Lifestyle, Minute Movement Philosophies, Nutrition
I have long struggled with my weight. Regardless of how much exercise I do it’s a challenge for me but there are big things coming up for our family so I really want to see some improvement. So the past two weeks, our family has been on a very strict diet (kind of a sugar detox). We based our eating plan on the 10-Day Detox Diet by Dr Mark Hyman, MD but with a few alterations here and there.
One cool thing with Dr Hyman’s book is the daily reflections and journaling prompts. While I wrote in my journal one of the nights it occurred to me that I was treating junk food and sweets as if they were a necessary part of my diet instead of keeping them in their proper place. So I jotted this in the corner ‘Treat, treats as treats … Not a food group’.
Does anyone else treat treats like a food group?
I won’t anymore!
Mental Health, Quality of Life, Spiritual Health
You may have noticed by now that I am really interested in human behavior. Especially how we can be closer to the people who are important to us. Of course, good health is one of the ways that we can be closer, simply being alive and able to interact is (obviously) important and that’s why I write for Minute Movement. But there are other things that we can do to foster intimacy in our personal relationships.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this article since I read it last week. It showcases a recent study in Australia that appears to show that physical and emotional closeness with a loved one can reduce situational stress.
Before you get too excited, remember that the study only explored the subject within the context of the Mother-Daughter relationship, so it’s not safe to assume that the results can be expected with other relationships.
BUT
The researchers concluded that having ‘a strong relationship with a loved one can help ease stress when placed in difficult situations’, in essence, these family pairs were sharing the emotional load of one another (conversely, ‘individuals function at a relative deficit when they are farther away from people they trust’). Isn’t that amazing?
The Mother/Daughter groups rated the level of closeness in their relationship prior to the girls giving a speech while the researchers tracked their level of stress. The stress levels that the daughters experienced during the speech was reduced when their mothers held their hands – regardless of how they had rated their relationship. The girls whose mothers did not hold their hands but reported a close relationship with their mothers also experienced less stress than the girls who spoke alone and didn’t feel close to their mothers.
So there you go – cultivate your relationships – the benefits are immeasurable and it’s a fantastic way to …
Make Your Minutes Matter!
PS – I picked the colors in the graphic above because they are my daughter’s favorites. 🙂
Lifestyle, Make Your Minutes Matter!, Mental Health, Quality of Life
My migraines are in full force this week and I am in complete survival mode. That means taking care of myself, getting a LOT of sleep, and cutting my tasks list to the bare necessities. It doesn’t help that this is also one of the three busiest times of the year (Christmas-time and late spring wrap up that tricky trinity). So I can’t stop thinking about ways to be more efficient (and less crazy)!
So this week, just in case any other Minute Movers are feeling overwhelmed I will share a few articles that I’ve recently found helpful; the first of which is by Christy Wright (speaker, writer, and coach whose articles I often find via Dave Ramsey’s Facebook page). In ‘Do Less to Live More’, Christy addresses the harmful nature of hurrying and why we should instead appreciate and USE any pockets of free time that occur in our schedule – as free time. Be sure to read her article, it’s great. I’ve been taking her advice and feeling so much more relaxed because of it!
What about you? Do you try to cram one more thing into every window of opportunity, or do you take a minute to regroup when you find yourself with a little free time?
Mental Health
This weekend, Aaron and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. At this stage of our lives ‘celebrating our anniversary’ often means carving out an hour or so for a quiet meal and a drive in between activities and this year was no different. Our son, Zak officially became an Eagle Scout today and the last few weeks, particularly the last few days have been marked by frenzied activity.
After all of the festivities ran down and we had a moment to rest, Aaron and I spent that dinner and drive talking about what we want our marriage to look like next year and in the next 18 years. I think it’s important to live intentionally – to continue to keep a finger on the pulse of all aspects of your life. In the past couple of years, we’ve allowed ourselves to ‘get too busy’ to be intentional about some things but I think we’re on the right track now and the conversation is ongoing.
Today wasn’t particularly romantic. But as we sat together, listening to our son give his acceptance speech this afternoon I knew that there was no where I’d rather be and no person I’d rather be living this life with.
Are there aspects of your life that you need to reevaluate? Take a few minutes today and do just that.
Make Your Minutes Matter!
PS – Obviously another thing that needs to change is the fact that we seldom take photos together! This is the only good shot I could find and it was a few years ago – although it’s still a favorite of mine. 🙂 So go take a picture with your honey for goodness sake!
Nutrition, Quality of Life, Science
I’ve never been a fan of weight-loss supplementation. I don’t know if my body just reacts to medications differently but whenever I’ve tried the latest magic pill I have felt awful.
I honestly believe that any time we attempt to skip the natural order of things – whether our intention is to get rich quick or lose weight fast – we’re setting ourselves up for trouble. In the case of weight-loss supplements, that trouble can be things like liver failure, muscle breakdown, and kidney problems -some supplements can also exacerbate existing health issues like high blood pressure or heart disease.
According to this article in the San Diego Tribune “None of these products has been adequately studied, and any or all might be harmful”… they “are promoted as safe and effective, but they are rarely either … they are almost universally ineffective.”
The very best way look and feel our best is to take care of ourselves. Eat real food, drink plenty of water, practice moderation and move more. So instead of reaching for a pill bottle – do a Minute Movement – you can do anything for a minute!
Make Your Minutes Matter!
