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De-stress with Flighting

September 19, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Our bodies are incredible.

They adapt and adjust to what we give them… To a point.

Stress, when built up and chronic, leaves us tired, sick, and overweight.

The next time you feel stressed out- whether it’s from your own thoughts, or from what’s going on in your life, try this quick de-stressor.  Get your heart beating.

Grab a jump rope, find a flight of stairs and climb them,  hit the open road with your sneakers on, turn on your favorite song and dance.

Anything that makes your heart beat a little faster and makes you breath a little harder.  These are both great ways to use up those chemicals that your body produces in response to stress.  When they get used up- or metabolized- they are no longer available to go mess with other systems in your body.  The stress response can also be recognized as ‘fight or flight’, and since most of our life stressors do not require us to fight for our lives, use that ‘flight’ energy by getting your heart pumping, and your blood moving.  Five minutes can do the trick, but the real benefits come when you take the time to add at least 15 minutes or more.

Happy ‘flighting’

Filed Under: How-to, Monday Moment, Stress 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: , ,

Why more of this is NOT a good thing…

September 6, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

It’s everywhere.

We can’t escape it.

The amount of information that bombards us, promises us what we want, shocks us into reading more of it…

So right now, this moment,

Take a break.

Take a breath.

Put down the information- whatever form you are consuming it in.  And walk away.

Get in nature.  Dive in the ocean, sink  your hands into the earth, wiggle your toes in the sand or the dirt or the air above you. Turn on music and move your body to the beat. Bite into a sweet, juicy strawberry.

Get out of your head and into your senses.  Allow your thoughts to be what they are, and immerse yourself in the only reality that exists right now- saturate your senses with feeling alive.

There will never be a shortage of information.

If you miss it this round, (contrary to what they may tell you), if it’s good, it will come back around.  If it’s not worth hearing, than better not to waste your time with it.

Experience this moment.  Savor the juicy richness of what surrounds you.  Explore your world for what is alive in it.   Notice what feelings this inspires in you.  Is it joy, awe, love, peace, or something else?

It can take just a minute or two, but it can alter the course of your day.

Release the overwhelm and Enjoy!

Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, Energy, How-to, Inspiration, Mind, Monday Moment, Well-being Tagged With: , , ,

It’s always with you, and yet…

August 15, 2011 By Kalia Leave a Comment

When was the last time you took a breath?

Not the quick, get-ready-for-the-next-thing kind of breath,

but the slow, deep inhale,

Your shoulders drop

Your belly softens

You feel yourself washed over with relief- an actual chemical shift within your body-

that slows your racing heart,

sweetens the corners of your mind,

and gently uncurls the petals of your heart.

That’s my kind of breath.

Try it for yourself now, just for a moment, feel as if there is no to-do list, no one needing anything from you, nowhere you need to get to.

For this one moment, it’s just you and your breath, dancing together.

Filed Under: Energy, How-to, Inspiration, Mind, Monday Moment, Stress, Well-being Tagged With: , , , ,

How your body whispers

August 8, 2011 By Kalia 1 Comment

We all get complacent.

We go along our way, pushing ourselves, doing more, taking care of business, when suddenly, bam, seemingly out of the blue, our body demands that we STOP!

7 days ago, maybe it was just a hint of being tired, the faintest fogginess in the brain.

3 days ago, perhaps we woke up with a kink in our back, the pep in our step nowhere to be found.

We pushed through those signals, convinced that if we could just get through the next week, the next to-do list, the next mountain of paper or laundry or dishes…

But no, our body screams to us. When we didn’t listen to the whisper 7 days ago, or the yell 3 days ago, our body decided to get out the bullhorn and make sure we stop and listen.  Your screaming body may have symptoms all it’s own, but sometimes it’s a cold or a flu, perhaps a crippling headache or an impossible kink in your back or neck.

You know your bodies’ scream, we all do.

We just need to learn a little more about the way it whispers, or even how it yells.

My body whispers with a pinch between my shoulder blades, a slight tightness in my neck.  I also notice it gets harder to sleep at night, and I burp more, (sorry, TMI – my digestion has a voice too ; )

I’m certainly still learning this one.  When I feel healthy, I feel invincible, and when somethings not right, when my body is screaming at me, the only thing I can think about is how much I want to feel better.  “I’ll never take my health for granted” I think to myself… and then I feel better, the memory of my screaming body slowly fades.

“One who has health has a thousand wishes, one who does not, has but ONE ” ~ Anonymous

Do you know your bodies’ whisper?  I would love to know what it is- Will you share it below?

Make a list, right now, of how your body tells your things are OFF, that you need to tweak your habits, small choice by small choice.

And then notice when those things come up for you.

Listen to your body.  Sounds simple, but it sure isn’t always easy!

Filed Under: Action, Energy, health, How-to, Learning, Stress, 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: , ,

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: , , , , ,

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: , , , , ,

Creating support

March 21, 2008 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Here’s a great way to stay on track with your goals.  Create solid support from others.  Find  a coach, friend or mentor who will help you stay on track and provide encouragement along the way.

  • Set up a weekly walk with a group of friends.
  • Commit to meeting a friend at a yoga class or for a surf.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Action, fitness, get in shape, happiness, health, How-to, Inspiration, Laughter, Stress, wellness Tagged With: , ,