Wellness – Page 2 – Well Fit Ways

November 10, 2022

USING SELF-CARE FOR WEIGHT LOSS AS WE AGE…

We all know how difficult maintaining our weight can be, especially after menopause, and particularly during the holidays. We think, ‘Oh, I’ll watch what I eat before the holidays so I can just eat and drink whatever I want during the holidays!” But, does that ever really work? Usually not, because what happens before the holidays?…we meet up with friends and family we maybe haven’t seen since last year, go to extra parties; where, what do we do, but eat, drink and be merry! Oh, and don’t forget holiday baking. All this starts after Halloween, because now we are getting ready for Thanksgiving (those of you who are from the US), and then there are all the holidays after that.

What can we do to STOP THE MADNESS???

Well, bare with me…But, have you ever tried using self-care to help maintain, decrease, or yes, even increase your weight? By going back to my definition of self-care meaning to spend time on yourself, to do what you want and need to do to improve your overall well-being, this would definitely make sense.

What do we do when we are not happy with our weight? We bully and badger ourselves into a horrible place; now, feeling guilty for eating that bowl of ice cream or having that second margarita. Does that really help you feel better, bullying yourself, sabotaging your health, your weight? It doesn’t. It just pushes us back and makes you want to eat more! We start that yo-yo dieting that we lose weight, and regain, lose weight, and regain, over and over and over again. That, ladies is not healthy for our bodies.

Why not try a couple different new things. Like, we need to stop the fight with ourselves. We go on one diet, then another, then another. It doesn’t work because that is not what our bodies want…more pressure! Instead, try sitting with the pressure. Remember, the more we resist something, the more it persists. That is a fact! If we sit with it and just show compassion and love to that side of us, we will be able to forgive ourselves and let it go. The more you just let go of that pressure of “I can’t eat this. I can’t eat that…” or, “I can’t believe I’m such an idiot and just ate that!” “I’m such a loser!” Bullying yourself is just not going to get you anywhere. In fact, it’s going to just make you feel worse, which is going to make you want to eat more. Instead, just sit and tell yourself, “you know what, it’s okay that I messed up. The next thing I’m going to eat will be something healthy.” Or, just don’t even worry about the next thing you eat. Just forgive yourself and let go of the anger, the pressure. See what happens.

By just sitting with those self-sabotaging thoughts and just allowing them and really feeling them and let them BE, instead of pushing them away can really make a difference. Sounds crazy, I know. But, it works. If you stop the fight and stop fighting with yourself, you can let go and release that pressure. Maybe you are eating for a reason, a deeper reason. What is or are those reasons? If you sit quietly and just meditate for even 10 minutes or so each day, you might just figure it out. Did you suffer with weight issues growing up and/or get bullied or were not allowed to eat what you wanted? Did something happen to you that you emotionally started to eat to calm yourself, to love yourself, to feel safe? There probably are reasons. I used to be a stress eater. Anytime I got stressed, I went to my bag of Cheetos, and I usually ate the whole bag! It wasn’t until I realized the ‘WHY’ I was eating that I was able to stop. If there are deeper issues, seek professional help to find out what that is. It may change other areas in your life, also.

Here are some self-care techniques you can do also. Just remember, don’t pressure yourself. Try not making it a punishment but something great for you and your body, for your health. Make it fun.

Self-care techniques to help your eating habits:

Don’t bully and self-sabotage your eating. If you mess up, it’s ok. You are only human.
Meditate, sit in quiet and ask, “Why do I have weight issues?”
Use EFT/Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) to calm your nervous system and release old beliefs about eating.
Drink eight, 8-oz glasses of water (at least) daily. When you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first before eating something. Many times we are dehydrated and we feel hungry, but it is our body craving water. This will fill you up for a while.
Try to substitute something healthy into your diet instead of an unhealthy food. Eat more fruits, grains and vegetables.
Cut back or delete sugar, white flour, dairy and pop completely from your diet and watch what happens….
Exercise. Even if its going for a 15-minute walk a day, use stairs instead of elevators, do sit-to-stands a couple times a day (this is where you go to sit down in a chair, but just graze your bottom on the seat and stand back up. You can help using your arms to push up from the arm rests if it is difficult for you, or cross your arms over your chest if it is easy. Try 5 – 10 and increase as able.

By starting with these self-care techniques to change your eating habits, you will start to see changes in your habits and weight. However, it may be slow, and that is okay. You don’t want that quick weight loss, because it almost, if not always comes back and sometimes it does with a vengeance. Make it more about the health and not the fight. Remember, make it fun. It’s not pressure, make it self-care, showing love to yourself. You Deserve It!

November 1, 2022

10 Benefits of Guided Meditation

First, what exactly is guided meditation? In guided meditation, you are being “guided” by someone else. You listen to them guiding you into a state of relaxation through breaking exercises or mantras or using specific mental imagery. Whereas, meditation, is done by yourself. Just you, sitting and going into a meditative state.

There are many types of meditations out there, so finding one that really resonates with you shouldn’t be difficult. However, I am just going over guided meditation in this post.

“It’s estimated that over 200-500 million people meditate worldwide, according to disturbmenot.com meditation.

“Meditation improves anxiety levels 60% of the time.”
“Meditation can reduce the wake time of people with insomnia by 50%, according to mindfulness meditation stats.”

There are many benefits of practicing meditation, either guided or unguided. The benefits are largely the same, according to guidedmeditationframework.com. However, according to The Mayo Clinic, “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional wellbeing and our overall health.” It also helps you to relax and to cope and manage stress.

Meditation allows you to help clear away all the clutter and baggage that we hold onto on a daily basis, that contributes to our stress. Meditation gives us this outlet to release all this pent-up ‘yuck!’

Here are some emotional and physical benefits, according to The Mayo Clinic:

Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations.
Building skills to manage your stress.
Increasing self-awareness.
Focusing on the present.
Reducing negative emotions.
Increasing imagination and creativity.
Increasing patience and tolerance.
Lowering resting heart rate.
Lowering resting blood pressure.
Improving sleep quality.

As you can see, those are all pretty intense benefits, making meditation definitely worth your while to start. Even if you start 10 minutes a day and build up, you will notice the difference in these areas above.

When we add meditation onto our self-care list of loving acts, we are showing ourselves self-love. All of these benefits decrease inflammation in our bodies, improving our health, improving our coping skills, allowing us to look at situations in a better light, with more unconditional love and patience.

With that being said, the Mayo Clinic states that “some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:”

Anxiety
Asthma
Cancer
Chronic pain
Depression
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Irritable bowel syndrome
Sleep problems
Tension headaches

I can speak for 3 of those. I used meditation (and continue to) during my cancer journey of finding out about the diagnosis, the fears, etc., along with the insomnia and tension headaches. It improved my sleep and decreased my headaches because it allowed me to let go of much of the fear I had about my cancer. It allowed me to be calmer, more relaxed and look at the whole situation in a different light. And, it still continues to. I was able to look into my heart and see what was really at the heart of my breast cancer and work to release the old thoughts, beliefs and patterns.

I wanted to add this audio guided meditation. To be honest, it is the first one that I have done for others. So, sit back or lie down and turn off your notifications, your phone, tv, etc. and give yourself this time…YOU ARE WORTH IT!

October 10, 2022October 9, 2022

Self-Care 101: It’s Time to Relax When You Don’t Have The Time For It

Are you feeling stressed? What a silly question, yet we hear it often. Are you ever NOT stressed is probably the better question. Life today seems to be constantly filled with stress. Now, we all know there is good stress and bad stress, but it seems like we have to dig a little to find the good stress. Self-Care 101…When you are feeling overwhelmed and feel like you don’t have time to relax, is exactly the time you need to relax and totally DE-STRESS. Between Covid, war, hurricanes, global warming, the world is definitely more stressed.

Not that that is okay, because it is definitely not, but because of increased stress we need to pay closer attention to HOW we are acting and/or reacting to it. If we are reacting to the stress that is all around us, including our daily life stressors with family, kids/grandkids, jobs, retirement, financial stressors, it can get pretty scary. Every which way we turn, there is stress.

The world isn’t changing, so we need to. We need to look deep into ourselves and see how we react to this stress. Are we holding it inside, thinking about it constantly, or are we taking it in and maybe making some life changes to ourselves and the situations that we can make changes to.

According to a poll taken by The American Institute of Stress, “The stress and mental health statistics of US are worsening, mostly due to a bundle reasons of COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.” Just a few statistics here, “81% of Americans who participated in the poll were stressed out due to Supply Chain issues, 87% Americans are stressed due to rising inflation in the country, up from59% in August 2021 and 58% in June 2021, and 65% of Americans responded that they were stressed about money and the economy.”

People are going to alcohol and food to calm their stress. There are so many extra stressors these days. Some people feel we are doomed, that this is our life now…STRESS! Yes, we do have more stress, but why is it so important to learn to manage stress?

When we are stressed, our body goes into the “fight-or-flight” or stress response. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, amongst other hormones, which get your body ready to handle whatever danger is coming at you. Your heart starts pounding faster, your blood pressure raises, you tighten your muscles and quicken your breath, and then your senses become more intense, sharper. When you are constantly stressed, your body is also constantly in the fight-or-flight response. Being in this state for periods of time causes inflammation in your body, which causes illness. This is one very important reason to start managing your stress.

Next, comes, “I don’t have time to add something to my day!” I know. I definitely get it. However, when you start feeling like you don’t have any time to relax, that is THE time to start managing your stress and to take time out to RELAX! Feeling overwhelmed with everything you need to do is your body telling you it is time to take a break, a much-needed one for your health and well-being. Listen to your body. Just stop for 5 minutes and take 3-5 deep belly breaths, from your pelvis and exhale with a sigh, or even a scream to let out all that stressful energy. Just even doing that will make you feel a little better. It may take some of the heaviness out of your chest.

Try some of these steps to start managing your stress before it manages you!

The first thing I like to do is to write down everything that comes to mind that is stressing me. Things will come up, probably more than you even realized. Look at this list. Right off, is there anything that can be deleted off the list that you don’t even need to do? Then, prioritize everything. What needs to be done first or most, down to what can be either delegated to someone else or can be checked on maybe once or twice a week, and forget about it?
Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. When we are sleeping our body (and mind) is repairing itself and healing.
Eat healthier. Are your drinking 8 glasses of water per day? Is it healthy, filtered water? Are your eating your veggies, fruits and grains as much as you should be?
Exercise. Take at least 15-30 minutes to take a brisk walk. It is amazing how that can make you feel so much better and it also can help with opening you up to creativity. Or, do at least 15-20 sit-to-stand exercises. To do these, stand about a foots-length away from a chair, cross your hands over your chest (you can even hold a weight if you want), and basically do a squat, just barely hitting your bottom on the chair and stand up. Do this and it can de-stress you.
Breathe. Breathing exercises can instantly help relax you and allow you to see things in a more positive light, allowing ease in making better decisions/choices. To do this, sit in a comfortable position with both feet flat on the floor, back straight and shoulders relaxed and down. Close your eyes and you can place both hands over your heart and take 3-5 deep belly breaths all the way from your pelvis. To do this, imagine a balloon in your pelvis and when you inhale, the balloon inflates and when you exhale the balloon deflates. You can do this for as long as it takes for you to relax. Try to calm your mind while doing this.
Prioritize the things that are stressing you. What can you take care of easily and what can you just forget about or delegate to someone to take care of, and learn how to say “NO.”
Don’t sweat the small stuff. When we get in stress mode, it is all we think about, which then makes the stress even worse. What you resist, persists. Learn what things you need to just let go of, those small, annoying little stressors that just bug the crap out of you…let them go.
Do something you really enjoy like hanging out with the family and do game night or hang out with friends and have a girls night out, maybe. Or, pick up a great book that allows your mind to go where you are reading. Or, do something else that relaxes you, like crochet, gardening, boxing, or scream into a pillow. That can be very fun!

Try these 8 ways to start managing stress. Just try one at a time. If it doesn’t work for you go on to the next. Whatever you do, don’t just keep focusing on the stress and not do anything about it. It is not good for you mentally or physically. You got this…one little step at a time.

May 3, 2022May 4, 2022

SELF-CARE FOR BREAST CANCER

Self-care for breast cancer is great to do if you already have breast cancer, are in remission, are cured, or want to be proactive in not getting it. There are so many steps you can take to take better care of yourself and, especially, take time for yourself. As women, we really don’t take the time for ourselves. We take the time for everyone else, but oftentimes, takes time away from us. Well, it’s time we stop that! It’s time to take action and focus on YOU! Think of how often we stop what we are doing because someone needs us, or we forgive them for something they did because we feel bad….How often do we do this for ourselves? Not often! We are usually so much harder on ourselves, especially with forgiving ourselves, than we ever are with our family and friends.

I want you to think about what self-care means to you. It could mean pampering yourself and getting your nails or hair done, maybe a massage, going out with the girls, reading a book, taking a bubble bath, or shopping. And, that is correct. However, self-care comprises so much more. Self-care means stopping and giving yourself even 5 minutes of quiet to just “Be.” It means taking time to breathe, smell the roses, spend time out in nature, being mindful, participating in meditation, yoga, exercise, doing deep breathing exercises, Tai Chi, QiGong, and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique/Tapping), along with many other things you could think of.

Once you think about what self-care is to you, now think about how often you do self-care…are you consistent with it or is it something you do once a year, a month…? When you are dealing with breast cancer or any type of condition or illness, you need to start taking care of yourself. Take time to breathe, meditate, exercise, eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids, keep up with your appointments, etc.

The first thing I want you to do is to go somewhere quiet where you won’t be bothered for about 15 minutes. Close your eyes, sit in a comfy chair with your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Take 10 deep belly breaths (diaphragmatic breaths), all the way down from your pelvis, breathing in through your nose, then out through your mouth, even giving a sighing sound, letting the energy move.

Now, sit in the quiet and continue slow, deep belly breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth, and start at the top of your head and go through your body and just feel what you feel. Is your head pounding, are your jaws clenched and tight or sore, separate your lips a little and relax your jaw. Keep going down… is there any tension in your neck or shoulders? If so, take another deep breath and when you exhale, sigh louder and relax your neck and let your shoulders drop, then feel that release. How does your chest feel, your arms, your back, your abdomen, pelvis, your hips, your buttocks, your upper legs, knees, lower legs to your ankles, your feet? Go through your whole body and just feel. As you hit upon some sensation of tension, heaviness, pain whatever you may be feeling, just stop there for a little while and breathe. What emotion seems to be tied to this feeling? If there was a color or size, what would it be? Is it smooth, round, bumpy? Try to give it as much identification as you can. Then, tell yourself, “It’s okay, it’s okay to be having these feelings.” Let your little self (the inner child) know that you are there, and everything will be ok, and it is ok to feel what you are feeling.” This is important because many times we toss emotions aside like they aren’t important, but they are. If we don’t acknowledge them and let them go, they stay inside and cause problems, like illness, self-sabotage, fear, anger, etc. So, let yourself know that it is ok too. Have the feelings you are having. Then, just continue to breathe into the area you are having these feelings. Imagine that area is doing the breathing and focusing on it. As you start becoming more aware and focusing on this area, the pain, tension, and heaviness will go away. Sometimes, it is pretty quick, and other times it may take longer and you may have to go back to it several times. So, that it a BIG self-care gift to give yourself.

I had you think about self-care activities that maybe you do. If you don’t do self-care, what would you like to do? I gave you some examples. For (breast) cancer, or chronic illness, you want something you would really enjoy, maybe something relaxing and calming, or maybe you are looking for something a little energetic.

The most important ones for illness to me have been the deep breathing, which I try to do for about 20 minutes once a day, but do it often for about 5-10 breaths throughout the day. Then, I do meditation, which has been found to be great for cancer and other illnesses because you relax your body, giving it time to heal. Another big thing I do is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, or “Tapping”), which has been amazing for me. I do it at least twice a day, in the morning when I get up and at night before bed. You tap on meridian points, and by doing this, it relaxes your nervous system. Sooooo wonderful! It’s like getting acupuncture without the needles!! Oh, and every night when I go to bed, I do my nightly tapping then I put on some healing meditation music and just relax to that. It helps you to go to sleep faster. I am also now dabbling in energy healing, and as I get better, I will do some of that.

Those are my daily favorites, but there are many others that I do. I love to crochet because it relaxes me. Plus, there have been A LOT of babies lately, and the blankets are great gifts! We also bike, hike, kayak, and take long, fast-paced walks, which is so invigorating. You don’t have to walk fast, I just like to get the extra health benefits out of that. Reading is very relaxing. I always have about 2-4 books being read at the same time.

With my breast cancer, I have been staying away from sugars, white flour, and dairy, but I do “cheat” once in a while, just to live a little. So, a couple of nights a week, I allow myself a glass of red wine, which is wonderful, when you don’t have it often. You really appreciate a nice glass of wine once in a while. I’ve also enjoyed doing research on what foods are good for me to eat and which are horrible for me. Also, how to live a “cleaner” life, staying away from chemicals in my hair and on my skin, cleaning products, etc. I am really learning a lot, but it’s been fun, too.

One thing that is very important to remember, don’t get stuck in a rut. If you are too fatigued to meet up with friends, have one or two come over. Who cares what you look like!! The more you push yourself to do things, the better you will feel. You need to keep up with friends and family, be social! It is very important. Your friends and family may be your support system, and you want to keep them close. Go to a friend’s and watch a funny movie or talk about old times when you did some crazy things you really don’t want others to know about!! HA!

Take up playing the piano or keyboard, or guitar. That is frustrating at first, but then relaxing. Write down everything you always wanted to do. Even if you can’t do it now, I’m sure there may be a way that you can modify it so that you still can do it, but on a different level. At times, you just have to push yourself.

Don’t let yourself get into a depressed rut, either. You want to keep yourself positive. A positive mindset is very important to recovery. Try to find a positive in your illness. I know that sounds crazy, but, if anything, maybe it is teaching you that there may be things you need to release and let go of. Maybe, some of you will not find any positives, and I’m sorry. I understand how illness feels. There are so many things that happen to us in our lifetimes that may have hurt us and we didn’t even realize that it stayed with us and caused so many problems. But, it happens. I’m not saying that caused your cancer, but I am a true believer that it is to teach us something and to allow us to let go of things that no longer serve us. Again, this may not be the case for everyone. But, dig deep and see if there is something. If anything, sit and do the breathing, relaxing your shoulders, your forehead, and just feel and BE. Don’t judge anything. Just let it come up and acknowledge it, letting it just be there for a while, letting yourself know…it’s OKAY TO FEEL WHAT YOU ARE FEELING!

If you are interested in learning more and/or want to work with me 1:1 visit my website at: