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Summer Playlist

Rolling In the Deep, Adele

You Should Be Dancing, Bee Gees

Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), Beyoncé

Meet Me Halfway, Black Eyed Peas

I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas

Shut Up, Black Eyed Peas

My Humps, Black Eyed Peas

Waiting for a Star to Fall, Boy Meets Girl

Come On Eileen, Dexy's Midnight Runners & Kevin Rowland

Lose Yourself, Eminem

Low, (feat. T-Pain) Flo Rida

Cool, Gwen Stefani

Become You, Indigo Girls

Tightrope, (feat. Big Boi) Janelle Monáe

On the Floor, (feat. Pitbull) Jennifer Lopez

Just Another Day, Jon Secada

Sexy Back, Justin Timberlake

Teenage Dream, Katy Perry

I Run to You, Lady Antebellum

Bad Romance, Lady GaGa

Born This Way, Lady GaGa

Telephone, Lady GaGa

Are You Gonna Go My Way, Lenny Kravitz

Ray Of Light, Madonna

4 Minutes, (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) Madonna

Lose Control, (Featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop) Missy Elliott featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop

Raise Your Glass, P!nk

Go All the Way, The Raspberries

Disturbia Rihanna

S&M, Rihanna

Only Girl (In the World), Rihanna

Suerte (Whenever, Wherever), Shakira

Goodnight Moon, Shivaree

Rapper's Delight, The Sugarhill Gang

It's My Life, Talk Talk

Hey, Soul Sister, Train

It's a Beautiful Day, U2

It's Not My Time, 3 Doors Down

108 Blessings: A List of Gratitude

Thanks to Spoiled Yogi for this! I read her list and decided that it was just what I needed to do as well.

I have been in a funk and desperately trying to make my way out of it...so counting my blessings seems like a great way to open to gratitude, compassion, and love, rather than to shut down and bow under the pressure of negativity, anxiety, and fear.

In no particular order...I am grateful for:

1. Where I am at this very moment.
2. This house...my home and retreat.
3. My job.
4. My partner.
5. My family.
6. My friends.
7. Riley and Maddie.
8. This blog.
9. Treadmills.
10. My gardens...the rain garden, the Peace garden, and the little veggie patch.
11. My kitchen...where I am able to create delicious things.
12. Yogaglo.
13. My yoga practice...however sparse it may seem to, some times, be...I have grown it so much over the past two years.
14. My health.
15. My 47th birthday weekend.
16. Sitting on the back patio and just listening to the neighborhood sounds.
17. Free airplane tickets.
18. Yoga Journal, Clean Eating, Spirituality & Health magazines.
19. Cake.
20. Chocolate.
21. Fresh pineapple.
22. My caprice salad with an amazing baguette and olives.
23. iPad, iPod, iPhone.
24. Music!
25. Tracking my workouts.
26. Air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.
27. Our firepit on the patio in October.
28. Good wine.
29. Going to wine tastings with Cathy.
30. My office.
31. Walks through the neighborhood.
32. Feeling good.
33. My cellphone.
34. Being able to touch base with friends and family though teh interwebs!
35. Being able to visit family and friends in person.
36. My travels.
37. Comfortable shoes.
38. Laughing at awful commercials.
39. Friday night dinner and a movie with my partner.
40. Weekends we spend doing yardwork and hanging out.
41. My spiritual practice.
42. The beach.
43. The ocean.
44. Snorkeling.
45. Photography.
46. Going to the farm market.
47. Planting things.
48. My car...transportation is great!
49. Learning about my body and what works for me (like probiotics! not eating tons of sugar!).
50. Have I said, "comfortable shoes"?
51. Pajamma like clothing...NOT pajamma jeans.
52. Humingbirds.
53. Bees
54. Polar bears.
55. Dolphins.
56. Horses.
57. The perfect little black dress.
58. Giving presents.
59. Hiking and camping.
60. Yoga retreats.
61. Pedicures and manicures.
62. Massage (both giving and receiving).
63. Huge, hilarious, belly laughs.
64. Earl Grey tea.
65. Coffee with organic sugar and So Delicious Coconut Vanilla Coffee Creamer.
66. Grater's ice cream.
67. Watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, berries, apples, cherries...
68. Cathy's spaghetti.
69. Organic veggies.
70. Being green...
71. Mosquito repellant.
72. Incense.
73. The smell of fresh citrus!
74. Grilled cheese sandwiches.
75. Sunny days with cool breezes.
76. Fridays.
77. Saturdays.
78. Holidays.
79. Malas as a meditation tool.
80. My spiritual altar.
81. The awesome Kroger with the great organic section that is just up the street from my office.
82. My body as it is right now...at this very moment.
83. Jillian Michaels' podcasts.
84. BPA free cans.
85. Organic, free-trade coffee.
86. Black grapes.
87. People who keep their word.
88. Magical movies.
89. Floating in a pool.
90. Kittens.
91. Moisturizer.
92. Airplanes and good airfares.
93. Recognition when I've done a good job.
94. House plants.
95. Trees.
96. The light at late afternoon.
97. Illustrator, photoshop, inDesign!
98. Fires in a fire pit.
99. Roasting marshmallows.
100. Making Christmas fudge for presents.
101. 30 Rock, Community, Parks & Recreation, Happy Endings, shows that make me laugh.
102. Slow dancing.
103. A very cool room, cool pillows, and comfy bed for sleeping.
104. Being able to say, "I'm sorry."
105. Forgiveness.
106. Small moments of JOY in an otherwise dull day.
107. Fun dinner parties with friends.
108. Knowing that it's never too late to make things better.

Begin Again

I've written about this before but thought I would post again...on beginning again.

A new moon rises tonight...an auspicious time for new beginnings. If you've been working on something and have hit a point where everything has ground to a halt, now is the time to renew, start over, begin again.

I don't know if it's still on sale but about 3 or 4 months ago, I bought a Yoga Journal special edition called Yoga for Weight Loss (by the way, a fantastic magazine that I read cover to cover, several times!). Anyway, amoung all the great columns and features, there was one article that really stood out for me. Titled, Begin Again, by Phillip Moffitt (pps 114-117), it explores the practice of starting over through meditation and being present.

I feel like, to really change my life, I have to embrace beginning again...it is consistency that is going to erase old habits and replace them with healthy ones. What helps me, when I've gone off track, is to pause, notice that I've gone off track and begin a meditation practice with the mantra, "Just start over.."

I've written, in my last 2 posts, about my struggle to stay on track during the month of June. That time proved to be difficult and, yes, I've had a minor setback, but it's nothing I can't turn around.

It's July! A new month of getting my walk on in the mornings! I enjoy them so much and am excited by the prospect of getting back to my walks. Though I didn't make it to the Greenhills Pioneer walk this morning (puppy drama - see my Facebook page for the backstory), I intend to go for a 5k walk of my own today (or treadmill if it rains). And I already have a race schedule set up for the rest of the year. The next one is the Lady Distance Classic (a 10k) in August.

These races serve as such a huge motivation for me to keep up with my exercise regimen. I like the competition and the race SWAG, and the whole ritual of it all...it keeps me motivated. So I will be training throughout July for my August race. I can get back to tracking on my favorite exercise website, Daily Mile...bet I can add 25 more donuts to my balance before August 1st.

Another way I'm going to begin again; I'm going to start taking Probiotics again. I gave them a 2 month trial and got good results but, for whatever reason, stopped taking them after that (maybe it was that I simply ran out). At any rate, will pick up a new bottle and start taking them again. I think my digestion is so much better and it helps me to keep my diet clean.

Foodwise, I'd like to keep it fresh, cold, juicy, and bright for the summer...so lots of salads, fruits, cold dinners and lunches...simple, fresh, local, and organic, that's how I want to eat. Oh, and lots of color...all the colors of the rainbow means that you are getting really essential vitamins and minerals.

And finally, I think, I am looking forward to renewing my yoga and meditation practice. I think, it is essential that at the end of a workday, instead of rushing home to cook dinner...I should slow down and take a deliberate pause to do yoga and/or meditate...to break with all the anxiety of work BEFORE I prepare dinner...to yoga.

When life gets in the way...

I'm not really an every day blogger. I often write when I'm excited about something. And since this is a healthy lifestyle blog, my posts generally coincide with when I'm loving my healthy lifestyle.

When I don't post for long periods, then it usually means that I've fallen off the wagon or am struggling with my healthy lifestyle journey. It's almost as if real life...the life that is going on while I'm focused on my health...jumps up and says, "hey! right here...no time to focus on all that now."

It's been 14 days since I last exercised. I have been eating more and more processed foods. I have been overeating.

So what's going on?

Symptoms: anger, depression, boredom, stress, anxiety, feelings of exhaustion, alternating between feeling like I'm "starving" to not hungry at all, grasping, feeling like I just want to be alone and "in"...

So what is going on?

Rationalizations: I got a sinus infection, we had a death in the family (and it was surprising and will take time to accept and make peace with), work is hard and I'm feeling overwhelmed and under-supported...

Scripts: I'm not smart enough. I'm not professional enough. I'm not perfect. I can't do this. I'm never going to succeed. I have so much to do, I don't know how I'm ever going to get it all done. I'm a loser.

When those scripts are running through my head...they are very loud and very persistant. They lead to the symptoms I listed above.

Quieting those scripts or changing them seems impossible.

Flipping the script helps.

I'm a smart, professional who is capable of performing the assigned tasks. I am successful. I have a lot to do and will get it all done within the set deadline.

I need to repeat that a few times today. And tomorrow. And the next day. Until I feel motivated again.

In the mean time, I need to take a little time to do a detox. My midsummer detox will be from Thursday (tomorrow) thru Sunday evening.

Kim's Doable Detox (following various sources, mainly the Quantum Wellness Cleanse without all the unfermented soy):

• Clear diet of the following - alchol, caffeine, sugar, wheat, and dairy
• Consume lots of clean water, veggies, fruit, wheat free whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, millet, steel-cut oats), and clean sources of protein - all of this will be organic
• Some supplements
• Physically - dry brush, steam/sauna, walking, yoga (restorative and meditative), meditation

Want to participate? If you're in the neighborhood, perhaps we can do a yoga class or go for a walk together or even share a meal. If you're long distance, maybe we can offer each other encouragement through email or chat.

Slow Down, You Move too Fast...

...got to make this moment last...

Often, I think, we somehow get the notion that we have to lose weight and we have to lose it fast. We crunch the numbers and set impossible goals...like, "I want to lose 30 pounds in a month".

I think that we get to a point where we are upset with where we are, on the scale, and a feeling of desperation sets in...then we grasp at anything that will provide some relief.

I see this time and again on the weight loss blogs that I read. People resorting to stupid weight loss gimmicks and "quick fixes"...like the HCG diet, the Medifast diet, etc., all to lose 25 or 30 pounds so that they can then get the lapband or gastric bypass surgery.

I read this stuff and think, "slow down, man...slow down." They put all this energy into trying to lose weight fast enough to get surgery to lose weight even faster...and I think, why not channel that energy into simply eating clean and being active?

Because really, that's what usually leads to optimal health...and is what real beauty is all about.

Slowing down has been key for me...it keeps me consistent. Yeah, I have times where I "fall off the wagon"...for example, these last two weeks have been a bear for me. We have experienced death in the family and, subsequently, I picked up a sinus infection somehow...I haven't exercised in about 10 days. But, rather than let this snowball into months of reclining on the sofa, I'm going to start back today (with a yoga class tonight and a nice walk through the neighborhood this weekend).

While I have indulged in a few not so healthy foods (re: highly processed!), I haven't completely given up on my healthy eating plan.

There's simply no need to panic and become reactionary. This is a process. I accept and love myself right where I am in this moment. I can extend the same compassion I feel for others to myself. I see that I'm starting to feel better and while I don't feel like I need to go on a 5 mile walk, I can get back to my yoga practice and walks in a gentle way. I am on my way to health!

Craving

I am trying to sit with a craving today.

It is so hard. I keep wanting to go eat a whole bag of chips with some french onion dip.

I am not hungry. I don't think that I'm thirsty. Though maybe I should drink a big glass of water just to be sure that what I'm feeling isn't thirst.

So sitting with the craving...

And drinking some water.

If it doesn't go away after the water, then I'm going for a walk.

Okay...edited to add: It's about an hour and a half later and I feel much better. I ended up drinking two glasses of water. As I was drinking the first glass I realized that I had a bit of a headache. It went away on my second glass.

I am actually proud of myself for sitting with this craving and not automatically just thinking, "Nothing is going to change. I'm going to give in to this craving and eat now...just this once. I'll be better tomorrow."

Instead, I flipped the script...and I said, "I'm going to sit with this uncomfortable feeling. What can I learn here?" I made a mini plan to drink water. Then, if that didn't work, I was going to go for a walk as a distraction (even if today is my rest day).

I'm so glad I am sitting here typing this instead of numbing out with a bag of chips!