSF shows that the more physical activity we do, the more protective proteins we build in our brain tissue. The study subjects were 70-90 years old. This protective brain tissue wards off dementia and Alzheimers.

As I posted in this past article, exercise doesn't have to be tough on joints or extremely taxing to achieve health results, just start moving!

In my next article,  we will get into HOW to start an exercise habit and KEEP it. It's remarkably simple and easy!

A Couple's Weight Loss Success Story

 Roy, at 76, lost 44lbs and 8 inches off his waistline in Five months and Trish, at 69, lost 22lbs of fat and 4 inches off her waistline. How did they do it? These are the concrete steps they took. 

1. They wanted to get back to their pre-pandemic exercise routine but were not comfortable going back to a gym setting as Covid is still prevalent. So they made the decision to hire a Personal Trainer that would come to their home. They chose to invest in themselves and their health.

2. After our preliminary meeting, we got to work. Every personal trainer will take body measurements and perform a senior fitness test to assess a baseline. Their main goal was to lose weight along with physical conditioning. We set a reasonable timeline for a specific amount of weight loss and off we went! With their Personal Training package purchase, came a Free nutritional assessment.

3. I met with R & T monthly. I checked up on them weekly to see how they were progressing, what wasn't working, any questions or concerns they had. Nutrition is a huge component for weight loss, after all, you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet!! We tweaked their nutritional intake as we progressed along.

4. R & T were diligent about exercising and following a nutritional diet, even switching to a low carb beer! They motivated each other and seeing the scale go down along with their blood work numbers improve dramatically kept them on track and encouraged them to do more.

5. We added HIIT training to encourage fat loss but keep muscle and they loved that! Who doesn't love HIIT? 20 minutes and you're done!

6. They are a hip, adorable couple always willing to learn, adapt and try new things. One of those new things was a fitness tracker and a food journal app for their phone. Dare I say, they are addicted to the fitness tracker. Who of us isn't? Such a cool way of tracking calories burned, heart rate, sleep patterns, even oxygen levels.

Roy surpassed the weight loss goal we set by 14 lbs. Trish did phenomenal and her entire weight loss was in fat lbs. Yes, we can measure that! More importantly, they feel better, look great and have more energy to play with their grandchild and do the activities they love. This Christmas, Roy's Santa outfit didn't fit, Mrs. Claus had to add padding LOL But the kids didn't notice.

As we enter a New Year, get clear on what fitness and health goals you want to accomplish for yourself. Be specific. Remember, to create a new habit we must break or lose an old one. Then, take action towards that goal. Whether it's hiring a Personal Trainer, a Nutritionist, joining a gym or starting a walking program with a friend. Every step counts. 

As a Holistic Fitness Coach I focus on all aspects of health, including physical, nutritional and emotional. I have several different programs to fit your budget. As a lifelong fitness enthusiast and long time fitness instructor, my goal is to build a successful fitness coaching business. To encourage that, my rates today are very reasonable to help promote growth and a referral source. What are you waiting for?

                                                    Roy December 2021, Santa bought smaller jeans
 

2021 Health Goals Off the Rails? Hit Reset

 

Gyms are starting to reopen around the country but did you know that at least 70% of weight loss comes from a healthy diet NOT exercise? That's right, exercise is awesome for heart and lung conditioning and sure it burns calories but you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet.

As a certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist thru ISSA, I am sharing 5 easy tips to help you reset your 2021 Health goals.

1. Write down your health goals(yes, with a pen). Be specific. For example, I want to lose 20 lbs is not specific. What steps are you going to take to get there? Time frame? Be realistic. It takes a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week. 

2. Keep a food journal ( I saw the eye roll). There are free apps like My Fitness Pal that make this super easy to do. MFP will even help you set a weight goal and will log your exercise calories in for you. You can set your macro nutrient percentages of protein, carbohydrates and fat in here as well. A food journal keeps you accountable. We underestimate how many calories we eat. Log every single thing you eat and caloric drinks. 

3. Find out what your BMI (Body Mass Index) and what your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) are. There are plenty of free online calculators to help you with this. Your goal is to get your BMI to a healthy level and your RMR tells you how many calories your body burns daily just to stay alive! If you can, find out what your body fat and lean mass percentages are so you can see your progress as you lose weight.

4. Plan an exercise program if you don't already have one. Most gyms have personal trainers that will give you a monthly exercise routine or you can hire me to make one for you. You will want a mix of resistance/strength training, aerobic activity, stretching and balance exercises. In your aerobic/cardio exercise consider adding one HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It's only 20 minutes long and an important component to fitness. Consider investing in a fitness smart watch like Fitbit or a cellphone health app to help you keep track of your exercise and calories burned.

5. Last but not least, Be Kind to Yourself!! There will be setbacks, focus on the long term. Every action, every step you take towards your goals no matter how small, COUNT. Use positive reinforcement, speak kindly to yourself and surround yourself with a tribe that will help you with your journey.

You are making a lifelong change, after all.  If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?

Juicing Wild Dandelion Greens Is a Tame Endeavour

I've done a lot with weeds, just never drank one before. These wispy, long bright green leaves are mild in flavor and considered a superfood by none other than Dr. Oz. Choose iron-packed dandelion greens that are bright green, not wilting or browning on the sides, you want the freshest weeds possible. Their Irish green potassium rich liquid is not abundant, but unless you are really adventurous (or a goat) eating them raw is a bit too wild for me. Here is my recipe for this week: 1 bunch of dandelion greens (ends trimmed and rinsed well under running water), 4 cucumbers which are finally affordable again (ends trimmed), 2 heads of celery (2 for $1 @Sprouts this week) ends trimmed and 1 peeled lemon. Divide all veggies equally into two separate heaps and juice. To juice dandelion greens, fold a handful in half and stuff with leaves & ends pointing upward and feed through Breville on low. Should give you about 64 oz. of juice. You can freeze freshly made juice, although it does change to a grainy texture (instead of smooth) once defrosted. Just one warning, these weeds will send you to the water closet - they're a diuretic. Also, brimming with beta carotene.
Salud!

My Venture into Juicing Red Cabbage

How to choose the right cabbage? Select tightly wrapped crisp leaves with no browning on the edges. Never having purchased a cabbage before, I went out on a limb and ended up with a healthy looking head (inside resembles a cerebellum, weird). Now, how to juice it. I was startled at what a red cabbage's innards look like, swirly red & white veins and very dense. Make sure you have a sharp knife on hand, I only work with Wusthof Trident knives, a good utility knife did the job here. You'll need to cut the halves lengthwise again and again until they will fit into the feeder. I was concerned about how to clean the leaf crevices, but they were so compact I just slightly pried them open under running water and no dirt or other surprises washed out. Breville's manual suggest a low speed setting but this super food cabbage is packed full of crisp leaves and I found the high speed pulverized it easier. How does it taste? Surprisingly mild and pleasant, similar to bok choy but a bit sweeter. It packs a wallop of Vitamins C & K.
 So here is the recipe I used to create this ruby red anti-cancer, inflammation reducing, anti-oxidant concoction: 1 medium red cabbage, 2 lbs. of carrots (ends sliced off), 1 head of celery (clean off ends) and 1 lemon (peeled). Divide all veggies equally into 2 piles and juice. I tossed in 2 apples 'cause they were there, but it almost sweetened the juice too much. Makes 64 oz. Salute!

Juicing Broccoli Stalks Keeps the Doctor Away

and everyone else. The stalks are packed with vitamin C and calcium, along with fartacious qualities. Not any more offensive than eating broccoli or brussel sprouts, just your run of the mill cabbage gas passing. Aside from that, they were great juiced! I trimmed the very end of the stalks and set my machine on high. Tasty and a green way to reuse those stalks after I stir fried the florets for dinner. For this juice concoction I assembled the following veggies: 4 broccoli stalks, 2 lbs. of carrots (scrubbed and ends trimmed), 1 peeled (Breville wants citrus peeled) lemon, 1 head of celery ends & tops trimmed. Divide veggies into 2 piles and grind away! If each batch does not make 32 oz. add more carrots. I think the sweetness of the carrots mellowed the broccoli, but it was a great recipe and will make it again. Here's drinking to your bones and immune system!

It's a Rutabaga Baby! Let's Juice It!

OK, it was not my intention to juice a rutabaga, I just ran out of veggies to run through the Breville and found it in my fridge drawer. Interesting taste, a teeny bit bitter but NOTHING like a turnip. Skip the turnip, trust me.  I drank that concoction once with my nose pinched shut, although the taste mellowed by the next day. Aww, now how to choose a rutabaga. Firm to the touch, not slimy and no visible blemishes, growths or warts. My juicing cocktail this week included a bunch of asparagus (99 cents @Sprouts, that's a great deal). I've never juiced this elegant green veggie before as I like it steamed, but it doesn't deliver much liquid, it's more like a dark emerald serum dripping out of the spout. Asparagus is an anti-cancer food, protecting against brain, colon and lung cancers. Check out the Anti Cancer Diet book to learn more about cancer fighting foods. So here is what I'm sipping on as I blog: 3 cucumbers, 1 large rutabaga (peeled), 1 bunch of asparagus (ends trimmed), 1 lemon, 2 lbs. of carrots, and 1 small head of bok choy. Divide veggies into 2 piles and juice. I'll probably not juice asparagus again but the rutabaga wasn't bad! Cheers!

Juicing with Bok Choy, Oh Boy!

This recipe makes for a really pretty bright green juice, not bitter either! You'll need 2 heads of celery (they were 88 cents @Sprouts this week and crisp), 1 head of bok choy (make sure leaves are fresh, not yellowing or browning), 4 cucumbers (trim ends off and chop in half), 1 large apple and 1 lemon (peeled). Divide equally into 2 piles and juice. Bok choy delivers a lot of juice, use high power mode. This recipe makes 64 oz. and enough to pour yourself a fresh glass to enjoy. Now this is healthy drinking!

New Raw Juicing Recipe

Not finding decent celery stalks at Sprouts this week, especially as they were asking $1.19/each, I bought the largest jicama I could wrap my hand around instead. This recipe made 64oz. of juice, enough for 4 days. No, I don't juice every day, and yes, I really think it's OK to refrigerate juice up to 4 days.
6 cucumbers, 2 lbs. carrots, 1 very large jicama (peeled) and 1 lemon (peeled). Divide veggies equally into 2 piles and juice. Jicama is very mild in taste and delivers a lot of liquid. I used high power mode to run it through.
I've been juicing for about 2 years now, so if you have any questions on this raw food drink or want to share any delicious recipes, let me know!

I Survived My First 5K!

Thank you to those who donated to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure in Phoenix Oct. 11, 2009 (hope I didn't bug too much)! That's me and my hubby, who was very supportive even as I dragged him into this. My own experience training for this race taught me a couple of things: 1. Running is hard! 2. Training on a treadmill has little resemblance to real running.

We live in brutally hot Phoenix, so running outside to train was not an option. My first foray outside my front door in running shoes was last week. I was pretty demoralized by the time I got back home, and after running a second day with severe side flank pain as if my liver were about to explode (for some reason duck liver pate kept coming to mind) I was positive I'd made a mistake. Looking on the bright side, I'd raised a lot more money than I could've ever given on my own and heightened awareness to breast cancer so all was not lost. I resigned myself to a run/walk on the big day. Race time neared and I started hemming and hawing. My husband, who was walking the 5K walk event, looked me squarely in the eyes and reminded me I'd trained for this and to go run it. As I started jogging, ASU cheerleaders, marching bands and just regular folks along the route cheered us on. That's what was missing from my street running! Marching bands and cheerleaders to keep me motivated! Before I knew it, I was dodging and passing other runners. At one point, my lungs started to constrict and considered walking a few minutes. Until my thoughts drifted to all the breast cancer survivors who COULDN'T run today, just walk, if they were lucky enough to be alive. I kept running and forgot about myself.

Even though the race is not timed, those of you who know me will not be surprised that I brought a stopwatch (there's that type A seeping out). 35 minutes, not record-breaking but not too shabby for my first 5K. And yes, I will be running another one.

Keeping those pesky New Years' resolutions

One of the best tips I heard recently about keeping a resolution was to commit to it until Valentine's Day. Seems like a reasonable time frame, and gives me a goal to reach for. The other tip was to be very specific and realistic about that resolution. It's not enough to say, " I'm going to exercise more" or " I will lose 20 lbs. by spring". Set a smaller goal for weight loss and be specific about how many days per week to exercise. As a lifelong exerciser, my way of keeping myself on track is to keep an exercise calendar. After every workout, I write it down. Towards the end of the week, I can see if I need to throw in an extra cardio or yoga day in. I keep the calendar somewhere visible so I can't ignore it :). Life happens, so cut yourself a break if you falter once in a while on that resolution. Happy New Year!