Be Your Best You

by

“Love yourself first and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

Society seems to prize busyness. Being “on” at all times has become an expectation. Kudos to those who are focused, have a plan, and busy are working it. You possess the necessary ingredients for goal achievement! Being too busy, however, has a cost. Ironically, it negatively impacts the very success we are trying to achieve. If we go down the busy path too long taking care of the kids, the job, the home, relationships, etc., exhaustion creeps in. We wear down our nervous system and dampen our ability to be our most productive self. Racing from point A to point B, we produce and we provide. We are “on” at all the right times. However, the more externally we focus and the larger our “to-do” lists grow, the more inefficient (& unhealthy) we become. It is necessary then, to become our best self, we must slow down and nourish ourselves in mind, body and soul. To be our best self, we need to step back and rebuild our foundation. Today’s topic is nourishment of the mind through downtime. A little bit of nuttin’, honey.

You might think being idle is nuts, a waste of time. But, taking a few minutes of “nothing” can add up to a whole lot of something. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and that, my friends, brings a slew of healthy benefits.

See, when we’re too busy, nothing new can come to mind. Creativity is dampened. Science has proven, however, that if we carve a little “mind space” we reap some cool benefits. Unstructured time allows for a process of incubation which is where our best ideas and solutions can come from. Not convinced to take a time out yet? The Energy Project study found that associates who took “time outs” increased their creative capacity in a huge way and enjoyed a greater level of health and mental well-being. Overwork has the opposite effect; less engagement, feeling worn out, a significant decrease in creativity/problem resolution, making mistakes, and so on.

High intensity intervals (HIIT) isn’t just effective in workouts, it’s an effective work/life strategy. Intense periods of focus should be balanced by time (breaks) allowing for rest and renewal. Short breaks boost digestion, lower the heart rate, increase work capacity, and elevate moods. So, go ahead, take a break. Observe how “energy management” can aid time management. Close the door. Turn off the phone. Or, step outside. Be still for 5-10 minutes a couple times each day. It may take a little getting used to, but the more you do less, the better you will be.

By making ourselves our own wellness mission, we can do better in serving others AND achieving our goals. Nourishing the self is essential to health, happiness and well-being.

Take 5 to renew. Then compete, better. Every day.

Choose fit. Be still. Live strong.7 day

~Lisa Read More →

Maintain Your Mojo (or, Finding Focus in CrAzY times)

by

It’s soooo easy to lose focus these days. With all our technological tools, productivity apps, and lifestyles of convenience, we’d be a bunch of smooth, focused goal-achieving machines, right?  Masters of our universes. Yet the reality is that it’s far too easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. Social status updates, emails, texts, twitter,  checking the stock exchange or game scores, and 24/7 availability make it ever-so-easy  to lose focus on what matters most: our friends & family, our health, career goals, and co-creating our universe.  Life happens. But if we’re not careful, we find ourselves caught in a costly conundrum and we miss our mojo.

Sometimes it’s something big—like a relationship ending, the loss of a job, the death of a friend, or an investment gone bad that initiates the detour.  For many of us, it’s nothing big—just the small, incremental creep of exponential external stimuli. We know when this happens. We feel it. We feel run down. Negative thoughts creep in. We find ourselves in reactive mode, out of control, and depressed. Along with this, our immunity drops. Darn it, our mojo is missing! Our actions are not aligned with our goals.

To get it back, try following these three steps:

  1. Start with the end in mind. Remind yourself of your goals, and then start small. Do you have action steps and know the next steps to take? If not, this could be what’s throwing you off. (Actions should be Specific/Measurable/Attainable/Realistic/Timeframe = SMART.) Post your goals and next 3 action steps where you see them. Consider them first thing each morning and again before bed. Allow a few minutes of quiet time each day.  Vison boards might be helpful—or post it notes.  Do your friends and family know your goals? Share them and enlist their support.
  2. Identify the distractions and know what breaks you down. While I ‘m not a fan of dwelling in the past, noting distractions is important in order to set necessary boundaries—especially with technology. Limit the # of times you check your email or phone. (For example, limit email to 3 times a day for X minutes and initiate “phone free periods”. There are apps to help you manage!) Resist the technology urge and remember a distracted reactive state of mind leads to rushing, carelessness, and loss of focus. Figure out what distractions to give up and set limits on those that are essential.
  3. Consider excuses, and then be nice to yourself. Some of our biggest obstacles lie in our heads. Attitude IS everything and the mind can be a powerful friend– or foe. The good news is: that’s in your control, however it may take practice. Like Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” Find a mantra to help and replace negative thoughts. J Focus on the things you do right and forgive yourself for the things done wrong. Then get back on track and recommit.

Remember, the great thing about this wonderful life is that every day brings an opportunity to begin again. And, when you say yes to one thing, you say no to something else. Choose your yeses and you’ll find your focus.  It will feel good. Then, hellooooo mojo!

Until next time, choose your fit. Live strong. Laugh often.

(blog written for Compete Every Day )

What have you got to lose?

The Art of Trying Again

by

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” -W. Churchill

Isn’t it funny how we expect life’s journey to be a linear line…except we know it’s really full of detours, closed doors, or rain? S..tuff happens. It’s easy to fall off the wagon and get off course. It happens to the best of us. That’s life. And that’s okay. It’s not failure; not yet. The only real mistake we make is to stop trying. “If you fall down seven times, stand up eight.” In other words, you find out who you truly are and what you are capable of in cloudy weather. We build character through perseverance– which is, quite simply, the art of trying again…and again. Mister “C” summed it up nicely, didn’t he?

I’ve been sucker punched many a time in life. You too, right? Things happened that knocked me to my knees. Then, the obstacles seemed so…BIG. “We are moving (four states away at age 16).” “Your dad died this morning.” “6-7% of individuals with your type of AML are alive after 10 years.” Infidelity and divorce in the midst of chemo. Seeking energy, normalcy and laughter with 3 &5 year olds when chemo ravages your body. In the midst of those times, they seemed awful. Looking back, each of those challenges provided wonderful silver linings, laughter, and love. Would I want to repeat them? Um, no. Was I fearless? Heck no. I fell. I feared. I skinned my knees. Yet Winston would be proud—I became a master stumbler, repeatedly.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

If a door closes, expect an open window. Or consider, perhaps, another door. In other words, the key to opening a door is to keep on knocking– excitedly, expectantly. Sometimes a solution appears when we relax our idea of what life “should” be and view detours not as “bad” but as opportunities to knock on a different door. We might be surprised to discover that a setback is a wonderful opportunity–one we would have missed had we given up. The key is to keep moving and keep looking for ways to reach your goal. “A body at motion stays in motion” in physics and in life…for every step takes us somewhere.

Winston Churchill says to stumble from failure to failure. A lot. The next time life throws a curve ball, take a deep breath, dust off your skinned knees and get back up. But don’t stop dreaming. Don’t stop going. Keep on knocking and trust your abilities. Try again.

Consider every day “race” day. And compete. For you. For your health. For your family. For your community.

Simply, compete. And remember, life isn’t about avoiding the storms, but learning how to dance (or stumble) in the rain.

(My blog initially posted by  Compete Every Day…a great online business providing inspirational athletic wear and fashion attire. Be sure to check them out and sign up for their emails!)

Be fit. Live Strong. Laugh often. And, smile.

Lisa

 

 

The Power of Mantras

by

 

I like mantras and affirmations. Let’s face it. Life happens. And there are times we all go through that just straight up “suck egg” (a polite term one of my friend’s uses). Ironically, it’s in these lousy times that we learn the most about ourselves and receive some of life’s greatest rewards. During tough times, it can be hard to think about anything other than what’s going on. Whether you are going through a tough time or want more focus on a positive result, mantras can provide powerful changes in thought, word and deed!

How does the mind/body connection work? Well, in a nutshell, attitude matters. You get what you expect. Most important, however, is the fact that happiness is a choice. It doesn’t mean that “suck egg” won’t happen. It does mean, however, that you have complete control on how you handle what life throws your way.

I’ve had multiple “suck egg” situations in life. One of the biggest was the “c” experience. Would I have opted for cancer for the life learnings I got out of it? Nooooo, thank you! To help get through it, however, I used multiple mantras. One I spoke repeatedly was, “I choose LIFE” and “My body is strong, healthy, and free and clear of disease.” I said these out loud every morning, driving my car, at quite times, before bed, while getting chemo, while puking my guts up, or while feeding my little ones when I was nauseous. Spoken words are powerful. And, energy flows where focus goes.

Mantras are not new. They are a cornerstone in meditation, prayer, goal achievement, competition, and in life in general. Mentally, they work as affirmations of one’s own higher consciousness and divinity, which can work to replace limiting beliefs. On a physical level, the repetition of mantras has multiple effects creating energy patterns and vibrations.

On a spiritual level, the repetition of sacred mantras helps us to remember and strengthen their connection to the divine within. It soothes the mind and body, allowing for a greater expression of spirit. Personally, I like the repetition of a mantra to tame and disarm my ego…which is often the very thing placing limits on my desires.compete every

Mantras are not new. They have been used for thousands of years because they are extremely powerful and effective. Ready to give it a try?

Peruse the internet. Find the statements that resonate with you. Write them down. Post them in visible places. Speak your mantras out loud. Find sites that motivate you. One of my favorites is Compete Every Day. This company produces limited run Athletic and fashion wear with bold, powerful mantras. They have wonderful newsletters and Facebook quotes. Plus, you should see this week’s “Athlete of the Week”!

Go ahead, give it a try. What have you got to gain?