You can change your mindset. Our emotional body responds to our physical body, and vice versa. Amy Cuddy takes the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality and elaborates...she goes into the HOW and WHY this works. We CAN create our realities, guys. Put good vibes into the universe and into yourself. You are what you believe you are--what you TRULY believe you are. So maybe start small with some affirmations in the morning... wanna know what I do almost every morning when I wake up? Well, before even getting out of bed, I literally say "I am grateful," as I'm staring at my ceiling. Before I left myself step out of bed, I think about 3-5 things (people, opportunities, memories, etc) that actually fill me with gratitude. Then, off to the coffee maker... 😉☕️ While the coffee is brewing, I sit in virasana and practice mindful breathing and affirmation statements. "I am Bold. I am Strong. I am Healthy. I am Grateful. I am Compassionate. I am Light." I inhale with each affirmation and exhale as I envision it. Inhale with the next affirmation, exhale as I envision it. And so on... I've found that on morning where I "don't have time" to do this, my mental state is all out of whack. Guess what, we can do this at any point of the day, as many times as you need. Not going to lie, I've already done this three times since I woke up. Wanna know something? I feel like superwoman. 😏😋 Back to the emotional body responding to the physical body....take a look at this video. Well worth the 20ish minutes. Trust me. If the video doesn't load, click HERE
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First picture taken about thirty minutes after I demolished a mountain of rice, who-knows-how-much almond butter, yummy blueberries and @amazinggrassgreens all mixed together (I do a form of intermittent fasting).
Immediately, I felt super full, guilty and "huge." So I decided to take a picture. I knew I was being silly but couldn't ignore my feelings. I then forced myself to smile and then guess what, my attitude changed. I told myself I was NOT what I felt. I snapped out of it and reassured my belief that if we put nourishing, whole foods into our bodies AND regularly use our muscles/brain power plus heart-fulls of compassion, then we can only grow. The third picture is after I spent a couple hours teaching yoga, surrounded by good vibes and beautiful energies. I spent a couple hours doing what gives me PURPOSE...what literally keeps me going each day and has me excited to wake up in the morning...and my body responded. It USED the food I put into it and cooperated with the energies I surround myself with and cultivate...and BAM...healthy Liv. This is a process. It's taken a LONG time for me to be okay in my body and even now, body dysmorphia causes me to see something entirely different and I get down on myself. What's important though is to love your body no matter what it looks like. Change your mindset. "Fitness" is not as important as overall health. You can look fantastic but not be healthy. You can look fantastic and feel miserable. So do a little self-check today-MENTALLY-and see where you are. Body stuff comes later. Let's heal our minds first. How many of your are waking up each morning with some sort of unpleasantry? By "unpleasantry" I mean anything from stiff, achey limbs to a pounding headache to slight nausea. How many of you are treating your pains with over-the-counter or prescribed medications? Maybe after you pop that pill, move around and gets yourselves ready for the day you start to feel a little better. The unpleasantries become tolerable and you go about your day. Halfway through the day do your unpleasantries come back? Do you pop another pill, or two, and carry on? Maybe feel better after another hour? I want us all to stop and take a look at our medicine cabinets, glove compartments, purses and pockets. Let's switch from the pill-popping to body-nourishing. Yes, all those little anti-inflammatory and fever reducing pills are convenient; but do you know what they do? Before we even touch the side effects, let's just make it clear that these pills are merely TREATING THE SYMPTOMS of your unpleasantries. They mask the real problem. Most of us don't even back track to solve what the source of our unpleasantry really is. Please, ask yourself... "Why do I have a headache? Why are my joints aching? Why is my stomach churning right now?" Once we figure out the WHY of our unpleasantries, we can really get down to taking care of ourselves and preventing these things from happening in the future. I know what you're probably thinking... "Yes this sounds great. But really, I don't mind my unpleasantries too much. Ibuprofen seems to do the trick and it's what I have been doing for years. Think I'm okay, thanks." NOOOO please, no. What if your unpleasantry were something more serious? Some sort of infection or chronic flare-up or a type of cancer? Would you take me seriously then? I really believe that eating a nutrient-dense, whole food, mainly raw diet can help us not only cure and prevent our unpleasantries, but also introduce a whole new level of contentment and energy into our lives that we've never experienced before. How do you start? My friends, the answer is simple. (Although, I will say that this approach is easier said than done. BUT! Once you make the change and develop a habit and then lifestyle, you'll never want to go back.) If you want to get started right away and can't wait for my upcoming posts....check out these videos! The full versions are available on Netflix: "Food Matters" and "Forks over Knives" .....remember guys, EAT TO HEAL! Apart from the whole sodium-packed, gluten infested aspect of pizza, it really isn't that bad for you. Swap out the dough for a homemade, complex carb version (maybe use coconut, almond, rice or oat flour) or even a grain-free cauliflower crust. Make your own sauce using tomato paste, a variety of delicious pizza-flavor spices and no-salt-added organic tomato sauce. Skip the cheese altogether or go light, swap out a garlicky hummus or just sprinkle on some nutritional yeast (can be found at most natural markets...Whole Foods, Good Foods, Trader Joe's). *** Don't worry, I'll include a post on some healthier whole pizza options at a later date. Right now, this post is about capturing the pizza flavor in a delicious veggie side dish. Everything about it screams Supreme Pizza--the colors, the veggies, the aroma... Here's how to do it: Ingredients coconut or olive oil clove garlic, minced leek, chopped,bulb included organic white mushrooms, rinsed and chopped, stems included 1/4 bag turnip greens, chopped bell peppers (red or orange), chopped 1/3-1/2 cup liquid from reduced sodium manzanilla olives **optional-1/4 cup chopped olive medley (I say optional because the the juice gives enough of an olive-y flavor. However, if you're olive-obsessed like me, by all means add the extra olives) Warm oil in skillet on medium high heat then add garlic until fragrant. Add bell peppers and half of the olive juice and cover until peppers are slightly soft. Add leeks and turnip greens. Cover. Once the greens have reduced in size, add mushrooms and the rest of the olive juice. Cover for 2-4 minutes. And just like that, you're done! Super simple. Serve alongside chicken and overtop quinoa for an easy dinner. Or, add to a serving of eggs as a delicious way to start your day. Hell, even add on top of hummus-smeared toast or bagel. Enjoy!
Whether it's cold, rainy, sleety, or blazing hot outside, this dish is sure to make your insides happy. It's equally yummy served warmed or cold and can easily be transformed into a main dish if you add something meaty (i.e. diced chicken, grilled salmon, shrimp, tofu, cubed eggplant or potatoes). What you need: 1 large spaghetti squash 1 bunch of swiss chard coconut oil 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced wasabi paste soy sauce or tamari red pepper flakes black pepper onion powder salt (optional) Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook spaghetti squash until soft to the touch. Depending on the size of your squash, it could need anywhere from 30-50 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile, melt coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sauteé garlic until deliciously fragrant. Then add wasabi (make sure it "melts" and spreads evenly. Wash the chard to get all the gritty bits out and then chop into 1/2 thumbnail size pieces. Add to skillet and cook until soft and reduced in size. Add soy sauce or tamari and then check on the squash. If it's ready, cut the squash in half (long-wise) and remove all seeds. Separate the squash from the outer layer and place in a large bowl or upper ware container. Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, onion powder and more soy sauce (if you choose) to the squash and mix well. Fold in the chard mixture. Enjoy! Not going to lie, every time I make this dish my mind is immediately flooded with Harry Potter scenes and references. More particularly, the hanging shriveled head from the Prisoner of Azkaban who warns Harry of the pea soup. "Make sure you eat it before it eats you," the Head advises in his lovely Jamaican accent. Don't worry though, no carnivorous peas are going to be included in this recipe. Ingredients: 1 whole leek, bulb included (thinly chopped, keeping curcular shape) 1 1/2 cups shopped mushrooms (any variety...I used white) several dashes of tobasco or hot sauce of choice* pinch of black pepper splash of orange juice, pineapple juice or lime juice (perhaps even a combo) coconut oil or non-stick spray optional--> 1 cup cooked rice, quinoa or grain of choice Directions:
*the "tobasco" that I use is homemade from a family friend. He grows the peppers in his garden and has created a 5 star sauce that I've been in love with for years And there you have it! Leeky Shrooms, a dish that even Tom can't pass up. Tom from the Leaky Cauldron, Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter series
My weight changes so often I don't even pay attention to the scale anymore. One day, I'm closer to 116; the next, I'm barely 109.
Numbers don't matter. Focus on how you feel--pay attention to your energy levels, ease of digestion, the way you feel in your clothes. These photos show my body's changes over the span of 9 weeks. Want to know what I did? I listened to my body. I paid more attention to its red flags and subtle messages, and then catered to those needs versus what I thought I needed. But let's backtrack a few... I have a rough history with food. If I solely ate based off of what I thought I needed, I'm sure I could convince myself to not eat anything at all. I remember telling myself, "You didn't deserve this," after every time I ate. Once that goes on for so long, anyone would start to associate a negative connotation with eating. The deserving-factor came about for a few reasons. I honestly can't remember when I went into this mindset because it goes as far back as I can remember. I have memories of counting the exact number of goldfish I would put into my ziploc bag as a snack before heading off to seventh grade at my new public school. I remember cutting protein bars into thirds and telling myself, "You can have this portion for breakfast, and this as a snack and then if you eat it slowly, this may be okay for lunch too." I remember waking up around 5:30/6am before high school so that I could either run at least three miles down the RJ Corman Trail near my family's home or make the mad dash to the gym so I could get in round one of two, sometimes three, in before being forced to sit all day in classes. Then, I remember the shame I began to associate with eating. I believed that if I didn't burn X-many calories then my body didn't need any extra,at all. I adopted the calorie-burned-equals-calorie-deserved mentality. So, let's say my watch said that I only burned 800 calories from my multiple workouts that day...then 800 calories was what I tried to keep my consumption around. The gym became my home. I started to become very small. And fragile. My immune system essentially sucked. Doctors scared me with the early signs of osteoporsis. My periods stopped for five years. Then, I remember going into a deep, deep depression that I'm not even going to begin to touch in this post. I started drinking alot. I didn't really watch what I ate and started eating in private so that no one could tell me I didn't deserve the food. I lost all motivation to do anything, even the only thing that seemed to give me purpose: working out and teaching fitness classes. I started to feel extremely uncomfortable eating around others and therefore, didn't. I remember going weekends without food if I went on a trip or spent that time with a partner. I also remember binging when I woud finally return home, only to purge because I felt so guilty. Long story short, I have had quite an unhealthy relationship with food and the whole concept of eating. All the stomach acid and digestion disruption I caused from restriction and purging led to a wide array of tummy troubles. Now, I can't digest a lot of foods and I often experience pain after after eating which makes banishing the negative association quite difficult. For me, eating meant pain. It went from meaning pain as in guilt and shame to pain meaning actual, physical pain. So even when I fully tried to get better there was so much damage that I needed to reverse. The physical pains from eating were so uncomfortable that it became all I could think about. I began to plan my entire days around when I would eat so that I could time out the pain appropriately. (For example, if I knew I had a social event later that day, I either wouldn't eat at all or I would wake up extremely early and try to eat enough nutrients to keep me going for the day...but I knew I had X-many hours for the pain to hopefully go away that I could be fully engages with those whom I was visiting with). It affected every aspect of my life; the pain interfered with work, social outings, sleep and so I decided to go to the doctor and end the suffering. I found out that I'm experiencing a form of IBS (which sadly, is chronic) but also due to my past of eating disorders. Over the past two years where I've been really trying to cure unhealthy mindset on food, reintroducing normal eating habits has proven quite difficult. My doctor prescribed a certain medication for IBS that helps with intestinal spasms but really, mindful eating is what has saved me. I've adopted a sort of intermittent fasting approach (learn more by following the link--I will do a separate post on this within the next week, also) to eating so that I give my digestive system a good break between meals. Technically, I still time my days around when I eat because I still experience pain; but it's far more tolerable. With intermittent fasting, I eat all my nutrients within a certain time frame so that my digestive system doesn't have to work all day long. Some may argue that several small meals a day is good for your metabolism and that I am hindering my metabolic health this way. However, as you can see from the photos my body and its ability to grow and strengthen has not been hindered by this eating approach. What good is look lean and sculpted if you can't hike 6 miles uphill to your favorite sunset spot? What if you deprive your body of so many nutrients that you physically can't muster the energy to drive 25 extra minutes and support your sister in her cheer competition after you get off of work (yes, that how week you can become from consistly starving yourself. It sounds like an exaggeration; but really, sometimes that energy could not even remotely be mustered)? Are you willing to sacrifice life experiences for the sake of your temporary physical appearance? Intermittent fasting has taught me to look at food as what it is-fuel. Food is fuel for our bodies to do the things we love to do. So now, I know that I must eat and I strive to fill my body with the food and nutrients it needs so that I can actually live life. Since it's still an actual painful process considering my past, I have to go about it with a somewhat-scientific approach. Here's what I mean: Before every meal:
As I eat, I think about what I am eating and what I want the food to fuel me to do. For example, if I'm eating an avocado I will picture the avocado and where it came from, then think, "This will help be do 30 more kettlebell swings later." This way of eating has helped me slow down and really think about what I am doing. It has helped me to stay energized and able to take and teach more classes plus stay productive at work. Added bonus....my abs appeared! Magic. I know that I only briefly mentioned some of the topics in this post; I will into more depth later in separate posts. Until then, peace and love! Get sweaty. Fuel yourself. ~yoginiliv E-mail [email protected] for more information or if you have any questions. You can also see the Contact page for a larger image of these descriptions and links to social media accounts.
Let's face it, college is one of the busiest times of our lives. We try to balance school work with relationships, family, jobs, housework, pets and things that just make us decent human beings (like helping someone else study or rushing to help a friend in the middle of the night). The door to sleepless nights, exponential jumps in anxiety, exhausted minds and bodies is definitely flung wide open. We prioritize every aspect of our lives and tend to put off sleep for papers, parties and peers. Think you're surviving? Well, technically, you are. However, the more we put off sleep the more we are feeding into an unhealthy habit. Sleep deprivation can lead to depression, obesity, mood swings, weakened immune system, decreased ability to concentrate and remember, slowed comprehension rates, insulin sensitivity and a whole lot of other not-so-pleasant effects. Your body will tell you if it needs more sleep. If you've noticed an increase in appetite, weight gain or slowed metabolism, it may be a signal to revisit the idea of bedtime. If your brain is being deprived of the energy it usually gets from rest, it will look to food as another source. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, production will increase and cause all sorts of cravings. Leptin, the satiety hormone, is also affected, messing with your body's ability to recognize when it's actually full. Next time you think about binge eating cookies or your weights worth in fries, try taking a nap instead. Impulsive behavior and a slacking memory are also signs of sleep deprivation. Think about it, your energy levels are down so subconsciously, you're not paying much attention to what's going on in front of you. You are not actively participating, therefore no clear memory is attached to your experiences. This also leads to a veil over our judgment. We are more inclined to lash out or make regretful decision because we aren't thinking about possible consequences. Without enough sleep, cytokine production in within the body drops. These proteins help to fight off illnesses and inflammation, so frequent viral infections and cold after cold could definitely be a sign you need to make sleep a priority. Start tonight. Have a pillow party, snuggle up and get some rest. Put your phone in an entirely different room and don't even think about watching tv. Artificial lights can mess with your sleep patterns. This sounds strange, but rub some lavender essential oil on the bottoms of your feet. Whether it's placebo or not, the feet are great pathways for absorption and lavender has a calming effect. You can also rub the oil into your palms then cup your mouth and nose. Close your eyes and imagine you're drawing the scent directly into your brain. After about three minutes, you should feel a little more relaxed. Next, make your bed. Yes, actually unwrinkle the wad of sheets and blankets that probably haven't been organized in days, and make your bed look presentable. Fluff your pillows, light some candles, grab the lavender oil you used on your feet and dilute in water to spray on your pillows. On top of your freshly made bed, try these six yoga poses to lead you into a restful nights sleep. Begin in a seated, wide-legged forward fold. Don't worry about your flexibility--your pillows are your friends. Stack however many you need to let your cheat and forehead rest gently in the space in front of you. Take several deep breaths and focus on the space behind your eyelids. Transition into locust pose. Lie on your stomach, and keeping your legs straight with the big toes touching, aim to raise your upper and lower half as high as you can. Interlace your fingers behind you and open your chest. An open chest leads to deeper breaths. Hold this pose for as long as you'd like but remember, keep your eyes closed. We're getting the body ready to sleep. Lie with a pillow or two under your lower back with your head resting on the bed and both legs straight up a wall. Let's your arms rest on either side of you, palms facing up, and imagine you can feel the lactic acid draining out of your legs. Draw your knees to your chest, give yourself a little hug, and then guide your knees together to either side of you for a reclining spinal twist. Aim to keep both shoulder blades on the bed and turn your chin to face the opposite direction of your knees. Twists encourage cleansing and detoxification. Make sure you reach both sides. Move so that you are no longer near a wall and guide the body into reclining butterfly position. This time, place a pillow vertically under your head and upper back. Allow your lower half to make contact with the bed so your belly is lengthened. Place the souls of your feet together and allow your knees to fall apart. Again, let your arms rest on either side of your body with the palms facing up. Imagine the the corners of the eyes and your knees are being drawn down into the bed. Focus on your breath and remember, stay here as long as you like. If you didn't fall asleep in the last pose, it's now time to move into savasana. Your place of peace, your piece of home. Gently draw the knees back together and extend your legs long to find corpse pose. Keep the pillow where it was or move it until you're completely comfortable. Remember, arms long and palms up. Literally feel your body melt into your bed as your breath deepens. Feel the cheeks drawing away from the nose, the shoulders sinking away from the heart, the hips drowning into the bed. Goodnight. The seasons are changing, we are in closer proximity to one another (if you're on a college campus or just working more in general), stress levels are high and let’s face it…we are probably drinking more. What does all of this mean? Lower immune systems. Aside from the typical solutions like staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest and incorporating more vitamin C into our diets, we should resort to one simple practice that has been around for thousands of years. Yoga. By moving your body into different shapes and poses, incorporating mindful breathing techniques, and giving a little love to your soul, yoga can heal the body from the inside out. Don’t know where to begin? Try a few poses from each category (twists, inversions, standing poses, openers, restoratives, etc.) by themselves, until you can link them into a sequence that’s most comfortable to you. Twists are probably the most important group to focus on if you don’t have much time to dedicate to your practice. Think of twists as a sort of internal massage. Twisting poses stimulate the organs, rid the body of toxins and promote a sense of balance with your systems. Great twisting poses include reclining spinal twist, revolved chair, revolved downward facing dog, and any variation on thread the needle. While inversions may be the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling a case of the stuffies, it’s definitely something you should try. Inversions stimulate the lymphatic system which, like twists, helps to flush out toxins as well as give you a little endorphin rush from the excitement of being upside down. Not quite up for a grand handstand or pinchurasana? Don’t worry, inversions can also be as passive as lying with your legs up a wall or a supported bridge pose; and, technically, downward dog is also an inversion. Some standing poses can help open your chest and lungs so that air flows more freely in and out of your body. Also, standing tall and strong in any shape is going to make you feel better than if you had spent all day curled up in bed. Crescent warrior, dancing warrior, and chair pose all incorporate opening as well as muscle engagement, reminding your body that its all working together as a team to get you well and healthy again. Restorative almost speak for themselves: rest, rest, rest. Really, you could take any position you adore and hold it passively for a good five to ten minutes and it would be a restorative pose. The purpose here is to bring mental awareness into the game. A little good energy goes a long way. Still, if you don’t know where to begin, reclining bound angle pose or corpse pose can never fail you. Think about letting your knees and shoulders sink into the mat while your heart and rib cage is being drawn up toward the sky, then let the rest of your body just be where it is. Relax, breathe, repeat. Get better soon, my friends. |
AuthorNature-loving, adventure-seeking, holistic and wellness advocate: Yoginiliv. Archives
May 2017
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