I have always loved blue and it turns out that is a good thing for weight loss: it slows us down and makes us sleepy. So surround yourself with blue while eating: blue plates, blue glasses, blue place mats and paint your kitchen and dining rooms blue if you are trying to lose weight. Sounds like a plan!
Color has always been an important part of my life, the more vibrant the better. Research shows that blue is an appetite-suppressing color while warm colors stimulate the appetite. I have to admit that this blue cupcake isn't as appealing as a chocolate one would be to me! Red is a powerful color which increases energy and passion, and also stimulates the appetite. Yellow also stimulates the appetite and makes us happy. Warm colors also apparently make us eat faster. Guess I better avoid them in my kitchen if I want to lose weight.
I have always loved blue and it turns out that is a good thing for weight loss: it slows us down and makes us sleepy. So surround yourself with blue while eating: blue plates, blue glasses, blue place mats and paint your kitchen and dining rooms blue if you are trying to lose weight. Sounds like a plan!
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I used to love to collect recipes with the delusion that someday I would actually have the time to make them all. I subscribed to Southern Living and saved the recipes every month. I was always gathering recipes that sounded yummy … then reality set in a few years ago. I live with my teenage daughter who doesn’t like anything I cook, healthy or otherwise. My sons who actually enjoy my cooking live in other states. My friends are all on diets or gluten free, vegan, raw or vegetarian. So if I make something new, who is going to eat it besides me? It kind of takes the joy out of cooking. Over the years I have purged many recipes either because they were complex, time consuming, not healthy, or it didn’t taste as good as it sounded. I also realized that most recipes can be found online anyway. The family favorites will eventually get scanned into the computer <easier than re-typing> especially since my sons are now cooking for themselves and asking for their favorites. My long term plan is to consolidate the favorites into a file so I can give it to my kids when they get married, along with other helpful ideas I have learned. That goal is in my job jar since it is not a priority right now. How do you handle your recipe clutter? We are all overloaded with information that comes to us from every direction on a regular basis, and we feel like we will never catch up. We have so many interests that we subscribe to lists or read magazines, etc so we don’t miss out on the latest and greatest. We need to learn to be selective in what we bring into our reality because sometimes the real trick isn’t to learn more but to apply what you already know. There’s always going to be more information out there, but you can’t manufacture more time. "There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results." – Unknown Be realistic: let go of impossible expectations. We can’t do it all. Live your life but schedule time for reading based on your own internal clock. Are you more receptive right before bed so your brain can work on new ideas during sleep, or first thing in the morning? Look for pockets of time while waiting for appointments or picking up your kids: always have something to read available to pass the time. Distractions will happen so we need to develop self-discipline in order to focus on our priorities. Granted … we all need to relax … have fun … take a break now and then to clear our heads. But when I look back, completing a task always gave me a great sense of pride knowing I had done my best and all the hard work was worth it. We need to learn to stick to one project and finish it before starting another. As you work, keep a pad of paper and pen nearby. When you think of something that distracts you, write it down so you won’t forget it and then go back to what you were doing. List ideas by topic and then prioritize the topics … sometimes an idea needs to percolate and by the time you get around to working on the idea it is no longer relevant. Think about all the great ideas you have heard about … how many of them are a part of your routine or just wishful thinking? No matter how great the idea is, we can’t do them all. A great idea has no value to us unless it is implemented. Be realistic … prioritize … be selective … eliminate distraction … be committed and consistently stick to it … bask in the joy of completion. Your life reveals itself through your choices. Once we develop self-discipline and master the basics, we are free to create our expansive lives. I am going to be spending some time over the next 2 weeks listening to this teleseminar series: The Ultimate Soulmate Summit. What better time to concentrate on love than in February, in preparation for the coming spring and rebirth. I already listened to Marianne Williamson, John Gray & Carol Allen ... lots of good advice ... seems I have been doing EVERYTHING wrong ... go figure! I think these statements are true: the worst thing to do to a woman is make her feel alone … the worst thing to do to a man is make them feel ball-busted. Hmmm … I have definitely been guilty of that in the past. There was that old thing of wanting to be right, and I chose men that were as hard-headed as I was: not a good combination. Now I prefer a more win-win result with mutual respect for differences. Life is too short to constantly be at odds with those you love because of pride or a need to be right, because you can be very right and very lonely! Of course … knowing and implementing are not quite so easy … wish me luck!
What could be better than a long, hot soak in a scented bath with candles and soft music … alone or with your special someone this Valentine’s Day? Start by filling the tub with warm water … lukewarm for an energizing bath or slightly hotter for a more relaxing soak. While waiting for the tub to fill, exfoliate your skin with dry brushing (toward your heart) for 5-10 minutes, which increases circulation and for better absorption of the oils. Customize your bath with pure essential oils … spend the extra money and avoid synthetic oils. Also, avoid using essential oils while pregnant. Your brain’s limbic system responds only to pure essential oils to produce the desired effect of relaxation or stimulation. Add the oils or bath salts once the tub is full and stir thoroughly. Whichever bath you choose, plan to spend 20-30 minutes breathing … meditating … and soaking in the water to allow your skin to absorb the oils for a total mind / body / spirit experience. Basic Oil Bath Use 1-2 oz. of plain carrier per bath to provide moisturizing effects … some good choices are coconut, almond, avocado, olive, sesame, wheat germ, canola or jojoba oil. If adding essential oils, less carrier oil is needed. You can mix a blend of your favorite oils ahead of time and add them to your bath as desired. Fill a small jar with carrier oil and add 15-30 drops of your favorite essential oil; cover tightly and shake well. Use 1-2 teaspoons of oil per bath. If you want to make bath salts, add any of the oil blends below to 2 cups sea salt and store in glass jar… add a handful to your bath as needed. Thereare many recipes on the internet, so have fun and experiment to find out which one appeals to you! Relaxing Bath 3 drops lavender essential oil 3 drops sandalwood essential oil 3 drops rosewood essential oil Lemon Wake-Up Bath 3 drops lemon essential oil 3 drops rosemary essential oil 2 drops peppermint essential oil Invigorating Bath 3 drops rosemary essential oil 2 drops bergamot essential oil 2 drops peppermint essential oil 2 drops thyme essential oil Before it happens:
· copy everything in your wallet and keep a copy in your grab and go bag · write down contact numbers next to each card · do NOT keep a copy of your social security card in your wallet … ever! · Make sure your ATM card doesn’t access all your accounts If it happens: · Cancel each credit and bank card; get new cards and change your passwords ASAP because you won’t be liable for any charges made after you report the card stolen · Close your checking account if that was stolen as well … stopping payment on checks is costly and only lasts for 6 months · File a police report and keep a copy to prove you were robbed in case credit companies ever ask · Notify credit agency fraud departments: Equifax 800-525-6285 … Experian 888-397-3742 … TransUnion 800-680-7289. Have them put a security alert in your file that requires creditors to contact you before opening new accounts in your name. This will help guard against short-term identity theft. If someone does steal your identity, you can request in writing that a victim's statement, which is a security alert that lasts for several years, be attached to your file. · Be sure to check all future credit card statements, bank statements and your credit report for unapproved charges or fraudulent accounts that would indicate identity theft. Guard your wallet at all times! Even if it is not in plain sight, thieves are sophisticated so awareness and prevention are the keys. Protect yourself by making the copies … just in case! I would suggest you at least check this copy twice a year in case you added new cards to your wallet. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! What is an Ionic Foot Cleanse? It is a gentle and effective way to detoxify, cleanse, and balance the body by drawing the impurities out of the body through the feet. As your feet soak in the ionic footbath, your body will undergo an amazing cleanse of years’ worth of stored toxins caused by positively charged ions. You will immediately feel more energized and will very likely have your best night of sleep in years. The ion cleanse foot spa can enhance the natural healing power of the body by balancing the electrons in the body which, in a healthy person, should contain 80% negative electrons and 20% positive electrons. So treat yourself or a loved one ... I am running a Valentine's Day special so if you are interested, please read more here and call or e-mail me to take advantage of the special. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I was thinking about love in all its forms when I woke up today. It was so nice to be greeted with unconditional love by my cats who just want to smell my morning breath and get their daily dose of Reiki before beginning their day. Even cats have routines apparently. I love my kids very much but they have their own lives to lead and I am not always a part of it. That’s hard for a mother to accept but I raised them to be independent and I am secure enough in my relationship with them to know they love me, although perhaps not quite so unconditionally as my cats. I have quite an eclectic group of friends and my love for them is more joyful because I try to avoid drama in my female friendships. Not always possible but I get better at it as I grow older. We share our desires, our fears, our goals … we laugh spontaneously and find joy in simple things … we support each other as we grow. We allow each other the space to be open and authentic. We avoid blame, judgment and control of each other. We encourage each other to dream and fantasize and go for what we want in life. We encourage each other to stay positive and present and to let go of the past and whatever doesn’t serve us right here, right now. The Five Essentials of Genuine Love <adapted from The Five Things We Cannot Change by David Richo> are attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing … both of ourselves and others. In my opinion, this is a pretty essential guide map toward intimacy. My romantic track record is not so good, probably because of a lack of trust and fear of vulnerability. Hopefully now that I am more aware I can overcome these blocks and find unconditional love this year. Looking back at the list in the previous paragraph, those are good things for romantic love as well. I am ever hopeful … so here are a few love affirmations to consider: 1. I give and receive love expansively. 2. Genuine love comes to me effortlessly. 3. I feel loved and loving all the time. 4. I release all pain from my past love experiences. Do you have any love affirmations you would like to share? February is National Time Management Month. To make your life flow more easily, I can’t emphasize enough how important systems and routines are so that the mundane parts of your life simply become established habits. This frees up your mind and heart for your creative passions and where the real juiciness of your life resides.
Keep it simple. I encourage clients to do a brain dump and write down everything they want in their routine and then pare it down from there. When they first come to me they have usually tried to establish routines before and then totally ignore the routine because it is so overwhelming. We all know there are not enough hours in the day to realistically do everything we are told to do by either our parents, peers or the media. Then we feel guilty because we are not “good enough.” We assume everyone else has it figured out and we are lacking in some way. This is simply not true. We all have different priorities in our lives and can’t rely on outside sources to tell us how to live our ideal life: only we know how to do that. Trust yourself and your intuition. Don’t judge yourself: make a promise to yourself that you will implement these changes in a loving way. Give yourself some leeway: plan for double the amount of time you think a task will take, than you can be happy and surprised when it takes less time than you thought. Chunk it down into doable baby steps. This way we get our subconscious on board with us and instead of sabotaging us because we have failed so many times before and it doesn’t take us seriously, our subconscious sees steady progress and rockets us to our goals. Use a calendar. Teach everyone in your household to check it regularly. Have that as part of your routine if you regularly forget to look at it. Take some time in the next few days to make a simple routine for yourself. Trust me when I say: you’ll be glad you did. Only when you have established those basic habits, you can choose to add a few more things … one step at a time. February theme: love and relationships
9. Make a list of things you are procrastinating about and add them to your job jar 10. Massage your scalp in the shower 11. Schedule a family game night 12. Gather all borrowed items and return them to owner 13. Drink some hot cocoa by a fire 14. Share with a loved one what you love about them <it is especially nice if they share with you as well> 15. Cuddle with a pet |
Website Creator: Marie RussellChoose simplicity! VALOR: visualize, ask, let go, Archives
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