Take Charge of Your Health: Friday #mindbodyweek
TGI to the F!
I made it through my week-long challenge. And not only did I make it, I actually accomplished every single goal I set for myself which honestly took me by surprise.
This morning I had every intention of driving to Mums group instead of walking (I knew you guys would understand if I bailed) but you know what- I walked! Thirty minutes, both ways, and massively uphill on the way home. I thought it would be the perfect blow-out for my aching legs (from squats) but I may have made the situation worse- in a good way of course.
Usually when I’m out walking, I have a
thousand thoughts running through my head. Today I did not pick up my phone once to jot down notes, add to my to-do list or put things in my calendar. I just walked (and snapped a few pics.) If I had to guess why, I think it's because I have given myself a variety of outlets over the week: exercise, counseling, talking to friends and even meditating.
It's so completely unusual to be walking around feeling sane, and centered. Wow. I dig it.
Upon getting home, I sat down to write my final post, planning to give myself a nice pat on the back when I realized I had one more thing to do. Meditation. Rachael Able recommended this free guided meditation series on youtube and I promised her (and myself) that I would check it out.
The first video I watched was “Who are the Honest Guys?”
(video) and I must admit that when I heard the first words, “You are amazing,
you are unique and you matter,” I was like oh bring on the cheeeeese but then
the sentence finished, “- we’re here to help you see that.” Right-o. Maybe I rolled my eyes at the first few words
because I don’t necessarily see how my amazing, uniqueness actually matters to
anyone but my family- and that’s mainly because I keep them fed.
There are a lot of videos in this series, all free, some are
like 8 hours long so you can play them while you work, study or even
sleep. That’s pretty cool I guess.
I scanned for a short one because I really wanted to do the
meditation and finish up my post before Lavinia woke up from her nap (great
mindset to start a meditation right? Ha.)
I stumbled upon Mindfulness, a guided 10 minute meditation.
Sounded good to me. I pressed play and watched the beautiful images of water
and clouds drift before me. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to close my eyes or
watch the video, so I closed my eyes. And meditated.
Yup, I drank the kool-aid and even watched another video
about improving self-image and self esteem. The videos themselves can seem slightly OTT but if you concentrate on message and keep an open mind it
can be really helpful and relaxing.
I didn’t like these meditations as much as I liked the Headspace App (but only the first ten of those are free) This Honest Guys channel is a decent library to fall back on. That’s my first impression
anyway, admittedly I’m just curious enough to try some more.
So that was my week. It took a lot of time and effort but the return was more than worth it. I've uncrowded my mind, boosted my metabolism and best of all I don't have to drag myself out of bed or feel that horrible 3:00PM crash.
The thing which amazes me most is each day this week I woke up before Lavinia. Did I mention I'm not a morning person? I can never wake up without an alarm (that I set early specifically so I can snooze it several times) or screaming toddler. I would almost go out on a limb and say I woke up feeling refreshed. It's been a long, long time since I felt that way.
I really hope to keep this up. Each change of season (quarter) I plan on doing a #mindbodyweek although I accomplished a lot with this first one, there is still room for improvement (ie: less iPhone and TV at night.)
Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself, you deserve the effort. One week. One thing every day for your health. You'll feel like a new person by Friday for reals!
Here's a little playlist I made called Motivation: It's short but full of a few of my current favorite tracks guaranteed to make you move your booty. Maybe it will inspire some ideas for your own #mindbodyweek best wishes!
What did you do for your health today?
Labels: #mindbodyweek, Family, Fitness, health
posted by Unknown @ 3:50 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Oh wowwwww, you did GREAT!!! I love that you were able to have a calmer mind during your walk. Wow, that's huge!
I actually started with the Headspace app, too! I did it up until I had to pay and just tried to learn what and how to do it.
Yeah, with The Honest Guys, you have to get past the CHEESE. Lol. I enjoy the music and they make me feel really good and uplifted. I have tried a lot of videos on YouTube, but haven't been able to find anyone who focuses on quality of audio and things like that like The Honest Guys do.
That's something else I need to get back into. I feel better when I'm taking a break to relax my mind, for sure. I've got that mile a minute thing happening again and it doesn't feel too great.
Congrats on your super successful #mindbodyweek!!!! You did great. I love that you're going to do this every quarter. :) I can't wait to read how you continue to challenge yourself. xooxoxoxxoxoxo
Well thank you Rachael for inspiring me in the first place. I feel this wonderful sense of accomplishment right now. Going forward I hope I can at least maintain some of these things and be able to continue to feel energized. And hey, if I slack, I'll have to make the next one even harder! xoxoxo
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