Working it Out
This morning was my first without coffee in a while. I still had caffeine, and will for a while, but I am considering myself coffee-free for now. I do find it funny that I miss it already. I used to get these grand ideas of having healthy morning rituals, getting up early to meditate and make tea and taking time to activate all my senses and bring them to the present, but lack of commitment led me to taking the dog out, eating in a hurry, and chugging down a cup of cold coffee. It's a ritual alright, but not the uber-healthy one I had envisioned. Still, I can't be too hard on myself because I do eat a low-carb breakfast each morning and I do always take my vitamins.
One healthy morning ritual that I am following through on is the yoga. Today was day 6 of True 30-day series I am doing. This marks 37 days in a row that I have shown up on the mat and gave my body some gratitude for everything it does for me. Todaywas abs day and finally I felt like I was working really hard! For 20-some minutes I was a heavy-breathing, sweaty lady, crunching my abs and getting some great stretches in to boot. I will certainly be sore tomorrow, which is good! I was very much hoping this series would pick up in the intensity and today was what I was looking for. As much fat as I still have on my mid-section, I do feel like I have a decent amount of strength there too, and I actually kind of like training abs.
I am noticing through this challenge how much flexibility, strength and range of motion I am lacking in my shoulders which is a bit of an eye-opener. I have always been more concerned with my lower body since that's where all my aches seem to stem from, but now I notice my shoulders and I am really happy I'm doing yoga to help open up the shoulders and strengthen them. It is more important than ever, especially since I am down to once a month appointments at the chiropractor.
My food is going a little wacky on me this week because my schedule at work has been shifting and I am left without a lunch break 3 days this week. That makes warming up food and eating messier meals really tricky. I do have a back room where I can eat without being seen, but since I work alone I have to go help customers when they come in, and so often I get interrupted just after taking a bite. So a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread is my makeshift lunch on those days where I don't get lunch breaks; my planned meal was chicken and brussel sprouts with lemon butter so its a compromise. I will eat the chicken meal when I get home instead of at lunch. Hopefully we will be fully staffed by the end of summer and these times will be a thing of the past.
I have been following through on the patio-sitting and it has done wonders. Last night I sat out as dusk was overcome by the in-between gray-blue; the birds were silent and the crickets and frogs were singing. The light coming from a neighbor's patio-garden was reminding me of being young and staying out until we could barely see each other, playing yard games and dreaming about being an adult. And it reminded me of high school nights hanging out with friends, all the emotions and excitement and yes, dreaming what it would be like when we were independent. I thought about what it really is like to be an adult, I guess 46 qualifies me to reflect on that. There are tough times when the kids are young, but there are so many wonderful moments that fill you up to the point of overflow sometimes. Sitting and listening, feeling the humid air like an embrace, I knew if I had to send a message to my younger self it would be that life can be happy if you realize that everything you need has always been there. The scars from childhood, and teenhood, the lessons we learn from every relationship we have had, the times we overcome or fail; all of them are pretty spectacular. It took me letting go of things I wanted to hold onto for grudge or to feel victimized by (apathy) to realize I have the capacity to be content on and of my own accord. I wear sleeveless dresses when I'm hot even though my arms are not slim and attractive, I sing when it strikes me to even if others hear and think I'm strange, I do yoga with the blinds open and don't care if my neighbors see me. I am unappologetically me. It took me a very long time to get to the point where I feel comfortable in my own skin; it took me realizing that I don't care very much about what other people think of me, and once I got to that point, I found a deep contentment.
So more patio-sitting is in order. I may even do a little of it in the dreaded winter, it may help me appreciate the season more.
What things do you find restorative and therapeutic? I'd love to hear!
One healthy morning ritual that I am following through on is the yoga. Today was day 6 of True 30-day series I am doing. This marks 37 days in a row that I have shown up on the mat and gave my body some gratitude for everything it does for me. Todaywas abs day and finally I felt like I was working really hard! For 20-some minutes I was a heavy-breathing, sweaty lady, crunching my abs and getting some great stretches in to boot. I will certainly be sore tomorrow, which is good! I was very much hoping this series would pick up in the intensity and today was what I was looking for. As much fat as I still have on my mid-section, I do feel like I have a decent amount of strength there too, and I actually kind of like training abs.
I am noticing through this challenge how much flexibility, strength and range of motion I am lacking in my shoulders which is a bit of an eye-opener. I have always been more concerned with my lower body since that's where all my aches seem to stem from, but now I notice my shoulders and I am really happy I'm doing yoga to help open up the shoulders and strengthen them. It is more important than ever, especially since I am down to once a month appointments at the chiropractor.
My food is going a little wacky on me this week because my schedule at work has been shifting and I am left without a lunch break 3 days this week. That makes warming up food and eating messier meals really tricky. I do have a back room where I can eat without being seen, but since I work alone I have to go help customers when they come in, and so often I get interrupted just after taking a bite. So a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread is my makeshift lunch on those days where I don't get lunch breaks; my planned meal was chicken and brussel sprouts with lemon butter so its a compromise. I will eat the chicken meal when I get home instead of at lunch. Hopefully we will be fully staffed by the end of summer and these times will be a thing of the past.
I have been following through on the patio-sitting and it has done wonders. Last night I sat out as dusk was overcome by the in-between gray-blue; the birds were silent and the crickets and frogs were singing. The light coming from a neighbor's patio-garden was reminding me of being young and staying out until we could barely see each other, playing yard games and dreaming about being an adult. And it reminded me of high school nights hanging out with friends, all the emotions and excitement and yes, dreaming what it would be like when we were independent. I thought about what it really is like to be an adult, I guess 46 qualifies me to reflect on that. There are tough times when the kids are young, but there are so many wonderful moments that fill you up to the point of overflow sometimes. Sitting and listening, feeling the humid air like an embrace, I knew if I had to send a message to my younger self it would be that life can be happy if you realize that everything you need has always been there. The scars from childhood, and teenhood, the lessons we learn from every relationship we have had, the times we overcome or fail; all of them are pretty spectacular. It took me letting go of things I wanted to hold onto for grudge or to feel victimized by (apathy) to realize I have the capacity to be content on and of my own accord. I wear sleeveless dresses when I'm hot even though my arms are not slim and attractive, I sing when it strikes me to even if others hear and think I'm strange, I do yoga with the blinds open and don't care if my neighbors see me. I am unappologetically me. It took me a very long time to get to the point where I feel comfortable in my own skin; it took me realizing that I don't care very much about what other people think of me, and once I got to that point, I found a deep contentment.
So more patio-sitting is in order. I may even do a little of it in the dreaded winter, it may help me appreciate the season more.
What things do you find restorative and therapeutic? I'd love to hear!
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