It's already getting close to my bedtime, which is pretty early to the typical adult (9:30), so this entry will be brief.
Tonight I want to talk about exercise. I talk to a lot of people who view this concept to be something unnerving and torturous. It's obvious to me that this too has been distorted in the minds of many.
I want to take you back a bit... Close your eyes and think about your childhood. Think about hide and seek, tag, swing sets, bikes, hop scotch, soft ball... this list could take awhile. Do you remember those events in your life as tragedies you overcame or a time in your life you felt truly alive? So, in a nutshell, that's how you should exercise. PLAY!!!
You may not be able to leave work and spend the rest of the day at the park frolicking and chasing the ice cream man but you can dust off your bike or catchers mitt. Set aside 30 minutes a day, pick something you used to love and just do it.
I'll tell you my routine just to give you an idea of what I mean. I'm a morning person so I get up early but afternoon or early evening would work. I don't recommend exercise late at night because it can make sleeping difficult.
Anyway, I get up every day at 4:30am.
Mon, Wed, and Fri I ride my bike for 30 min.
Tues, Thurs and Sat I take my dog for a 30 min. run.
I try to do push-ups and crunches at least 3-4 times a week.
That's my routine but I also try to play soccer with my son, or go rock climbing, and take walks. Sometimes we ride bikes as a family at one of the state parks. The point is that I don't "workout" and just live a little everyday. And I have found that by taking that 30-35 min for myself that I have a better attitude about just about everything. And I never feel like I'm depriving myself of the "me time" that so few moms get.
My advise for today is to take thirty minutes to recapture your youth in a health way. Rekindle the love you once had with active playtime. You'll be surprised how easy "working out" really is.
And don't forget to breathe.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day 2
I woke up earlier than the rest of my family, as I usually do and upon the first sip of my second cup of coffee it occurred to me where I would begin... Vices. In order for anyone to truly appreciate themselves the inner dialog about having a vice needs to change. Certainly if a behavior is self destructive it must discontinue, however, I find that giving these things up is so much easier with a healthy replacement rather than a "cold-turkey" cleansing.
First you must know that I am a reformed smoker, binge drinker and daily drug user. I told myself the cigarettes "relaxed me" and kept me thin. I believed that drinking allowed me to gracefully socialize in large groups. (A realm I was never quite comfortable in) and the drugs I believed helped me cope with my own emotions. I'm hoping you are already seeing a pattern but if not I'll be more clear. I was killing myself slowly from the inside out but convincing myself that I was not enough of a person to flourish in life without them. Now ask yourself, as a rational human being, does that make any kind of sense?
Eventually these behaviors started to do serious damage to my abilities and relationships, so I started with the most obvious one and found a replacement. They say it's not always a good thing to replace one vice with another and being quite new at it, that's precisely what I did. I gave up drugs but smoked and drank more. I was still convinced that vices were a "necessary evil" in order to thrive. It took some time, therapy, and wrongfully prescribed medication before things started to really sink in.
The terms "vice" "addiction" and "habit" were only terms. Words describing both physical and emotional feelings about repeated behaviors were, to be plain, just words. Through a DBT class I began to truly challenge the perception I had embraced about whether I controlled feelings or feelings controlled me. I had had it backwards my whole life. I realized I could pick and choose my feelings about my behavior. I could feel beautiful, smart, funny, kind, guilty, shameful, or tormented... it really was up to me.
I began replacing the terminology in my head. Not with silly "I love myself mantras" or anything like that but If I initially internalized a need for a cigarette I would consciously change the phrase to I need to take a walk. When I wanted a drink I made tea and verbalized to myself that tea was what my body wanted.
In February of 2008 I was officially "vice" free. My habits changed to healthy cooking, outdoor activities, exercise and being a reliable friend and family member. And through these behaviors I started to feel a genuine love for me and a gratitude for life.
My advice today is... when your mind instinctively suggests you hurt yourself, choose to make-up your own mind. Be an active player... because you're the star.
And don't forget to breathe.
First you must know that I am a reformed smoker, binge drinker and daily drug user. I told myself the cigarettes "relaxed me" and kept me thin. I believed that drinking allowed me to gracefully socialize in large groups. (A realm I was never quite comfortable in) and the drugs I believed helped me cope with my own emotions. I'm hoping you are already seeing a pattern but if not I'll be more clear. I was killing myself slowly from the inside out but convincing myself that I was not enough of a person to flourish in life without them. Now ask yourself, as a rational human being, does that make any kind of sense?
Eventually these behaviors started to do serious damage to my abilities and relationships, so I started with the most obvious one and found a replacement. They say it's not always a good thing to replace one vice with another and being quite new at it, that's precisely what I did. I gave up drugs but smoked and drank more. I was still convinced that vices were a "necessary evil" in order to thrive. It took some time, therapy, and wrongfully prescribed medication before things started to really sink in.
The terms "vice" "addiction" and "habit" were only terms. Words describing both physical and emotional feelings about repeated behaviors were, to be plain, just words. Through a DBT class I began to truly challenge the perception I had embraced about whether I controlled feelings or feelings controlled me. I had had it backwards my whole life. I realized I could pick and choose my feelings about my behavior. I could feel beautiful, smart, funny, kind, guilty, shameful, or tormented... it really was up to me.
I began replacing the terminology in my head. Not with silly "I love myself mantras" or anything like that but If I initially internalized a need for a cigarette I would consciously change the phrase to I need to take a walk. When I wanted a drink I made tea and verbalized to myself that tea was what my body wanted.
In February of 2008 I was officially "vice" free. My habits changed to healthy cooking, outdoor activities, exercise and being a reliable friend and family member. And through these behaviors I started to feel a genuine love for me and a gratitude for life.
My advice today is... when your mind instinctively suggests you hurt yourself, choose to make-up your own mind. Be an active player... because you're the star.
And don't forget to breathe.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day 1
Welcome to my page. Hopefully this will be a useful guide to you. A guide for finding the beauty that is within you and all around you.
For many years I struggled to find happiness. I went through depression, a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, medications, drug and alcohol dependency, devastating relationships, and a narcissistic and destructive approach to nearly all aspects of life.
It wasn't until I made myself a priority that I started to truly witness the gift of life. Once I began eating healthy, making time to exercise everyday, allowing myself embrace the limits of my control over others and challenging my mind with the unfamiliar the metamorphosis grew naturally. Now not a single day goes by that I'm not overwhelmed with gratitude. My life is still full of hardship, like anyone else, but perception is reality and how I view the trials of life is dramatically different than they once were.
Good luck to you with your journey to find joy. The path is much shorter than you might think.
For many years I struggled to find happiness. I went through depression, a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, medications, drug and alcohol dependency, devastating relationships, and a narcissistic and destructive approach to nearly all aspects of life.
It wasn't until I made myself a priority that I started to truly witness the gift of life. Once I began eating healthy, making time to exercise everyday, allowing myself embrace the limits of my control over others and challenging my mind with the unfamiliar the metamorphosis grew naturally. Now not a single day goes by that I'm not overwhelmed with gratitude. My life is still full of hardship, like anyone else, but perception is reality and how I view the trials of life is dramatically different than they once were.
Good luck to you with your journey to find joy. The path is much shorter than you might think.
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