November 20, 2012 · 10:32 am
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
― Maria Robinson
I heard this quote during my wonderful Weight Watcher’s Meeting with Michelle Jacob last Saturday, and though I have heard it before, this time it sunk in. I have been thinking about positive ways to move on, move forward and what I want to change for the New Year. This is often a time of reflection, my usual pastime, which is accentuated during this time of year because so many others are putting energy in the same place. I am creating a list of changes and here is the beginning of my list:
1. Write more: I am happiest when I do this and actually have begun to crave writing time, which must mean it is really something I need to do for my soul.
2. Practice Yoga (more often): This is another happy place for me and one that has great physical and emotional benefits. Turning off my incredibly active “monkey mind” for an hour a day….
3. Letting go: This is a general category that includes stuff, emotions, weight, and habits.
4. Look for more natural ways to heal: A concerted effort to investigate better health through more natural solutions like Save Our Bones, meditation, and a better, plant-based diet.
5. Create what I want: which includes manifesting, doing, writing and discovering what is important to me.
The past is a magnet, pulling at us to look back, go back and revisit old stories, but really, once we have learned the lesson, and gone through the emotions, what good does it do to revisit? The quote about the past is gone, the future is unknown and today is a gift (present) is a bit overdone, but the message is clear. For one who thrives on control, I am coming to the conclusion that I can only control myself. My mission for this new year is to offer the gift of change to myself and see what happens.
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Filed under change, Life thoughts, New Year's, writing
Tagged as breathe, change, diet, exercise, happiness, meditation, Moving Forward, self-discovery, Weight Watchers, writing, yoga
June 28, 2010 · 5:58 pm
Today I spent the day in Hollywood at the lovely Wilshire Park Elementary school. The math training I am attending is hosted by the publisher and they graciously provided us with breakfast and lunch. I had planned ahead and brought my food, but not enough for a long day with no access to other foods. I had my muesli breakfast and coffee, which sustained me for quite a while.
We had a break at 9:30 and I ate cottage cheese, almonds and a green apple and felt great until lunch. Unfortunately, our lunch time is 11:00-11:45, which is very early, leaving 4 hours of class in the afternoon and then a long drive home. The lunch provided looked great, but I had brought a salad, chicken and corn “rice” cakes. I added a little of the provided salad and a bit of vegetarian pasta sauce (no pasta). By about 2:30 I was hungry with no options, so I drank my water and tried to think of what to bring tomorrow to stave off hunger.
I need portable filling snacks! Ideas? Tonight I am going to venture out to Poquito Mas for some steak tacos. No cheese! I feel so good and lighter, healthier, but it is a challenge to be on the go and stick to the detox. I like a challenge though, so I am up for it. Thirteen days to go!
So the question of the day is: How is math like detox? The answer? Both involve problem solving. Teaching problem solving to children is like opening a new world of ideas for them. It is empowering and they love to figure out the answer themselves. Sticking to the detox cleanse is like that too. I am solving my eating questions and coming up with solutions, with a bit of guidance from my patient teacher Olga.
Feeling empowered is a lovely thing.
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June 27, 2010 · 7:18 pm
Breakfast!
It’s the weekend! Usually this means a drastic change in routine, but since it is summer, the fun just continues. Saturday I started the day with muesli, mana bread with almond butter and coffee. I went to Curves and then came home to start my CLEANING REGIME! I am determined to sort through, clean, recycle, toss, and organize everything in my house. I will get it condensed to a reasonable amount of “stuff” so that I am prepared for all possible outcomes to our housing nightmare. This is why I need strength and control.
Speaking of control, I am finding that I very much enjoy the structure and control of exercise when SOMEONE ELSE IS TELLING ME WHAT TO DO! I have figured out that that is why I like the peaceful bliss of yoga (my teacher tells me what to do pose by pose), Curves (the recording tells me when to change stations in the large oval circuit, and Couch To 5k which tells me when to run and walk. I have far too much on my mind to add exercise directions, but I am a willing participant.
I continued the rest of my Saturday with a lunch of salad with grilled chicken, a snack of almonds and a special dinner out. We met my cousins in Santa Monica at Real Food Daily where I had the yummy Pizza ya can Eat-za, which is a cornmeal crust with sun-dried tomato pesto, tomatoes, spinach, soy mozzarella cheese, basil served with kale and cannelini beans. This place is great when on the detox cleanse because everything on the menu is basically OK. There are a few sugary items and I admit to having a couple of bites of soy ice cream-while not sweetened with sugar, was sweetened with molasses bits, I believe. I really didn’t desire more than a bite, which is very unusual for me. I had water with lemon and Egyptian Mint Green Tea after eating. Success!
"Pizza ya can eat-za" from Read Food Daily
Today I started with scrambled egg and onions, berries and mana bread. I then went for a great hike with a friend Jill, in Red Rock Canyon. This was a little more than 2 miles, and Charlie came along. He was pretty pooped by the end of the hike and happy to get back to Jill’s. Jill treated me to a lunch/snack of fruit and a cottage cheese/flax oil blend which we had like a spread/dip with rice cake. This was a very sustaining snack. At home I had a little evening snack of left over “pizza” from last night and a few almonds. Dinner will be light.
I have completed the first week! What have I learned?
1. Be prepared.
2. Keep great food in the house.
3. Eat small portions.
4. Drink your water!
5. Keep busy and exercise.
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January 9, 2010 · 7:37 pm
Diet: figurative: a regular occupation or series of activities in which one participates : a healthy diet of classical music.
It is the beginning of the new year and my life is on a diet that represents my aspirations for positive change, moving forward, visualizations of goals and dreams and a healthy outlook on life. This is very ambitious, I know, to tackle an assortment of life habits at one time, but I like to look at it as a life makeover and by doing so, I am developing regular activities.
The first part of my life diet is an actual diet to increase my health. This involves eating differently and developing habits that will become part of my lifestyle. I have help from Jenny Craig and am enjoying the structured manner the program uses. I like having someone tell me what to eat, provide the food and encourage me by telling me how wonderful I am progressing. I like not thinking about the food I am going to eat, not cooking and not having to make too many choices. I like the results!
Jenny Craig encourages a food, mind, body approach to weight loss and there is a lot of encouragement to have a regular physical exercise plan. That is another part of my diet: developing the habit to exercise daily and make it a regular part of my day. I have started by walking each day for one hour and increased the yoga (good for the mind) classes I am taking.
The third part of my diet is a positive self direction. I am willing to seriously consider the possibility that Thoughts Become Things and am actively practicing visualizing my personal goals. I am opening my self up to happiness by creating my own Happiness Project (www.thehappinessproject.com) and taking the time to read the writing of others on a similar quest.
The fourth part of my diet is to develop financial intelligence. I am determined to understand investing, budgets and how to simplify my life. I am dedicated to this path and am happy for the expertise of others who have started exploring before me. I have found the following people/websites useful:
So, you may ask, what is the motivation for this diet? Well this quote was delivered to my email box and I felt inspired:
“You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be place in front of you. If you don’t have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you’ll stop at the first giant hurdle.”
~George Lucas, Film Director and Producer
It makes you think.
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