I Wish You Love

At this time of so much anxiety and stress, I wish you love.

xo,

Ali

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Is There An Elephant Standing On Your Chest?

I just realized this morning that an elephant has been standing on my chest.

Although I feel I’ve been fairly calm about this whole thing – in large part because I do not watch or listen to the news. It has affected me.

Feeling the energy of people around me, hearing the stories and seeing the empty store shelves has made me anxious.

When I finally recognized that it was anxiety in a big ball in my chest it dissipated a little. I noticed that I was taking short breaths and my thoughts were spinning with worry. Having this awareness is so helpful.

Although it seems impossible not to talk about, I have been making an effort to not repeat the same stories over and over to everyone I talk to. When I get together with a friend (no touching), we agree to not talk about it, but we inevitably go back to it over and over until we notice and stop again. It is such a respite to take a break from talking about it!

Here’s what you can do to decrease the anxiety:

• Notice your thoughts
• Notice your breath and take deep breaths
• Do something that will occupy your mind:
  • watch a movie or show
  • actively listen to music
  • put on music that you love and dance
  • meditate – love the Calm APP

• get out in nature: a walk on the beach, forest, bike ride, etc.
• read a book
• read my blog! (there’s 9 years of posts!)
• do a puzzle!
• listen to a podcast
• limit or stay off social media
• cut down or cut out the news (people will tell you the important bits) check the government website instead
• stop spreading the horror stories
• choose to talk about other things
• don’t feed into others anxiety, try to calm them down with compassion, not judgement

We are very lucky that the weather has been amazingly beautiful, make sure to take some time enjoy it!

The main thing you can do to protect yourself is WASH YOUR HANDS and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE and keep a social distance, no hugs and kisses.   

Also remember to:

– Sneeze or cough into your elbow or tissue, not your hand (regardless of the reason for the cough/sneeze, even allergies, etc.)
– Wash your hands immediately after you blow your nose
– Put your sleeve over your hand when opening doors
– Use your elbow to push the elevator button
– Focus on eating healthy, drinking lots of water, getting enough sleep and exercising to boost your IMMUNITY
– Take immunity boosting vitamins
– Exercise is a great anxiety and stress reliever
– Listen to your body, rest if you need it
– Stay home if you’re sick

HERE’S A MEDIATION FOR YOU:

(from elizabeth gilbert)

Look at your current surroundings.

Name 5 things that you can see

4 things that you can hear 3 things that you can feel

2 things that you can smell

1 thing that you can taste

There.

Now you have landed in this moment, in this place.

And this moment, in this place,

is the only time and place where we ever have a chance to find peace.

by tallie nat

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It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week

Let’s make this our goal this week!

 

Here’s how you do it:

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Let’s Be Kids Again!

May we find joy in the simple pleasures like when we were little.

@lgndfrvr

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More Holiday Eating Strategies

…continued

Once I’ve decided what I want (see previous post), I start to think about situations where I’ll have the opportunity to stuff my face:

· Treats at the office
· Xmas parties
· Xmas Dinner
· Office Parties
· Open Houses
· Dinner Parties
· Family gatherings
· Treats around the house
· Gifts that are treats

Then I think about the food that will be available at these events and whether I’ll want to enjoy it.

Stop and consider: Is It Worth It?

I ask myself:

• Is stuffing my face for the month of December worth the extra pounds at the end?
• How will I feel January 1st with an extra X pounds on my frame?
• Was it really that enjoyable?
• Were those delectable treats delectable at all?
• At the end of Christmas dinner, how do I want to feel?
• Do I want to have to undo my button and zipper?
• Do I want to feel bloated and sick?
• Do I really need to eat more than one plate full of Xmas dinner?
• Is it actually more enjoyable when I eat more?

Is It Crap?

• What are the ingredients in that tasty morsel?
• Is it actually tasty & delicious or am I eating it out of: boredom? something to do? unconsciousness? feeling uncomfortable at a party? obligation?
• Is it made with artificial flavour and hydrogenated oil? Or is it real made with natural ingredients?
• What are natural ingredients? If I can’t pronounce it or don’t know what it means then it’s crap. Pretty simple, huh!?
• How do I know it’s crap if it’s on a platter and there is no package to read? I look it over, does it look like it’s made from natural ingredients or from a package? If it’s homemade chances, are it’s not crap. If it looks like it’s from a package, chances are it’s crap. The more I check the ingredients, in general, the more I have learned to tell the difference and taste the difference. You will be amazed at the difference once you get into it.
• I consider how I will feel after I eat it. Crap makes me feel like crap.

Be picky!

Be choosy!

Don’t eat crap!

Trust me it’s not worth it.

Just eat food you love and enjoy.

Attitude:

This is a big one. Once you’ve decided on what you want, embrace it. What you think and say to yourself after that is everything. If you start to lament that you’re on a “diet”, that you can’t eat this or that, that you wish you could but you don’t want to gain weight, then you’re hooped, it’ll be difficult to stick to your plan.

Focus on the positive.

Focus on what you’re having instead of what you’re not having. With the right attitude you won’t miss a thing and enjoy what you have.

Continued HERE….

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Holiday Eating Strategies

We’re coming into the time of year where every where we turn there are chocolates, cookies, candies, cakes and more. It’s sooo easy to indulge! Then there’s the parties, family gatherings and to top it off New Years!

So every holiday season one can easily gain a few pounds and then some. If I gain weight, I feel  disappointed with myself for my lack of self-control. It could take me months, if not the whole year, to get the extra pounds off. And now as I’m getting older I’m finding it more difficult to get it off, it just may not come off at all.

This can be a slippery slope because as the years pass,  without even really realizing it, we can gain a considerable amount of weight which can negatively affect our health. That’s why it’s important to keep it in control.

Losing five pounds feels manageable but losing twenty or thirty pounds can feel daunting. You want to nip it in the bud.

So I try to catch myself and say, “Enough! This is not working for me. It’s making me unhappy and does not feel good”.

So I devise a plan….

PREPARE

When I know there’s a special occasion or season coming up that may involve overeating on my part I begin to prepare my mind and my body.

Mind

I spend time thinking about how I feel when I overeat:

• the bloating
• my clothes tight and uncomfortable
• the break-outs from the chocolate and extra fat
• the frustration & disappointment with myself for not having the will power to stop eating
• the effort it will take to get the extra weight off

Then, I make a decision about what I want:

• I do not want to gain weight
• I do not want to feel bloated and over-stuffed from overeating
• I want to enjoy, guilt-free, delicious food that I love
• I do not want to put crap into my body
• I do not want to feel disappointed with myself
• I want to feel good and be proud of myself

A goal properly set is halfway reached.
~Zig Ziglar

Body

I prepare by:

• eating sensibly the days/week/month leading up to the event or season
• cut starchy bloating foods like: rice, potatoes, muffins, bread, crackers
• no junk food or treats
• lots of vegetables, lean meats, salads & fruit
• cut fat: no butter, fatty dressings, anything deep fried
• portion control
• extra workouts
• at least 8 glasses of water a day

So I go into it feeling like I have lost a few pounds, my clothes feel looser.  I’m not a big fan of the weigh scale, so I don’t usually weigh myself. However, it can be helpful to gauge where you’re at but use it as a tool not a weapon.

How about you?

Get in touch with your body and how you feel. Take some time to think about what you want and set your own goals. The key is to making a conscious decision about what you want.

A goal without a plan is merely a wish.

Continued HERE…

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Just For Fun!

parents & kids having fun together – love this!

love the guy with the baby bjorn!

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Are You Feeling Restless?

Every joy disappoints.

What’s here doesn’t please you, what’s far off you crave.

                                                                               ~Anne Carson

READ MORE HERE

I could so relate to this.

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Just For Fun!

Sending you a little bit of happy!
(Don’t miss the end)

Hope you can find a little bit of joy in your day.

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Yoga & Music Festival Whistler Aug 1 to 4, 2019

I’m sure you’ve heard me talking about Wanderlust, a Yoga and Music Festival that takes place in Whistler every Summer. I’ve been a couple of times and I have to say that I really love it.

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It’s a truly a magical experience!

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Over four days there are so many interesting classes, talks and workshops with world renowned teachers and then in the evening there’s a concert. The whole village comes alive!

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Some of the highlights for me are doing a Yoga class with hundreds of people – the energy is amazing, the silent disco, the Speakeasy talks – always enlightening and just the general buzz.

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At night there’s a Silent Disco; everyone wears headphones so when you walk in the room it’s silent but everyone is dancing. There are three DJ’s each one with a different colour, the headphones have three settings/colours, so you can choose which DJ to listen to. Sometimes the whole room turns to one colour, it’s so cool! And there’s no alcohol, no pick-up scene, it’s just people having fun – I just love it!

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You can attend one or multiple days. I literally go all day from 8am to 1am because I don’t want to miss a thing. You do as much or as little as you want, there are meditation workshops, stretching, all kinds of Yoga, etc. It’s so fun, enlightening and soul nourishing. I highly recommend it!

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CHECK IT OUT HERE

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Hope to see you there!

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