The Health and Life Mixing Bowl

Rising to the Occasion

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me."
- Jim Valvano

I am usually the one to put up the holiday outdoor lights.  This year, as part of my "downsizing the holidays" plan, I decided to forgo the lights, but I was too chicken to tell my family.  Would I have the guts to tell them?  Well, I did, after which there was a decision that my husband and daughter would put up the lights instead. 

Yikes!!!  Do what? 

"And this year we are going all out with color!"  My stomach began to turn. 

I was the holiday light master!  Nobody can do it like me!  I can't leave them to this task!  But then, my little coaching angel tapped me on the shoulder and shared some coaching wisdom:

...Everything will be fine!  I bet they will come up with something really creative, besides, you don't have to do it this year, and isn't that what you wanted?  Just sit back and relax...

So I listened and the weekend came when it was time to put up the lights. While they began their planning and hustle and bustle, I remained busy with other things while curiously watching from the corner of my eye.  I lost count, but they probably ran to the store about three times, buying lights, returning lights, buying more lights....   

I refrained from asking all the questions that I normally would have:

"Do you have enough lights?" 

"Have you thought about how to distribute them evenly?" 

"What about extension cords?" 

Talk about self-management.

About 4:00 PM, I decided to take a walk.  At the end of my stroll, shortly after dusk, I approached the front of my home and was greeted by the prettiest little tree displaying a brilliant array of chunky holiday lights that reminded me of my childhood.  What a wonderful little gift!  It just goes to show what people are capable of when we hold them naturally, creative, resourceful and whole.  They rise to the occasion each time.

A Resounding "No" to Pantyhose: Real Clothes for the Really Active

I always tell people that the worst thing about working from home is forgetting how to apply makeup and put on a pair of pantyhose.  I am so glad those days are over!  As an entrepreneur, SAHM, and domestic goddess, my days are very full.  From working on my business, coaching clients, and attending casual business meetings to driving my daughter around town, attending school events, and taking the dog out, I am constantly on the go.  Did I mention running errands and hitting the gym? The bottom-line is that I need clothes that can keep up with me.  Prerequisite:  They must be cute.  What is an active entrepreneur to do?  Here are my favorite places to shop for activewear that is trendy, comfortable, and multi-functional: 

Title Nine

Patagonia

Lucy

REI

Athleta

Gaiam

Urban Outfitters

Sahalie

Sierra Trading Post

Shaktia Activewear

Nike

Reebok

Champion

Remembering 9/11

010912-N-3235P-003, originally uploaded by holtocw.

My father is buried at Arlington National Cemetery just yards away from the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial.  Surrounding the memorial are 50 gravesites of those who lost their lives in the Pentagon attack.  During a recent visit to my father's grave, I saw a women bending down and crying at a graveside.  I walked over to her. We embraced.  She had lost her husband on 9/11.  She asked me if I had lost my Dad suddenly.   I answered no.   I will never forget her pain.  9/11 became very real for me that day.   Over the next week, please join me in praying for her and all the other family members who lost loved ones on that very tragic day.

Three Seashells and The Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Seashell, originally uploaded by RyanMT.

I was appalled by the latest news regarding childhood obesity.  It's projected that today's children are likely to be the first generation to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents. Is this the gift we are leaving our children?  We can protect our children from weight-related problems, elevated blood pressure, premature heart disease and adult-onset diabetes, but the battle begins with us.       

On my recent trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, I engaged in a self-renewing ritual of throwing three seashells into the ocean, each representing something I wanted to give up. This year, as I threw each shell toward the water, a toddler playing nearby miraculously picked up the third shell. I sat there in amazement. With thousands of seashells to pick from, I couldn't believe she had managed to grab this one!  As I watched the child put the shell in her little pink bucket, a metaphor began to crystallize.  I had deliberately thrown the shell toward the sea, but I still felt as if I was holding on to something.  The seashell represented one of my strongholds, an area in my life I have been working on for a while. Then a message rang loud and clear:  What ever we hold on to, a stronghold, a disempowering belief, a life-limiting perspective, we ultimately pass down to our children.  For me, the little girl picking up the seashell represented this reality. 

With respect to giving our children a healthy, full and robust life.....

What is it to live in sync with what we want for them?

What would we have to give up?

What do we need more of? 

How can wellness be a pure expression of our core values? 

Our being will have the biggest impact on inspiring our children to live healthy lives. Here are a few extras we can pass on once we are physically and mentally vested:

Go to the park

Fly a kite

Take a day hike

Go museum hopping

Prepare meals with your children

Teach your kids how to read food labels

Show them correct portions of food

Have older kids pack healthy lunches

Go for an exploratory bike ride

Turn off the television

Talk to them about being healthy

Trade in the Nintendo DS for a Wii

Our children deserve to live long healthy lives.  Let's start today to create a healthier future for them!

A Little Goes A Long Way

The beautiful impatients that sit on my front porch symbolize more than summer.  In years past, I will embarrassingly admit, I have killed these plants.  Yes, that's right.  I'm guilty.  My excuse?  Being too busy.  Okay I know, not good enough...perhaps I was just plain tired.  Anyway, I let them die and that's just not right.  But this year, I put an end to this toleration and decided to place a water can next to the plants.  How brilliant!  The plants actually got watered!  Who would have thought of that!  But being oblivious to the obvious is not the point.  Amazingly, the plants didn't need as much water as I thought.  Just a little more water than years past kept these plants alive. 

What in our lives, if given a little bit more attention, would flourish beyond our expectation? 

Take our health, for example.  A little really does go a long way.  Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.  Drinking a little less soda and a bit more water.  Taking a yoga class once or twice per week.  Little things...   

How did we get caught up in thinking only BIG means results?

View many more small steps you can take toward health improvement at smallstep.gov.