Morning routine - deep breathing

Practice of S.T.R.O.N.G.E.R.

Very often as soon as we hear the alarm clock we jump out of bed as it was on fire...or keep pressing the snooze button until it is time to jump out of bed.

But there is a better way to start off the day and it take just 1 minute.

S is for Sacred Time

Letter S stands for - sacred time - deep breathing. The fast breathing as you jump out of the bed will not cut it! Before you step out of your bed take several deep breaths, and smile.

I set up a vibration on my Fitbit - 5 minutes before my alarm clock goes off. This gives me enough time to do the breathing. 

Taking deep breaths as soon as I get up sets a relaxing tone to my morning. Although sometimes I still forget to do it and I jump out of bed if my life was in danger. But like everything, it take time to get the new routine in place and fully benefit from the change.

Morning routine - inspirational reading

The morning routine for success

We often do not think much of our morning routine - the goal is to leave the house on time. Our mornings are frequently executed on an autopilot as we madly rush through the door to school and work. 

The autopilot routines might work as well as nothing goes wrong, but what if you burn a toast in the morning, or someone cuts you off on the road? These little things can bug you and even spoil your whole day.

Practise of S.T.R.O.N.G.E.R.

Over the last several months I had been actively redesigning my morning routine. Although there is still work to be done on my part, I am going to share what made a big difference for me and how you can implement it.

R is for Reading

Letter R stands for - morning reading. It does not involve reading a newspaper, work or personal emails, or Facebook updates. The goal is to read a quote, a paragraph, or a short chapter of something that will inspire you or provide motivation for the whole day. Right now I am reading sections of the "The Little Book of Inner Peace" by Ashley Davis Bush as I sip on my first glass of water for the day. 

My personal experience so far is great, it helps me have a great day every day. If something bad happens I feel more capable to shake it off fast and move on enjoying the rest of the day. 

Too much screen time?

How much Screen Time is OK

There has been a lot of heated debates how much screen time is good for each age group. The general consensus is the less the better, and I agree with that 100%. Whether it is 1 hour or 2 hours it is still debatable. I am going to provide a solution I implemented in my house that reduced the screen time to 10-15 minutes a day, and an occasional longer movie.

From my observations I noticed that kids, 4-7 years old, that are my son's peers no longer know how to play. They get bored extremely fast with toys (often after 10-15 minutes), want to be disruptive, and crave the attention from adults as we we tend to provide the entertainment for them. Often they run to the TV or reach for an iPad to find distraction, but they do not really watch it in a meaningful way.

How some YouTube channels succeeded

Have you noticed how many subscriptions and likes some channels targeting kids have? And all they do is show different toys, open kinder egg surprises, and do other things that I perceive as non valuable to the young brain development.

My solution

While banning iPad or TV is an option, I did not want to be the parent that stops kids from being able to watch things. Hence I went a completely different route - that would teach them a smart decision making.

My son is allowed to watch as much as he wants of any content acceptable for his age. However, after the video is done we pause and have some homework to do! And unless the homework is completed to the satisfactory level no new videos are allowed.

1. Discussion after the video

We talk about the video and its content. What was the plot, what happened. What is good about the video, what was bad about it. This discussion helps in the critical evaluation of the content, and also facilitates development of the storytelling skills.

2. Writing the story

My son is in the kindergarten, hence I ask him to write one to two sentences about the video. It can be anything related to the video content, feelings about the video, or any thoughts associated with it. This process helps in the evaluation of the video and internalise the feelings associated with it. Also, it helps in strengthening the storytelling, and improve writing.

Where the idea came from?

I derived this idea from my own experience of watching documentaries and journaling about it afterwards. It really helped me is being selective and critically evaluating content.

I think the mindless watching is the worst thing we had introduced to our lives as it waste our time, adds stress, and discourages interpersonal communication. It took me some time to figure out why watching a comedy was often actually stressful for me rather than relaxing.

While not all content is bad, and even bad content can help in developing critical thinking; hence shutting it all off is not really an answer, but being selective is important. The media is competing for our attention from all angles, and learning to deal with it in a smart, not threatening way is the best way forward.

Cheers to the second half of life!

Second Half of Life

I have to admit I do not consider myself a middle-aged woman. At heart I am still somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s - an active, curious, explorer of the world. However, the fact is, I am almost 40 and my body is changing whether I like it or not. On average women in Canada live 84 years, so that really puts my age number right in the middle of my expected life span.

How do you want to live your second half of life?

I certainly hope to keep all pills, doctors, and hospitals as far away as I can, for as long as I can. I want to enjoy life - skiing, skating, tennis, hiking trails for many years to come. While I may not be too excited to grow old, it is not much I can do to stop it, or prevent. Hence, instead of fretting about it,  I decided to embrace it and make it the most enjoyable process possible by truly enjoying each and every moment of growing old. 

Healthy is not limited by age 

If you feel healthy - full of energy, mentally sharp, have a purpose in life, there is no reason to complain about one wrinkle that might appear on your forehead!  It is important to be grateful and proud of reaching prime-time, as many people are not as fortunate.

I made health my hobby years ago, and I think you should too! I see health as the biggest asset we will ever have in life so investing in it makes sense.  A house, great trips, cars, or even businesses mean absolutely nothing if we do not have good health to enjoy all the pleasures in our life.

Prime-Time Health Workshop

I am teaching Prime-Time Health workshop that focuses on the needs of people over 40 who want to spend the second half of their life in health - by preventing diseases, by reversing current damage, and learning how to better control their symptoms. The course helps you understand how the body changes as we enter prime-time years, which will empower you to engage in more self-care practices.

The program is a scientifically proven plan for healthy ageing developed by Dr. William Sears. During the workshop we cover the following topics: 1) Open your Internal Pharmacy 2) Make Health a Hobby 3) Move Waste from your Waste and 4) Live Without Pain and Inflammation, and more! You will learn 9 steps that will help you enjoy your prime-time years.

Know How of Self-Care

Do you know how to engage in self-care in boosting your energy, reducing stress, better sleep, controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol,  and minimize inflammation? If you do not, or are not sure, join me for the Prime-Time Health workshop to learn what you need to know to enjoy your prime-time years to the fullest.

If you are interested in learning more or booking me as your coach drop me an email. 

Moderation - what it really means

"Soft drinks should be drunk in moderation" - Coca Cola.

Moderation is a term that is widely exploited by the food industry to justify their existence. It is time to clear it up with my no nonsense way.

Moderation should be applied to food that is healthy; food that is nutritious yet calorie dense. For example butter, olive oil, or nuts.

Junk food/drinks on the other hand (including Coca Cola), are calories dense and have no or almost no nutrition that our bodies need. They are empty calories, often packed with sugars, and colorants. While they are still edible, they are more of a special occasion indulgence (on purpose I am not calling them food!). Food that should be consumed regularly in moderation do not come in colourful containers with a pile of sugar, artificial colorants, and additives on their ingredient list. No amount of gym work is going to help, Coca Cola, and you know it so let's be honest here!

http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Hot-Topics/Obesity-Debate/Soft-drinks-should-be-drunk-in-moderation-Coca-Cola-boss