Putting Your Body First!

 

What does putting your body first mean? Eating a balanced diet? Exercising? Drinking lots of water? Getting plenty of rest? Perhaps all of these things. Maybe even a few more. I’m learning that putting my body first means doing what my body needs to live a long and healthy life; not what ” I feel like doing”. It means being active and eating nourishing foods rich in vitamins and minerals. It means listening to my body’s signals and paying attention to it’s warning signs. It means making a personal commitment to my health and well-being. What does it mean to you?

We’re all different in this life; with different bodies and different lifestyles, yet we all have the same physical needs as human beings. We need oxygen to breathe and food to live. We need clean water and shelter to protect us from exposure. We need regular exercise/movement in order to maintain our muscles, flexibility, protect our bones and stay strong. These are the more primitive, physical requirements, of our species.

How often do we think about these basic requirements that our body needs to survive? For me, not enough. How about you? I know I’m not alone in body rejection, self-sabotage, and bad habits. Yet, I keep doing it… even when I “know better”.  After years of diet and exercise education I “know” what to do and yet mustering up the motivation…determination…and energy to do it ebbs and flows. I’ve gone through periods of being a health fanatic, exercising daily; sometimes twice or more a day and eating restrictively. I’ve also gone through periods of overeating, not eating enough, little to no exercise and eating all the “wrong foods”. Neither is a good place to be and both cry of self- rejection and hatred.  Being 36, I’m realizing this battle isn’t working for me and I’m fighting the clock. We all are, because life is short and to live it halfheartedly; disconnected from our bodies and rejecting its very needs. This only speeds up the aging process, causes dis-ease, health problems, and reduces energy as well as our life expectancy! It also causes great unhappiness, shame, and depression. Seeing the big picture now? Ask yourselves, “What things are you doing to self-sabotage your body?”. What messages are you sending it and thus yourself?

Putting your body first is about making a decision to make peace with yourself and make you a priority in your own life! Will you join me in this decision? Will you value your life enough to put your body first? Because the truth is, we can’t be on this physical plane without a body. It’s kind of a requirement for being human. Although we are Spiritual Beings, we are also human; with a body that needs focused attention and care. All those pesky preventative healthcare screenings and exams are to maintain our health and help us live longer. When we ignore them, we’re likely to miss signs of declining health. When we half-heartedly take care of ourselves with the bare minimum, we feel run-down, tired, confused, depressed, lethargic and physically weak. We get sick more often and have re-occurring illnesses. We miss work. Our moods are wild and unpredictable due to unstable blood sugar spikes. We can’t problem solve as well. Life gets overwhelming and sometimes too much altogether. I think this is why many people drink alcohol, use drugs, and even commit suicide. This cycle causes great upheaval and pain. It’s like the chicken and the egg scenario; which came first… the chicken or the egg? Does the emotional pain cause this body-rejection and self-hatred, or are poor habits or little to no self-care the culprit? I really don’t know. What I’ve learned for me, is that it doesn’t matter.

Putting your body first means taking a good look at your everyday habits and noticing all the little choices we make every day that add up over the months and years. I don’t think any of us want to have a heart attack or stroke as a wake up call before we begin to put our bodies first. Just like the instructions stewardesses give on airplanes about putting on your own oxygen mask first, then helping your child or another person;  we need to take care of ourselves first and foremost. This isn’t selfish; it’s survival. We can’t be of real service to anyone if we don’t attend to our physical needs first.

Will you join me in this choice? We can do it. We must do it. What’s the alternative? How well are you living now? Trust me, life has a way of catching up to our habits and actions sooner or later. My mother was a work-a-holic all her life and suffered 2 strokes at age 54 that made her disabled forever. She lost her ability to talk, read, write, and use her right hand. What have you lost? What are you willing to lose in order to stay on your current path? I’m done. I surrender and I choose to put my body/health first. Join me today.

Write your comments or questions.  I’d love to hear your story/journey and especially your pledge to put your body first in whatever way suits you.

Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

3rd Chakra; Fire, Ego & Identity

Chakra Three: Manipura

Fire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition

According to Sacred Center.com, “this chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus and rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this Chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non- dominating power”. http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras/

So what is your body trying to tell you? To find out, look no further than inside of yourself. Get centered. Breathe. Trust yourself. How has your energy been lately; appetite for life? The Chakra’s are energy centers within the body corresponding to vital organs and if they become blocked, our body’s effectiveness is greatly diminished; adversely affecting clarity/focus, stamina, and routine bodily functions. So it is imperative that we tune into our Chakra’s regularly and clear out any negative thoughts or feelings.

To find out, look no further than asking yourself some pointed questions.Where do your passions lie? Are you confident in your own SKIN? How about in your life? Do you hold yourself back, live small, and play it safe? How we think about ourselves radiates out into the world who will treat us according to how we treat ourselves. So with that in mind, what are YOU going to do to connect with your fire (identity/passion) within?

To help get you started, Sacred Centers.com suggests “developing core strength to increase your sense of personal power”. Below are some exercises to help you feel your solar plexus and ignite your power house!

In general, stomach crunches (modified sit-ups) are always a good bet for creating abdominal strength. But the best is working in plank pose.

Start by lying on the floor, face down. Place your hands below your shoulders, arms straight. Lift the entire body off the ground, toes curled under, body and legs one straight line, parallel to the floor. Hold for at least one minute. For added challenge balance on your forearms, elbows directly underneath the shoulders. For even more challenge, alternately lift each leg of the floor and hold. ~ Sacred Centers.com~

Loving your body means maximizing your personal awareness of SELF and fully accepting the beautiful Spirit you are!

* Let me know if this post helped you connect with your Solar Plexus? If not, keep reading, as this one article post is in no way comprehensive and therefore, there will be many others throughout the month.

Detox Your Temple part 2

So I’ve been trying this new pH balanced food plan paying close attention to eating alkaline rich foods. Notice the picture of such foods to the left, as these are all highly alkaline forming. There are others too, besides greens, but I liked this pix best.

To recap from my last post, everything we eat and drink is either acid or alkaline forming.  All processed, fast, fried, and packaged food is acid forming along with meat, dairy, baked goods, sugar, soda, sports drinks, and coffee. Greens, most nuts and beans, fruit, lemons, brown & wild rice, herbs, seeds, and flax oil are alkaline forming. Our thoughts, feelings, and environment are also important contributors to pH levels; stress being the number one culprit to increased acid levels which create breeding grounds for illness and disease.

I’ve chosen to try this new way of eating/living, due to wide-spread, physical pain, extreme fatigue, and chronic skin problems. Not to mention, it’s supposed to help balance weight, increase energy, and help with mental clarity;  all of which are pretty great reasons to make some healthy changes.

In order to monitor my progress, I’ve purchased special pH testing strips to check my levels throughout the day via saliva and urine. These can be purchased at Sprouts, other health food stores, or online. My previous post lists web addresses for more information. I’ve actually found it to be fun testing my levels four times a day. I mean, we all have to relieve ourselves anyway, right? Recording these levels on a specific chart along with food journaling really helps to increase personal awareness of how our bodies react/digest the foods we eat. I’ve found that relying on just how I feel isn’t helpful enough to guide me towards better health as feelings are highly variable.

As I’ve become more educated on this topic, and on my own body, I’ve learned that even making an effort towards this new direction has yielded positive results. I have gone from almost completely acidic pH levels  to predominately alkaline while having more energy than I’ve had all summer! I’m drinking more lemon water than I ever have before… 5 glasses (10 cups, which is based on the amount needed based upon my current weight- more on that later) and although I haven’t gotten away from all the “forbidden” food- ice cream, chocolate, meat and dairy- things are still looking up and it’s been well worth the effort.  I’m cultivating positive changes that will help me live longer and avoid dangerous illness/disease or reverse ones I already have.

Each week I will write more about my journey and share additional information and insights from various experts with you. I look forward to hearing your comments and of course support.

Blessings to All

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Do you like to dance? Our bodies need to move. For every day we eat, we need exercise. The traditional gym workout won’t always keep us motivated, but dancing is fun and gets the heart pumping!

“Dizzy Feet Foundation was founded in 2009 by producer Nigel Lythgoe, director Adam Shankman, “Dancing with the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba and actress Katie Holmes to help underprivileged young people realize their dream of becoming professional dancers and to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the United States.” http://www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org/

This first ever National Dance Day was created to not only celebrate dancing, but to encourage health and fitness through dancing. So, put on your favorite music and lets boogie! The Dizzy Feet Foundation has even posted a professionally choreographed routine by Nappytaps, to learn and practice just for this special day. I tried it today and went through it twice, which took about 25 minutes and was a great workout that made me sweat! Try it for yourself and see how much fun dancing can be, whatever your age or fitness level. Then showcase your polished routine on July 31st.

Get your friends and family into it and have fun dancing together. Create a party or event and post on Dizzy Feet Foundation website to possibly win a prize. I’m working on a dance at my church. Maybe you want to have your own party.Whatever you do; Dance, Dance, Dance!

http://dance.blogs.fox.com/tag/national-dance-day/

Love your Inner-Child!

This is me at Disneyland in California Adventure with Mickey Mouse (one of my childhood favorites). We’re never too old to get our picture taken with an old friend!

Remember the time when we didn’t care about what others thought and we just played all day? Well, I’m here to tell you that we still can. It’s all mind-set.  Even though Mickey is over 50 years old, he still hasn’t aged a bit 🙂

Seeing life through the eyes of a child are some of the clearest and joyous moments of our lives because they aren’t encumbered by years of baggage or social conditioning. Back then, we said what we felt, looked for adventure everywhere, and enjoyed the present moment in awe and wonderment.  As we love our children, so must we love our inner-child from long ago that has never grown up and doesn’t want to. That playful part of us has so many gifts to give us; if only we would let her/him out!

Loving your inner-child is similar to the way a parent loves their children; with 100% unconditional love and appreciation. Allowing ourselves to tap into that youthful energy, joy, and wonder is vital to leading a happy & satisfying life. Giving yourself permission to be silly, fly a kite, dance in the living room, or draw with crayons, can actually add more years to your life by reducing stress levels. Going out to play every day after work with your kids or the family pet, will actually improve energy and ensure a good night’s sleep. Speaking softly and gently to yourself and allowing afternoon naps on days off from work are other great ways to honor this part of ourselves and thus our bodies. Eating PB and J cut into triangles with celery and milk are just some of the simple pleasures we may have forgotten.  Children are so much more connected to themselves (and their bodies) than adults; we should take heed from the lessons they have to share.

So, what will you do today to love YOUR inner-child. Invite him or her to come out and play.