Mindfulness Mondays: Watch your Language

Our word choice is a newspaper headline to the world about our lifestyle. Do you often describe yourself as stressed out, overly busy, or slammed?  You are communicating an out of balance life to yourself and the world. 

While we all have times when we are pushed to our limits, it isn't a way to live.

Mindfulness also has a language. Consider these words: In the zone, finding clarity, being curious, in the here and now. If this sounds like a breath of fresh air to you- you are right! Bring mindfulness into your every day habit and watch how your internal language (and lifestyle) shifts.  

This week I will tune in to my language.

Mindfulness Mondays: Marking your journey

A cairn is a pile of stones that marks a place. It is peaceful to occasionally stop and rest on a long hike and stack stones on top of stones. A cairn marks "I was here"  and  provides a reference on the journey.

Where are you in your life journey?  Take a moment to reflect on the challenging terrain that has brought you to this point.  What strengths have you earned along the way?  Can you have gratitude in this moment for how far you have traveled?

Take a moment to reflect on your cairn.




I can appreciate my place in life's journey.

Mindfulness Mondays: Stillness

Lake Tahlequah Sunset 2013

In this fast paced world, we can easily get trapped in a perpetual state of "busy-ness." As we begin our practice of mindfulness we must be present to ourselves in stillness. We must slow down, lean in, and listen with our whole heart.


What can you learn about yourself this week in the silence?








I CAN QUIET MY MIND AND STILL MY BODY TO LISTEN WITH MY WHOLE HEART.
.

The 3 Rs of Successful Resolutions

So much of life is about adapting to change. Over your life time-ready or not-you will face educational, occupational, family, and medical changes.  The tradition of setting resolutions at New Years is about creating change on your own terms.  Maybe you have set goals in the past (right before midnight) only to face regret by January 3rd.  There is actually a formula for resolutions, lets look at the 3 Rs of making and KEEPING resolutions.

Review: Take some time to consider the "big ticket" areas of your life-social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, physical.  Consider first what is working.
Some questions to get you started:

• Are you pleased with your relationships?  
• Are you feeling mostly happy/satisfied/calm? Is your worship life meaningful to you?
•  Do you feel challenged intellectually and/or creatively? Are you taking good care of your physical self? 

Now zero in on what is not working.  Here is where you get critical and examine bad habits.

• Are you an attentive friend?
•  Have you been stressed out and taking poor care of yourself and your relationships?
•  Is your spiritual connection dry or mechanical?
•  Are you zoning out on mindless techno games instead of plugging into real life or reading something that moves you? 
•  Emotional eating anyone?  

This review can take a short time, or several days, don't rush it.  You are mining your lifestyle for meaningful change.I did my review last month and decided to focus on friendships this year. I have so much gratitude for the relationships in my life and I want to connect more intentionally. This will be our example for the other Rs (feel free to borrow the resolution if it works for you!). If your review leads you in a different direction just plug your goal and action items into the formula.

Record: Write notes to yourself from the review and identify one or two areas that you want to change.  Record the wish as a positive resolution- "In 2014 I will connect more with friends." Instead of a negative stinking thinking resolution- "This year I will stop being a flaky friend." Now break it down into action items.  "I will make lunch dates or Starbucks coffee breaks with friends." Make the frequency reasonable like twice a month if you have been sporadic in the past. Write down the friends that you want to invite to lunch or coffee.  Look at your calendar and identify days that are best for you.  Call, email, or text each friend to schedule connection time.  Now that it is on the calendar we get the bonus of anticipation which increases our odds of following through. When the dates approach remind yourself of why you did this so your time is intentional and rewarding.

Repeat: Continue to schedule (and follow through with) your changed behavior on a regular basis. It takes 90 days to establish a habit.  In pursuing this resolution we are trying to change not only behavior, but more importantly our mindset about making time for these relationships.  At the end of 3 mos (90 days), go back to the notes you made during the review phase. Evaluate-- is this small step getting you closer to what you were envisioning?  Would a different small change be better? For example, it might be more meaningful to find an evening time to meet with one of the friends whose available time is different, create a monthly get together with friends like a book or dinner club, maybe arrange a group adventure with some friends who share a common interest. It is not cheating or breaking your resolution to tweak the action items along the way. The important thing is you are moving closer to your true longings- improving the life journey this year!

Bad habits can be difficult to tackle as a resolution because there are so many layers to the problem of a long standing self defeating pattern.  This year I recommend that you begin practicing the 3Rs by starting a new healthy habit- healthy for your social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, creative, physical lifestyle.  Let your success in this area bring some momentum to addressing areas where you sabotage your precious self.

If your review leads you to thoughts of enhancing your marital relationship-Shel Harrington (one of my friends)  has created a post on resolutions for couples- great ideas for action items!

Anyone want to share their resolutions for 2014? I welcome your comments.

Lifestyle Balance: A Few of my Favorite Things

The Inklings Critique Group- please visit their blogs

This is not the Sound of Music, and I am certainly not Oprah, although I am a fan of both.  Sometime in December I typically reflect on what is working and what is not working in my attempt to lead a balanced life.

After some soul searching and several cups of coffee this list represents what  IS working in my resilience planning during times of stress.

1. Social Support: Between my family, professional relationships, writing group, prayer partner (who is also named Lisa), and weight watchers community, there is always a safe place for me to ask for help when I need it. Cultivating healthy relationships is a key part of my stress bounce back tool box.

2. Physical:
The stress and recovery cycle of a challenging work-out helps our bodies and brains rehearse for the everyday stress that we manage at home or at work. I consider myself fortunate that I have found  fitness programs that I LOVE:  

Jazzercise has captivated my attention and helped me express my love of music and dance for over 20 years. The studio is a welcoming place to all ages and fitness levels.

YOU POWER YOGA is a new and much needed addition to my fitness options.  The studio is heated to a cozy (for me) 85 degrees and although the poses can be very physically daunting to my body and my brain I always leave feeling relaxed and peaceful.  An added bonus is that no matter how expert you become with Yoga it is always called "practice." Love that.

If I do not manage my time well I am banished to the treadmill in the closet but this is NOT one of my favorite things.

3. Intellectual/Creative:  Now that the girls are mostly launched, I am finding time to manage my own opportunities for learning.  Education is a powerful tool in my universe and I am excited to continue to explore options in this area. My writerly side gets great encouragement from Oklahoma Writer's Federation Inc. , and Oklahoma Women Bloggers.  The private practice psychologist self is finding a renewed involvement in the Oklahoma Psychological Association.

I am hoping this post will encourage you to pour yourself a grande latte and reflect on what is helping you balance and bounce back from stress as of December 2013.  Please visit the links to find out more about the various places that bring me great joy and abundant support, maybe they have something to offer you too!

Aging with Grace

Gracie wisdom = bolded quotes

"I am just grateful to be here!"

I have a mentor for longevity in my life.  Her name is Gracie. Without revealing how old she actually is, lets just say she continues to thrive well past the age of retirement.  Gracie exercises regularly, works part time at a job she loves (with me!) and travels whenever she can.  Recent trips have included Africa, Australia, and Sweden.  I have the privilege to pilgrimage with her every summer to Santa Fe, New Mexico where we take in continuing education and beautiful art and opera together.  It gives me a close-up opportunity to see Gracie in action.  She perpetually inspires me.

"Once you get to a certain age it is all about maintenance."

The Gracies of the world make sure to include some form of physical exercise, brain challenge, and social connection into their daily lives. It is no great shock that psychologists have found that a positive belief system about aging has a strong influence on your quality of life as you age.

Recent shifts in longevity research are encouraging.  It appears that brain cell development continues to occur throughout our life.  In other words, we can continue to learn new tricks! Taking time to master changing technology, for example, is good for us.  I was intimidated about blogging until I met an 80 something-year-old writer at a conference who told me that was silly.  She not only maintained a blog, she was on Facebook, and Twitter!  I decided to get over myself, and I am glad I did.

"Pedicures are not about vanity- have you ever seen an old person's feet?"

This revelation actually got my husband to try his first pedicure.  Healthy aging necessitates self care from the inside out.  Attending to the little things in life keep them little. Gracie is a long time cancer survivor because of early detection.We need to make sure to get the screenings necessary to keep ourselves ahead of illness.

Do not procrastinate: Recommended screenings for women.

Also-take care of your feet.  They will take you places.

"Allow more time to do anything."

It is not that aging prevents us from doing things, it just may take us longer to do it.  A fixed belief that we have control over our physical and cognitive health is associated with decreased anxiety and depression in aging.  Anxiety and depression are notorious for isolating us from pleasurable activities.  Many older adults get frustrated and give up things that used to bring them joy rather than adjusting their expectations.

Gardening for eight hours might take too much of a toll on an older body, but the same activity spread out in smaller segments across the week is an adaptation that will still bring fulfillment. 

"Its never too late to find love."

Do you remember Thumper in Bambi? Last year in Santa Fe Gracie was twitterpated.  She could not stop talking about this man who called her "fetching" and asked her out in the grocery store. Both of them were looking for ingredients for dinner that night,  neither of them were looking for love. This is a new chapter in their personal stories about life after loss, both had long term marriage before their spouses died.

According to David Myers (Pursuit of Happiness, 1993), "those who enjoy close relationships eat better, exercise more and smoke and drink less. Perhaps, a supportive network helps us evaluate and overcome stressful events."

Will the new love in her life help Gracie's longevity? I am not sure, but she certainly is having some great fun with this unexpected surprise!

 
Please leave a comment:
Who is your "Gracie "and what wisdom has she shared with you?

Got Girlfriends? 5 great reasons why you should!

Some of my "girlfriends"- The Inklings Critique Group

March is National Women's History Month
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/about.html. Lets celebrate by focusing on women's issues all month long. In my opinion you can't address women's issues without talking about female friendship.  In addition to the fun and shared interests there are many health benefits to building strong relationship bonds with other women.

 In a lab at UCLA two female researchers were commenting on how when their male counterparts where stressed they would typically isolate to work out a problem.  In contrast, these researchers found themselves cleaning up the lab, making coffee, and talking to one another about the problem to find a solution.  Sound familiar? This keen observation led Drs. Klein and Taylor to evaluate the research on stress and sure enough the research subjects were typically male.  A new research line was born to examine the unique stress responses of women.  In addition to the traditional "fight or flight" responses of men, women also demonstrated a "tend and befriend" response.  When we women are under stress we have a biologically driven instinct to take care of our children and seek out the support of other women.  (And clean the house- or is that just me?)

Female friendship also has proven health benefits:

1. Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol.
2. Longer life span.
3. Improved adjustment from the death of a spouse.
4. Increased psychological well being.
5. Improved relaxation response through the release of oxytocin, a strong neurochemical associated with maternal bonding.

This past fall my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Trying to balance the additional responsibility of attending to my dad and helping my mother left me little time to "tend and befriend."  I am forever grateful that friends provided constant support and encouragement through texts, voicemails, and cards.  It was a sacred journey that strengthened the bonds of our friendship. 

The research collected in this post will hopefully encourage us all to resist the urge to reduce our contact with friends when times get challenging.

Leave a comment to further the discussion of the benefits of girlfriends.

Also, if you enjoyed this post consider "befriending" my blog.  Simply type your email address in the "follow" box and you will be notified whenever there is a new post (typically Mondays). I will never try to sell you anything or send you spam- promise!








 

Show me some Love (and Logic)

I bought my first Parenting with Love and Logic by Cline and Fay in 1994 when my oldest daughter was five. I am convinced that this book and all of the derivatives that followed it (Parenting Teens with Love and Logic, Teaching with Love and Logic, etc) made me a better parent.  I wholeheartedly recommend it to the parents in my private practice. 

What's so special about Love and Logic? It is a strategic set of skills that empowers parents to equip their child/children for the REAL WORLD.

Think about this: Instead of nagging, punishing, bribing, and yelling our kids into good behavior we develop skills to give kids responsibility and hold them accountable.  We empathize with the pain of a bad decision instead of screaming them into remorsefulness. 

When I drove 12 miles over the speed limit the police officer was extremely calm when he turned on the flashing lights.  I was aware of my speed. (Gulp) I knew I had messed up. The officer told me what I did wrong and smiled when he gave me the ticket.  "Thank you" I said.  

Imagine if the police officer had been a raving lunatic?  What if when he pulled me over he reminded me that I had ignored a sign that clearly posted the speed limit?  What if he asked me "how many times are you going to make this stupid mistake?" or if he had grounded (jailed) me for a week? or charged me extra for crying when he was yelling at me?

I think you get the picture. Sometimes we parents do silly stuff like that.  It isn't loving.  It clearly isn't logical. It also doesn't work.

This happened over 10 years ago.  To this day I always drive the speed limit . . . on that road. "Policing with Love and Logic "had an impact. Since I haven't gotten a ticket since that time it might have generalized to other streets as well.  Love and Logic capitalizes on the concept that when people feel the weight of  bad decision the lesson tends to stick.

A kid example would be when Sunday mornings are "work first- fun second" at home.  Everyone  pitches in to improve the overall living conditions. After working as a family unit, the kiddos are encouraged to finish up their own spaces (room and bathroom).  The Oldest child piddles, plays, and procrastinates.  Everyone else finishes and it's time to go to the park! 

Parent :"I am so sad that you won't be going to the park today."
Kid: "But I worked so hard! It's NOT FAIR!"
Parent: "I feel bad when I don't finish my work and miss out on things too.  Don't worry.  You will get another chance next week.  I'll be hanging out here in the house with you while you finish up. I know you can do it."
Kid: "THEN can I go?"
Parent: "Not this time buddy.  Everyone is in the car ready to go.  It's okay take all the time you need today. You get another chance next week."

The piddler isn't likely to thank the parent for the accountability lesson.  But, isn't it nice that the parent is still on the child's side?

Top 5 Characteristics of a home that uses Love and Logic principals:

1. Parents send CAN DO messages.
2. Children feel good about themselves.
3. Parents feel good about themselves.
4. Children know more about their STRENGTHS than their weaknesses.
5. Real world/logical CONSEQUENCES are the basic discipline tools.

Intrigued?  Check out http://www.loveandlogic.com  for resources, and come back to this blog for periodic installments of Love and Logic "Pearls of Wisdom." Parenting with Love and Logic books and audiotapes are available at bookstores and on Amazon. 

Fun Fact:  I once had the opportunity to meet with author Jim Fay when he came to speak to our community.  He was witty, engaging, and passionate about developing responsible kids. 

Oh.  And he signed my book

Please comment with an example of Love and Logic in YOUR LIFE!

"Spicing Things Up" for your Sweetheart







Marottas 25th Anniversary

Want to make this Valentine really special?  Consider refreshing some ingredients to boost the flavor of your relationship. 

 

“Master Chefs” John and Julie Gottman are happily long term married people who are respected psychologists and have dedicated over 40 years of research to studying marriage.  There is some inherent credibility to that!  In their “Marriage Lab” they have videotaped and recorded countless hours of dialogue between married couples.

What can we learn from this body of research? Plenty!

In the recipe for happy marriages the Gottmans have identified essential ingredients to have in your partnership pantry:

 

“Happily Ever After” (Serves 2)

Emotional Intimacy.  Couples choose (over and over again) to become fluent in the history and current events of their partner.  This takes time, quality time, to build an awareness of past and present.  It also involves an investment in the goals, hopes, and fears of our special other.

Nurturance. Express regular and frequent fondness toward your partner.  Seek out the strengths to admire and compliment.

Attention.  Make an effort to turn toward your spouse for affection, attention, humor, and support.  This requires an awareness of how much of yourself you are turning to others for these things!

Shared Decision Making. You are a smart person, but so is your spouse.  Honor and respect your partner’s wisdom and viewpoint in some of your choices. 

       In a long term marriage there are many expected changes and challenges.  When the honeymoon is over and children are vying for attention in the family it is not so surprising that couples can lose sight of romance.  When finances get stretched, and schedules get hectic, and sleep is a rare commodity we run the risk of not prioritizing our partner. There will always be “something” to distract you from appreciating your spouse.   This Valentines Day re-commit to your relationship, it will be a gift that keeps on giving.

Recommended Reading:

What Makes Love Last? (2012) Gottman & Silver
10 Lessons to Transform your Marriage (2007) Gottman, Gottman, & Declaire
7 Principles for Making Marriage Work (2000) Gottman

What ingredients will you be refreshing? I am refreshing Attention (Lets see if sweetness notices!)

How to Win at Losing (Part II)

Mother/Daughter 5K

On Sunday my daughter and I took a long walk in a local park.  It was refreshing to see many other families also enjoying the opportunity to be outside.  Making fitness fun is important. Signing your child up for a gym membership doesn’t work any better than putting them on a diet.  The mindset of lifestyle change clearly applies to physical activity.  I am writing this blog in Oklahoma, where 34% of children under the age of eighteen are overweight or obese.  There is a reason why we have to be intentional about targeting “move more” in the formula of healthy weight loss.  Many kids are hardly moving.

 

When I was growing up- we played outside.  I remember being called in for a dinner break and then the thrill of getting to rejoin my friends for more play time afterwards in the summer evenings because it was still light outside. It was a different time.  Our parents weren’t afraid we would be abducted, and we weren’t afraid we were “missing out” on electronics.  Actually there were no captivating electronics. In 2012 a healthy lifestyle is almost counter-cultural.

 The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has very specific recommendations about developing a healthy weight for children.  Unfortunately, many parents don’t have access to this information because they don’t ask about their child’s BMI at doctor visits.  Seventy percent of parents of severely overweight children do not recognize that their child is overweight.  If parents don’t ask, physicians don’t tell.  Consider this a public health announcement- AAP encourages parents to:

1.      Limit screen time (Electronics) to 2 hours or less per day.

2.      Encourage one hour or more of daily physical activity.  This does not have to be consecutive.

3.      Develop a habit for children of eating breakfast.

4.      Regularly eat meals together as a family.

5.      Prepare meals mostly at home.  Limit take- out and fast food.

6.      Encourage children to eat 5 fruits and vegetables daily.

7.      Switch to low fat dairy products.

8.      Limit sugar sweetened drinks.

 Think variety when incorporating fitness into your healthy lifestyle with your child. Take a walk as a family, ride bikes. Go to the park and play, the bowling alley and bowl. Take a nature inspired vacation. Once you start thinking healthy movement you can be far more creative than anything a gym membership can provide for your family- and you will get better buy in!

Inspire others!  Please share your family's fun fitness ideas by commenting.

How to Win at Losing (Part 1)

In 2013 "The Biggest Loser" television show has committed to raise awareness about childhood obesity.  According to the Center for Disease Control more than one third of all adults 17% (12.5 million!) children aged 2-19 are obese in the United States. This statistic does not include overweight children and teens. In fact, physicians are raising the concern that this generation of young people may be outlived by their parents.  If you have never watched "The Biggest Loser" in the past, consider watching at least one episode this season. In addition to the typical antics of making adult contestants do unusual challenges to win a grand prize, they have included three overweight children and their families participating from home to become healthier.

So what does it take to "win" at losing weight?
If you've ever tried to lose weight you know the answer is complicatedly simple: eat less, move more.

Part One:  Changing your food lifestyle

According to 30 years of research, psychologist Dr. Leonard Epstein has concluded "it all starts with the family." Rather than focusing on what NOT to eat, the best interventions are educational and involve life style change.  In other words.  Kids don't do diets.  If you look closely at the research on adult obesity.  Parents don't do diets well either.

Lifestyle change involves an important shift away from "diet" mentality and embracing the concept of thinking "healthy."  Some healthy habits to start (or continue):

1. Parents need to educate themselves on good nutrition. Do a thorough google search to find a website where the information is delivered in a way that you can digest (ha!). Consider joining weight watchers or seeing a nutritionist if you or your family have special needs or if you prefer face to face information. 
2. It takes time to create a good refrigerator stocked with easy access to cut vegetables and fresh fruits.  But when it comes to kids: if you prepare it they will eat!  Okay, maybe not the first time . . .  or so.  Just don't give up!
3. Clear the clutter: Remove the alternative high sugar, high calorie foods.  Will your child be eager to eat over at their friends house for awhile?  Absolutely.  But ultimately your household will have more influence on your child's eating habits over the long term.
4. Remember you can't call something a "treat" if you eat it every day.  Reverse the pattern of what is eaten as a habit, and "treat" your family once in awhile with a special dessert.

The challenge in my weight watcher 360 meeting last week was to do a refrigerator make-over. We took before pictures to increase our awareness of what we were facing each time we opened the door.  Then we were encouraged to invest in some clear containers and "have fun" preparing fresh fruits and vegetables that would be easy access and pleasing to view when it was time to search for a snack.  Here is my before and after:

The carrots were always there- who knew?

Do you want to start winning at losing?
Commit to one small shift in your food lifestyle, either in thoughts or deeds, and share in the comments!

I think I will, I think I will, I think I will. . . .

Last friday I returned to Weight Watchers (WW).  Psychologically speaking it is not easy returning to a program.  I thought about it for two months before setting the date in my head that I would go back.   It was important that I properly psych myself up because it is a journey of a thousand steps (make that 10 thousand on Spiffy). 

In 2002 I made "Life Time."  This is the Biggest Loser equivalent in WW world.  It means essentially that I successfully completed the program.  I worked it-- and it worked.  I learned nutritional information that was new to me and I met some really nice people.  Slowly, over the next ten years I changed habits and some of the weight returned. It occured to me periodically to go back and relearn some things, but then I would have some success and think "I can do this on my own!"

So as my landmark birthday approached I made a deadline for myself.  I had a healthy goal weight in mind and decided that if I wasn't successful by my birthday I would go back to WW.  The first month I did a modified WW protocol.  I kept track of my food on index cards in my purse, watched my portions, and weighed in once a week.  Over four weeks I made jagged, irregular progress whereby I lost and gained the same 1.5 pounds.  I blamed my hormones (or lack thereof), genetics, metabolism, only recognizing my stinking thinking when I started blaming my height. Denial is a compelling process.

The second month I got serious.  I increased my work out intensity, ate more lettuce, and stopped eating by 8:00 every night.  I lost a total of 1/2 pounds and kept it off. 

I chose to celebrate this success as clear evidence that I needed help. 

But wait, before I returned to WW I explored a different system.  Without shaming or naming I will just say that the experience was enlightening.  Even though I was clearly struggling with putting my desire into action, my past weight loss journey made me more informed than the representative of this alternative program. In addition, she was unprepared for questions about preservatives in their food which was ridiculously expensive.  I was promised a call back--still waiting.  When I left the appointment we both knew we would not speak again. Like my Banana Republic jeans, we were not a good fit.

The next week  I finally returned to WW.  The group leader literally said "Welcome back!" People smiled.  I was allowed to readjust my goal weight to reflect my new age and weighed in on their private scale.  The group meeting was encouraging and energizing. After the meeting I got a small group instruction on the improvements that have been made in 10 years. 

I found out my scale at home is off by 4 lbs.-- HEAVIER!  Thats right, I lost 4 pounds just by joining up-- the learning continues.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . .

What action are you psyching up for in your life?

Spiffy the wonder bug

Want to know what gets me walking these days?  What can make me run around my driveway at 9:00 at nightto increase my "steps?" Go up and down the one stair in my house for fifteen minutes?  Motivate me to walk home from a dinner out instead of riding in Sweetness's new truck?

Meet Spiffy.  It is actually called Striiv, but I named mine otherwise.  It tracks my movement, miles, stairs climbed, calories burned, and how much activity time I put in a day.  Spiffy also lets me know if I am ahead or behind my "average" or if I have reached a personal best!

Spiffy was a "nifty fifty" gift from Sweetness.  Maybe other women would be questioning "what is this gift really saying- do you think I'm fat?!" Not me.  I know I'm lucky to have a husband who  knows how I tick (and he loves me in spite or because of it). 

But wait, there's more!  Spiffy helps me donate to charity by matching my movement with money pledged by global giving.  So far I have donated 14 days of clean water to a child in Bolivia.  On Earth day I am going to switch over to helping preserve the rainforest.  I could also do at home activism to  save up for a vaccine to fight Polio in India.  These are my three choices of donations, all good.

I Forgot to mention that my walking builds energy and energy can be converted into game points.  Yes, there is a game on Spiffy and  I am hooked.  After a long day of work/family life I keep walking until I rack up 10K steps and then I settle down to beautify "myland." This little island was barren and smogfilled until I helped purify the air with unusual plantings.  The weeds in my home garden are taking over this spring, but "myland" is lush with creative landscaping.

If only I could figure out a way to walk my way to a stocked fridge, clean house, and completed yardwork. 

And world peace.  I think I will set the Striiv people to work on that. 

What gets you walking?

ZZZZZ . . . The Quest for Restful Sleep

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow." ~Charlotte Brontë

It is hard to unruffle the mind--don't you think?  I am going into this week with a preoccupied brain, in fact my need for sleep was highlighted by an unplanned two hour nap this weekend! 
In graduate school we were drilled to ask about sleep in clients because sleep deprivation is a trigger for many psychological symptoms.  We read about sleep deprived cats, rats, and monkeys and case studies on individuals who were tortured with lack of sleep.  Everything from increased irritability and decreased attention span to all out hallucinations and paranoia have been documented in these studies (poor cats!)  If any of you have had babies in your home you know what I am referring to:  Performance during the day is definitely affected by the quality of your sleep at night.  This week's challenge is to create the ideal environment and mind set for good sleep.  Blumenthal encouragages us to set up a bedtime and waketime to ensure 7-8 hours.  Improved sleep hygiene includes a ritual like music, decaffinated tea, reading, and/or journaling before bed. Coincidentally Dr. Oz had an article in the paper this weekend about sleep and suggested replacing your ordinary bedside lamp light with an orange lightbulb (available at home improvement stores) which is sufficient for reading but will not influence your melatonin level.   Regular lighting and "screens" can interefere with our preparation for rest.  On my to do list this week is to seek out an orange light bulb, and replace my night time hot cocoa with some yummy soothing decaf tea.  I hope some of you are joining me on this challenge--embarking on a healthy new year one week at a time!
Week 2/52:  Update on H2O
Still loving my Bobble! I was seriously overestimating how much water I drank before this challenge.  Drinking at the optimum recommendation I had a week without thirst, and a more manageable appetite.  If I had been using bottled water I would have contributed 42 Ozarkas to the landfill--Feeling very "enviro "proud of this change, and also healthier!

Water: Gotta have it!

"I found out why cats drink out of the toilet.  My mother told me it is because the water is colder in there. And I'm like, how does my mother know that?" Wendy Liebman

Weight Watchers has alot to say about water.  That's why you see so many people at Subway with a gallon jug of water and the telltale black clutch containing their "points" bible.   In beginning this 52 small changes experiment, week one is about water.  Brett Blumenthal (great author name by the way) has boiled down (!) the recommendation to 1 glass of water per hour or approximately 1/2 of your body weight in ozs.  I have been slacking, apparently.

As of yesterday I started this one glass per hour experiment.  The bathroom urgency is definitely a side effect but surely there is more to it than that.  Since I was already somewhat on my way to ultimate hydration from my ww days, I am going for extra credit with a new fangled re-usable bottle.  It is called a Bobble, and it is cute.  According to my husband I am quieter with my Bobble.  Ordinary bottles make a slight collapsing sound when you drain them.  I thought it was a just a charming reward for completing my drink. Who knew?