Coaching, Fitness, Wellness, Wellbeing, Move Forward, Seasons of Life, Resilience, Joy, Purpose, Empty Nester, Life Coaching, Health Coach
Three Things This Friday . . .
I feel almost a little guilty posting anything today in light of all the hurt, devastation and disaster in Hurricaine Harvey's wake. It feels trite to post random stuff here when there are real life stories of strength, bravery and danger being lived by real people from all over the country. I will not flood your inbox with my own thoughts but will say my heart has been so warmed by the large and generous outpouring from so many people from states near and far, with folks giving their time, money, strength, boats, food, diapers, prayers and heart to people in need. There are definitely good people in this world!Today I have 3 things to share with you. I'll share an easy and healthy recipe as my first of three things. A box of these absolutely beautiful peaches was just waiting for me in my mailbox earlier this week. They came perfectly ripe, smelling and looking so sweet and delicious. We enjoyed them as is, almost as dessert. I knew they would begin to turn if I didn't do something with them. Of course, my first thought was a wonderful, homemade peach cobbler. However, I told myself "no" as I would likely be the one to devour almost every morsel. So. . . I remembered I had some leftover black beans in the fridge, and since I hate to waste, came up with this light little creation. It made a delicious side to a grilled flank steak:
PEACH BLACK BEAN SALSA
Ingredients
Minced red onion would be good here if you have it!
Directions:
Combine the beans, peaches, onion, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least an hour before serving. It is wonderful with fish, chicken or flank steak. Serve with tortilla chips or spooned over grilled chicken or fish.As always, fresh avocado added when ready to serve make it even more delicious!
In January 2016 I shared my intention of Living Intentionally and BEING MORE INTENTIONAL which includes putting more thought into what I do, how I spend my time, how I eat and even how I work out. It has been a great way to get rid of a lot of busyness in my life. I know that we all have a lot of clutter in our lives that are not doing anything to make us better, help us serve others, make us more productive, healthier, happier beings. At some point it's important to learn to say no to some things and do it without even an ounce of guilt. Without the unnecessary fluff there is time to do what really matters to you; it can be to do the things you need to do for yourself, your family, your friends, your work. Or it can be the small things, like sit quietly with your dog, write a letter, paint a picture, help your neighbor. Or it can be to not do the things that you feel obligated to do, or guilty if you don't, like reading that book everyone tells you to read but doesn't really interest you, or slogging out 3 miles on the treadmill when you feel like you really need a day off, not signing up for one more volunteer job when you know there are others who might get more out of it, and not forcing yourself into doing what really does not speak to your time, your interestes and gifts.
I have found that in doing this, sometimes I find that I am really NOT overwhelmed with my schedule. I am NOT too busy. I do NOT have every single second of the day mapped out so that there is no room to breathe or flexibility if something goes wrong. My old self would have felt really guilty about that. Now I do not. And it's been really nice.
I found this in Tools of Titans and find that it is really good advice.
What do you think?
The Third Thing for Today . . .is IT'S NATIONAL YOGA MONTH!
Quite exciting, right? In fact, my little pup Lu looks quite excited about the prospect of celebrating an entire month to yoga!
In any event, if you have never gotten yourself on a mat, now is the chance. This week I worked with a group of female teen soccer players and as we went through some fun yoga poses I reminded them the beauty of yoga is that it's always a practice! No need to worry about getting it perfect! If you are considering trying a class or are new to the practice, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1.) Be clear about “why" you want to try yoga then research teachers that could be the best match. Yoga is often a very personal practice and shouldn’t be something that feels forced.2.) Try different styles and instructors of yoga until you find one that suits you. Tell them you are a beginner upfront and don’t hesitate to walk out of a class if you feel the instructor is not supporting your introductory learning and/or physically pushing you into compromising positions. 3.) Listen to your body. If something the instructor is asking you to do doesn’t feel right, don’t push yourself out of peer pressure, wait until further instruction, it’s not worth an injury. I ended up with an injury in 2003 when an instructor pushed too hard on my back trying to deepen my stretch and have since realized this is common with beginners wanting to do whatever someone tells them. 4.) Breathe deeply into your stomach and chest, filling your lungs completely. I know its easy to be self conscious about pushing your belly out when filling it with air, but it's so critical for your body to get the right amount of oxygen when in the middle of a stretch. Holding your breath when holding a pose defeats the whole purpose of the movement practice.5.) Have fun with your practice. I sometimes see instructors taking themselves and their classes too serious, to the point that it's not fun. Laughing yoga is one of my favorite things to see instructors integrate into a class. Our work days are already filled with being up in our heads with serious thoughts and yoga can often perpetuate that am I doing this right, perfectionist in us. In my opinion, yoga should invite us to play and get out of our heads and into our bodies.6.) There are no rules. Remember, this is your life, your body, your practice and with patience you can find the instructor/class that will feel right for you. And developing your own personal practice can become really supportive when you aren’t able to make it to a class or when you only have 10-15 minutes because a little movement is better than none.*tips from Yancy Wright, CEO of Alternavida
