Simplify Blog Archives...
I was trying to figure out a topic for today, and decided I am tired of talking about weight loss. I am going to switch gears today and talk about multi-tasking. This, of course, is a typical time of year when we try to do five things at once in order to get everything done. I found myself trying to multi-task three things at the same time this morning. When I stopped to think about how productive I was being, I realized that I just needed to pick one thing and finish it before going on to the next. I find if my brain is going in too many different directions, I am not giving the present moment the importance that it deserves. This is my main goal for 2009 - slow down, be present, and do one thing at a time. One health issue that can go along with multi-tasking is that our body releases more cortisol, which over time can stress the adrenals, causing fatigue and more stress. I also find that I don't give enough attention to relationships when I am trying to accomplish too much at one time. Time to slow down and appreciate the season!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was listening to a CD by Wayne Dyer this morning. He was giving twelve steps to living an inspired life. I only had time to listen to a couple of his steps, but the first one caught my attention. The first step was to simplify life. I am in total agreement with simplifying and reorganizing priorities. Spring seems like a great time to make changes. With the economy the way that it is, we are forced to look at the choices that we make. One tip that Dr. Dyer gave was to declutter in order to simplify. Get rid of the junk. We hold on to objects that don't serve a useful purpose. He also recommends decluttering our obligations. I am all for this one. When the weather gets nice in Minnesota, it is great to have the free time to get outside and enjoy it. Think twice about agreeing to take on more obligations if they are not inspiring. When we get too busy to take time for ourselves, it is time to look at simplifying. Kids are also overscheduled these days. Stress from too many obligations can affect our health, but it also impacts our kids. I am going to keep this short today to go with the simplify life theme.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Earth Day! I am sure there will be lots of ideas today on the news and in the papers on how to go green. I thought I would add a few of my own that I know are easy to implement, because I have used them myself. Here are a few easy and inexpensive tips that are not only green, but some will help cut down on the chemicals that are used in the home:
* Use baking soda on your carpets to absorb odors - sprinkle the baking soda on the carpets, let sit for fifteen minutes and vacuum.
* Use vinegar or a natural all purpose cleaning solution - I fill my sink up with water and vinegar ( or cleaning solution) and add a few drops of Thieves essential oil. Thieves has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and it smells good. I first use the water to clean surfaces in the kitchen, then I use the same water to mop the floors.
* Vinegar can also be used in water to wash windows. It can be added to the pretreat cycle on your washing machine to act as a fabric softener and it can eliminate the need for softener sheets.
* Try using vinegar in your dishwasher in the jet dry container.
* Cut down or eliminate dry cleaning - if you do dry clean your clothes, air them out without the bag on them outside or in the garage to dissipate the chemicals that are used to clean them.
* Use reusable bags- I admit that I don't always have them with me at the right time when I get groceries, but I try to use them as much as possible for things like library books, bringing my lunch to work etc.
* Shop at second hand stores. Save money and recycle. With the way the economy is right now, there are many choices for second hand shopping.
* Drive less or drive share- now that the weather is nicer, that is more of an option in Minnesota.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am going to continue talking about the book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil. I have come across a couple of things that I am not in agreement with - for example, taking flouride supplements (this can reduce testosterone levels in boys and may contribute to thyroid nodules) and eating large amounts of soy. Small amounts of fermented soy have been shown to be helpful for many people, but most regular soy is genetically modified and does not have the health benefits we need. There are definitely different opinions on these two items, but many of the people that I see have sensitivities to one or both. The best idea is to educate yourself and make the decision that works for you. I really like that Dr. Weil addresses mental and spiritual health along with physical and mental health. Many times we are doing everything right to improve our physical lives - eating right, exercising, taking suplements - but we neglect taking time for ourselves, meditating, praying, and reducing stress. Dr. Weil recommends taking time to walk or sit in nature as a form of meditation. This is a perfect week in Minnesota to take this advice. The weather is beautiful and the leaves are hitting peak. There are great parks and areas to walk in central Minnesota - St. John's Campus, Munsinger Park (Flower Park), Riverside Park, Mississippi County Park, Quarry Park and many, many walking paths. Another recommendation that Dr. Weil gives is giving up news for at least a day. This is recommended as a way to reduce stress and free up time for other pursuits. We are inundated with news - from the internet, television and newspapers. Many of us can check the news on our phones. There is such a thing as too much information!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I always find fall as a great time to get organized and concentrate on health. Interestingly, organizing and decluttering can actually improve both our mental and physical health. If you are feeling bogged down, try throwing, recycling or donating as many items in your house as you can. It is amazing what a difference it can make. In the fall, decluttering our system is also a good idea. There are many different ways of doing this - detoxing, fasting, colonics, massage, etc. It is important to find what works the best for you. Many times, we just need to get on track with better eating and exercise routines. If you can find a program that you can sustain, it will pay off the most in the long run. This is also the time of year to pay attention to supplementation of nutrients. In Minnesota, our vitamin D levels will begin to diminish. It is also a good time think about boosting the immune system, and possibly adding a probiotic. At the end of my blogs, I am going to give some ideas for goals for the week, and I am actually going to follow them and see what happens.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am going to one more blog on the List Maker's Get-Healthy Guide by the author's of Prevention. This week's topic is "Top 10 Smart Health Moves". I chose this list, just because it is eclectic. There are items that we don't think of when it comes to health. The following 10 items were given by the authors as great ways to improve overall health:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I was trying to figure out a topic for today, and decided I am tired of talking about weight loss. I am going to switch gears today and talk about multi-tasking. This, of course, is a typical time of year when we try to do five things at once in order to get everything done. I found myself trying to multi-task three things at the same time this morning. When I stopped to think about how productive I was being, I realized that I just needed to pick one thing and finish it before going on to the next. I find if my brain is going in too many different directions, I am not giving the present moment the importance that it deserves. This is my main goal for 2009 - slow down, be present, and do one thing at a time. One health issue that can go along with multi-tasking is that our body releases more cortisol, which over time can stress the adrenals, causing fatigue and more stress. I also find that I don't give enough attention to relationships when I am trying to accomplish too much at one time. Time to slow down and appreciate the season!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was listening to a CD by Wayne Dyer this morning. He was giving twelve steps to living an inspired life. I only had time to listen to a couple of his steps, but the first one caught my attention. The first step was to simplify life. I am in total agreement with simplifying and reorganizing priorities. Spring seems like a great time to make changes. With the economy the way that it is, we are forced to look at the choices that we make. One tip that Dr. Dyer gave was to declutter in order to simplify. Get rid of the junk. We hold on to objects that don't serve a useful purpose. He also recommends decluttering our obligations. I am all for this one. When the weather gets nice in Minnesota, it is great to have the free time to get outside and enjoy it. Think twice about agreeing to take on more obligations if they are not inspiring. When we get too busy to take time for ourselves, it is time to look at simplifying. Kids are also overscheduled these days. Stress from too many obligations can affect our health, but it also impacts our kids. I am going to keep this short today to go with the simplify life theme.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Earth Day! I am sure there will be lots of ideas today on the news and in the papers on how to go green. I thought I would add a few of my own that I know are easy to implement, because I have used them myself. Here are a few easy and inexpensive tips that are not only green, but some will help cut down on the chemicals that are used in the home:
* Use baking soda on your carpets to absorb odors - sprinkle the baking soda on the carpets, let sit for fifteen minutes and vacuum.
* Use vinegar or a natural all purpose cleaning solution - I fill my sink up with water and vinegar ( or cleaning solution) and add a few drops of Thieves essential oil. Thieves has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and it smells good. I first use the water to clean surfaces in the kitchen, then I use the same water to mop the floors.
* Vinegar can also be used in water to wash windows. It can be added to the pretreat cycle on your washing machine to act as a fabric softener and it can eliminate the need for softener sheets.
* Try using vinegar in your dishwasher in the jet dry container.
* Cut down or eliminate dry cleaning - if you do dry clean your clothes, air them out without the bag on them outside or in the garage to dissipate the chemicals that are used to clean them.
* Use reusable bags- I admit that I don't always have them with me at the right time when I get groceries, but I try to use them as much as possible for things like library books, bringing my lunch to work etc.
* Shop at second hand stores. Save money and recycle. With the way the economy is right now, there are many choices for second hand shopping.
* Drive less or drive share- now that the weather is nicer, that is more of an option in Minnesota.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am going to continue talking about the book 8 Weeks to Optimum Health by Dr. Andrew Weil. I have come across a couple of things that I am not in agreement with - for example, taking flouride supplements (this can reduce testosterone levels in boys and may contribute to thyroid nodules) and eating large amounts of soy. Small amounts of fermented soy have been shown to be helpful for many people, but most regular soy is genetically modified and does not have the health benefits we need. There are definitely different opinions on these two items, but many of the people that I see have sensitivities to one or both. The best idea is to educate yourself and make the decision that works for you. I really like that Dr. Weil addresses mental and spiritual health along with physical and mental health. Many times we are doing everything right to improve our physical lives - eating right, exercising, taking suplements - but we neglect taking time for ourselves, meditating, praying, and reducing stress. Dr. Weil recommends taking time to walk or sit in nature as a form of meditation. This is a perfect week in Minnesota to take this advice. The weather is beautiful and the leaves are hitting peak. There are great parks and areas to walk in central Minnesota - St. John's Campus, Munsinger Park (Flower Park), Riverside Park, Mississippi County Park, Quarry Park and many, many walking paths. Another recommendation that Dr. Weil gives is giving up news for at least a day. This is recommended as a way to reduce stress and free up time for other pursuits. We are inundated with news - from the internet, television and newspapers. Many of us can check the news on our phones. There is such a thing as too much information!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I always find fall as a great time to get organized and concentrate on health. Interestingly, organizing and decluttering can actually improve both our mental and physical health. If you are feeling bogged down, try throwing, recycling or donating as many items in your house as you can. It is amazing what a difference it can make. In the fall, decluttering our system is also a good idea. There are many different ways of doing this - detoxing, fasting, colonics, massage, etc. It is important to find what works the best for you. Many times, we just need to get on track with better eating and exercise routines. If you can find a program that you can sustain, it will pay off the most in the long run. This is also the time of year to pay attention to supplementation of nutrients. In Minnesota, our vitamin D levels will begin to diminish. It is also a good time think about boosting the immune system, and possibly adding a probiotic. At the end of my blogs, I am going to give some ideas for goals for the week, and I am actually going to follow them and see what happens.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am going to one more blog on the List Maker's Get-Healthy Guide by the author's of Prevention. This week's topic is "Top 10 Smart Health Moves". I chose this list, just because it is eclectic. There are items that we don't think of when it comes to health. The following 10 items were given by the authors as great ways to improve overall health:
- Eat Dinner with Your Family: This is important for both the nutrition factor and for connecting with our families.
- Practice Deep Breathing: This is especially important when we are under additional stress.
- Laugh: Laughing helps relieve stress and balances our hormones.
- Tell Someone "I Love You": This helps us think about others, and caring for others can be a stress reliever.
- Stretch: I recommend stretching first thing in the morning and throughout the day (our dogs do this automatically!)
- Do the Pinch Test: If you can pinch more than an inch of fat on your abdomen, it is a good indication that you may need to lose some weight.
- Park Your Car and Walk: We hear this one a lot, and it does pay off!
- Take a Multivitamin: I would add vitamin D, fish oil, and a probiotic to this list for most people.
- Floss Your Teeth: This can cut down on inflammation in the body.
- Get Enough Sleep: Sleep rejuvenates all body function and is very important to health.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>