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The Simplest Thing

October 10, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

I think it’s a result of our ‘want it all right now’ mentality.

We believe our actions must be extreme and all-encompassing to make a difference.

We forget that in each moment we have a choice.

We choose what we eat, what we drink.

We choose to move or to rest.

We choose our thoughts, whether we realize we are making a choice or not.

So forget the dramatic cleanse for now; don’t worry about the extreme diet, or radical exercise plan.

Focus on the choice that is before you right now.

Decide on one simple choice you can make today that will make you feel clearer, more joyful, and more vibrant.  You could start with adding more water, going to sleep earlier, choosing look for the good in your life, or listening to what your body is telling you.

If you want to get clearer about your choices, and have fun exploring and designing your path to more energy, less stress, and a more engaging,  joy-filled  life, check out Mind Body Booty Camp- It starts next week!

Filed Under: Energy, How-to, joy, Monday Moment, wellness Tagged With: , ,

How to know when it’s time to shake it up

September 7, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

There you are, going about your routine.

You’ve got it down, run for 20 minutes, stretch, eat something…

It’s all gotten routine, and it’s been a while now.  The honeymoon is over, as they say.

Our bodies are incredible, adaptive organisms, that have a way of getting used to what we throw them.  Sometimes, it’s  a good thing, we can handle less sleep when we have newborns, because, to a certain extent, we get used to not sleeping.  Not that we could go on forever like that, but we do adapt.

However, we also adapt to a routine.  Our muscles stop being challenged when we do the same thing all the time.  We slip into auto-pilot when there is no variation to what we are doing.  Even practicing gratitude can become ineffective if it just becomes a mindless thing that we ‘check off our list’ at the end of the day.

So what’s a girl to do?

I say SHAKE IT UP!!

If you workout in a flat place; find a hill, add more intensity, stop every 5 minutes and do push ups or sit ups or jumping jacks.  If gratitude is something you do every day, change the way you do it- go outside, express your gratitude with a picture or a symbol, rather than writing it down.   You could also include some other positivity boosting exercises, such as tapping into your sense of awe and wonder, or searching out ways to laugh more.

If what you are doing feels dull and ineffective, even if those things are ‘good for you’, find a way to shake it up, add some spice and sizzle.  You will feel more alive, more inspired, and more likely to continue doing fabulous things for your mind, body and spirit.

Filed Under: Action, fitness, Get results, happiness, health, How-to, Inspiration Tagged With: , ,

Do you have energy for your life?

August 31, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Are you living your life the way you really want to live it?  Are enjoying a level of health and Joy that makes you smile?  If you have more inside of you than you are now capable of sharing; what are you waiting for?

We had a death in our family this week, and it got me thinking- as deaths often do.

Am I really sharing the gifts that I have to offer?  Am I filling myself up, so that I am able to be a model for my children, a source of inspiration and light to my friends and family?  There are certainly places where I am, and places I know I could do better.

Sometimes, I think I have to hold it all myself.  That somehow, I will be able to shoulder everyone’s burdens, and make it better.  But I recognize, when I do that for too long, my energy fails, my light dims.  So I am taking a deep breath, filling myself back up, and excited to share some new offerings in the next couple of weeks.  Keep your eyes out, we can all fill ourselves up together.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Filed Under: Energy, happiness, health, Well-being, wellness Tagged With: , ,

Comparison or Inspiration?

August 1, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

So maybe you’ve noticed that comparing yourself to others drains you.  You go to an amazing party, your host is off the charts.  She’s got the house clean, the food is incredible, the guests fascinating, and on and on… Maybe you leave wondering why you can’t quite ‘get there’ yourself.  Perhaps you beat yourself up because your ______(insert here: party, house, life experience, kids, etc) seems somehow ‘less than’.

How does that comparison make you feel?

Last week I wrote a post about connecting with that moment, with that feeling.  Becoming aware of having the feeling of not being enough is the first step.  Then, rather than stuffing it down, covering it with ice cream, the latest episode of desperate housewives, or punishing yourself with a barrage of insults; just notice the feeling.

And then make a decision.

If comparing yourself to others who are smarter, prettier, thinner, richer, better in whatever way is not making you feel fabulous, then STOP.  Make a choice, in that moment, to see every woman as unique.  The set of challenges you have will be different from hers.  She shines in a totally unique way- and guess what?  SO DO YOU!

So here’s a thought.  When you notice yourself feeling bad about your abilities compared to someone else, use that as a sign that you are ready to discover your own unique skills.  We all have our own strengths, those parts of us that light us up from the inside.  Maybe you are skilled at making people laugh, perhaps organizing is your thing, or maybe you are the hostess with the mostest, and it is easy and fun for you to throw great parties.

Crazy amounts of research has been done on how important learning your strengths and discovering how to use them makes you happier and fills your life with meaning.

There are many tools you can use to discover your strengths, I walk my clients through this when we work together, but a simple way to start is to ask the people closest to you.  I know, it may be a bit uncomfortable to ask your nearest and dearest to tell you the ways in which you amaze them, but I can tell you from experience, it’s also an incredible way to learn your strengths, and give them the gift of telling you how important you are to them- It’s a win-win.

So, in that moment of choice, between comparison and inspiration, which will you choose?

I’ve got Love of Learning, Humor, and Gratitude as toppers in my list- What are your strengths?  Share them below if you dare to go there…

Filed Under: Curiosity, Energy, happiness, How-to, Inspiration, Stress Tagged With: , ,

How do you re-fuel yourself?

June 23, 2011 By Kalia 4 Comments

Are you busy taking care of everyone else this Summer, it is important to remember to take care of yourself as well.  I remembered this the other day as I was trying to squeeze in 10 more things before picking my kids up from camp, finish writing an article, respond to emails,  and put that last load of laundry in.  As I looked ahead at the rest of my day, I could see there would be no time to do anything for myself.  So, I let go of the details, and went for a quick run, 20 minutes, tops.  WOW!  It reminded me what a quick blast of exercise does for my body and my mind. I felt great, and was a much better mom and wife, at least for the rest of that day.

That said, I know that getting physical exercise invigorates me, and it also calms me- smooths down any ruffled feathers.  You may have something else that does it for you. Each of us is different in what we need to re-fuel ourselves.

In case you need an invitation, I would like to offer to each of you the gift of self-care.  It does not need to be complicated or time-consuming.  It is much more important that you do it consistently.  The list below is a place for you to springboard from- start your own list of what does it for you.  Be sure to include items for all time frames.

Kalia’s List:
1) Go for a short run or walk.(10-20 minutes).
2) Lengthen my spine and take deep breaths into my belly, (the beauty of this is that you can do it while driving, standing in line…(1-2 minutes))
3) Take a moment to savor beautiful colors, textures, tastes, or sounds.(1-2 mins)
4) Dive into the ocean for a surf or a swim, (30-45 minutes)
5) Connect with a friend for a walk or a cup of tea, (20 minutes- 2 hours)

I hope this list has gotten your wheels turning.  The next step is to choose one thing from the list every day this Summer, (see now why having those 2 minute options are a must?!)

The trick is to not put taking care of yourself off until tomorrow -  Giving to yourself daily allows you to show up the way you want to.  If you can do one nice thing for yourself every day, you will be well on your way to sailing through the Summer feeling energized and ready for anything!

What’s on your list? Post below your ‘must-dos’ that keep you fueled.

Filed Under: Action, Energy, health, How-to, Inspiration, Stress, Well-being Tagged With: , , ,

Savoring

June 26, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

This month we will look at the practice of mindfulness.  Last month’s 3 mindful alignments is a wonderful place to start.

Let’s  explore another simple way to foster mindfulness.

Savoring:  We savor the moment when we attune to our senses.  We allow all of our attention to go toward the sounds of the birds singing, the smell of the blooming gardenias, or the crisp, juicy texture and flavor of the first watermelon of the season.

In these acts of savoring, we allow another opportunity to be in the present moment, and expanding our capacity to do so.

Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, gratitude, How-to, Learning, Mind, Stress Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reach Beyond

June 7, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

What is ‘Reach Beyond’?   Reach Beyond is an invitation to go further than that place of settling, for any part of your life that is not leading you towards your best health.  Maybe it shows up in your energy level, the amount of patience you have with your loved ones, the way you carry your body, or perhaps the fit of your jeans.  In each moment, each choice, we have the capacity within us to reach beyond.  One way of doing so is to notice those moments, catching the precise breath when the choice is made.  The first step is being able to be aware of those moments when they happen.

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Filed Under: Action, Energy, happiness, Inspiration, Mind Tagged With: , , , , ,

Finding this moment

May 25, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Here are two practices for bringing your body back into balance after a stressful moment (or moments)

  1. Take time (even 10 minutes) to go for a walk.  Move your body, get your circulation going, clearing your mind of stressful thoughts and lingering stress hormones that keep you out of balance.
  2. When you are sitting at your desk, or in your car, or otherwise unable to head out for a walk, try these three moves (adapted from Healht Acton, Inc)
Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, Energy, health, Inspiration, Learning, Stress Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mindfulness

May 7, 2009 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Everyone I speak to lately seems to be living with a lot of intensity in their lives.  Whether it is too much exposure to sensational media, or the intensity of day-to-day life, we are all living with heightened levels of stress.

Our bodies are programmed to handle brief periods of stress.  Hormones such as cortisol are released by our bodies as part of our ‘fight or flight’ response, and when the stress is occasional, our body is perfectly equipped to bring itself

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Filed Under: Energy, health, How-to, Learning, Mind, Stress Tagged With: , ,

Sisterhood

March 2, 2008 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Happy Entrance into Spring!  Haven’t just returned from a trip to the snow, I am more acutely aware of what this season means, having seen the sweet new leaves beginning to emerge out of snow-covered earth.  This is a wonderful time to renew your connection with that powerful vision of what you want for your health and well-being.

“The self  is made, not given.  It is a creative and active process of attending a life

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Filed Under: fitness, get in shape, happiness, health, Inspiration, joy, Laughter, Learning Tagged With: , , ,