Week 3 Value of Good Sleep

"Retire early to your beds, arise early that

 your minds may be invigorated."

Some of your best ideas and inspiration will come early in the morning.  In a study of the difference between wealthy and impoverished there is a common habit that the impoverished get to bed late and only wake up in just enough time to get to where they need to go.  Wealthy retire at healthier times and get up a few hours before their appointments so they can have a peaceful morning, make a plan for the day, have a good breakfast and work out and complete morning rituals without stress or rush.

In Bed Before 10:00 pm 

One reason to get in bed before ten is that after 9:00pm  and every hour thereafter your cravings increase in intensity and your will power wanes.  So if you are trying to stick to a healthy diet or quit a bad habit, do yourself a favor and get in bed before you fail.  Also staying up late puts stress on the body and releases cortisol which is the hormone that stores fat around the belly.    Around ten is also when our adrenals flush and we need to laying down and resting so the body can do its job and reach Delta sleep that  releases seratonin that improves mood and outlook and also  growth hormone that repairs the micro tears in our  muscles we incur with daily activity and exercise.  That is why FMS (fibromyalgia) is a difficult disorder because the sleep cycle typically is disrupted and the cycle of pain and not healing causes dysfunction.

My teenage son was falling asleep in class and having foggy memory and trouble concentrating.  We ended up taking him to the doctor and after testing for mono and lyme's disease he deduced that it was his Irradict sleep patterns.  He gets to bed late during the school week and then is up early for school then on the weekends he stays up even later and then sleeps in all day.  Then the cycle starts again on Monday.  He was given the prescription of getting to bed before 10:00 and waking up by 5:30 every morning.  Even on weekends.  He said if there is a 1-2 hour difference on the weekend it will be easier to recover when Monday comes around than if there are such big differences and no established pattern.  

BENEFITS OF A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

There are so many direct and indirect benefits of getting a consistent good night's sleep.  A few listed below are: Heart Health, Cancer Prevention, Reduce Stress and Inflammation, more alert, improve memory, lose weight easier, makes you smarter and relaxes your mood as all your stress and toxins are allowed to process and release.

 

 

 

DANGERS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

On the other hand there are several direct and indirect adverse affects of sleep deprivation.  In college I could pull an all nighter and be a little spacey but still feel like I was functioning acceptably, but whether you feel it immediately or not damage is being done when you do not recharge and rest.

For  Whole and Balanced Health and Longevity sleep is as important as what you eat and how you exercise!!

How comfortable is your mattress?

I'll tell you a personal story about a time where I learned first hand how sleep quality affects your quality of life.  My husband and I got a sitter and took a weekend in Tahoe.   we stayed in a luxury suie and we made plans to sleep in, eat at a fancy restaurant, swim and even scheduled a tennis lesson.  There was a steam room and jetted tub.  We enjoyed Friday to the fullest and looked forward to sleeping in.  The bed was a little uncomfortable and we both noticed and mentioned that you'd think with all the luxuries around us they'd afford a better bed.  Well my husband and I both were up and down throughout the night tossing and turning.  I the morning we felt horrible.  We tried to sleep in but it was so tortuous to be in bed we just got up anyway and lay on the couch watching dumb tv.   we canceled our tennis lesson because we were just too exhausted to do it.  We wasted the day and after our lovely meal we were going to enjoy a dip in the hot tub but we decided to skip it and try to get a better nights rest.  We endured another terrible night and after we woke the next morning looking like zombies.  We cleaned and packed and layed back on the bed for a minute just to relax and my husband looked over on the nightstand and next to the tv remote was a folded pamphlet that said Enjoy our sleep number bed.... The remote was not a tv remote as we had assumed.  It was a remote to change the softness of the bed and somehow both sides of our bed were on the hardest setting!!  We changed the numbers to the optimal setting and laid back down on the most comfortable bed ever...  We laughed and took a picture.  What an irony... but it was a drsastic lesson on how sleep affects the quality of life.  We missed out on so much we had wanted to do because we weren't functioning at optimal health due to sleep deprivation.

 

LIGHTS OUT!!

Since the invention of the light bulb we have been pushing our limits of productivity and our health is taking a toll. 

Rise with the sun and set with the sun.  Naturally our bodies function best if we let the natural light of the sun wake us and the setting of the sun cue our nighttime rituals.  Make your room as dark as possible and cancel our any blinking lights from devices or alarms.  Every cell has intelligence and recognizes light, not just your eyes.  When our bodies sense light melatonin production is inhibited and we start to be more wakeful and it is harder to get to a deep healing DELTA and REM sleep.

 

Don't watch t.v. or watch a computer or device, phone, or any lit screen for at least two hours before you plan to go to sleep.    Read a book instead. 

 There are two main reasons for this, besides the fact that we lose track of time and sometimes a quick check on en email becomes hours of reading and checking social media and other time stealers.  The first reason is that the flashing light stimulates the brain and it cannot settle down into delta sleep for at least two hours.  The second reason was stated above when we mentioned your cells detect light and will not produce the necessary melatonin that will ensure a good nights rest.

The hormone melatonin can only be released in the absence of light. 

 

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, that can suppress tumor and cancer growth

Prevents Brain Damage & Alzheimers

Influences the production of Human Growth Hormone which helps the body burn fat, improve bone density, improves your immune system health and repair muscles and tissues that receive wear and tear throughout the day.

 

What position do you sleep in?

Week 2 Choose to See the Glass Half Full

In one of my favorite childhood primary songs we sang:

If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay.

Quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away!

No one likes a frowny face, change it for a smile.
Make the world a better place by smiling all the while.


Smiling Eminates such powerful positive energy!!  Have you ever noticed that being around a happy baby or child just makes you feel good?

So much of how we feel is affected by our thoughts or beliefs about ourselves and what is happening.  We see the world through the filters of our heart.  Learn to take a negative thought or feeling and acknowledge it, but quickly turn it around and speak truth that counteracts the negativity

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For example:

You get passed over for a promotion feelings of fury and inferiority well up in you.  You feel it and acknowledge.  That felt awful being passed over.  It makes me feel like my efforts are not recognized and appreciated.  I don't like feeling this way. I know I work hard and I do well at my job.   I will choose to stay positive and if there is anything I can do to improve and stay dedicated I will do it and I will remain open to other opportunities in store that I may not have known are waiting for me.


Do you see how that takes a negative situation and it doesn't ignore it or pretend it doesn't hurt, but it also doesn't let it crush us and feel or act in ways that aren't in our best interest.  There is a hope for the future and a plan for better times.

Another example is if someone says or does something cruel to you.  Or you get rejected by a peer.  Feelings of rejection or worthlessness or low self esteem wash over you.

You feel it, and say "Wow that hurts.  I'm feeling small and insignificant and unloveable.  Being treated like that may make me feel worthless, but I know the truth is I am of infinite worth and the right  people who are meant to be in my life will recognize this.  I forgive them for not seeing or appreciating who I am or what I have to offer.   I know God loves me and his love is stronger than anyone else's indifference.  I am shielded in the armor of His love when I choose to open my heart and receive it."


 Use the Golden Rule.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated.  This includes being kind to yourself.  If you make a mistake don't excuse it, blame others or condemn yourself.  Just Acknwlege it was a mistake, learn from it and move on a better, wiser person.

 Service produces happiness!   When I was in college I came to see how important service was.  My roommate was having a tough week and although I had been in a slump myself I had a desire to do something to cheer her up.  I made her bed and left a plate of her favorite treat on it.  Even before she came home I marveled at the impact this small act had on me.  I thought I would just be cheering her up, but I felt my own mood elevated with compassion and excitement of how happy she would be to find my surprise.  She loved it and it was reciprocated and we both found that whenever either of us would start feeling a little lonely or depressed or overwhelmed  we would look around for someone else that needed a boost and then tried to do an anonymous act of service for them.  Everytime we lost ourselves in being anxiously engaged in a good cause our slump would clear.  That is not to say that you ignore your needs or problems, but you face them and do what you can and try not to make matters worse by worry and regret.   When someone does something nice for you and you feel how it lifts you, PAY IT FORWARD and spread the love to the next person you see. 

I am learning to balance my life, and I am improving daily, but even in my adult life I burn the candle at both ends and end up feeling rushed, unprepared, cranky, hormonal and not in my best form to respond to obstacles.   On such a morning I rushed out of the house with a list of commands to my kids who were watching t.v.  I came home and had a mini tantrum because guests were expected and the kids were still on the couch watching t.v. and I was feeling overwhelmed with what needed to be done in the time remaining.    I had to rush to another appointment and when I got back the kids had made an effort to help and I calmed down but still had residual negative feelings.  I came into my room and found my daughter had made my bed and cooked some of my favorite paleo crepes and herbal teas and treats with little love notes all over them.  My heart melted and all the feelings I was harboring floated away....

Give others the same understanding and forgiveness that you would like to have when you are not being your best self.

Remember the classic book" Pollyanna?"

She was an chronic optimist that liked to play a game called the GLAD GAME.  If something sad or bad was happening she would turn it into a game to try to find things to be happy about or find the silver lining in the situation.

The book made such an impact that Pollyanna or pollyanish or pollyanaism is now in the dictionary!

Do not underestimate the power of positivity and smiling.  It really can make the world a better place


You are affected by the energy of the people around you.  If at all possible surround yourself with happy positive people.  I love being around my sisters and brothers and now my kids because no one can make me laugh like they do!!  Not only is it a great ab work out but it releases happiness hormones and relieves stress. 


Homework:

Do 10 Random Acts of Kindness
Plan an Anonymous Act of Service

Watch the SECRET the Law of Attraction
You Tube TED TALKS the power of smiling

Practice smiling on the inside and
Keep a TAI CHI smile to greet everyone you meet.

Next to chocolate, Sisters are the best medicine!

DAY 4 HOPE IS YOUR FLIGHT PLAN

By today your vision boards should be completed.  Now you can see your desired destination and the journey will be enjoyable and successful if you never lose your flight plan and your HOPE.

A pilot creates a flight plan and has a target destination and Estimated Time of Arrival.  Believe it or not, pilots are off course up to 90% of the time, but they make it to their desired destination on time because they frequently check their flight plan and get back on course.

Set your GOAL, make your PLAN and designate CHECKPOINTS along the way.  Every week when we weigh in and account for the positive and not so good choices we made during the week it's a great CHECKPOINT opportunity to check in with your flight plan and vision board and see if your actions are getting you where you want to be.  If you are doing everything on your plan and don't seem to be making progress, then reevaluate the plan and maybe make a few changes and check in next week.

 

Don't lose HOPE if there is a minor course correction needed.  It's a journey and you will get there if you keep moving forward.

 

 

Day 3 Drink More Water

Hydration is imperative especially during a transition time of diet or exercise when you may be detoxing.

If you depend on high sugar or caffeinated drinks like soda or coffee for your energy supply be mindful of consequences and consistently make efforts to decrease those other drinks and increase your water intake!  Be patient with yourself if there's an adjustment period.  

Water is now my favorite drink of choice, but I have become a bit of a water snob.

Having said that I must say "Any water is better than no water."  So don't go without hydrating just because you can't find your favorite water.  

There is a hierarchy in water quality and nutrition.  

1. Don't buy plastic water bottles and leave them in your car.  They heat in your car can cause the poisons in the plastic to leach out into the water.  Also it's not good for the planet.  Get a reusable water bottle.

2.  Do not buy cheap plastic water bottles... Look for a stainless steel or glass water bottle.

3.  If you are at a restaurant or drinking tap water, always ask for lemon.  Not only does it help with taste, but it also is anti microbial.

4.  Also adding herbs like mint, or fruit like strawberries, pomegranite, lemon, orange etc give additional nutrition and hydration benefits.  Cucumber water is an ant inflammatory regularly found in health spas around the globe.

5.  Reverse osmosis filters used to be all the rage.  We purchased a pricy unit a few years back, but now we've replaced it with a carbon filter.    Although I love the flavorless taste of the reverse osmosis, we now know the good and bad are stripped out of the water leaving it in a form the japonees call "dead water"

6.  Alkaline.   Too much acidity in the diet causes inflammation swelling and disease.  After having about of kidney stones the doctor advised me to have it more alkaline diet.  I was also having problems staying hydrated so I looked into alkaline water options.  There are good Artesian Alkaline waters available now in some grocery stores, although they are mostly sold in plastic bottles.  I sampled the Kangen water for a month and loved it,  but could not bite the bullet to buy the expensive filter.  Finally I settled on the Nikken Pimag water filter system which is much more affordable and portable and easy to bring along with me on trips.  The water is ionized with magnets and natural stones set in the water supply.  The minerals that once used to reside in our pathetic depleted soil, are what naturally alkalinizes the Nikken water.  The water has been amazing and I feel more hydrated with less water because it is absorbed easier. I even bought a filter for my shower so first thing in the morning I'm not opening my pores and pouring chlorinated tap water into my body!  If you are interested in the Nikken water systems or Kangen, contact me and I can get you a discount.  Until then just add lemon!  That also alkalinizes water.

Day 2 Dream It. Believe It. Do It.

Welcome to day two. Before we can physically accomplish a large task we must first intellectually see it in our minds make it come to fruition.

The spiritual creation is just as important as the physical one.

Today picture your life with all the good bad and indifferent.   Try to lift above the ins and outs of daily operation and get a birds eye view of your trajectory.  

Where are you headed?   Can you see where you'll be in five years if you continue the path you are currentky on?

Do you like where you're headed?  If not there's no time like the present to give yourself that gift of making small changes today that can lead to larger change and complete destination reroute.

Find your YES!!! What, Who & Where you want to be most of all!!

DAY 1 TRANSFORMATION -CREATE YOUR VISION BOARD

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

You are giving yourself a priceless gift by taking this first step of being more mindful of your whole health.  The choices, discoveries and patterns you develop over the next few months can change your duration and quality of life forever.

 

 

To get started get rid of as many triggers and temptations possible.  Clean out cupboards of any refined flours, sugars or other prepared foods.  

Never eat anything that contains High Fructose Corn Syrup!!

I's good to have a goal in mind.   I like the idea of a VISION BOARD.  With inspirational quotes and pictures that remind me of who, what and where I want to be and how I'd like to look and feel

 

HW ASSIGNMENT DAY 1

Create a Vision Board. 

 

 

There is always a spiritual creation before a physical one, so if you can SEE it first and visualize it, it is easier to make it become a reality.  Post your board in a prominent place so you see it daily.  There is a great free app called SUCCESS VISION BOARD that you can download as your wallpaper and it can inspire you throughout the day.

FYI some people like to take weight and measurements to track progress, but the most important progress is how your going to feel.  I like charts and seeing progress and having accountability, but it can impede progress if you get too hung up on the numbers.

 

There have been times where I was on a roll eating and exercising great and feeling amazing.  I thought for sure my weight would have gone down when I stepped on the scale and saw that it actually went up a pound it took the wind out of my sails!!!  I just wanted to crawl back into bed and eat chocolate!  Luckily I could talk myself out of this funk because I knew enough to know that muscle weighs more than fat and my body was changing and getting healthier and stronger and that may mean the scale was not telling the whole story and decided to just forget about the scale and go by how I was feeling.   So if you want to chart your weight and that inspires you, that's fine, but I advise you not to check your weight daily.  If you do weigh in do it every week or longer.  Using the same amount of clothing and at the same time of day.

 

 

 *DURING THE CHALLENGE WEIGH IN DAY WILL BE MONDAY at the PINOLE SENIOR CENTER after the ZUMBA and nutrition class.

 

  Take your measurements and weight to chart progress, but then put that scale away and don't think about it!

JUST REMEMBER THE SCALE DOES NOT OWN YOU:

Make small changes in your daily lifestyle habits of eating, exercise, sleep and attitude and forget about the scale. Over time the affects will be undeniable.

 

Remember

"BABY STEPS"

Make little changes in the right direction and don't get overwhelmed or give up.  Just keep moving and line upon line, precept upon precept, you will be ready for each new level.  Every day is a fresh new start.  Love your body and accept it whatever shape and size it is today. Respect and treat yourself right all along the way and let go of any thoughts, patterns and beliefs that keep you from optimum health.

 

 

 

Don't give up.  Where there's life, there's hope. Just take life ONE DAY AT A TIME...  :)

 

SEE YOU ALL AT ZUMBA TONIGHT!!!!

 

RECAP:

 

Homework

 

Drink More Water. (Work towards drinking water only)

 

Clean out your cupboards and toss all sugar and white refined processed items.

No HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

 

Eat a Good Fresh Clean Lean and Green Breakfast

 

Create your VISION BOARD and picture the YOU of your dreams.  Not someone else, but you, your best self.  What do you look like?  Feel like?  Who are you with?  What is your job?  Income? Where do you live?  What are your hobbies? Goals?  Hopes for making a difference in the world? etc...

 

 

Start your day with:

Attitude of Gratitude

A clean glass of water. 

Sun Salutation and Warm Ups

First Food of the day is PROTEIN... with greens

(Eat Clean Lean and Green)

Then Get Movin! walk, run, swim, bike, ZUMBA!!

 

 

Eat a Rainbow

Red- Beets

Orange- carrot or cheddar

Yellow- boiled egg

Green- Spinach

Blue- Bleu Cheese

Purple- olives :)

The dressing was a delicious mix of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and Bleu Cheese dressing.

Super tasty, nutritious
 and satisfying ... Good protein from egg and cheese... Add nuts or meat too! 

Good Food should

Look Good, Taste Good

& Make You Feel Good!

PINOLE 90 DAY TRANSFORMAION CHALLENGE

OK friends.  I am back in action.  Had a great ZUMBA class in Pinole tonight with Zenelia!  She was my first and will always be my favorite Zumba instructor.  Her class is starting a 90 day health and fitness transformation challenge and I was invited to be the keynote speaker and nutrition educator/motivator.  It's a great group of men and women and I'm excited to get started with them this MONDAY!

To RECAP:

Baby steps to a better tomorrow.  Make small steps today that will lead you closer to your goals.  No setback is final.  Every day is a fresh start.  Do you see yourself as an old clunker that you put cheap gas in, or a luxury model built for speed and longevity that you regularly maintain and fill with the best fuel possible?


Favorite Quotes of the night:
"PUT ON YOUR OXYGEN MASK FIRST BEFORE YOU HELP OTHERS!"

"It's Easy to say NO when there's a Deeper YES within."
-Steve Covey

When I say "NO" to that midnight plate of cookies I am saying "YES" to:

YES I want to look and feel great.
YES I want to have energy and patience to play with my kids and be a good mom.
YES I want to have longevity and a quality of life so I can enjoy family and travel and service.
YES I want to reach my goals and make a difference in the world.


Exercise:
Squats and Zumba

FOOD:

1.  Baby Steps start with drinking more WATER,  Don't spend any money on other drinks for the next 90 days.  If you must finish up what's on hand do so, if you can eliminate all drinks but water now, MORE POWER TO YOU!!
2.  Cut out ALL HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, (and start eliminating any refined sugars)
3.  After a glass of water in the morning the first food you eat should be a protein!!
4. Eat Lean and Green fresh food with very little ingredients.


WE CAN DO IT!!!
EAT CLEAN AND FRESH AND JUST A LITTLE BETTER THAN YESTERDAY. 
EXERCISE A FEW MINUTES LONGER RUN A FEW STEPS FARTHER.

GOOD LUCK.



Cut out completely or partially any other drink you are consuming and replace it with fresh clean filtered water.

As far as bottled water goes I like VOSS water in the glass bottle.  At home I drink and bathe in NIKKEN PiMag Alkaline water and carbon filtered water.

But any water is better than NO water so drink up!

Add a lemon and/or fresh mint leaves to it for taste, alkalinity and natural antimicrobial properties.'