The Pursuit of Healthfulness - Week 3

Hello Friends.  This is really the 4th week of my Pursuit of Healthfulness with Melissa over at My Red Tutu but I was sick for 2 weeks and took a break filled with lots of tea and chicken soup.  I learned the hard way time and time again if I don't take good care of myself in November I will inevitably get sick in December.

November can be a challenge for me physically and emotionally.  My Dad's birthday and death date are in November as well as my husband and brother s birthday along with the start of the holiday madness.  I get run down very quickly and the weather changing effects my asthma.  I now added a note to my calendar next year with BIG LETTERS  at the start of November, it reads :  DO NOT FORGET TO PRACTICE GOOD SELFCARE.

My good friend Maureen Huntley is a holistic nutritionist and I asked her what her top 3 health tips were especially when you are feeling run down or stressed out.  Her answer was,  GREENS, WATER and BREATH.  They all have equal weight in her book.  It seems like every year starting with Halloween I go on a 3 month carb fest and forget to eat my greens.  Maureen feels the more greens the better, they are the bringer of all things good for health.  You can steam, saute, bake, roast, juice, smoothie them just get them in your diet.  I also forget to drink water especially when I am stressed out and it is so important to stay hydrated.  Just google water and health and there is a bounty of information on why water is so good for you.  Additionally when stressed I find myself holding my breath and this prevents my mind and body from working properly.  If you can stop a few times a day and take a couple of deep breaths in and out it can really do wonders for your health and state of mind.

So these are on my mind as I look towards my healthy goals for 2012.  I will check back in next week and see where this week takes me.

Until then please head on over to Melissa's site and she what she has been up to.  You can also find Maureen at The Family Balancing Act Radio show and blog where each week she gives valuable health information for mind boday and soul. 

Much love and good health to you and yours this New Year.  And if you would like to share your health journey please feel free to add your post through the link below.

Namaste,

Karen

Year End 52 Photos Project

Hello Friends.  Today I am sharing my last pictures of 2011 for Bella's 52 Photos Project. I have been so inspired each week by Bella and my fellow photographers who have have played along this year.  I can't wait to see what Bella has up her sleeve for 2012.

This weeks photo prompts were:  What will you leave behind in 2011? and What will you welcome more of in 2012?

Last week I joined in with many others in Pixie Campbell's Solstice Releasing Ceremony.  The picture below is the list I made of the things I would like to leave behind in 2011.

There are many things I want to welcome more of in 2012.  One of them is spending more time in creative space, especially within community.  The picture below is from an art gathering I had with a few local artists, it was so much fun to just be in that space with others and I welcome more of that this coming year.

So friends what are you looking to release in 2011 and welcome in 2012?

May this day find you and yours well.
Namaste,
Karen

End of Year Wishcast and 52 Photos Project

Summer 2011

fall 2011

Hello Friends.  Today is the last Wednesday of 2011 so that means this will be the last wishcast and 52 Photos Project of the year.  I'd like to thank Jamie and Bella from the bottom of my heart for a year filled with inspirational prompts and reflections. 

Today's prompts are:
Wishcast:  What do you wish for this winter
52 Photos: Favorite pic of the year

The wish I hold for winter is that after participating in Pixie's Solstice Releasing Ceremony tomorrow that I will move forward from the doubts, fears and anger that have held me in their grasp on and off this year.  It is that simple.  I wish to shake and shed them like an old skin that no longer fits.  Winter is a great time to retreat and prepare for the coming of new growth in the Spring.  Shedding can be hard and can leave you tender so I will take my time and be gentle with myself.

As for my favorite pic of the year for Bella's 52 Photos Project, I chose the ones above of my husband and I.  This past year has held many ups and downs for us and looking at these pictures helps me see that we ARE still connected by love and hope.  I needed that reminder as I look back on this year.  These are not the best pictures, taken with my iphone but I feel happy when I look at them.
**I know technically I posted 2 pics for my 1 favorite picture, but these two respresent the same thing for me and I needed double the reminder ;-)  **

So my friends as the year comes to a close what are you wishing for your winter?  As you wish for yourself I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen

The Pursuit of Healthfulness - Week 2 part 1

Tune in tomorrow for my full post on week 2 of my Pursuit of Healthfulness.  I have been sick these last few days.  Loading up on chicken soup, with ginger and curry and lots of hot tea. 

Jump on over to Melissa's over at My Red Tutu for her sharing this week.  And I will be back next week with a full post.

Namaste,

Karen

The Gift of Gathering

Gathering - the definition - "an occasion when people come together as a group".  Yes it is that BUT it is so much more than that. 

I feel the art of gathering has become a bit lost in this busy age we live in.  When I'm at a gathering and I remember all the gifts found within I know I can find the time, I need to find the time.  It matters not if the gathering is around a table of great food, in front of a hearth with knitting needles, at a table full of art supplies or surrounding the bedside of a loved one.  What does matter is that we don't forget the gift of gathering.

I gathered with a group of creative souls this weekend, women who showed up with open hearts, each bearing the gifts of self.  I wrote this poem afterwards so I won't forget and maybe I won't wait so long to gather again.

 
Much love and gratititude to those women and all the women and men I've gathered with before.  May we all remember...
 
The Gifts of Gathering

to see and be seen
to hear and be heard
to hold and be held
to nurish and be nourished
to know and be known
deeper gifts
to tell your story
to see theirs
to speak your truth
to hear theirs
to share your fears
to hold theirs
to show your joy
to nourish theirs
to know and be known

 
Jennifer over at Giggling in the Rain and Kolleen Harrison at Heartwing Sisters have also been writing about gathering  if you'd like to hear their stories.  How have you been gathering lately?  I would love to hear your story as well.

Namaste,
Karen

Pursuit of Healthfulness - Week 1

Hello Friends. Today Melissa over at My Red Tutu and I are doing our weekly check in for our Pursuit to Healthfulness. Here are some things I discovered this week while tuning in to my eating habits.

1. If there is any candy in the house, I WILL eat it, just a fact. I love chocolate.
2. Breakfast is oatmeal with non-fat yogurt, honey and cinnamon. I usually eat around 9am but find I am hungry again around 11am.
3. If I don't bring lunch to work, it can be anything from soup/salad to pizza from takeout joints.
4. I arrive home between 2 and 5 pm and I am STARVING. I open the fridge and start grazing immediately.
5. Dinner is usually a good mix of whole grains, veggies, and lean protein, though I noticed I do not get nearly enough veggies as is recommended.
6. If I have chocolate (which I do, everyday!) I crave bread, if I have breads I crave chocolate, it must be a sugar thing.
7. I have confirmed that I am an emotional eater.  I noticed a few times this week if I was upset, angry or insecure about something, I reached for the chips.
8. I just LOVE food.

 Some things I am thinking of doing to work on the above:

1. Only have the best dark chocolate in the house and treat it like a treat, not a food group.
2. Bring some snacks to work so when I am hungry at 11 I can have a little something and then not overdo it on lunch. Maybe a handful of almonds, cheese stick, apple.
3. Try to brown bag it as much as possible and when I can't keep it to soup and salad. Maybe have pizza once a week so I don't feel deprived.
4. On the weekend build some snack packs, maybe nuts/fruit or single servings of carrots and hummus so I don't just open the refrig after work and grab a bite of everything not nailed down!
5. Come up with some ways to incorporate more veggies, maybe have a big soup with lots of veggies one night, adding greens to omelettes. There are also a ton of smoothie vegie recipes online to try.
6. When feeling emotional I might start by writing in my journal or putting on some great music before automatically reaching for the food. This one is going to be tough but I am committed to changing some of my patterns.
7. Watch portion sizes and try one new recipe a week, I love Ellie Krieger's book (see below link) to make eating fun again.
8. It's great to love food and be nourished by it as long as it's in a healthy loving way and not being used as a crutch or a way to beat yourself up.  

Some resources I checked out this week:

1. Kris Carr's blog - Crazy, Sexy, Life. She has great recipes, tips, advice and support on her blog.
2. Dr Weil's anti-inflammatory food pyramid, something I am thinking about as some of my health issues are directly related to inflammation in the body.
3. Ellie Krieger's cookbook: "The Food You Crave" I love this cookbook and she has a great way of looking at health in relation to diet.

I did weigh myself and I gained 0 and lost 0 and that is just fine. I am learning how to tune into my body and that was my goal for the week.

Now I know realistically this may be a long journey and I don't want it to be all about numbers and diet. I am hoping to make even one small change a week that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. I am also going to be gentle with myself when I take those steps back and start each day anew.

Thanks for listening and if you want to join us please add your blog post to the below link widget. I'd love to hear about your Pursuit of Healthfulness. Now let's jump on over to Melissa over at My Red Tutu and see what she has to share this week.

Namaste,

Karen

Wishcast Wednesday, 52 Photos Project and Getting Through the Grey

The color of the Season - Restaurant Tree - Iphone

Today is Wednesday and we are sharing our photographs and wishes with Bella over at 52 Photos Project and Jamie Ridler over at Jamie Ridlers Studios.  I have also just started Vivienne McMasters, Getting Through the Grey Photography e-course today. 

Prompts:
Bella Photography Prompt:  The Colors of the Season
Jamie's Wish Prompt:  What do you wish to celebrate.

The picture above to me represents the colors I love most during this season: red, green, gold and white, a  magical combination that really helps to lift my spirits during the grey days of fall and winter.

What I wish to celebrate is not just the joy, good will, community and festivity of the season but also the darker days, the colder nights, the turning inward that natural occurs this time of year.  There are many gifts both light and dark to this season and I wish to celebrate them all.

My first picture for Vivienne's Getting Through the Grey class illustrates my point above.  While attending a family funeral this week I shot this picture.  It was a grey and rainy day and at first all I could "see" was sadness and gloom in that cemetery.  I decided to stop for a moment and take a deeper look and what I saw then was a solemn beauty and I thought it's not just happy and bright or sad and dark but a combination of greys that held both.

Cemetery - Dec 2011 - iPhone

This week I am also embarking on a Pursuit of Healthfulness with Melissa over at My Red Tutu.  You can read our first posts here:  Pursuit of Healthfulness - the beginning.  All are welcome to join in, I would love to hear your stories as well.

Special Birthday Shout Out to the wonderful Jamie Ridler who continues to inspire me everyday!

Namaste,

Karen

Pursuit of Healthfulness....the beginning

Me and Shelly - NC Serendipity Retreat October 2011

Hello Friends, today I begin a Pursuit for Healthfulness with Melissa over at My Red Tutu.  We were both talking about living in a healthier way recently and decided it might be fun to blog about it together. 

I am the one on the left in the above picture, it is the only full body shot I have of myself from recent times.  I do not like getting my picture taken since I have gained so much weight but I am going to share it here because this is who I am right now.  A number of things combined got me to this place, which is my highest weight ever, they include steroid treatments for asthma, emotional eating, turning 40, leading a sedentary lifestyle and a recent leg injury which uncovered underlying arthritis in my knee. 

Weight loss may be one of my goals but more importantly I want to feel good about myself and my body at whatever weight I am, so part of it may be about body image. I also believe that it is about leading a healthier lifestyle, feeling fit and comfortable in my own skin which may or may not lead to major weight loss.

Here are my goals for this first week:

1. Investigate some online resources which include some overall health advice from Dr. Weil, Dr. Oz and other inspiring bloggers who are in the business of helping others to get healthy mind/body and spirit.

2.  Paying more attention to how my body feels when I eat certain things.  I have a feeling my body intuitively knows what it needs to maintain good health, now the key is to tune into that.  I might do this by taking notes after meals and such.

3.  Really pay attention to how much I am moving overall each day, I have a feeling it is not going to be too much.  I have a desk job where I sit most of the day.

My hope is that by taking an honest look at my lifestyle that I will be able to see where I need to make some healthy changes.  We have decided to write an update each week on Friday where we share what may or may not be working for us as well as recipes or other heathly lifestyle tips.  All are welcome to join in as we travel on this Pursuit to Heathfulness.  I'd love to hear your story as well.

Let's jump on over to Melissa's blog to see what she has to share today.

If you want to join in add your link below and join in the Pursuit of Healthfulness.

Namaste,

Karen