Something to Inspire
Category: Health & Wellbeing
Things I Love: Glucose Goddess
Jessie Inchauspé is a French biochemist and New York Times bestselling author of Glucose Revolution and The Glucose Goddess Method. She is on a mission to translate cutting-edge science into easy tips to help people improve their physical and mental health. Her work centers around the startling discovery about the essential role of blood sugar in every aspect of our lives, and the surprising hacks to optimize it. Jessie is the founder of the wildly popular Instagram account @GlucoseGoddess, where she teaches over two million people about transformative food habits. She holds a BSc in mathematics from King’s College, London, and an MSc in biochemistry from Georgetown University.
Wise Words
Last spring, I went with my sister to see Liz Gilbert speak at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. I have been a fan of her work for a long time but I am equally as interested in her as a person. She explores the human condition in such a real, raw and authentic way. I appreciate her commitment to self-compassion, curiosity and vulnerability; and I was excited to hear her speak on this tour, not about a particular book, but rather about her reflections on how to live a good life.
It was a brilliant presentation and I took notes throughout. I thought you might be interested in reading through some of the wisdom shared.
________________________________
“What are you willing to give up to have the thing (life) you keep pretending you want? All of your time is being spent doing things other than what you pretend you want most (e.g. watching tv, going out with friends instead of writing). You aren’t prioritizing the thing you keep telling me is the most important in your life. Stop playing around or stop wasting my time. Focus. Do the work.”
~ Advice shared from the female artist in Liz Gilbert’s Lower Eastside neighbourhood. She was her unofficial mentor. This woman lived the life that Liz envied. This was a transformational moment for Liz when she realized she had to stop talking and start doing the work.
________________________________
“It’s all going to be all right.” ~ advice from Liz’s friend Richard from Texas
The most relaxed person in the world is the most powerful. They can see everything. They are present with the vast expansiveness of the situation. They see details and options that others cannot see. When you are anxious, you have tunnel vision. I do not want my last breaths on this beautiful earth to be stressful.
To be relaxed, you have to choose. You need to start by saying no to a lot of stuff that you really want to do. You only have one life. Don’t waste it.
To live a relaxed life, women need three things:
- Priorities
- Boundaries
- Mysticism
Priorities:
Three most important words: I don’t care.
What do you care about? Who do you care about? It cannot be very much. There are a few things that I care about intensely. These are defined as my priorities.
Boundaries:
The great mythologist, Joseph Campbell, spent his entire life studying the religions of the world. He was asked, “What is the definition of sacred?” and “How do human beings make something sacred?” He responded, “It’s the simplest thing in the entire world, and you do not need a priest for it, anybody can do it. Here’s how humans make something sacred: You draw a circle around it and you say everything inside this circle is holy. It’s sacred because you said so. That is called a boundary, and a boundary is not a wall. A boundary is not something that you hide behind. A boundary is a golden circle that you draw around the things that matter to you, and you say everything inside this circle is sacred. If you treat it with respect, you are allowed to come in, but take your shoes off and bow because you are coming into the center of holiness here. And if it’s not, and it’s outside, then what do we say? We say, “I do not care.”
“Your sacred place is where you can find yourself again and again.” ~ Joseph Campbell
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Women are taught to be servants to the world. To ignore their own needs. In order for women to step into the divine, they have to cultivate a sense of self. A man needs to do the opposite. They need to let go of self.
“I have no difficult people in my life. The world is a difficult place. I chose who I let into my life. I can think of no one who is entitled to be in it.” ~ Rachel Cargle
Mysticism:
Mysticism is defined as interactions between humans and the divine. Martha Beck interviewed a wide range of successful women. They all shared a common experience. “I heard a voice.” “I have a spirit guide.” “My ancestors spoke to me.” They established connection to a deeper level. They tapped into the base notes of divinity. An internal guidance system told them to: Trust this person. Take action now.
Thin places in the universe are created through experiencing deep suffering.
“There is a crack in everything. That’s where the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen
Relax completely in the embrace of someone who is deeply fond of you: have faith in the vast and endless love of the divine.
“When we have got something for you to do, you will be notified.” Wait for the signal.
When you are actually needed, which is not very often, you will recognize it.
“I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” ~ TS Eliot
“Wow, wow, wow.” ~ Steve Jobs’ last words.
Rayya Elias ~ After fighting with death until the bitter end, Rayya has a look of wonder and joy on her face when she passed over.
Religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.
My objective in the second half of my life is to move through the world in a relaxed state.
No abandonment of self. No saying yes when I mean no.
I am at the centre of the sacredness. I am my own guardian. I do not use anything that alters my mood or state of being.
Tools: Insight Timer. Taylor Somerville’s breath meditations.
Read something that feels sacred. Poets and poetry. Liz believes when poets die they leave the door to the sacred open. Reading their work provides access.
Two way prayer. Talking with love. It is a form of downloading information and listening to what love is saying to you.
Ask the divine one question in a journal a day: “Dear Love, what would you have me know today?” Use the sweetest terms in response – my beloved…my sweet…
“What is the best thing I should be putting my energy into?” Sometimes she asks herself several times a day.
“You will be notified when we have something for you to do.”
Take care of the animal body until the divine provides instructions. Pretend you are taking care of an animal that you adopted from a shelter, with utmost love and tenderness (e.g. drink water, take a bath, walk, meditate).
All problems are solved by walking.
Travel with a teddy bear. Care for the small and young part of the self with love and kindness.
Heart Centered Learning: HRT & Women’s Health Initiative
Things I Love: Lift with Cee
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!
Peter Attia: Menstruation, Menopause and HRT
The Mind Follows the Body
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.
Neil Pasricha: Cultivate Happiness & Live An Awesome Life
Things I Love: Cyclic Sighing
Heart Centered Learning: Menopause
In my quest to educate myself about healthy aging and menopause, I have been keeping my eyes open for good resources: especially ones focussed on providing support to women. I have been particularly impressed with the work of Dr. Sara Gottfried, Dr. Mary Claire and Dr. Jenn Gunter. I follow them all on Instagram and they provide easy, actionable advice on a daily basis. I recommend that you check them out!
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day
One of my dear friends turned fifty this week. We celebrated this significant milestone by spending a beautiful afternoon together at the local sauna, rotating between the infrared heat, eucalyptus-infused steam room, and cold plunge pool. We finished with a quiet dinner at our favourite sushi restaurant. The experience offered us many hours to talk and reflect about this momentous time of our lives and what it means to us.
Up until this point, I have felt like there is nothing ahead but wide open space and possibilities. It always seemed like there was an abundance of time: time to dream, time to plan, time to realize ambitions. I still have two and a half years until I hit fifty, but it is approaching fast; and when you reach half a century of life, it causes you to pause, take a breath, and reflect upon your journey to date.
I previously shared about being a member of the ‘sandwich generation‘, with the challenges of raising a young child, and caring for aging parents. It is a tricky place to be. In recent weeks, my mother’s health took a turn for the worse, and my uncle passed away. There have been a lot of deep and painful emotions. It has been a difficult time: watching the people I love struggle, fade away and let go. It is both frightening and humbling to witness the ‘adults’ in my life reduced to such a vulnerable state. Fragile. Afraid. Helpless.
This experience has reminded me of the finite nature of existence. Our time here is truly fleeting. When we are young, we imagine there will be endless opportunities in the ‘future’ to complete our bucket list, and live out our dreams. The reality is we only have a handful of good decades to do this work, in good health, if we are truly lucky. Every moment is precious. Every year is a gift. No phase of our lives should be lived on auto-pilot. This is easy enough said, and much harder to do, especially when you are in the thick of it.
During our time at the sauna, we met a couple visiting Victoria for the weekend. In their early fifties, they recently quit their jobs, sold their house in North Vancouver, and moved to the Comox Valley. They do not know anyone in their new community. They just felt the calling to take action and simplify their lives. My next door neighbours share a similar story. They packed up their family and moved from Ontario to British Columbia during the height of the pandemic: seeking a life that better aligns with their values.
My friend and I discussed the limitations that we put upon our lives in following the path of least resistance: doing what is expected of us and pursuing society’s definition of ‘success.’ Go to school. Secure a job. Partner up. Get married. Buy a house. Have children. Settle in. Do not take risks. Stay safe and small. In reality, life is pretty fluid. There is no ‘right’ path. There are multitudes.
Each of our children graduates high school in the next four years. As we are both single, unattached women, possibilities abound. Nothing needs to remain static. It presents an opportunity to implement change and pursue new options.
In the meantime, I am working my way through my bucket list. I have signed up for a salsa class and I am planning to ski more next year. I am writing a few pages of my book every day and practicing French to improve my fluency. I am ensuring that I spend quality time with friends and family. I am paying attention to my diet and exercising more to ensure I age well. I am organizing trips with my daughter for the next few years: both close to home and further afield. I am dreaming and putting my dreams into action. One baby step at a time.
Heart Centered Learning: Chef Babette
A seventy-two year old, world-class chef, fitness expert and motivational speaker, Chef Babette runs a successful Inglewood, California restaurant, Stuff I Eat, while also producing online cooking classes, and participating in health summit and speaking engagements all around the country. She is an amazing, inspirational human being who lives her life from a place of love. I hope that you will take some time to learn about her incredible journey.
Breath by Breath 