“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
~ St. Francis Of Assisi
Something to Inspire
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!
Heart Centered Learning: Teens & Social Media
Something to Inspire
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.
Peter Attia: Menstruation, Menopause and HRT
Heart Centered Learning: Three Questions
Author Neil Pasricha starts his morning every day by answering three short questions.
Today…
- I will let go of
- I am grateful for
- 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
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
Setting Priorities
Something to Inspire
Learning to Walk Away
I recently came to the hard realization that I cannot solve every difficult relationship with kindness and compassion. Some people just do not respond to it, and in some cases, it actively stokes the fire of anger and resentment. This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the other person. I have learned that when this is the case, it is important to distance myself, and if possible, completely walk away. This is infinitely more challenging when it is someone in your own family but it is sometimes the only option. You cannot change a person, or a situation, but you can protect your own heart and peace of mind.
Breath by Breath 