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Breathe

Monday, September 19, 2011

I am reading one of my favorite authors Thich Nhat Hanh's perspective on happiness. In yoga we strive to still our hearts and minds so we can be in the moment. In the book he talks about concentrating (not controlling) on our breath to shut out all the distraction and smiling within acknowledging our true desire to be happy.
Today for some reason I woke up grumpy. This does not happen often to me, but when it does even the cat runs! I took a moment and concentrated on my breath. I actually felt myself smile within and felt gratitude for the day. Instead of wasting hours trying to force myself to be in a better mood, I balanced my thoughts or should I say non-thoughts through simply breathing. I am hooked!
My next challenge is to use this technique when I want to blindly eat everything in sight out of boredom, emotion etc. I know it won't work overnight so stay tuned ...........and breathe!

  
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KAYOTIC 9/20/2011 9:40AM

    Conscious deep breathing can instantly calm a person, good technique for a bad mood!

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Age Appropriate

Friday, September 02, 2011

Age Appropriate--exactly what does that mean? And who judges what is age appropriate?
Now I know at 50+ there are certain things that are best put on the shelf. And I think that I can judge those pretty well myself. But what is wrong with keeping a youthful zeal for life? If I want to say "cool" and "neat" I still will. They still mean the same thing to me that they always did! If I want to bike in the rain or garden with no gloves who does it harm? I still love the feel of the 'burn" after a good work out! I may not be able to keep up with the younger crowd but I have learned slow and steady wins the race. There is something to be said for perseverance and endurance!
I have gracefully retired the short skirts years ago(about the time I became the poster child for spider veins) and wear a modest swimsuit. I substituted biking for running when the years of wear and tear hit my back. I no longer play volleyball because of wrist injury, but I keep on adding new interests to replace the old. I guess it is a chance to grow.
I feel bad for my friends who stop activities and don't replace them with other physical activities. I watch them slowly accept that this is how life becomes after a certain age. I jump up and down and insist they try new things but they sadly shake their heads and say I need to slow down......so I don't injure myself for good before the great golden years arrive(now I'm not doing anything dangerous)...or ruin my health for our "later" years. Am I crazy for thinking activity and new interests will keep me going longer???
I am thankful for my new Spark Friends who believe as I do. I get such inspiration and new ideas from you all. Please keep sharing!

  
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LUCKYDOGFARM 9/3/2011 12:24AM

    Last year i turned 50 and fabulous instead of 50 and flabulous! i ran my 1st 5k for my birthday. this year, i am riding in my first cycling even for my 51derful birthday!

last month, i climbed a 40 foot climbing wall, first attempt. and it was the first time i had EVER done this. the kid running the wall said he has never even seen 20-30 year olds make it on their first attempt.

some people think i am stupid for doing all of this "fitness crap". my kids (30 somethings) think it is great though and i have even gotten to run some races with them!

keep it up GirlFriend!! you are doing it for YOU, not for them!

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HAKIRBY 9/2/2011 1:41PM

  Ellen Langer at Harvard did a study about ageing. It went like this-

some old men, who were teens in the 50s moved into an apartment for the week, they were going to live like it was the that week in the fifties. the news, the films, the music, the stuff in the flat were all from the that week in the fifties or before.

Before they went in they were tested on how they felt about life, their mobility was tested, as was the usual medical tests (Blood pressure, etc) Then they were left outside the apartment with their cases. The apartment was up a flight of stairs and staff refused to help the men with their cases. They were told if they didn't need help in the fifties, they weren't getting it now. Getting up to the flat was their problem.

As the week went on something strange happened to the men - they began to act younger, things they couldn't do at the start of the week, like open cans with arthritic hands they were achieving easily. one man decided he didn't use a stick in 1955, he wasn't using it now.

At the end of the week, the same tests as before were repeated - the mens' stress and depression had lifted and the men were keen to be more involved in their lives and decisions made around them, their medications had reduced or stopped by their docs, they were all more mobile and independant.

And the man with the stick? He never used it again.

The researchers concluded that age is a very much a state of mind - if you expect your life to see you old and infirm and useless, that's what you'll get. If you expect the opposite of that, that's what you'll get.

And you're already showing us how it's done!

Comment edited on: 9/2/2011 1:49:13 PM

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ARCHIMEDESII 9/2/2011 11:57AM

    I think that society and the media are too fixated with being young and staying young for as long as possible. What do I keep hearing ? 40 is the new 30 or 50 is the new 40 ! maybe, maybe not. I think it's too much pressure to put on a person. there is discrimination against older people in the job market because of their age, but that's a rant for another blog.

What happened to growing old gracefully ? What's wrong with having a few wrinkles ? or spider veins ? or a little extra cellulite ? or grey hair ? If a person takes care of themselves, there is no reason they can't live a long, healthy productive as well as active life. Growing older doesn't mean I have to give up and go sit in a rocking chair. Which is what I think some people are expected to do.

While I might not be pulling 75 people in row boats on my 75th birthday like Jack Lalanne did, I'd like to think that I'm still going to be active in some way. I know for sure that like Jack, I am going to continue to strength train.

I do think a lot of people give up when they reach a certain age. Which is a shame. Because life does have quite a bit to offer ! As they say on Galaxy Quest,"Never give up, never surrender!"



emoticon

Comment edited on: 9/2/2011 11:57:39 AM

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KAYOTIC 9/2/2011 11:38AM

    Love the sentiment, and I'm going to keep that in mind, "perseverance and endurance" when I'm falling behind my 50-something boyfriend who kick's my 40-something a$$ on a regular basis, instead of lamenting my declining speed (the decline is really all in my head....I just hate eating someone else's dust!)

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W5VEOTX 9/2/2011 7:52AM

    Amen, its living our dreams. The power of positive thinking.

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BILL60 9/2/2011 6:43AM

    Like you, I want to be forever young. Let's hand in there and stay active and challenged.

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KASEYCOFF 9/2/2011 3:30AM

    Years ago I saw a program about 'fighting' old age. One of the interviews featured a 95-year-old woman who was taking piano lessons. She said that when she was a little girl she had wanted to learn to play the piano but her parents couldn't afford lessons, and she decided better late than never - so for her 95th birthday, she engaged a piano teacher.

Now, that really inspired me. Every year I've tried to learn something new, with 'biggies' at the milestone years (5s and decades). I didn't get my driver's license until I was 40 - that was a biggie. I learned to knit - a 'smallie.' Taking an online class, getting my UK visa, volunteering at a local site... all birthday 'lessons.'

I am convinced such things help keep us young, and the same is true for physical activity. What good will it be for the people who say 'I'm saving my health / strength / physical ability for my golden years,' when by not doing enough activity they will lose it?

Foolish, ridiculous, absurd. IMHO. You've given me today's blog, hon.
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"Just let your mind fall back"

Thursday, August 18, 2011

This is something my yoga instructor says when she wants us to stop thinking our way through a pose. In other words, go with the flow. Stop over thinking and over analyzing. Just be in the moment appreciating what your body can do.
On a daily basis our minds are out of the gate when we wake up and still racing at night when we try to sleep. What a wonderful habit to develop to just take a mental break periodically throughout the day and be thankful for your quiet breath.

  
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

ANDREA409 8/25/2011 7:33AM

    I absolutely could not agree more! This stuff is so, so, so important. It's a shame that our fast-paced, frenzied society never pauses or slows down to just BE. It's something I'm earnestly trying to learn. I've come a long way in getting there over the last few months, but I've still got a long way to go. It's difficult letting go of old habits.

Thanks for the inspiration!

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OUTDOORSDC 8/21/2011 7:13AM

    Oh, I do love yoga! I just started doing a PM yoga tape I've had for years, and the instructor has a lot of really good, guided relaxation things to say....relax your eyelids, relax the soles of your feet, etc. It really works!

Yoga is second only to meditation in my book. Have you ever tried that? For me, the real life changing stuff has happened in meditation.

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GARDENGIRL54 8/19/2011 8:36AM

    This morning my instructor likened the active mind to a monkey jumping from branch to branch. So when you need to focus on your practice - or be in the moment - visualize that monkey resting on one branch. I like both these analogies. emoticon

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Balance

Monday, July 11, 2011

Balance. I need balance. I have been feeling out of sorts lately and could not figure out why. Just a little crabby, maybe harder to concentrate, definitely unsettled. My exercise is going well. Plenty of biking, gardening and resistance training. My eating is back on track after a little "vacation" which did a bit of damage. What could it be? I forgot to make sure I was centered. I squeezed yoga out of my daily life and put it on the shelf for when I have extra time! Yipes, I didn't realize how much it kept me focused on the important things in life and less stressed!! Now after making sure it is back in a daily routine of at LEAST 10 minutes of yoga and 10 minutes of meditation, I feel whole again. Like an old friend I took it for granted and did not cherish the beauty it was bringing to my life. Namaste my sparkling friends!

  
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

COMPUCATHY 7/21/2011 11:21AM

    It sounds like yoga is one of those "diamonds in your back yard" (don't know if you know that story...but if so, you'll understand...if not, basically it means we overlook the great things that are right under our noses.) Thank you for all your encouragement! Hope you're having a great week! Keep up the good work! Spark on! emoticon

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Back from a "Sparkation"

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

What is a Sparkation? It is a vacation from Spark. Is it wise----definitely NOT! I thought I could stop keeping track of everything I ate and just guess....I thought I could not monitor my exercise and just keep up the habit.....I thought I could stop reading and connecting with others about sparklife.....I thought I could do all this and still lose weight. What was I thinking??? HA! Well, lesson learned. I need these new habits and tools to continue to make wise daily choices. It is so easy to slide back into old ways. I definitely did not feel as energized and dedicated to my self while I was on my Sparkation. I am not beating myself up over the pounds gained, but I will be less willing to fall away. I don't like the idea of catching back up to where I was. But, I can and I will. Peace to you my sparkling friends.

  
  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TYME2BME 6/27/2011 3:28PM

    Welcome back from Sparkation. It is like a vacation where we forget to pay attention to ourselves and get distracted. The Spark is great by reminding us of what is important to us and keeping our focus where it should be. Just like a vacation, there is always catching up to be done.
emoticon back. Just like after a vacation you will get right back into the swing of things and be caught up in no time.

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GARDENGIRL54 6/21/2011 12:05PM

    On the other hand.....don't you feel it's good to take a break now and then? I find that if I take one day/week where I don't record my intake it really helps my frame of mind. That way I am still in control but can splurge occasionally. It helps your mindset that you are not deprived and can just enjoy for a while.

I know what you mean about not feeling as good though. When you eat right you just plain feel better. Good luck getting back on track!

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DDOORN 6/21/2011 10:49AM

    Great to hear that you're back in the Spark Swing of things! :-)

Don

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ONEKIDSMOM 6/21/2011 7:50AM

    Ah, yes... that big old lesson: man is not an island. We need our tools and our friends to keep us keepin' on. emoticon Good to see you! Keep on Sparking, my friend! emoticon

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