Keep Up.

Two little words with a whole lot of meaning.  You’ve heard people say them all your life.  Your parents would say “Keep up with your homework.”  Teachers would say “Keep up with the class.”  Your boss pokes his head into your cubicle and says “Keep up, we are on deadline.”

In this fast paced world, we are always trying to keep up.  We are stressed out from working sixteen hour days, driving the kids to school, cleaning the house, cooking the meals.  There never seems to be enough time to keep up.

Did you ever think that in order to keep up, you may need to slow down?  A radical concept?  Maybe.  But let’s look at the concept on a deeper level.  Instead of looking outward, let’s take a look inward.

Are we taking care of ourselves?  Are we keeping up our own health by exercising, eating healthy foods, finding quiet time (even it’s its just 10 minutes) each and every day to be alone and meditate?  Do we find the time to bring joy into our lives?  Do we connect with family and friends and go on little adventures, even if it’s simply relaxing over a cup of tea?

For many years, I used to be my own task master.  My day timer was scheduled from morning to night with tasks that I needed to do for others, neglecting the most important person – me.

Sometimes, I think God finally says enough and has to do something dramatic to wake us up.  We are put on this earth to be of service to others, but did you ever stop to think that being your true self is the key?  Each of us is unique and that uniqueness is what we bring to others.  But if we spend all our time doing things for others, neglecting ourselves, we lose sight of who we are.  Only by being quiet and taking time for ourselves and taking care of ourselves do we connect to our true nature.  By keeping up with ourselves, we can be more open to give to others in a meaningful way.

One thing I’ve come to notice is that when I take care of myself first, I find the peace and serenity to do more for others than I did in the past.  It’s a paradox, I know.  Yet it’s true.  So if you find yourself stress out, running from one event to the next, why not try keeping up with a little self-care.  You may find you’ll be happier for it.

Have a happy day

Posted: August 20th, 2008 under exercise, healthy eating, mindfulness, present moment.
Comments: 3

My body is in a state of pain.  I overdid or overstretched this past weekend while rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park.  My spirit knew no bounds as I hiked, scrambled around rocks and boulders and clung to stone with my fingertips.  And now, my body is in pain.

A pulled muscle in my back revealed itself on Monday.  Tuesday, the muscle began to spasm, causing my vocal cords to cry out in agony.  My body is in pain, but I am at peace.

I’ve spent the last several days moving arms and legs as slow as a Tai Chi master.  Lifting one foot, moving one arm, turning ever so slowly, placing weight on my feet, letting my thighs tighten until my torso balanced in an upright position.  The doctor gave me medication for the pain.  The drugs dull my senses and allow me to sleep.

But an amazing awareness has come over me.  Being present, my body is not in pain.  Yes, occasionally I experience a sharp knife jabbing my back, but the pain is not consent.  I am observing the pain as it comes and goes.

I am not my body.  I am not my emotions.  I am the observer. 

Posted: April 18th, 2008 under exercise, meditation, mindfulness, present moment.
Comments: 3

I took some time this morning to catch up on all my magazine reading.  The stack has been piling up since the first of the year.  Seeing the stack was a reminder that I haven’t been taking enough “me” time. 

As I breezed through the February issue of Yoga Journal, I came across an article “Create a Life You Love” by Nora Isaacs.  The article suggests ten ideas to help you reconnect with what truly makes you happy.  Among them she suggests: get energized about your future, plug into your spiritual self, let go of the old, serve others, honor your physical self, be daring, soothe your mind, notice your surroundings, create community, and  make a date with nature.

Ah.  For me, that pretty much sums up the changes that I’ve tried to make in my life over the last two years.  Let me tell you, changing your lifestyle isn’t for wimps.  One of the hardest changes for me was letting go of the old.  How often do we stay stuck in a job we don’t like, justifying our misery with one excuse after another?  Maybe we stay in a bad relationship because we’re too afraid to be alone?  Or maybe it’s just too hard to let go of bad habits: eating fattening foods, drinking alcohol, smoking, ignoring our body’s need for exercise.  I’m grateful that I didn’t have to deal with all the things I’d mentioned, but believe me, I had plenty on my plate.

Focusing on some of the other ideas the author mentioned in the article, like looking at my spiritual self, serving others, soothing my mind, being more aware of my surroundings, creating new communities of friends, and taking the time to be in nature have helped me refocus on who I truly am, and how I want to live my life.

How’s life treating you these days?  Are you happy?

Maybe it’s time to come up with a list of things we do each day to make us feel happy and more alive, then strive to do more of those things each day.  I’ll start with a few of my favorites: watch the sun rise, be aware of my breath through daily breathing exercises, be grateful, get a massage once a month, exercise, practice yoga, meditate, smile, create stained glass, write, tell my family and friends how much I love them.

What’s on your list?

Posted: March 7th, 2008 under Stained Glass, exercise, healthy eating, meditation, mindfulness, writing, yoga.
Comments: 5

Spring Equinox is March 20, 2008, but we are already seeing the signs of Spring in Southern California.  Redbud trees are sprouting their pink blossoms.  Wildflowers of the desert: verbena, lupine, desert lilies, popcorn flower, brown-eyed primrose, chicory, and desert dandelions are blooming in Anza Borrego State Park to the east.  This past weekend I enjoyed a wonderful hike through Torrey Pines State Reserve to see many of these flowers growing among coastal sage, chaparral, and torrey pines.

I remember planting bulbs in Illinois and watching the early tulips, crocus, grape hyacinth, and daffodil leaves peak through mulched leaves and spring snow.  Ah, the magnificent colors and scents of flowers.

If it’s still too cold in your area to observe spring blooms in nature, take a trip to your local garden store and pick up a potted bulb for your house.  In no time at all you’ll be looking forward to the Spring months right around the corner.

What is your favorite spring flower?

Posted: March 4th, 2008 under Stained Glass, exercise.
Comments: 4

I am a reformed Type-A personality, or at least that’s how I like to think of myself. I decided my Type-Aness needed an overhaul when I discovered I had heart disease (HD). I started with cardiac rehab, changing my lifestyle one tiny step at a time. Once I got the basics down - exercise, stress management, and healthy eating, I began asking myself, “Okay, now what?”Prior to HD, I was a retired academic. I was also writing a romantic suspense novel, the fourth novel actually, but who’s counting. After HD, my life consisted of walking, walking, walking; yoga, yoga, yoga, and cooking heart healthy meals. Then, I thought, it was time to get back into the real world. But what did that mean? Was I suppose to dust off that last revision, polish it some more and send it out to yet another editor and agent? Did I want to face the stress that went along with all the rejection letters I got in return? The answer seemed clear at first, yet as my health returned and I watched and listened to all my Type-A friends go about their daily lives, I felt there was still more I needed to do.So, I started rebuilding my life from scratch. In addition to exercise, yoga, and healthy eating, I took up an old hobby – creating stained glass windows. That was a wonderful addition to my life. I could stand at my table for hours, designing a window, cutting glass, framing it in lead, then cementing the window into a beautiful work of art. But as I continued, something nagged at me that there was still more I needed to do.So, I started blogging. Those who write a blog know that it can be a very time-consuming prospect. I’ve enjoyed writing about how I transformed my life and hearing others respond. Yet, something continued to nag at me. Is this what I’m suppose to be doing now?I enjoyed yoga so much, I became a yoga teacher. Working with others who are interested in finding peace with themselves through yoga is very rewarding. I’m now looking forward to expanding my teaching at different locations in the new year. But the question still lurked in the back of my mind. Is this what I’m suppose to be doing with my life?In addition to teaching yoga, I’ve become a spokesperson for WomenHeart and go around to different organizations and talk to women about heart disease. This too is very rewarding.Now, I look back at all the things going on in my life and I begin to wonder if I’m too scattered. Am I still that Type-A personality trying to do too many things?For the past week, I’ve pondered that question, and a few days ago I met with some friends. They, too, have had to rebuild their lives after heart disease. They, too, dabble in a variety of activities. So we’ve decided to call ourselves the dabblers. I’ve come to the conclusion that dabbling is a good thing. It gives me the opportunity to live a happy, balanced life instead of concentrating all my energy in one area and in many cases stressing out when everything didn’t go exactly as planned. So, yes, I am a reformed Type-A personality. I do the things I enjoy every day. I smile more than I have in years. I give to others, and it comes back to me ten-fold.Here’s to all the dabblers in this world.

Posted: November 30th, 2007 under Stained Glass, exercise, healthy eating, heart disease, present moment, yoga.
Comments: 1

I recently received an online newsletter from the American Heart Association with news about updated recommendations for exercise and fitness. The guidelines have changed.

“According to the latest joint American Heart Association/American College of Sports Medicine guidelines on physical activity, all healthy adults ages 18–65 should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days of the week. However, there are additional guidelines for older adults, ages 65 and older, or for those adults aged 50-64 with chronic conditions or physical functional limitations (e.g. arthritis) that affect movement ability or physical fitness.”

The newsletter links to several articles published in Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Basically, the guidelines state that importance of aerobic exercise, strength training, and staying flexible. If you need a little motivation to tie on your tennis shoes, raise a few pounds of hand weights, or engage in some yoga or tai chi to stay flexible, you may be interested in signing up for a free 12-week program sponsored by the AHA called Choose to Move. Check it out and start moving today.

Posted: September 26th, 2007 under exercise.
Comments: none

Hmmm. Have you ever worked really hard to change something in your life? Making a lifestyle change is never easy. So why is it so easy to fall back into your old habits?It’s interesting how the old habits sneak up on you. I’ve had several heart to heart talks with some of my old habits that seem to be in my face lately. I thought I’d write about them to see if they strike a cord with you too.Take the old junk food habit. No, I haven’t swung by the local drive-thru burger stand lately, but we recently bought a Costo-sized bag of salty trail mix. You know, the tasty kind with whole almonds, raisins and lots of M & Ms. The contents of the super-sized bag has been diminishing daily with a handful here and a handful there. If you add up the handfuls, they probably come to about 1-2 cups a day. I don’t even want to think about all the calories that adds up to. It’s certainly more than a single serving. So, what do I say to the half-eaten bag of trail mix? You are not my friend. Your salt content is miles over my daily limit. Even though studies have shown dark chocolate is good for people with heart disease, I’m afraid your milk chocolate M & Ms don’t count. Bye-bye trail mix, it’s in the trash for you.Next is the old “I think I’ll sleep in today” habit. Okay, some of you might argue with me about this one. We do need a good night’s rest. But I’ve worked really hard to establish an early morning meditation and yoga practice. I did this for several reasons: 1) I like the quiet time in the morning. 2) Starting the day talking with God seems to make the day go by more peacefully. 3) I feel virtuous about stretching in the morning. It lengthens my spine and makes me feel more flexible throughout the day. So, why do I forgo all these good practices for an extra hour of tossing and turning in bed, arguing with myself about whether I should get up and do my morning practice or stay in bed and snuggle under the covers? Old habits are just hard to break. So I try not to beat myself up over my lapse in judgment and make a vow to myself that I’m going to get up early the next day and do what I need to do. Funny, when I stay in bed for that extra rest, my day is filled with more aggravation.There’s one more old habit that sneaks up on me from time to time. The old habit of procrastination – especially when it comes to exercise. My life has changed a lot this past year. I’m now doing things I never in a million years thought of doing, but one thing is a constant. When I get involved in an activity, I jump in with both feet. I immerse myself to the exclusion of other things – like daily exercise. Only when my back starts to ache or my neck becomes stiff do I realize that – oops – I forgot to exercise today.But my life has changed to the point that I am more aware of my lapse in judgment about the food that I consume. I’m more aware of my early morning laziness. And, my body talks to me about needing to exercise and I listen. So, instead of feeling guilty about falling back into old habits, I’m grateful for the strides I’ve made in my life. I treat myself with kindness and compassion and remind myself of how much progress I’ve made toward living my life through my heart. Ahh. Life is good.If you’ve fallen back into old habits, be kind to yourself, don’t feel guilty about what you should have done. Instead, remind yourself that your human and get back on the path to health and wellness.

Posted: July 31st, 2007 under exercise, healthy eating.
Comments: none

Stability is extremely important for long term health. But what does stability mean in this context? If you think about your exercise or yoga practice, you might think about stability as being able to exercise without having chest pain. It may mean walking one block today if that is all that you can manage without worrying about how far you will be able to walk tomorrow. It means focusing in on your body and being gentle with yourself. If you practice yoga, it means stretching in a pose without adding too much stress to your joints and muscles. It doesn’t matter if can contort your body in an extreme pose. If you bend forward and can’t reach your toes, who cares. The fact that you stand tall, raise your hands over her head and bend at the waist, however far you can bend, is the important thing to remember.But stability for long term health goes beyond exercise. If you are suffering from some chronic condition, stability means taking your medication and living a healthy lifestyle to insure that your condition doesn’t get worse or managing to do all that you can to stay as healthy as possible.How does stability help us in other ways? What about inner stability? Ah. Getting off the emotional roller coaster of life and sailing along through life on an even keel. This is the hard part. Many of us go through life unable to find peace and tranquility. Our society seems to thwart us at every turn. There is no one path to achieve a sense of contentment. Some follow a particular religion, some move to the mountains and commune with nature, others find it after kicking and screaming through life until they’ve had a life threatening moment. Those individuals have literally and figuratively seen the light.I guess I’d put myself in the later category. My transformation, as I truly believe it was, happened more slowly. But one major tool I used to help achieve inner peace was my breath. Being conscious of my breathing, not just three or four times a day, but every moment. Noticing when I breathe deep from my abdomen vs. shallow from the top of my chest. When my breathing is deep and full, I have peace. When it’s shallow, adrenaline and stress are crawling up my spine. The sooner I am able to catch myself breathing shallowly, the easier it is to calm my breath.Self-expression also contributes to stability. When we find something that we are passionate about, we feel alive and energized. If we go through life doing only what we think we should do or what others tell us to do, we lose track of what is important.There are two books by Julie Cameron “The Artist’s Way” and “Walking In This World” that I found very helpful when I was trying to reconnect with my passion for writing. These are good books for those who are interested in journaling as a means to find inner peace. She has a “free-writing” exercise to do every day. Take 15-20 minutes and write on the page whatever is going through your mind. Consider it a brain dump, whether it’s your to do list for the day, your angst over your heart disease, or your problems with your children or spouse. Get it all out. After a few weeks of doing a daily brain dump, you may find that you write less about the stressful situations in your life and start focusing on your passion.These are just a few of my thoughts on how stability leads to long term health. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Posted: July 26th, 2007 under exercise, present moment.
Comments: none

After surgery or finding out you have heart disease, you may wake up one morning and say to yourself, “Enough already. I can’t take this anymore.” At this point, you may finally decide that it’s time to take matters into your own hands and DO SOMETHING to improve your life.That SOMETHING may take various forms. You might decide to walk every day; ride your bicycle; eat differently; meditate; or engage in other stress reducing activities such as Qi-gong, Tai-Chi, or yoga. Whatever that SOMETHING is, you have to establish a daily practice if you really want the change to be permanent.You can’t say to yourself, “Okay, I’m going on a diet until I reach 140 pounds.” If your eating habits have including high fat, high sugar or salt, and low fiber foods, you can hope that dieting until you reach a certain weight will solve all your problems - and they may in the short run when you’re eating more fruits and vegetables, and less french fries and burgers. But in the long run, you’ll need to change your thinking about what you’re putting into your mouth. You need to relearn healthy eating habits.The same hold true for stress reduction. You can’t say, “Okay, I’m going to attend yoga class twice a week.” Again, twice a week is better than nothing, but when you get out of your yoga class, stop for a minute and really feel your body. Is it relaxed, less stressed? How soon after your class does it take for you to get angry and tense? Do you feel the cortisol and adrenaline coursing through your veins the moment you walk into the front door of your home and your children are fighting and the television is blaring?I attended yoga classes twice a week six months before I had a heart attack - six months before I even had a clue that I had heart disease. Yes, I felt relaxed and less stressed after my classes, but I couldn’t sustain that peace and calm for long. Maybe I’d get a good night’s sleep after an evening yoga class, but the next morning, all the external pressures of my life seemed to close in on me and I’d be drowning in an overwhelming sensation of fear and anxiety.Once I began my Lifestyle Change Program, I felt better, but the twelve-week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 3 hour ritual still wasn’t enough for me to sustain a peaceful existence. During my rehab, I supplemented my program by changing what I did outside of rehab. Here are just a few of the additional things I did: read spiritual books; attended 2-3 additional yoga classes a week; stopped eating beef and pork; ate more fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish; walked around the neighborhood; journaled my thoughts; practiced calming visualizations; meditated every night before bed; and listened to calming music. I supplemented my rehab by doing several of these activities each and every day.I’ve read that it takes time to establish a change in your life, and I’ll be the first to admit I was changing several aspects of my life at the same time. After the twelve week rehab program, there was a short period of time that I felt a void in my life. For three months I’d been spending about twelve hours a week, including travel time, with a group of other like-minded individuals. Now, I was on my own. This was the test to see if I could sustain the changes I’d worked so hard to establish.I did manage to stay on my new path, but I had to make a few more minor adjustments in my daily schedule. I began attending Women Heart support group meetings. This allowed me the opportunity to stay connected with women who were managing their life without the support of a rehab program. I arranged to meet with some of the new friends I’d met during my rehab program. A group of us now meets for a potluck dinner once a month. It’s the perfect way to exchange new healthy recipes and catch up with everyone. In addition to surrounding myself with others who have heart disease, my life also started taking other directions. I renewed my interest in creating stained glass, and I intensified my yoga by developing a daily home practice.What does a daily home practice look like? It can be simple or complex, depending on the amount of time you have. I started my home practice by setting aside thirty minutes each morning, as soon as I wake up – before my shower, before my husband wakes up. This is a very quiet time in the house. I spend about fifteen minutes repeating a mantra and saying a prayer of gratitude for all that I have in my life. I found that focusing on the positive rather than negative aspects of my life made me happier. Then I spend about fifteen minutes in both static and flowing yoga poses. This helps stretch, lengthen and twist my spine so that I can move about my day without back pain. I keep it simple. If I set a goal to do much more than that, I’d get discouraged as soon as I’d miss a day of practice.So if you are looking to make a permanent change in your lifestyle, whatever that change might be, consider developing a daily practice. Embrace the change with your heart. Stick with it. Don’t give up. It may not happen as quickly as you’d like, but with perseverance, fortitude and faith in yourself, it will happen.What would you like to change in your life? Write it down and start today.

Posted: July 16th, 2007 under exercise, healthy eating, yoga.
Comments: none

Have you ever thought about the habits in your life? Each of us have a number of habits – some bad, some good - that we do each day. We might have a habit of smoking or eating junk food. We might swear when something goes wrong or blame others for problems in our life.I was thinking about the habits I have in my life and how they have changed since my heart attack. Some of them are simple, like thinking kindly of others, while others are more dramatic. It’s becoming aware of our current habits, committing to change, and sustaining those new practices that brings us to a better place in our lives. Here are some examples of how I transformed some of my bad habits into a more peaceful life.I remember getting together with my friends and spending the entire time complaining about all our problems. My mother is driving me crazy, my husband doesn’t understand me, the toilet overflowed today and made such a mess I had to call the plumber who charged me $200. On and on we complained, until we exhausted one another. It’s the little problems each day that pile on our stress until we just can’t take it anymore. When I used to reach that point, I would start yelling at everyone, then I’d slam the door to my bedroom and cry or sulk for awhile until I managed to get my emotions under control.Now, if I have a problem that I truly don’t know how to fix, I might ask a friend for some advice, but I try to focus on the positive aspects of my life instead of the negative. I try to accept the people in my life as they are instead of wishing they were different or trying to change their behaviors. I try to take a step back from a problem and see if the solution lies within my control. If it is, then I come up with possible solutions. If the problem is beyond my control, I try to remain calm, accept the situation, and deal with it as best I can.Eating habits can be a real challenge. I used to snack a lot, mostly in the evenings. My favorites were chocolate, ice cream, and cookies, but the snacking didn’t stop with sweets. I’d munch on potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, and salty nuts too. I didn’t entirely break the nighttime snacking habit. I genuinely get the munchies before bed. But now I eat healthier food like a small bowl of cheerios or a warm glass of milk. Did I cut out all the fatty and salty foods from my diet? To be honest, I’ll occasionally have a scoop of ice cream or a small piece of chocolate, but I found that I was able to train my taste buds to enjoy less fattening and less salty foods. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable. Now, I don’t miss the junk food.Exercise is another challenge many of us face. It is much easier to come up with an excuse about why we didn’t exercise than to actually get out there and walk, jog, or bike. I used to complain about being too tired to exercise. I never wanted to exercise by myself, so I’d blame my lack of exercise on other people: My husband didn’t have time to walk with me or my friend called to cancel our walk.Now, I do my exercise first thing in the morning. Sometimes my friends or husband join me, but if they don’t, I do it anyway. By exercising first thing in the morning, I can go about my day and not feel guilty about not doing what’s best to keep my heart and body strong.Spirituality. I always equated spirituality with religion, but I’ve come to realize they are two different things. If you follow a particular religion, you have a set of rules to follow. Religion always conjures up for me good vs. evil, right vs. wrong. I gave up practicing any formal religion when I was in my twenties. I grew up Catholic, but when my first marriage failed, the church seemed to fail me too.Spirituality, on the other hand, is an inner knowing. It’s a quality that every human possesses that connects the mind, body, & spirit. For me, spirituality is following my heart in whatever I do. It’s living my life with meaning and purpose, and being grateful for everything in my life.Have you taken a look at your own habits? The secret to changing your lifestyle is making small changes. Don’t look at your life and say, there are too many things I need to change. This will only get your frustrated. Think about just one habit you’d like to change, then take small steps each day to transform a bad habit into a good habit. Write down what you’d like to change. Put the paper some place where you see it every day. It takes time. It’s not easy. But, with an awareness and daily commitment, you can do it.Are you ready to make a change in your life?

Posted: July 7th, 2007 under exercise, healthy eating, present moment, yoga.
Comments: none