Magic May - Love note to curvy running sisters

Remember to be kind to yourself!!!  You are perfect the way you are - that doesn't mean you may not change and grow but NEVER underestimate how wonderful and important and perfect you are!!!

I love you!! Have a magical day and a magical May!!

10 Happiness Habits

Happiness really is a choice and even though it doesn't always seem like it, it is in our grasp at every moment.

Here are some things to try when you are not feeling happy:

1. Smile - the act of smiling produces physical changes in your body that automatically improve your mood even if it is a fake smile.
2. Laugh - yes, laugh for no reason.  I love laughter yoga which is basically that - laughing for no reason!  And just for the record, fake laughter helps you as much as real laughter.  I have usually found that my fake laughs quickly turn into real laughs!
3. Read an uplifting book - the topic is personal to you because it needs to be something that makes you feel happy, hopeful, inspired, loved, etc.
4. Write in a journal - getting your thoughts on paper has been shown to be very healing on all levels.
5. Help someone else - helping people and being of service provides us with a feeling that can not be matched.
6. Write or think about what you have to be grateful for - this may seem obvious or if you are really down, you may have to work at this.  It can be that you are alive; that we have running water and electricity and indoor plumbing; that you can walk, think, talk, hear, see; that you have someone you love or that loves you; that you have food to eat; that you have a roof over your head; or, that you have a means to read this.
7. Exercise - get moving.  Even going for a simple walk will improve your mood.
8. Go out in nature - Being in nature has a way of grounding us and improving our mood.  It doesn't matter if it is the beach, the mountains, or a city park, it will help.  Take in your surroundings and feel your mood improve.
9. Meditate - If quieting your mind seems impossible, try a guided imagery type of meditation.  There are so many different ways to meditate and you can find the one that works for you. Just spend some quiet time with a simple focus.
10. Pray - If you don't feel comfortable with praying to God - think of it as asking your highest self to answer your prayers.  It can also be angels, saints, ancestors, whomever you feel comfortable to call on for assistance.  Studies have shown that prayer works.

I invite you to incorporate these into your daily life and let me know what results you notice.  You will start to feel happier.  I am certain of it.

Join the Healthy Living Challenge for May 2014

During the month of May, I would like to invite you to join me on a healthy living challenge.  I'll send email and post the tips here.  There will also be a closed Facebook group to support you during the month.  I welcome feedback since everyone is starting at different levels in this challenge.  For some of you, many of the suggestions will not be challenging but I'm hoping you'll join anyway and it will serve as a nice reminder of the importance of healthy living and loving self-care!

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Forgiveness: The Other F-word

The funny thing about forgiveness is that we often think it's about the other person or situation. Sometimes we also don't want to do it because we know we are right and they are wrong!  The fact is, that's irrelevant to forgiving.  Right and wrong don't come into play with forgiveness. As Louise Hay says, "Forgiveness opens our hearts to self-love."  It in turn opens us up to joy and success.  

Forgiveness doesn't mean the other person was right or justified or that their behavior is acceptable and should be condoned.  Forgiveness is about letting go of the anger and the resentment which live inside you.  It's like the old saying that resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die.  It doesn't work that way - you are the one affected and resentment and unforgiveness eat away at you every day whether you realize it or not.  They take away your joy and your life.  

The past is over and it only exists now in our minds.  Yet we let it keep tormenting us on a daily basis.  It's time to let go.  It's time to forgive everyone who has done anything to hurt you.  You can start by just affirming, "I am willing to forgive _________."  It also sometimes helps to remember that no one hurts another person if they aren't hurting inside.  While that doesn't make it right, perhaps we can have understanding and compassion.  

It's also important to forgive ourselves. Sometimes we feel bad because we yelled at someone or we didn't do something we said we were going to do.  It happens, it's part of being human.  We need to let it go.  We need to forgive ourselves and love ourselves unconditionally. When possible, it's great to apologize if we feel bad about something or to make it up to someone if we can.  But either way, you must forgive yourself.  When we feel bad about anything, we are more likely to do things that make us feel bad again.  

Your assignment today is to think of someone who you need to forgive and start the process.  Remember, this is about you, not them.  They don't necessarily even need to know you are forgiving them.  If the situation is such that you want to tell them and that will help you and not cause any issues then by all means you can.  The most important part of the exercise is to forgive.  Feel what you need to feel about person and the situation and then let it go.  It's important that we acknowledge our feelings.  Allow them because they are important but then release them so you can move on and live freely.

As always, I welcome your feedback and would love to hear about your successes and challenges with forgiveness.  It is a wonderful teacher if we are open to its lessons!

February - Focus on Love and the Heart

Okay - so my focus for this month is going to be love and the heart.  I'll share some heart healthy nutrition, focus on self-love, and loving your life and everything in it.

The first and most important type of love I want to focus on is self-love.  Not in the egotistical way people often think of self-love.  In fact, when we are vein and talk about ourselves constantly, it usually means we are actually lacking in self-esteem, self-love, and self-confidence.  Because of that we often "brag" in order to get recognition.  Who doesn't want recognition?  We all do but when we don't give it to ourselves along with love, we focus on getting it from the outside and anyone who will give it to us.

So, for the month of February, I challenge myself and each one of you to make a daily commit of self-love and recognition through a mirror exercise.  I want you to look yourself in the eyes every time you pass a mirror and say, "I love you, ________, I really, really love you.  I appreciate all you do and I accept you exactly as you are right now!" (Insert your name where the blank is.)

If you are in a private location, say it aloud. If you are in a public restroom, you can absolutely say it to yourself since I may get a lot of funny looks.  :)  If you want to still say it out loud you can use that as a conversation starter and teach others the importance of loving themselves.  When we all are completely full of love, there will be no aggression toward ourselves or others.  When we recognize that we are all connected and all more similar than we are different, we will find peace and compassion.  We all have feelings and emotions, we all crave love and recognition, we all have positive and negative experiences that affect us - we are all here living life on this planet and experiencing many of the same types of things although the specifics may be different.

The second part of the challenge is before bed go to the mirror and tell yourself aloud how much you appreciate all the things you did well during that day. It could be anything.  If you are having a particularly bad day, it may simply be that you got yourself out of bed and went to work.  Nothing is too small to acknowledge.  If you made a healthy selection of food or drink, if you acknowledged someone else and made them feel good.  If you got your kids to school on time.  It doesn't matter what it is - only focus on the good.  And finish up by saying, "I love you, ___________, and I really appreciate you.  I forgive you for all the things you feel need forgiving.  I forgive you for not giving yourself enough credit.  I forgive everyone who doesn't recognize what you do.  I love you!!  You are amazing.  I really, really love you!!"

Try this for the month - please tell me how you feel.  Do you notice any differences?  You may even want to journal about this so you see the difference.  Can you look yourself in the eyes when you say these loving words to yourself? Do you want to cry?  Do you notice a shift?  Please do share.  This can be transformational if you commit to it.

This month know that you are loved.  And focus on feeling the love from others put most importantly from yourself.  I love you!!  Namaste!!