6 Healthy Choices You Can Make TODAY!

Sometimes life can be overwhelming and the notion of thinking about your own health feels like the one thing that will send you over the edge to insanity.  Pause.  Take a deep breath.  Focusing on your health does not have to feel like a burden or a huge time stealer.  I've found that it can be the exact opposite - it can be easy!  It can actually be fun.  Here are seven  healthy choices that you can make today.

1) ADD MOVEMENT TO YOUR DAY
These are ideas that I imagine you have heard a thousand times and probably rolled your eyes at the suggestion a time or two.  I know I did, but then I actually tried them and found that they are easy to accomplish.  Park at the far end of the parking lot.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Set your phone to prompt yourself to take a break and walk around your office or down the street and back.

2) EAT A PIECE OF FRESH FRUIT
The health benefits of fruit are amazing.  Fruit can impact your health in ways such as boosting your mood, keeping you regular and strengthening your bones!  I make it a point to eat fresh fruit at least once a day and now I crave it.

3) DRINK MORE WATER
Replace one can of pop or cup of coffee with a glass of water - just one!  I love to buy myself fun colorful plastic cups.  Getting a new cup every few months adds some pizazz to that water.  You can find great ones in the dollar stores!  You can also combine suggestion two and three by adding fresh fruit to your water to give it some taste. 

4) SCHEDULE A ME DAY
Take a moment to look at your calendar and find a day or half a day or two hours that you can block off for yourself (Don't forget to request the time off of work if you need to do that!).  I try to do this once a quarter.  Sometimes I take off an entire day and spend it in my PJ's binge watching TV.  Other times I might take two hours off and go for a walk in the park or sit in a coffee shop and read my book.  Planning ahead ensures that I do it and it gives me something special to look forward to.

5) TRY SOMETHING NEW
When is the last time that you tried something new?  A new recipe?  A new class at the gym?  Walking in a new park?  A new route home from work?  A new flavor of ice cream?  It doesn't have to be a big thing to add a little excitement to your day and give you a boost of energy.

6) 10 MINUTES OF FREESTYLE DANCING
I recently attended a workshop on Dancing and Dementia.  Research on the impact of unchoreographed dancing on the brain is unbelievable!  10 minutes of freestyle dancing a day had a greater impact on brain health than completing a crossword puzzle everyday.  Plus, you get a little cardio workout in.  Go ahead - put on your favorite song and shake it!  Another bonus - I bet your family joins in!

You might be thinking that these are all small things and that doing one of these today won't impact your health at all.  I disagree.  After doing one thing, you are going to feel good.  I bet that you will feel so good that you will be inspired to make another healthy choice.  And then another.  And another.  All of those small healthy choices will add up to a big impact on your health.  Don't believe me?  I challenge you to try it.  Trust me - it will work!

If you give any of these ideas a try, I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment below to let me know what you tried and how it went.  Or you might make a simple healthy choice that I didn't mention - I'd love to hear your ideas!    

4 Simple Ideas to Deflate Your Holiday Stress and Inflate Your Holiday Joy

I want the holidays to be a special time, but I always end up a stressed out ball of blah rolling around with a smile pasted to my face. How can I change that?  How can I help myself enjoy the holidays? 

I firmly believe that I can't take good care of my family if I don't take care of myself.  With the world telling us to think big and shoot for the stars, my solution probably sounds really off base . . . I've lowered my expectations for myself.  I try (notice the word TRY) not to focus on the number of gifts I'm able to buy or the fact that I stink at decorating the outside of my house or that I don't have time to bake a lot of cookies (not that I want to eat that many any way!).  Instead I focus on purposefully doing FOUR things during the holiday season.  Four inexpensive, easily achievable things that make me happy. 

1) I add whipped cream to my coffee.  I can't afford stops at fancy coffee shops or mani/pedi's or massages - but I can enjoy a squirt of extra creamy whipped cream on my coffee as I prepare to face another day.  The fact that I don't do this any other time of year makes it special for me.  What simple, inexpensive treat can you add to your day to give yourself a treat?  Use peppermint scented lotion?  Buy a pair of fun snowman earrings?  Wear a pair of crazy Christmas socks?

My coffee this morning!



2) I go for walks in my neighborhood after dark to look at the Christmas lights.  Enjoying the lights from your car is nice, but you get an entirely different view when you get out of your car and walk.  I love to head out around 10PM for a stroll.  I occasionally drag my family with me.  They grump at first, but will often find that they enjoy it by the end.  Sometimes we carry mugs of hot cocoa with us and other times I have it waiting for us when we get home.  I love when it is snowing and our footprints are the first marks in the fresh snow.  The fresh air is invigorating, the exercise feels so good after being inside all day and the lights are pretty.  I can't help but feel happy when i get back to my house!  (SAFETY NOTE: Please wear reflective gear and/or carry a flashlight!!!)



3) I sing along in a very loud voice to the Christmas songs on the radio.  No matter what craziness is happening in the "real world," when I close the car door, it is just me and me alone.  How can I not smile as I am singing along to the fun adventures of Frosty or be reminded of the powerful precious gift that God gave to us as I sing the First Noel.  I get out of my car feeling refreshed and ready to face the next event.  I'm sure that I've provided some humorous entertainment to those driving next to me, but I don't worry about them.



4) I pick one special activity that I want to do and make sure I do it even if I do it by myself.  This is actually something that I've been doing for the past couple of months.  I'm always telling my husband that we can talk and talk and talk about all of the things that we want to do and accomplish, but nothing will get done unless we take action.   The list of things that I want to accomplish and experience is very long, so I am tackling the smaller items on that list one thing at a time.  I don't give my family any input on what that one thing is because that will lead to an argument.  I simply choose it and invite whoever wants to come with me to be ready at a certain time.  So far there hasn't been a month that I haven't had company.  I haven't decided what my one thing for the month of December will be yet - that's a decision I will ponder during my drive home from my in-laws this afternoon.  Walk around downtown Pittsburgh to look at the Christmas decorations?  Tackle my grandma's Pizzelle Cookie maker?  Drive out to Ohiopyle State Park for a hike?

The one word that is not included in this post (until now) is guilt.  As a mom and a caregiving spouse, I often struggle with feeling guilty about 101 different things every day.  The key for me when it comes to doing these four things without guilt is what I mentioned earlier - If I don't take care of myself then I can't take care of my family.  My family reacts to my stress.  In the same way they react to my joy.  So in a way, if doing these four incredibye simple things make me happy, my family will be happy, too! 

I encourage you - as we prepare to flip our calendars over to December - pick even just one thing that you will purposefully do this month to make YOU happy!  What can you plan to do to deflate your stress and inflate your joy?

Two Reasons Haircuts are Good for My Mental Health

"What are we going to do about your curls?"

I looked up at Kelly from behind the magazine I was reading.  Her eyes were focused on my daughter's beautiful spiral curls, but her words were meant for me. 

"I don't have curly hair," I replied.

"Yes you do."

A specially trained curly hair stylist, Kelly and I had met through a mutual friend who had taken one look at my daughter's hair and sent out an SOS.  My daughter has beautiful hair just like her Aunt Leigh and Great-Aunt Jo on my husband's side of the family, but we had no idea how to take care of it.  Kelly was quickly taking care of that! 

"You definitely have curl in your hair, Lisa.  Let me show you," Kelly said indicating with a nod that I should head back to the sinks.  I was met there by her assistant.  Thus began a new relationship between me and my newly discovered naturally curly hair . . . and a new line item squeezed into our household budget under Lisa's 5ks . . . Lisa's Hair. 

Prior to meeting Kelly, if you would have asked me what my least favorite physical feature about myself was I would have been torn between my chin fat and my hair.  I have never liked my thin lifeless hair.  As a result, I didn't worry about it much.  It was just there.  Haircuts were at the bottom of my To Do List.  If it was a crazy week, I'd cancel and reschedule.  No big deal.  But now, after learning a new way to wash and dry my hair, I absolutely LOVE the fun bouncy mass of curls on my head!  I consider my routine visits to Kelly Elaine Inc an important part of maintaining my Mental Health!  Crazy week?  Too bad - I'm getting my haircut!  Here are the two reasons why:

1) I feel better about myself.  Let me be honest - I know that I should be happy with the body (including my hair) that God gave me; however, how I look impacts how I feel about myself which impacts my confidence which impacts my day.  I live with my hair everyday.  For most of my life every time I looked in the mirror I would say to myself - "I don't like my hair."  In my chubbier years when I didn't have a full length mirror in my house I still had to look at my hair several times a day. 

 

Over the years I had great stylists who gave me great haircuts, I just didn't like the hair that they had to work with.  By introducing me to a new wash/dry routine and more natural hair care products, Kelly helped me discover that I have great hair.  Fitness Reloaded founder Maria Brilaki wrote in her blog, "Not liking how your body looks . . affects you everyday.  Becoming friends with the mirror means a huge boost in how you feel everyday."  Now when I look in the mirror at the natural hair God gave me I say to myself  "I love my hair!" with great enthusiasm.  I feel so much better about myself which impacts my confidence which impacts my day.  I can be having a crappy day; yet, when I wash my hands in the bathroom I can look in the mirror and find at least one good thing - my hair!  (I'm still working on the chin fat - but one thing at a time!)

2) I have the positive anticipation of a stress relieving hour-long vacation every 6-8 weeks.  In my life I am always needing to have a Plan B.  If Jamison doesn't feel well and can't drive the kids to school, then I will call my friend Emily.  If a member of my staff calls off, then I will call Tiffany to help me cover home care assignments.  If I can't get home in time to pick-up JJ from practice, then I will call my dad to help me.  I call that Negative Anticipation.  Always anticipating what could go wrong and being ready to deal with it.   All of this Negative Anticipation can really weigh me down if I let it.  So I've found that making sure I am including Positive Anticipation in my life to be vital to reducing stress and maintaining my sanity.  One thing I positively anticipate every 6-8 weeks?  Getting my haircut!

It is important to say at this point that Kelly owns one amazing salon - Kelly Elaine Inc (https://www.facebook.com/KellyElaineInc)!  She offers free beverages from pop to wine to beer.  Her cats and dog are there to greet you.  For animal lovers, it is very relaxing to have a cat curl up in your lap!  During the warmer months, you can sit outside on her private soothing

patio and let the sun dry your hair rather than sit under the dryer.  Plus, Kelly and her assistance Victoria are a complete riot!  They make you feel welcome and have you in hysterics before you even sit down!  And - her prices make it possible for me to fit my appointments into our tight budget with just a little squeeze.  Stepping into her salon is like a mini-vacation . . . a brief escape from the realities of my life.  I leave feeling refreshed and energized.  In my opinion, how you feel about the salon you are going to and the person cutting your hair is just as important as how you feel about the cut and style you walk out the door with.

Are you in need of a vacation but can't afford to get away?  Could you use a break from your daily routine?  Have you been feeling BLAH?  Pick up the phone and make a hair appointment - it's a great mental health treat!

Here are some fun pics to show off Ellie and my curls.  These are from our first visit to Kelly Elaine Inc back in January 2012.


Ellie before her cut & style

Ellie after her cut & style



Me after my wash & style

 



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Check out the new book that I am a part of . . . INSPIRE!  Available on Amazon through my author page - Lisa Hamer Jenkins.