Life in OM

Life in OM: Be Flexible

You have a goal, a dream, something you long to achieve. You have figured out exactly how you are going to accomplish your desire. You have created a detailed plan, a direct route and you are committed. You are going to walk that straight line from point A to point B and achieve. (it's never that easy!)

Imagine yourself standing there looking at this maze, knowing that in the middle lies your dream.

Pretty daunting.

You know that the fastest most direct route to your goal is walking in that straight line, following your plan to the letter.   

Unfortunately after about 5 steps you're going to smack right into a wall. Does your dream die there because you are unable to move forward?  Is the goal left incomplete because you are determined to walk that straight line.

Let's hope not.

Letting go of our well thought out plan or our idea of how things should be can be extremely difficult. However, if we refuse,  we find ourselves continually banging our head against a wall, pouring our energy into it while our goals remain unattainable.

So your options are to remain stuck with your plan or begin to practice flexibility. Turn right or maybe turn left either way you start to make your way around the walls and closer to whatever it is you are trying to achieve. The key here is directing your energy towards the open path while being flexible enough to move around your obstacles.

You may even find out that your goal morphs into something completely different as you embark on your journey or maybe it stays exactly the same but you would have never guessed in a million years that you would have accomplished it the way you did.  

For example, lets say you want to live and work in California and you currently reside in Florida. You can send out 100 resumes, go for a job interview, get a job and move. It's very linear and straightforward and sometimes this is the way it happens.

Sometimes it's not so clear. Maybe you really want to live and work there but you just can't afford to move on your own or you're having a hard time finding work. Give up?

What if you look for a job in Florida that has an office in California, maybe you can transfer, maybe they send you out there quite a bit so you get a much better idea of what your striving for. What if while you're doing all of this you become friends with someone in the company or at the gym who's from California and wants to move back. You might have the potential for a roommate or a romance but things start happening for you.

You are directing your energy towards your goal but you are open to all the weird and wonderful opportunities life sometimes throws in front of us.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Think about where you are in your life. Now think about all the decisions you made that brought you to this moment. How did you end up here? Every yes and no, every left and right turn has led you to where you are right now.

Plans are good and sometimes necessary but we need to know when to stop walking that straight line and allow for some flexibility. We direct our energy towards our goals with openness and life will do the rest.

 

 

Life in OM: Weekly Wellness

Water...drink it!

It doesn't get much simpler than that. I won't bore you with all of the wonderful benefits water has but you should drink enough that your urine runs clear.(that means you're hydrated)

Try to replace your diet soda with water (much healthier) or if you're trying to lose weight replace juice with water (0 calories!).

You can drink still or sparkling. If you can't deal with the taste add some lemon or a bit of honey.  You can even add a shot of juice to boost the flavor.

Cheers!!

Life in OM: The Secret to Losing Weight

As I was shopping in the grocery store last week I passed by the magazine stand and the cover of Time caught my eye. "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" 

I was astonished that mainstream media had finally picked up on a concept that I had learned about the hard way: vigorous exercise does not aid in weight loss, eating healthy and unfortunately less food is the key.

Now for all of you exercise haters out there, this is not permission to lay on the couch all day. What it means is that running 5 miles every day or going to the gym and killing yourself for an hour every day does not automatically mean the pounds will come off.

One of three problems usually arises when you do strenuous exercise:

• If you are restricting calories your energy begins to dwindle and you feel awful.
• Exercise makes you hungry (usually for sweet foods) which can lead to binge eating.
• You’ve exercised therefore you can eat whatever you want or reward eating.

Pick up any marathon training book and it will tell you that it's not a great idea to try and lose weight and train for a marathon at the same time. These experts know that running 30+ miles a week and restricting calories won't work.

I hated to restrict my eating so for years I exercised, sometimes twice a day, just so I could know that I had the freedom to eat what I wanted. I wasn't a bad eater. In fact, being a vegetarian and health nut, I was very conscious of what I ate. My problem was that I indulged when I wanted to by eating sweets and my portions, though healthy, were just too big.

 I once had someone ask me how much I exercised in a week and when I told them they asked me why I wasn't stick thin?  I was dumbfounded. Why the hell wasn't I stick thin!!

I had to admit defeat. I needed to reduce the amount of food I was eating, even if most of it was considered healthy. 

Running three times a week 3-5 miles and yoga were just enough for me. I was eating around 1500 calories, I had tons of energy and the extra weight was falling off.  I even had one day where I could indulge in whatever I wanted and still I lost weight.

Then I started training for my second marathon and once I started running over 25 miles per week, goodbye carrots hello vegan brownies (they may be vegan but they still have calories).

Luckily for me I saw it coming. It's been challenging but I have adjusted my diet to keep myself fueledand have put the remaining weight loss to the side until after the event. Even now it’s hard to swear off that pint of soy ice cream after a 16 mile run. I don't always succeed but I do try to be more conscious of what is happening.

So what does that mean for those of us trying to live healthy?  I wish there was another way but sadly if you want to get to a healthy weight (healthy not skinny!) less food is key.  However, we still need to move. Exercise might not be the solution to weight loss but it is beneficial to us in many other ways.

You need to find your balance. Pay attention to what and how much you are eating. Instead of running those five miles every day and having that muffin or cupcake afterward, reduce running to every other day and skip the sweets. 

Try more moderate and mindful exercise like yoga or walking. Take the stairs, walk or bike instead of driving and cook more often (just say no to take-out!). If you like to do the occasional race, go for it but just be aware of the changes your body goes through when exercise is increased.

You want the changes you make to your eating and fitness to be for life. Do what you can maintain and remember that moderation lasts. 

I was astonished that mainstream media had finally picked up on a concept that I had learned about the hard way: vigorous exercise does not aid in weight loss, eating healthy and unfortunately less food is the key.

Now for all of you exercise haters out there, this is not permission to lay on the couch all day. What it means is that running 5 miles every day or going to the gym and killing yourself for an hour every day does not automatically mean the pounds will come off.

One of three problems usually arises when you do strenuous exercise:

• If you are restricting calories your energy begins to dwindle and you feel awful.
• Exercise makes you hungry (usually for sweet foods) which can lead to binge eating.
• You’ve exercised therefore you can eat whatever you want or reward eating.

Pick up any marathon training book and it will tell you that it's not a great idea to try and lose weight and train for a marathon at the same time. These experts know that running 30+ miles a week and restricting calories won't work.

I hated to restrict my eating so for years I exercised, sometimes twice a day, just so I could know that I had the freedom to eat what I wanted. I wasn't a bad eater. In fact, being a vegetarian and health nut, I was very conscious of what I ate. My problem was that I indulged when I wanted to by eating sweets and my portions, though healthy, were just too big.

 I once had someone ask me how much I exercised in a week and when I told them they asked me why I wasn't stick thin?  I was dumbfounded. Why the hell wasn't I stick thin!!

I had to admit defeat. I needed to reduce the amount of food I was eating, even if most of it was considered healthy. 

Running three times a week 3-5 miles and yoga were just enough for me. I was eating around 1500 calories, I had tons of energy and the extra weight was falling off.  I even had one day where I could indulge in whatever I wanted and still I lost weight.

Then I started training for my second marathon and once I started running over 25 miles per week, goodbye carrots hello vegan brownies (they may be vegan but they still have calories).

Luckily for me I saw it coming. It's been challenging but I have adjusted my diet to keep myself fueledand have put the remaining weight loss to the side until after the event. Even now it’s hard to swear off that pint of soy ice cream after a 16 mile run. I don't always succeed but I do try to be more conscious of what is happening.

So what does that mean for those of us trying to live healthy?  I wish there was another way but sadly if you want to get to a healthy weight (healthy not skinny!) less food is key.  However, we still need to move. Exercise might not be the solution to weight loss but it is beneficial to us in many other ways.

You need to find your balance. Pay attention to what and how much you are eating. Instead of running those five miles every day and having that muffin or cupcake afterward, reduce running to every other day and skip the sweets. 

Try more moderate and mindful exercise like yoga or walking. Take the stairs, walk or bike instead of driving and cook more often (just say no to take-out!). If you like to do the occasional race, go for it but just be aware of the changes your body goes through when exercise is increased.

You want the changes you make to your eating and fitness to be for life. Do what you can maintain and remember that moderation lasts. 

Life in OM: Weekly Wellness

 

Make sure you get enough sleep. It may seem trivial but sleep effects not only your energy levels but you ability to lose weight, cope with stress and fight off disease.

Seven to nine hours per night is ideal. We tend to sleep less in the summer and more in the winter so listen to your body.

Sweet dreams!!

Life in OM: One Thing at a Time

Sometimes I feel as though my life is like going to the grocery store for a major shopping trip with no list.

I end up getting or doing things that I don't really need and I completely forget the important items.

Having a list doesn't mean I'm organized either. It just means I have a very long list of a hundred things to do and no idea what to start with first. Basically an out of control shopping list that's ten pages long!

To-do lists are extremely useful but I am finding that you really need two different types. First, you need to have one where you just write down things as they come into your head. If you want to break them up into categories fine, if it's more of a stream of consciousness that's fine too.  

I keep small notebook for this. I use it for to-do's and for anything else I come across that I want to remember later on. For example, if I see something useful I want to add to my website, I write it down. If I see a yoga article I want to share I write down the web address. It's a multifunction notebook.

The second list you need are the things you are going to accomplish today and just today. You can pull them off your big list or they can be totally new. My Smartphone has a great Notes feature where I can use my stylus as a pen and scribble away.

At night I write down 3-6 things I will accomplish the next day. I do this at night otherwise my sleep will be interrupted by intermittent bursts of trying to remember what I have to do the next morning. So I get it out of my head and onto my phone.

The key for this to be successful is focusing on one thing and finishing those particular tasks that you have assigned to yourself for that day. Don't bounce back and forth between them and DO NOT MULTITASK.

Yoga and Meditation teach us to focus on the present moment with clarity and balance. Moving from one task to another and back again is distracting and scatters our energy. Decide what you are going to work on, pour your attention and energy into that task, complete it successfully and then move on to the next. 

Don't fret if this doesn't come easy to you at first. We are a culture that is in a constant state of stimulation and shifting our minds to just one thing can be very challenging.

Just as it's impossible to have a perfect yoga practice or meditation session, this process won't be flawless but you do the best you can. If you get interrupted or distracted  or things just get a little out of your control - sit back, take a few deep breaths and get right back to it.

So recap:

1. Have one device (manual or computerized) to write down all to-do's, ideas or basically anything that pop's into your head that's worth remembering. (You'll sleep better at night!)

2. Have another device (manual or computerized) to write down a few tasks that you can complete in one day.

3. Choose one task and begin.

4. Try to focus yourself and continue to stick with the one task.

5. Complete Task

6. Rinse and Repeat  (Take a few deep breaths and start on task #2)

7. New day, new tasks ( If you didn't finish all your tasks from the previous day, carry them over)

Life in OM: No One Is Coming

A few years ago I picked up A Year of Living Your Yoga: Daily Practices to Shape Your Life by Judith Hanson Lasater. I opened the book to June 26 and read "No one is coming". 

It took my breath away and made my stomach churn at the same time. Although I had always been content living on my own it wasn't until that moment that I realized in some ways I had been waiting rather than living.  Lasater let me off the hook and scared the hell out of me  with four words.

Women have it a bit rough. We're constantly bombarded by stories and images that lead us to believe we are not complete until we have another person in our lives. Even if we overcome that and are content with being alone, part of us might still be holding out for what we think is a requirement.

Once I realized no one was coming, I was empowered. I felt that my life was wholly my own and I needed to enjoy every moment of it. I decided to finally take that trip to England that I had been putting off for years. Two weeks in London all alone and it was one of the best vacations I have ever had.

That trip prompted me to leave a job I was unhappy with and slowly I started moving forward in all the areas of my life where I had been subconsciously waiting.

You don't have to be single to appreciate "No One is Coming". Even if you're with someone, they are not there to make you happy. You need to seek out the things you love whether you share your life with someone or not. Don't put yourself on hold. As Ms Lasater stated so wisely "Salvation comes from no one else...it comes from within."  So stop waiting..Go Now...Live!