Month: September 2018

I have been off balance for a couple of weeks now. Not practicing my morning routine as I wrote about in my post Peace Among The Trees, has really caught up with me.  I have been feeling a lot of frustration and anxiety going through the daily grind without taking my “Om” time as I call it. “Om” time is the quite time I take in the morning to pray, meditate, say my mantras, state my intentions, listen to something uplifting and think positive thoughts. 

If I do not take this time out to start my day, I feel I am off to a bad start. I know in order for me to be healthy and have healthy relationships with my loved ones, I need to revamp when my mind is feeling chaotic. When I am tired, filled with worry, and overwhelmed, I can get snappy. I need to get back to being centered in order to maintain my physical and mental well-being which has a ripple effect on everyone around me. 

This short post, is also to remind you to nurture yourself. Take time throughout the day to close your eyes, take some deep breaths and clear your mind. Set aside 30 minutes each day to do an activity you love…exercise, read a book, chill at a coffee shop, go for a leisure walk in the park…whatever it takes to make you feel rejuvenated, balanced and alive again! 

Balance your life and enjoy your journey!!  

I learned a few years ago that balance is the key to a happy and successful life, and a huge part of achieving that balance is to instill rituals into your everyday life – a nutritious balanced diet, daily exercise, time for yourself through meditation, reading, journaling, yoga, daily reflection, and setting goals. Gretchen Bleiler

Let me be the first to say, by no means am I a health professional. I have always loved the subject of health and I am always researching something to do with health or anything else that strikes a curiosity within me. These are just my thoughts on that nasty little word we call, “diet”.  There are so many out there. A new spin may be added to a diet that has been around for awhile. I believe for most people, the word has a negative connotation because it reminds us of our upcoming restrictions. The number one reason for even considering this dreadful idea, is weight loss. Some do it because of health reasons, but most of us want to lose body fat.

When we choose to diet, many times we give up before we see results, only to try, try, try again. It is a vicious cycle. Although being healthier should be our number one goal, looking good is usually at the forefront of our mind. We want to look like all the celebrity photos we see posted throughout social media, eating whatever we want, whenever we want,  while relaxing in front of the boob tube. Unfortunately, as most of us have found out, it does not work like that; discipline needs to be implemented.

Most, if not all celebrities, have had some kind of work done to their body, the photos are air brushed, or the photographer knows how to get all those right slimming angles. Also, they can afford personal trainers. Not to mention, their line of work is usually a workout in itself; especially if they are a singer. Their performances and countless hours of exhausting practices are muscle toners and fat burners. 

Consuming too many calories in comparison to the amount of calories expended, is the culprit. As we get older and our metabolism slows down, muscle mass is decreasing, and if we are not doing strength training to maintain or grow our muscles, it is going to be all down hill at this point.

When we choose to follow any diet, before looking at how it claims to change our body, we need to look at how it affects our overall health, and is it something we could follow long term, as in, for the rest of our life! Instead of using the word “diet”, we need to consider it a lifestyle change.

Listening to your body and how it reacts to what you are feeding it is very important. In my opinion, cooking whole foods at home is the best way to eat. If you are pressed for time, then cook a couple meals one day when you have extra time and meal prep for the week to keep yourself on track.  

I also find food apps such as Fitness Pal are great, not only for tracking your calories and macros (fats, protein and carbohydrates), but also keeping you on track by making sure you meet certain vitamin and mineral requirements each day. 

I want to share my what I feel are great tips for being healthy, losing the body fat, lowering blood pressure, cholesterol,and monitoring your salt and sugar intake:

• When you plan to adopt a new way of eating, ask yourself, “Can I eat like this for the rest of my life?” If he answer is no, adopt a practice that you can. 
• Eat a well balanced diet, consisting of a lot of vegetable (especially greens), some fruits.
• Your carbohydrates should mostly come from sources that provide other nutrients for your body, such as sweet potatoes or quinoa.
• Monitor your salt intake and try to use a salt that is natural like Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt. Keep in mind, these are still salts so if you need to restrict sodium then by all mean do so.
• Use a lot of fresh herbs and salt-free seasonings to cook with.
• Give yourself time for your palate to adjust to new tastes.
  • If you have been a person who loves salty food, the taste is not going to go away overnight. You are going to have to fight your way through the salt craving.
• Use a food app that will help you stay on track with your intake of calories, vitamins and minerals so you can alter your food choices in order to meet those nutritional needs.
• Each day pick one familiar or unfamiliar food to research and learn about the nutritional profile. You may be surprised.
• Plan ahead.
  • Figure out the night before what you plan to eat the next day so you can reach your goals. For instance, if you use an app like Fitness Pal and you want to reach 100% of your iron intake each day, then planning ahead will allow you to make better food choices based on your needs, rather than just calculating calories and eating as you go. This will also help you target your macros better too. 
• Buy fresh foods.
• Eat the rainbow.
• Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables to help save money.
• Take the family to an orchard and turn it into a fun family event.
• Find stores, farmers markets and co-ops that will help you meet your nutrition without robbing your pocket.
• Cook at home as much as possible. It saves money by stretching your food over the course of a few meals usually for the same amount of money, versus to buying out which most of the time only provides one meal. Cooking at home also allows you to control the sodium, fat and sugar that goes into your food.
• Exercise. Move that body. Find a fun way to keep active.  One that will inspire you to keep moving.
• Many people have found intermittent fasting very helpful. This also gives your digestion a break from constantly being bombarded with food.
• Eat a balanced meal consisting of protein, carbs and healthy fat to give that satiated feeling. This will have you feeling fuller longer which will prevent overeating.
• Treat yourself to treats within reason and moderation. Just do not let the treats take you off course. If you do lose course, life is not over. Get back on by start over right away. This is a part of life!
• Eat slowly, chew your food and savor the flavor. Make love to your food as I say lol Most of the time we are rushing and eating mindlessly, never truly take time to taste and feel the textures of the food in our mouth which leads to over consumption. 
• I know this is not always possible, but whenever you can, eat with friends and/or loved ones…enjoy each others company!
• Take time to relax and breathe after eating. This will produce better digestion. 
• Experiment by being creative. Find ways to put healthy spins on the unhealthy recipe you love.
• Let’s not forget the importance of drinking a lot of water to flush out toxins, it keeps you hydrated, and gives you a full feeling.

This is not the end-all, be-all to changing your eating habits and becoming healthier. These are things that came to me off the top of my head that I have run across in my years of research and just some common sense. I hope this helps!

Buon Appetito! Buen Provecho! 

“A tree is our most intimate contact with nature.”

― George Nakashima

These are the views looking out and over my 3rd floor balcony.  When I first moved in my apartment a year ago, I was not exactly thrilled with this view. Being a city girl, I loved seeing cars and people while sitting outside; not just a bunch of trees.

One day, I started reminiscing how when I lived in the city and I would crave quiet time in nature to think, pray or have a soul cleansing cry, I had to drive about 20 minutes away.  I would drive to a park which had huge fields to roam in. Even though the park was a popular one, it was so big, I could roam for hours, never feeling the presence of anyone. Now here, the serenity is right outside my door.

The constant view of the trees has slowly grown on me. I learned to appreciate the solitude feeling they emanate on a daily basis. Especially during the past several months and the warm weather is definitely a plus.

There has been a lot going on in my life: starting this blog, a family matter came up with a multitude of tasks needing immediate attention, and the list goes on. That’s life, right? Who am I kidding!!?? This has not just been the last couple of months, this is the norm…this is life!  

It is during these overwhelming times, the view of the trees have become so vital to me. Being in tune with myself, allows me to implement mindful practices that will bring more harmony in my life. When I soak in serene moments instead of being surrounded by constant stimulation, I am reminded to slow down and breathe. This allows me to reflect and readjust what is needed. If I never take time to sit in stillness, I feel like a  hamster on a wheel, or a dog trying to catch its tail: I am constantly moving, yet not really getting anywhere and all stressed out.

One of my recent morning routines has been to wake up before the sunrises.  While there are no distractions, I sit outside on my balcony in the stillness drinking a cup of coffee.  I profess my gratitude to God/Universe, listen to the sounds of nature, looking up at the sky feeling appreciative. Then, I meditate, pray, and repeat mantras. I found this practice has decreased my anxiety.  I feel empowered starting off my day with a positive mindset and my mind is clearer.

My wish for everyone reading this is: if you have not found a practice that brings you to a peaceful place each day, you would find one.  If you had one and fallen off track, I encourage you to find the time to implement whatever it was back into your life. When we create a positive, healthy mind, the rest of our being benefits as well.

Until next time…blessings!