Author: breath.by.breath

Learning to live an awake and authentic life, one breath at a time.

Joy Journal

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Joy Journal #30: August 5, 2023

We just returned from a camping trip with friends on Cortes Island. It is located in the Discovery Islands archipelago on the coast of British Columbia. I discovered this beautiful place nine years ago and I have been called back to it ever since. It holds a very special energy and I feel nourished every time I have the privilege to spend time there.

This year was particularly fun as we stayed with friends in the Smelt Bay campground. I am not generally a big camper, but our friends are seasoned campers, and it was great to join them for a few days. We shared many simple, delicious meals around the camp stove. Played card games with the kids around the picnic table. Watched the sun set in warm colours over Desolation Sound. Floated in the ocean multiple times a day. Explored the lake with a paddle board. We enjoyed ice cream, chips and s’mores and fell asleep to the sound of hooting owls and chirping chipmunks. It was a wonderful adventure and we cannot wait to do it again next summer. #JoyBlogging

Something to Inspire: Dr. Maya Angelou

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“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” ~ Dr. Maya Angelou

This simple but important piece of advice is one I carry with me. Every person chooses their own path. Some people choose to act in mean-spirited, unkind and destructive ways. Others choose a life of service, kindness and community. This has nothing to do with me. My only area of influence is to remain clear on my own values and intentionally choose who I let into my circle.

Things I Love: Lift with Cee

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I am always on the lookout for good home workouts. I recently discovered “Lift with Cee.” I love her half hour format of progressive strength training; and now, along with “Heather Robertson“, she is one of my favourite trainers. For women over forty, strength training is particularly important. Aside from losing fat, and building muscle, here are a few key reasons to integrate it into your weekly routine.

Improve bone density. Strength training will improve the density of your bones, which helps fight osteoporosis.

Strengthen your joints. Our joints are a mix of bone, tendons, and ligaments. When you lift, you strengthen your bones, tendons, and ligaments, and lubricate your joints. All of this will help you keep your joints in a healthy condition.

Reduce your risk of injury. When you strengthen your muscles and connective tissues (ligaments and tendons), and increase your bone density, your risk for injuries decreases significantly. 

Minimize the risk of arthritis. Arthritis is the swelling of your joints that make it difficult to move them. When you lift weights, it benefits your joints, and acts as a preventive measure.

Increase your energy level. The more you work on your muscles, the more efficiently they will work for you. You will notice more energy to get through your day and you will sleep better at night.

Improve your mood. Lifting weights has been noted to help minimize anxiety and stress, which results in a better mood for you.

Let me know if you try the workouts!

Something to Inspire

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As a highly sensitive person, I often feel overwhelmed by the dark forces in this world. This is why I love this advice from RuPaul. Acknowledge the darkness but do not fall into its deep abyss. Focus your energy on making beauty and generating joy. Act as a beacon of hope in this dark world. We each have an important role to play, however small.

Heart Centered Learning: Three Questions

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Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com

Author Neil Pasricha starts his morning every day by answering three short questions.

Today…

  1. I will let go of
  2. I am grateful for
  3. I will focus on

I love this practice and I look forward to trying it out. I think it is a powerful way to frame the day ahead.

The Mind Follows the Body

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Photo by Admiral General M. on Pexels.com

There are often times when I am feeling low or anxious. I have no energy, and I want to grab a bag of chips, hide under a blanket and watch Netflix. As I pay closer attention to what improves my mood, and what pulls me further under, I notice that my habitual coping patterns result in making things worse, not better. The comfort of the bag of chips lasts until the last chip is crunched and the stomach ache sets in. A few hours of Netflix binging leaves me feeling foggy, dissatisfied and irritable.

In these moments of difficulty and vulnerability, my mind provides me with bad advice. In urges me to follow the easy, habitual response. It identifies an action that results in a quick release of dopamine and taps into my reward centre; but not the one that will provide lasting relief. As of late, I am working on ignoring my mind, and turning to my body. I am leaning on a suite of embodied activities that I know will shift my mood: walking my dog, practicing yoga, spending time in the garden, or lifting weights. When I am feeling off, these are the last things I want to do, but they always work.

Science shows that your mind and body are intimately connected. And while your brain is the master control system for your body’s movement, the way you move affects the way you think and feel. The mind follows the body. I have been testing this theory out more and more, and finding it to be an extremely powerful and impactful practice.