Tag: Wellness

Find your passions {express yourself & decompress}!

Find your passions {express yourself & decompress}!

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Life can be a mountain.  It is much more a mountain than a beach.  There are challenges to overcome, hoops to jump through, and hills to climb to meet your goals and achieve your dreams.  Passions, hobbies, and ways to fill your time in a meaningful way for yourself and others help combat the challenges and obstacles.  You may not even think about the hobbies or things that you do to relieve stress, whether it be spending time with your kids, going on a date with your spouse, exercising, reading, cleaning and organizing your house, or some other hobby that you love.  There are hundreds of hobbies you can use to enhance your life and those around you.  It will make you stronger, happier, and more relaxed to devote some of your own time to your health.  It may just seem like everyday life to most people, but having avenues to decompress are vital.  They keep you happy, healthy, thankful, and sane.

Not only are hobbies important to decompress at the end of the day or week, or at the end of a very traumatic or draining month, but they allow you to express yourself in a unique way.  I often scrapbook and exercise to destress and reduce any tension that I feel.  I love to scrapbook to get my creative juices flowing and to reconnect and visit all the fun adventures that I have been fortunate enough to be able to experience.  I have been scrapbooking for 10 years and it is one of the most calming and refreshing hobbies that relieves stress.  On the other hand, I love a good workout and sweat session to boost my energy and rejuvenate my body after an exhausting or frustrating day.  Both are great hobbies that help my mind and body in different ways.  My small hobbies have helped me maintain a balance in my life and a thankful spirit in my heart.

Finding your passions and sticking to them will make you feel more at ease with your life, giving it more depth and meaning.  You might also find that channeling your hobbies will give you energy, express your creative side, and remind you to be thankful for all that you have.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Quality over quantity…in life and in health!

Quality over quantity…in life and in health!

“Quality over quantity” fits my life mission and many of the goals I set for myself.  When I workout I like to keep it in the back of my mind.  I want quality over quantity.  What does that mean to me?  It means using the correct form for the exercises I perform and creating a workout that fits my lifestyle and body.  It is for my sanity, strength, and a stress reliever at the end of the day.  In other words, I would rather do fewer reps and sets during my workout than lots of reps and sets in the incorrect form.  That can cause pains, strains, and injuries.

The same can be echoed for the career paths I have gone down.  I have come to appreciate (and enjoy) having a job that is far more “quality over quantity”.  That may not even make sense, but let me explain.  I work in public education and I don’t get paid a lot, but the work I do and the students I touch are the reason I have come to like the work that I am doing (after having changed career paths several times prior).  The quality or meaning it brings to my life far outweighs the quantity or money I am making.

Lastly, I love to travel.  It is probably one of my favorite things to do and I wish I could do it more often.  I love the experiences it gives me, the memories I create, and learning about the world.  I like seeing other cultures, gaining new perspective, and more than anything the quality it adds to my life.

The meaning behind this post is to remember that in life it is far better for your health and happiness to appreciate life and people, not things.  Take pleasure in the small things…the things that create memories, experiences, and teach you something about yourself and others.  Make your life center around quality and experiences.  You will be happier if you do!  And, more than anything remember to appreciate your health and the aging process.  After all, good health and aging is something that some never have the privilege of experiencing.  As my grandma once said, “If you have good health you don’t realize how lucky you really are.”

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Why I cheer myself on every single day!

Why I cheer myself on every single day!

Life is a mountain, not a beach.  I don’t think you could convince me otherwise. Plus, I like the mountains more than the beach and I like challenges more than being bored, but positivity is often what keeps me moving forward.  On hard days, long days, rough days, and all the days in between I need to hear the voice in my head cheering me on.  I like to cheer myself on when I go through life and when I workout.  It keeps me going.  See previous blog post from October 2014:  Cheer yourself on—be your own cheerleader!

In America, we have become a nation that doesn’t associate fun with working out.  I often hear people say they lack time to workout, but in reality it’s not a lack of time, but not having the right attitude.  We don’t think of working out as a stress-relieving, fat-burning, energy-creating, life-changing, and fun-loving activity that makes us happy.

Don’t convince your brain that you don’t like working out!  Find an exercise or workout routine that you love and then let the cheering begin!  An exercise routine or workout that makes you feel at your best…it de-stresses you, relaxes you, and rejuvenates you after or before a long day.  If you need a mind-clearing workout consider yoga or some form of meditation, if you need a good cardio sweat consider a run or cross training session.  Once you tell yourself you don’t like working out or it’s not fun your brain starts to believe that and you begin to convince yourself of that.

Instead, cheer yourself on!  Tell yourself you can get through it and be a better person because of your workout.  Let your positive attitude cheer you on through life whether it be your workout, your job, your educational goals, and everything else you set your mind to.  Start adding positive thoughts to your daily planner, your workout routine, and all your little activities throughout the day.

I am the door monitor at school as the second and third graders get off the bus or are dropped off by their parent.  I love this because I can set a positive attitude for the children as they enter the school building.  (I like early mornings so that helps things, too!)  I always say “Good Morning, we are having pancakes for breakfast today (whatever is on the menu for that day).  Happy Monday!  I hope you have a great day!”  Most of the students are still tired from getting up early, but I like to put some positive energy into their day.  I also say good morning to all the teachers, but I think my bubbliness might get on their nerves on occasion.  I go through the day with some of the teachers probably wondering why I am always smiling and talking to the kids.  I love it and it makes the day more fun.  I hope this gives you a little inspiration to add positive energy to your workout and life!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Giving is good for your health!

Giving is good for your health!

Emotional and mental health are important.  Very important.  Sometimes these two components of health take the back burner to social and physical health.  We might focus on our social media relationships, comments, and statuses.  Stuff that in the scheme of things won’t matter when we look back on life.  I am even guilty of this sometimes.

I actually have someone in my family that struggles with finding a balance between her emotional and mental health versus her social and physical health.  She struggles with finding happiness, being self-confident on the inside, and feeling a sense of contentment.  She chooses to focus on her social and physical health as a way of combating the struggles she faces with her emotional and mental health.  She walks daily and puts effort into how she presents herself to others, but in reality it doesn’t fix how she feels about herself.  She is missing a sense of self-purpose in life.  She struggles with identifying meaning by the roles in which she chooses to play in society.

Giving may not seem like it has to do with emotional or mental health.  It may seem like a big stretch, but it actually isn’t a stretch at all.  Giving provides purpose to a person’s life.  It gives meaning.  It is a reminder to be appreciative for what we have.  It feels good to give to others.  It gives you that warm and happy feeling on the inside knowing you contributed to a good cause, helped someone that is struggling, baked cookies for your local police department, or helped a stranger on your way to work.   The feeling you have from doing those things contributes to your emotional and mental health.

You do not need tons of money to give.  Giving can come from the heart.  It can be coloring a picture for someone, writing a “Thank You” card, volunteering with a local organization, helping someone into their car, or a multitude of other ways to be kind and give back.  I work at an elementary school where I am given pictures and coloring pages almost every single day.  While students love to give me pictures and have a huge smile as they hand me their masterpiece I feel equally as blessed.  It warms my heart that they want to give me pictures that they work so hard on.  It is a reciprocation of mental and emotional health.  It makes them feel good and me as well.

In a world full of consumerism and materialism, I challenge you to remember to give (year round)!  Just because the holidays have passed and it is a new year doesn’t mean all your time has to focus on New Years weight loss resolutions or bikini bodies for spring break.  It is still important to smile at strangers, say hi to people you pass in the hallway, or compliment someone.  I challenge you to increase your purpose and role in the world.  I challenge you to remember what giving will do for your emotional and mental health.

I hope this blog, as short as it is, captures how much giving can do for you and the world.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

What will YOU do in 2016?

What will YOU do in 2016?

It is normal to set new goals and milestones at the beginning of the new year.  You may want to lose weight, eat more fruits and veggies, go to church, save more money, write more on your blog (ME!) 😉 and so on.  It can include anything you want to accomplish and do throughout the year. For me, one of my biggest goals is to publish a book I have been working on for almost two years. When it comes to health and well-being, there are many areas that you can focus on – social, emotional, environmental, spiritual, physical, and mental health.

Will you focus on your social health?  This comprises your friends, family, and interactions with others.  Will you sign up to be involved in new groups or events such as community development? Will you volunteer with local charity organizations?  Will you be planning a wedding or other special event?  Will you give selflessly to others through random acts of kindness?  All of these things make you active in ensuring you have a happy, healthy, and successful social component within your life.

Will you focus on your emotional health?  Do you handle stress and excitement appropriately?  Do you balance the spectrum of all emotions in a healthy way?  You may choose to work on emotional health by taking deep breaths when stressed, not “closeting” your feelings, listening to your heart and mind, and making decisions for yourself and how you feel rather than to please others.

Will you focus on your environmental health?  This means that you foster a positive work and personal environment.  Further, this includes preserving the water, air, and the land around you. Will you begin to recycle more this year?  That includes less waste such as paper products including paper plates, napkins, and printing unnecessary documents.  Will you reuse paper to prevent further waste in landfills?  Will you reduce water bottle usage by using reusable plastic bottles to decrease landfill wastes?  When you discuss land and air safety, this means you reduce harmful chemicals such as burning toxic wastes and disposing of chemicals in landfills.

Will you focus on your spiritual health?  This requires that you “talk the talk and also walk the walk.”  In other words, you have morals, values, and ethics that you follow to lead an honest life. Additionally, it means you encourage peace and harmonious relationships between yourself and others.  You may mediate, read about your belief system, pray, or attend a religious organization.

Will you focus on your physical health?  Will you exercise more this year?  Will you join a gym or participate in group exercise classes?  Are you training for a 5k, half marathon, or full marathon? This is probably one of my strengths when it comes to the six components of health.  I regularly exercise, take walks, and go outside to be active.  It helps me lower my stress level and makes me feel great.  This is particularly important to reduce health diseases such as heart problems, obesity, diabetes, and other health concerns that can be created from being overweight.

Will you focus on your mental (aka intellectual) health?  Will you improve your mood or attitude in 2016?  Will you work to cope better with your stress, anxiety, depression, or self-confidence and self-image?  Part of mental health is finding solutions to cope with your daily struggles.  It may mean reaching out for help, recognizing that those around you care, or changing the demands of your life to reduce the mental stress you are facing.

It is very important to find a balance of the six components of health and well-being.  Like me, you may find that you are strong in two to three of the six components.   If that is the case, that’s fantastic!  It means you can use 2016 as a way to focus on the ones that you are not as strong in. As for my book, it focuses on my mental/intellectual health, social health, and emotional health. Consider finding projects, activities, and events that will allow you to work on several components. For example, participating in group fitness classes will focus on your physical, social, and possibly spiritual and emotional well-being.  Spiritual well-being through mediation or yoga, and emotional well-being to reduce stress.  You can work to improve components that you struggle with to find a better balance to lead a healthier and happier 2016!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Respect, Kindness, & Tolerance…this Christmas season!

Respect, Kindness, & Tolerance…this Christmas season!

I am finishing a book that I can’t wait to share with everyone because it revolves around helping others, kindness, and giving back.  This has inspired me to share a post about respect, kindness, and tolerance which I think is especially important and critical to remember during the Christmas season.  Christmas while fun is often a time of stress for many.  It can be stressful to prepare for all the holiday festivities and parties, expensive to buy presents for everyone on your list, and it can be emotional or sad for those that have loved ones that are no longer here to celebrate with them.

As we move into this season of giving I hope we can also be mindful of those around us.  While we may have different views, religious beliefs, and even traditions I hope that each person remembers to be respectful, kind, and tolerant of others.  We don’t have to share the same views, go to the same church, or have the same traditions to be diplomatic, respectful, kind, and tolerant.  That means we wish each other well and say, “Merry Christmas” to all.

This may seem like a simple post or even a “non health” related post, but in actuality it is a post that focuses on our spiritual, emotional, and social well-being.  We accept others for who they are, we reach out to others to say “Merry Christmas” to include all, and we remember that different Christmas celebrations is what makes the world so beautiful.

So I challenge you to embrace each other through respect, kindness, and tolerance this Christmas season!  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night (and year)!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Holidays…family, friends, and FOOD!

Holidays…family, friends, and FOOD!

This is the weight-gaining, cookie-eating, mouth-stuffing time of the year!  It’s the time of the year when people eat cookies, cupcakes, chips, dips, and other sugary and salty foods.  It’s the time of the year when diets seem to be filled with more junk food than fruits and veggies.  It’s the time of the year when there are parties, potlucks, and events.   And, it’s the time of the year when health educators and counselors know what to expect come January when New Year’s resolutions come around!

I am getting ready to cook my “gluten free” Thanksgiving this weekend so that I can actually enjoy it!  Otherwise the day of Thanksgiving I get stuck with meat and potatoes without all the other lovely sides that fill the Thanksgiving table (but are often filled with gluten)!

As a way to cut back on fat and to reduce the calories in my gluten free dishes I will be making roasted brussels sprouts and corn with a couple of slices of bacon rather than a corn casserole or corn pudding which are filled with heavy cream, cream soups, and other fattening additives.  This is a great way to reduce fat and calories while still having great flavor.  The bacon will provide flavor along with chili powder, but since the two bacon slices will be divided among 6 people the amount consumed is very little.

My homemade mashed potatoes will feature part cauliflower.  That may sound awful to some, but I promise you won’t taste the cauliflower and it will save a ton of calories!  I will also use potatoes, but I will combine them with cauliflower to reduce the calories and add some veggies.  I will use reduced sodium, reduced fat cream cheese or greek yogurt to add creaminess to the potatoes.

I will not have bread since I will be making cornbread stuffing.  I made cornbread with reduced fat milk and will make the stuffing using reduced sodium chicken broth.   To save calories, it is great to consider how many “bready” sides or carbohydrate sides you will serve with your Thanksgiving dinner.  Consider having stuffing or bread, pie or cake, with more sides filled with veggies or fruits (i.e. brussel sprouts, corn, green beans, cranberries, mixed fruit, sweet potatoes – healthier than regular potatoes).

If your family does a green bean casserole each year consider roasted green beans, grilled green beans (these are delicious!), or pan seared green beans to cut back on the creamy soups, butter, and fried onions that are all high in calories.

Remember to fill your plates with more veggies than “bready” items and when you go back for seconds fill up on the veggie sides rather than more stuffing, bread, pie, and other high calorie dishes.  Oh, and take a quick walk before or after dinner so your food doesn’t sit in your stomach all day or all night.  You will thank yourself later when your food has a chance to digest rather than sit and make you feel miserable all night! 🙂

Happy eating, enjoy spending time with your friends and family, and have fun making new memories that you will remember forever!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Bacon?! Yes, please!

Bacon?! Yes, please!

Who doesn’t love a great sweet or maybe bacon?  Who was completely bummed by the new research that the World Health Organization aka WHO released this week about bacon, sausage, and hot dogs?  I have to admit that this was information I already knew, but information I never really want to hear (or at least not see plastered across every media outlet known to planet Earth).  I think everywhere I looked I saw articles, broadcasts, and posts reminding me of the harm of these foods.  Depressing, right?!  Or maybe not, maybe just news we needed to hear, be reminded of, and information to make us more well informed people about what we are shoving into our mouths each day (sometimes even me, on occasion)! 😉

On my list of nutrition improvements I continually have 1) Reduce sodium intake 2) Decrease sugary foods and 3) Increase naturally flavorful, non-processed foods (i.e. fruits and veggies, proteins in their most raw form).  Salts and sugars are an ongoing health concern that can always be improved no matter where you are at on your fitness and health journey.  Since the holidays are coming and Halloween is just around the corner it makes following these nutrition goals a bit difficult (even for me), but I have some tips that may just be the key to your nutrition success!

Remember that salts and sugars are often heavy additives in processed foods and of course in candy.  It is important to think about how much salt and sugar is in your diet (cereal, candy bars, sandwiches, pizza, salads, etc) – most people eat three times or more servings of the recommended amount of daily sodium.  That’s scary, especially considering heart disease and cardiovascular concerns are the number one killer.

To cut down on salt and sugars, consider eating more naturally sweet or salty foods that don’t have as much added to them for flavor.  Fruits like watermelon, strawberries, apples, oranges, and pineapple which are naturally sweet are great choices.  Decrease processed meats, chips, cheese, and other salty foods and consider eating foods that are in their more natural form such as chicken, fish, and other meats that you can control how much salt is added.  For desserts, consider a dessert that has fruit in it or a dessert that has a fruit topping such as pudding or mousse with fruit. Further, when it comes to cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, and other sweets make them from scratch so you can control the additives, preservatives, and other ingredients such as sugar and sodium that are placed in the dessert.  Sometimes you can make a less sweet cake, cheesecake, or tart and add fresh fruit that makes it less sugary, but still tastes delicious.

It may seem like a heartbreaker that bacon isn’t good for you and may cause cancer or that cookies like snickerdoodles are high in sugar, but it isn’t something we didn’t already know.  After all, we don’t think fried cheese, pickles, and chicken are good for us, do we?! 😉  Like I say, everything in moderation.  Life is too short not to enjoy the things we love (on occasion)! 😉

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

There’s an {exercise} app for that!

There’s an {exercise} app for that!

Each weekend my boyfriend and I go on some type of walk, jog, hike, or outdoor workout to get some steps in.  At first, it started as taking the dog for a walk, but it quickly turned into a weekend routine.  Now we go nearly every weekend.  Our weekend walk or jog has evolved over time.  We both have phone apps that track our steps which caused us to begin to pay attention to how many steps and how much distance we were covering for fun.  It has now turned into a friendly competition whereby my boyfriend and I ask each other several times along the walk how many steps the other has done.  Why you ask?  We now compete against each other to see who has more steps.  I usually win! 🙂  That’s mostly because I take smaller steps.  Not intentionally though, I have shorter legs!   He usually covers more distance then me, but who’s counting?  We both are to see who can claim “winning” the exercise race.  Of course, there is nothing to win other than saying you win distance or you win most number of steps.

So why am I telling you this story?  Because using a pedometer or some type of fitness app that makes you accountable for what you are accomplishing each day is a great way to ensure you are moving your body and getting exercise.  This is a great alternative to Fitbits and other fitness tools or devices that people often use for a short period because phones are always with us.  Lastly, I would encourage you to put together a work team or social team that can help motivate you.  I am positive my boyfriend and I would not get as much exercise during the weekend if it weren’t for the competition we have created with each other.  It goes as far as when I get up or he gets up to do something we take our phones not to use them, but because we want to make sure the phone is registering every last step that might put us ahead of  the other!  While we exercise regularly during the week, it is important to also get some exercise throughout the weekend!

Another reason phone apps are great is because you can use them anywhere and anytime so there’s no excuse for no workout!  You can do a quick workout in a hotel room if you are traveling for work or traveling for fun.  You can grab your phone and download an app that has fitness and nutrition inspiration, has workouts that target specific areas of your body, or you can find an app that has group exercise routines that you can follow.

Now it’s time to go to your app store on your phone to find an app that will help you achieve your fitness, nutrition, and health goals! 🙂

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Will that be a Mini, Skinny, or Fun Size?

Will that be a Mini, Skinny, or Fun Size?

Mini, skinny, and fun size portions are the new fad.  It’s the newest, coolest, and hippest thing on the block these days.  These are the foods and drinks that make you think and feel like you are saving calories, but in reality you most likely are not.  The problem with these so-called “healthy” products is that they often lead to overconsumption.  Instead of having one skinny martini or skinny bellini when eating out at a restaurant you give yourself permission to drink two since it is the skinny version.  Drinking two “skinny” drinks while smaller usually results in more calories than if you consumed one normal size of a regular drink.  Other fun size portions are seen at Starbucks when they introduced their mini frappe this summer, mini McFlurries from McDonald’s, and mini Frosties from Wendy’s.

I am guilty of eating these on rare occasions so don’t feel bad if you do, too!  I was eating some candy minis last night after dinner because this is the time of year for “minis” and “fun size” candy. Halloween brings out these “trick or treat” portion sizes, but they can pose a problem for those of us that love these little portions and grab for the candy bowl throughout the entire month of October and November.  These “mini” and “fun size” candy packets and bars seem to be an excuse for many of us to eat more.  They are small and easy to pop in your mouth and they taste so delicious that you keep going back for more, all while reminding yourself that these are small portion sizes so you can justify eating more.  Am I sounding familiar to any of you?

Treats and other Halloween goodies also tend to be consumed more frequently during the month of October from brownies to graveyard cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and more.  All deliciously yummy treats that aren’t always the best choice.  Many people use “alternatives” in these desserts to make them “more healthy” such as applesauce, black beans, quinoa, etc.  This actually leads to overconsumption because people have the mindset that they are eating “healthy” desserts and therefore eat more of them.  In reality, people that consume these “healthier” desserts, fun size or mini candy bars, and skinny drinks actually end up consuming more calories than people who eat desserts that have not been altered to be more “healthy”.   For drinks such as frappes, McFlurries, and Frosties you may not consume more than one, but buy them more often throughout the week causing increased calories or you may use that smaller portion size to rationalize eating more later in the day.

Even as a health, nutrition, and exercise fanatic I can be guilty of this at times!  I once made brownies using applesauce to cut down on the oil and they didn’t cut it.  They seemed mediocre and boring so now I have been making normal brownies since.  They taste better and it is easier to watch my portion size than to justify eating extra brownies because they seem more healthy.

The point is that if you are trying to eat healthy by making “healthy” brownies or desserts, consuming mini, skinny, and fun size portions you probably aren’t doing yourself any favors.  It is actually better to watch what you eat and consume normal sizes rather than eating these smaller portions that tend to cause overconsumption.  That overconsumption leads to more calories and more fat than you might realize so next time you want brownies or something sweet, stick to the real thing instead.  Everything in moderation is a better motto than skinny, mini, and fun size!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

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