CREATION Health – SeasonedSistah

Week 6: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

Week 6: INTENTIONS

Thank you, Colleen, for hosting Mindful Monday – Healthy Living. I begin each week with the INTENTION to mindfully move outside of my comfort zone to explore healthy living options.

Week 5: 8 CREATION Health Principles

CHOICE

I made the CHOICE, several weeks ago, to Stop, Think, Observe and Proceed before acting. When I take time to STOP, I make healthier decisions in all areas of my life.

REST

For more than a year, I have fulfilled my INTENTION to get 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. I slept 11+hours on Sunday and Thursday night. Was this a healthy night’s sleep?

Seeking an answer, I went to WebMD, Sleep Disorders Health Center and read the “7 Myths About Sleep”

Here’s what I found out:

“MYTH: If you can get it, more sleep is always healthier.

“FACT: …Some studies have found that people who slept more than eight hours a night died younger than people who got between six and eight hours. What scientist don’t know yet: Whether sleeping longer causes poor health or is a symptom of it …. Long sleepers may suffer from problems such as sleep apnea, depression, or uncontrolled diabetes that makes them spend more time in bed.”

I believed the MYTH. Even though I am being treated with overnight oxygen for sleep apnea, I am not concerned about the FACT. If I begin to routinely sleep more than eight hours, I will check in with my pulmonologist.

ENVIRONMENT

I struggled through congestion and a cough that kept me housebound for most of the week, but I was able to connect with nature’s ENVIRONMENT. I looked at photos taken during past mindfulness walks through my neighborhood; and felt as though I was in the presence of nature.

ACTIVITY

I began the week taking care of a sick husband with a cold. Several days later, I came down with a cold. I wasn’t able to follow my normal weekly ACTIVITY routine; but, I was able to go upstairs to my relaxation room to exercise the:

body — physical therapy exercises, leg stretches, yoga belt and plank poses for 30 minutes x 3 days.; and
mind – mindfulness and meditation practices for 11-30 minutes x 7 days.

TRUST

This week, I went online looking for reading materials to address my SELF-TRUST issues. The one that drew my attention, “3 Ways to Develop Self-Trust,” written by Ms. Margaret Tartakovsky, M.S., Associate Editor, Word of Psychology who states:

“Everyone in your life has the potential of betraying you. They may leave. They may pass away. They may make a rude comment. They may cheat. They may lie. They may disappoint you in many different way. We can’t count on anybody 100%.”

To develop SELF-TRUST, Ms. Tartakovsky recommends:

Avoid people who undermine your SELF-TRUST.
Keep promises to yourself.
Speak kindly to yourself.

Having lived for more than 73 years, I have been hurt and abandoned by people who I loved and trusted. In most cases, it was short-lived and temporary. Other times permanent — Like my mother passing away, almost 48 years ago, I am just beginning to deal with the hurt and pain of that.

Also, I am still reading the book by Tara Brach, “True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart.” It is bringing me closer to understanding that SELF-TRUST will come when I am able to unconditionally love and nurture ME.

INTERPERSONAL

While building SELF-TRUST, I do not want to compromise developing strong INTERPERSONAL relationships.

Searching for guidance, I found this book written by Cynthia Lynn Wall, “The Courage to Trust: A Guide to Building Deep and Lasting Relationships.” She writes:

“The person you need to trust first is yourself. No one can be consistently supportive of you as you can learn to be. Being kind to yourself increases self-confidence and lessens your need for approval. Loving and caring for yourself not only increases SELF-TRUST, it also deepens your connection with others.

Inspired by this quote, I purchased the Kindle version and look forward to beginning this new learning experience.

OUTLOOK

Feeling under the weather and out of sorts this week with a cold, I tried to maintain a positive OUTLOOK.

For the entire week, I connected with The Meditation Podcast to uplift the mind and spirit. I was able to let go of the negative and embrace the positive by practicing the following meditations:

Power of Kindness
Emotional Clearing
Positive Thoughts
Peace
The Healing Smile

NUTRITION

Luckily, I found all the ingredients for this Turkey Vegetable Soup in the fridge and pantry,

Chicken Broth
Dry Onion Soup
Canned Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Frozen Mixed Vegetables
Frozen Okra
Turkey Legs

I dumped everything into the slow-cooker and ended up with enough soup to carry Hubby and I through the week. When I have a cold, a hot cup of soup makes everything better.

Week 4: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

INTENTIONS

I start Week 4 of Mindful Monday – Healthy Living with the INTENTION to, daily, embrace and follow the eight CREATION principles of living life to the fullest.

The 8 Principles – Week 3

CHOICE

Though still a work-in-progress, I feel good about the Mindful Choices made during the week.

REST

Six of seven nights were restful and met the good sleep hygiene standards of 7-8 hours. One sleepless night led to a pain flare-up the next day; and, I made a Mindful Choice to let go of DOING and spend the entire day BEING. In other words, DOING nothing and BEING still.

I was Mindful of Pacing my activities. Instead of, continuously, walking for 45 minutes on the treadmill, I put the machine on a 1-minute pause every 5-10 minutes to rest. stretch and breathe. I left the fitness center refreshed rather than exhausted.

ENVIRONMENT

I went on a MINDFUL 45-minute walk through my neighborhood. From time-to-time, I walked at a slower pace and paused to connect with nature’s beauty:

A Mindful Walk with Just ME and My Shadow

ACTIVITY

Exercised the body on six of the seven days for 45-60 minutes, I:

walked on the treadmill and/or glided on the elliptical machine for three days at the fitness center;
walked through my neighborhood one day; and
followed my early-morning exercise routine of leg stretches with the Yoga Belt, home physical therapy exercises, and/or plank poses.

I made the Mindful Choice to heed the advice of my massage therapist who is a practitioner of yoga and pilates. She encouraged me to do plank poses every other day and not daily to give my muscles a day of rest.

Mindfully, I made the Choice to uplift the mind and spirit, daily, with a 20-30 minute meditation practice.

TRUST

My INTENTION this week was building Self-Trust. I made the Mindful Choice to begin the 21-day Chopra meditation practice, “Become What You Believe.”

“to seek our true nature and discover our path to health and happiness. You will discover your soul’s purpose and create a life in which things are within reach.”

I am hopeful that as I grow in the belief of ME, Self-Trust will follow.

INTERPERSONAL

I love going to the car wash with Hubby. It gives me the opportunity to buy my favorite line of greeting cards.

This week, I thought about girlfriends that I have bonded with over the years. I made the Mindful Choice to send cards to three of them:

DJ, lives in Illinois. Girlfriends since the womb and we stay connected via telephone. I last saw her at my youngest daughter wedding in 1998.
VB, lives in Milwaukee. Girlfriends since 1996. We come together twice a year when I visit Wisconsin. In turn, she sets aside one day to spend with us during her annual Florida vacation.
JL lives in Wisconsin. Friends for many years and Girlfriends for the past five. We connect regularly via social media and always get together when I visit Wisconsin.

OUTLOOK

I re-affirm a positive attitude by reading motivational and inspirational quotes. I share uplifting words via social media. Both serve to improve my OUTLOOK on life.

NUTRITION

I made the Mindful Choices to:

Snack on pistachio nuts and kosher dill pickles as opposed to a 220 calorie piece of cake.

Read the nutritional label on this container of coleslaw before putting it on my dinner plate.

Grateful for making the Mindful Choice to change the way I live my life to improve the quality of my life!!!

Week 2: Mindful Monday – Healthy Living

First, thanks to SilverThreading for hosting Mindful Monday – Healthy Living.

Second, I met most of my Week 2 Intentions, which were to live life to the fullest by following the eight CREATION Health principles.

Third, this is how my week went.

CHOICE

Making the CHOICE to BE STILL and BREATHE before REACTING throughout the day. I did just that and experienced less stress, doubt and conflict during the week.

REST

Sleeping through the night is healthy. I went to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. and arose between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Seven to eight hours of sleep is good sleep hygiene according to the National Sleep Foundation. I, also, paced my activities during the day and stopped to rest and breathe, if for no more than five minutes.

ENVIRONMENT

Being in the presence of nature brings happiness and peace into my space. I did not fulfill my Intention to visit a local park or botanical garden. However, I spent time on our lanai, which backs up to a conservation area. Sitting, in silence , I enjoyed the beauty of the lush green trees and my self-created Healing Container Garden.

ACTIVITY

Beginning the day with a 20-30 minute Mindfulness/Meditation practice is how I choose to set the course for the rest of the day. Building upon this foundation, four times a week, I did thirty minutes of either home physical therapy exercises or YouTube yoga practices as well as three plank poses for five minutes – two for two minutes and one for one minute. Walked the treadmill and glided on the precor machines at my fitness center for forty minutes, three times per week. This completed my exercise routine.

TRUST

Holding on to anger and frustration exacerbates stress. For several months, Hubby ignored repeated requests to hang four pictures in my meditation room. I relied on Trust. Married to this man for more than fifty-five years: I know he is reliable, good, honest, and, most of all a loving and caring husband. At 74-years-old, he has earned the right to move at his own pace. After all, I am an independent SeasonedSistah capable of doing many things and Trust that I will be able to hang pictures. If not, I have the number to a handyman service.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Going beyond self and opening up to improve INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS is healthy. So, I reached out and connected, by phone, with a long-time friend, attended a photography class at the local senior center, and signed up to attend a Breast Cancer support group meeting in February.

OUTLOOK

Expressing thankfulness opens the door to a positive OUTLOOK. Daily, I expressed gratitude, verbally as well as in writing, for the five things I was grateful for in my Gratitude Journal.

NUTRITION

Moving away from traditional soul food and toward healthier food options makes sense. However, my southern heritage and African-American roots keeps me tied to these traditional dishes. Fulfilling my INTENTION, I went to one of my cookbooks and prepared three healthy soul food dishes:

Field Peas with Okra
Cabbage
Southern Corn Bread

Field peas with okra and cabbage are traditionally cooked with ham hocks, bacon salt pork or a ham bone. Several years ago, in pursuit of a healthier option, I replaced the pork with smoked turkey. Hubby and I enjoyed the vegetarian versions of these dishes and enjoyed a healthy and tasty Sunday soul food dinner.