You are yours to create. The best way for you, to do everything there is, is the way you discover for yourself. A copy can never be so good as the original. So you get to begin each day on this amazing journey, of becoming your own original.
Read moreHow To Listen To Your Body: a 6 Minute Mindfulness Meditation
No more excuses - All you need to be Mindful is 6 minutes of your time.
According to new research mindfulness can sharpen a person’s ability to recognize internal cues that signal hunger and fullness.
In a 2016 study, researchers taught people a short body scan meditation that primes them to become more aware of their own body. They found that practicing mindfulness and specifically paying mindful attention to body sensations is related to a more constant body weight in a sample of the general population.
Try out the above guided meditation, courtesy of Time.com and Nick Velkov, to see what it’s like.
(It's on my phone and I listen to it on commutes, in waiting rooms, in bed before sleep).
If you like being calm, you'll like this post on The 5 Lesser-Boring, NATURAL Ways To Deal With Your Anxiety, Right This Minute!
HEALTH and HAPPINESS: fake it till you make it
image from wbpgrandpoobah.tumbler
Apparently there's no diff between pretending to be happy and actually being genuinely happy.
Read moreDay dreaming for dumbos -- Careful what you don't wish for.
Our thoughts are constantly trying to express themselves in our lives.
What we think ,we attract. Or become attracted to. Simples. You know this. I know this. Oprah knows this. But sometimes we forget it. We forget to be crystal clear about our intentions. We get sloppy, or maybe scared. But probaby just sloppy.
Fact is: we can use mental imagery to direct our actions and our life towards getting more of what we want and less of what we don't want. No biggy.
So, do you have a visualization practise?
Jim Carrey does. In the early 1990’s as a struggling actor he wrote himself a check for $10 million for “acting services rendered”, dated for 1994. Then Dumb and Dumber happened and Jim got paid exactly $10 million for playing Lloyed Christmas. Today he continually credits his success to constant visulaization -- using mental imagery to create clear visions of what you want in your life.
Jim's not the only not-so-dumb daydreamer. Everyone and their uncle are doing it. Say what you may about Oprah Whinfree, but while the rest of us were getting our preparation plans ready Oprah pulled herself up from poverty and became one of the wealthiest women in the world. She knows for sure that we should:
“ Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.”
I mean. Amen, right? But who here is actually doing this on the regular?
We've heard it since forever. We know that our thoughts are powerful creative forces. We know that we gravitate towards the shit we think about the most. We get it. But do we use it?
We do train our cardio vascular system to be stronger and last longer. We work out and stretch so that our bodies will keep working for us. We have savings accounts and pensions and wills; we window shop for houses and procrastinate like PROS . Honestly, “One day” is going to be the longest, weirdest day ever.
How can we communicate even better with our minds? How can we lift the ceiling of what we subconsciously tell ourselves is possible? How do we get the most out of all this wishing and waiting white noise?
With images. Clear, vivid, visuals.
There's always a picture pulling your actions in a very specific direction. You may as well think ahead and make it an image you actively, deliberately designed. And colored and signed.
The power of visualisation is real. By imagining yourself already having achieved your goals, you allow your thoughts and actions to follow suit, effortlessly. It's like magic but not.
Mental imagery and affirmations are used by athletes, celebrities, leaders and everyday dudes like us to focus in and mentally rehearse. Thoughts stimulate the nervous system in the same way that actual events do. Makes sense. The coaches of Olympic Athletes can tell you why. In the meantime, ...
Here's some help with a lil 10 minute visualisation exercise:
Get a pen and paper or have someone que you on the following questions and write down what you come up with. Take your time. Get super comfy and shift your attention from the outside buzz to the chill within. (granted, now might not be the best time to do this, in which case check in again later. I'll be here. Peace)
- Rest your attention on nothing but your breathing for a few deep inhales and loooong exhales. Now, pull up an imaginary picture of yourself. Any image. JUST IMAGINE YOU. If you need to put some time to it, picture yourself in like 2 years time. Avoid any and all limits here --financial, physical, mental, historical, geographical. This is really a World and Oyster situation. Don't cramp your style. Take the time. Get a nice ideal, romantisized image of yourself, anywhere.
Then elaborate. Start describing it:
· what can you see all around you? List everything you see. What does it feel like to be you in that image? If you're content, how come? Why are you so chill?
· What kind of people are in your life? What do they look like? Confident, comfortable, peaceful? Or how? What are they doing? What do they value ? How do they make you feel? What do they do to support you? What do you do to support you?
· What are your hobbies? What gets you to jump out of bed with excitement? How do you care for others? How do you take care of yourself? By doing what?
· In this ideal vision of you, how do others see you? Your friends and family and the wider community - how are you viewed by others? What do people appreciate or admire about you? When people introduce you professionally what do they say? What’s your bio? Write it. Write out your DREAM BIO.
· What do you do for 'work'? What do your days look like? Draw out the plan of your IDEAL 'work' day. From dusk till dawn, draw it out. Pin it, see it, save it. Keep it. Like Jim Carrey's check. And check it regularly.
Clarifying your intentions. Be detailed and deliberate about where you're heading.
You will get what you wish for. Tony Robbins says it:
“Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.”
Namastè genies. Go create your highest vision.
And wear sunscreen for goodness sake.
7 URBAN HEALTH HACKS: How to live clean in the dirty city
An idiot's survival guide for staying mostly whole in the concrete jungle.
Everyone want's a piece of the Big Apple but the (tamed) elephant in the room is that gotham city ain't exactly your latest pristine-aired blue zone.
If slow-paced living off the land in a secluded alpine forrest is your jam, then don't get off at this stop. Research suggests that urbanites are more likely to develop asthma, allergies, and mood- or sleep disorders than their rural counterparts. The neon-lit brighter side, however is that compared to the country kids, us city dwellers are at a lower risk of becoming obese, committing suicide, or dying of a car accident (wait what?!) and we're likely to have a better quality of life when we're old. Bingo!
Until then, we're happy to take our kale-juice-to-go with a side of smog.
If you, like me, are valcro-strapped to the beating pulse of world's best ever city but also give a shit about your health, then namastay-right here, I've got your back.
7 anti-urban health hacks to bullet-proof your knackered body and overstimulated mind:
1. Go ape-shit on antioxidants.
It's hardly a newsflash that the city air on our skin and lungs is densely polluted, and our food and water supply is laden with hidden toxins.
Your allies against these grossly harmful chemicals are free-radical busting antioxidants, found most abundantly in: fresh berries, green tea, black coffee, red wine, walnuts, pecans, dark chocolate, dried apples/plums/apricots, curly kale, chillies, prunes, herbs and spices especially dried ground clove, dried mint leaves, garlic and thyme. (I know what you're thinking and the answer is No, getting drunk on Petite Sirah and binge-eating Lindt 80% cacao is not the solution to your toxic environment)
2. Spring clean your sleep hygiene.
Let's be real, we SUCK at sleep. Between uninterrupted noise pollution, lack of black-out darkness and consequent insufficient melatonin, LED exposure from our smart devices, late nights out, over-consumption of coffee and booze, and the never-ending anxiety dialogue going on in our heads, proper sleep don't stand a chance! The latest research on the harmful effects of sleep shortage on our physical and mental health is alarming ;) It's time to wake-up and get disciplined about bedtime. For real.
3. Forage for your gut flora.
There are 10 times more bacteria in your intestines than there are cells in your entire body! And you can't live without them. But stress, sugar and drugs (Aspirin, Advil, Antibiotics) are crowding them out. These friendly germs you host do everything from food break-down, vitamin synthesis, toxin elimination to immune system regulation. So if you want fewer allergies and infections, clearer skin, better digestion, and apparently even a leaner bod then feed your flora already.
Their favourites are fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, kefir, kombucha. Also increase soluble fibre (ever heard of inulin or butyrate?) in foods like Jerusalem artichoke, butter (opt for grass-fed or ghee), garlic, lentils. And consider speaking to your health practitioner about a good quality, high-strain probiotic supplement.
4. Drop it like it's hot.
Back in the day we used to dance around fires to the sick beat of a hyde-drum every night. Now we binge-watch Broad City alone on the couch. Go dancing. Often. Shake your tail feather like your health depends on it. Because it does.
5. Hunt stillness.
The flood of emerging research on the far-reaching benefits of mediation is astounding. Mindfulness-based stress reduction is finally going mainstream and if you could do with a little less depression, more creativity, concentration and compassion, a lower risk of heart disease and a better memory, then step on the brakes for just 5 minutes a day and train your mind to shut the f*ck up. Try an App like Headspace to get you stated. Or just shut your eyes and focus your attention on the movement of your stomach as you in- and exhale.
5. Eat leaves.
Just eat more green leaves. Don't make me tell you again why. They neutralise the acidity and toxicity in our bodies. Add seaweed to the mix - it's an even better detoxifier. Get creative with your greens. Try bok choy and wild egyptian curly kale (that's not a thing but you get my drift. Experiment.)
6. Get your park on
A 25-minute walk in a city park is all it takes to recover from urban attention fatigue. Scottish scientists found that when city rat- racers stroll into green leafy parks, their thoughts become attentive, expansive and meditative as their brain waves patterns relax
7. When life gives you lemons from the farmer's market, make lemonade and drink it on the subway and at work.
Get a big glass bottle and chuck 3 slices of lemons and water in it. Drink from it throughout the day. The urban liver is a hard-working, thirsty liver. Give it detoxifying lemon water (the potent stuff is in th peal so chuck it all in there). Your skin will thank you too.