October 28, 2018
I imagine you’re wondering “Why on earth is she talking about being selfish at a time like this? The world seems to be completely enshrouded in an atmosphere of hatred, anger, competition, and violence!”
But his Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Thich Nhat Hanh, and many other notable political and spiritual leaders / philosophers have all often been heard to say that world peace relies on individuals finding inner peace. At first glance that concept may seem too simple to be valid but when you think about it, how can one feel anything but empathy for another when one is completely at peace with him or herself? So now, more than ever, it’s time for all of us to get downright selfish about taking care of our WHOLE selves!
Look at it this way: by selfishly taking care of your own needs you’ll not only be able to take care of all the people you love better and longer, you’ll even up your odds of making a bigger impact on a world that certainly needs all the help it can get! Selfishly putting your own needs first, therefore, shouldn’t have the negative connotation it often has in this country…ESPECIALLY in these truly complicated times, isn’t taking better care of yourself really the only thing you can do to ensure a better tomorrow not just for you, but for those whom you care about as well? And if moving the world closer to peace is a byproduct of upping your self-care, WOULDN’T THAT BE SIMPLY AMAZING???
And I know you’ve all often heard me describe my work but have you still ever found yourself wondering “Just what EXACTLY is Lifestyle Coaching?”
If you Google the phrase “Lifestyle Coach” you may get a couple of hits but when you read the fine print what you’ll really see are repackaged Life Coach and Personal Training Certifications. The truth is I’m literally the ONLY fitness, health & wellness professional at least in the Tri-state area (or perhaps ANYWHERE) that’s a certified Master Personal Trainer and Nutritional Counselor as well as an Accredited T'ai Chi Chih Instructor…this particular trinity of qualifications enables me to take a completely unique perspective on the true nature of health & wellbeing: a constant interplay of high quality movement, whole food nutrition, and stress management/relaxation. But I could toot my own horn till I turn blue in the face and it wouldn’t mean a thing…my track record for coaching clients through complete life-transformations speaks volumes, however (click here to read some great testimonials!)
And if all this still seems a bit unclear to you then don’t miss a great opportunity to ask me any questions, tell me all about yourself and your health goals, taste-test some yummy smoothies, grab a schedule for my Fall ’18 & Winter ’19 class lineups, and (most importantly) learn all about what Lifestyle Coaching can do for you while having a FABULOUS time at the MOD Squad Small Business Expo* on November 18th from 12-6pm at the Midnight Oil Brewing Company in Newark!
Vendors include (ME!) plus lots of wonderful small local businesses…there’ll also be food trucks, and children’s activities throughout the day including face painting, balloon sculpting, magic shows, bounce houses, arts & crafts , and even live Disney princess performances so it’ll be extremely family friendly. Come buy raffle tickets or bid on an entire basket of items and services at our silent auction…100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children (pssssssst: a surprise guest will also be there!) Attendees are also encouraged to bring either a small toy and/or canned item with them for donation to Toys for Tots or the Delaware Food Bank.
But if you can’t make the Expo (or, actually, even if you can LOL) click here for more info on all of my upcoming fitness, nutrition, and T’ai Chi Chih moving meditation classes. In the meantime, however, here are 3 tips that will help you up your self-care SIGNIFICANTLY:
1. Do SOMETHING physically active for at least an hour every day
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30-60 minutes of strength training 3 days a week, plus 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity 3 to 6 days a week, plus 20-60 minutes of stretching exercises 1 to 3 days a week. If you do the math that really does break down to only an hour of exercise a day but if all this seems like rocket science then just get up and move your body for an hour a day…you can even break the hour up into 10-20 minute segments! Regular exercise improves almost every aspect of your health but here are a couple more good reasons to exercise that are even more relevant to today’s blog:
2. Eat more vegetables
EVERY major world health organization (including THE World Health Organization) now claims we should be eating 9-13 servings of fresh whole produce EVERY DAY just to MAINTAIN our health. In fact there’s actually a growing body of evidence to suggest that consuming EVEN MORE than the daily recommendation of vegetables and fruits improves health WITHOUT LIMIT…in other words, THE MORE FRESH WHOLE PRODUCE YOU EAT, THE HEALTHIER YOU’LL BE!!! Let’s face it, eating more fresh veggies makes sense on every level but here’s the most relevant reason why you should: you just can’t think straight if you’re vitamin deficient. Eat more veggies and you’ll think more clearly and be more open to new ideas (plus you’ll feel GREAT…no one ever got sick or fat by eating too many carrots!!!)
3. Meditate for at least 15 minutes a day
Frankly, it’s been both my own personal experience (plus my experience with umpteen clients) that you can exercise and eat right till you turn blue in the face but unless you find a way to off-load your stress and RELAX you can still kiss your health goodbye! In fact for many medical conditions it often comes down to 2 choices: medication or meditation. And it doesn't always matter what style of meditation you practice either: we now have neurological proof that you can train your wellbeing LIKE A SKILL through consistent meditation…click here for a groundbreaking study. But even more relevant to today’s conversation is the fact that regular meditation helps erase our hard-wired human tendency to constantly divide everyone around us into "Us and Them.”
*MOD Squad stands for Moms of Delaware…this FB group is a terrific vehicle for about 5,500 local Moms to share experiences (the good, the bad, and everything in between) in a respectful manner. Members can also make new connections while nurturing old ones, get and give advice, advertise their businesses, and sell personal items or professional goods & services…join us and become part of a community of strong women committed to creating a brighter tomorrow for each other, our neighborhood, and the world!
