Category:Mind/Body/Spirit
Crowding Out
On a scale of 1-10, I rate the “diet/nutrition” part of my health choices at a 7. However, depending upon to whom I compare myself, I may rank higher or lower. And….because, I’m continually moving towards learning from others (be it through contrast or sameness), but comparing myself to myself, I stick with 7, in process to moving to 8, where I will then reevaluate and determine my next move. Incrementally, which works better for me, I am adding more servings of vegetables to my daily diet, keeping carbs to a minimum, eating gluten only for worthy exceptions and doing my best to add fruit, which interestingly I like, but have a heck of a time eating consistently. So, welcome to my new breakfast habit in motion. Having set a goal to lose 10 pounds at a slow and steady pace over the next 12 weeks, but more so to have more living foods in my diet, my new TLS Slim site, where I am both learning about health, finding recipes, journaling and tracking my daily food, water, & exercise, advised me to eat 5-6 cups of vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, minimum 8 glasses of water, 3-4 oz protein per meal and 3-4 tablespoons of good fat to achieve my goals. What I’ve discovered as I’ve been incorporating this incremental health improvement into my life is 1) when I stick to it, I noticeably feel a notch better. 2) when I allow myself to keep moving towards it without self-judgment and acknowledging my progress, I feel my commitment growing -because rather than condemnation for missed action steps, I...
Becoming
Being a “butterfly” in flight provides a different view than experiencing life from within the walls of a cocoon or as a catapillar that is denying its natural urge to weave a transformational casing around itself to later develop it’s muscles to chew it’s way through and fly. And, having recently emerged from my own cocoon, after following an undeniable prompting to climb inside, I’m enjoying the view and keenly observing the importance of each of these stages. From within my cocoon, I stepped off the train of what my life had been and through a series of challenges including health, finances, career, home, self, relationships and family, I took an honest look at myself, observed the patterns of my life, found my strengths and owned them, took some risks to speak my truth, learned to believe in me, reclaimed my passions, and furthered my courage, (already a virtue I possessed) to become who I am more authentically in the world. Along the way, I was blessed with some incredible human beings to love and be loved by, a deeply rooted faith and a profound knowing that I was meant to become who I am. And…I’m not saying any of this was easy, nor am I saying that one’s whole life must crumble in order for it to be rebuilt in a more true way. I am saying however that we have a choice, and I believe we all have a “GPS system” that comes from a place Beyond ourselves that urges us forward from where ever we are. And, from whatever choices we make, it will always “recalculate.”...
Dr. Oz Says DANCE
New brain frontiers upon us, dancing is good not only for our body, our spirit, our mood. It exercises our brain. Straight from the mouths of babes, or was it Dr. Oz. Yes, it was Dr. Oz. Not that he is the authority on brains, however he has earned his stripes of passion, expertise and stepping out into his potential for the good of many. Thank you Dr. Oz. So, to share what I learned; This morning during my 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, on one of my non-running days (one of my healthy new habits that also includes weight lifting for a 1/2 hour or see a few times a week, also one because I am healing catching plantar faschitis before it fully kicks in), I watched the only t.v I see. Interesting to me, and a reminder that there is some good content. Also aligned with a growing passion to learn more about the brain, Dr. Oz captured my attention and helped passed the time quickly during my exercise. “Gloving up” the guests on the view to touch actual brains, Dr. Oz demonstrated on two brains the contrast between an Alzheimers brain which is hollow in the middle (a visual explanation why memory, one of the brain’s key functions is also missing) and a healthy brain which was solid all the way through. Providing a few pointers on why it’s best to have our brains solid rather than hollow or mushy inside and how to keep our brains healthy, Dr. Oz offered some nutritional tips including the importance of Omega’s, nuts, blueberries, broccoli. To...Night Shift
Yeah. shocking transition to this title huh? So too is the Night Shift shocking, however boy was it unexpectedly filled with insights and ahas to such a degree that it was definately worth it. And…it confirmed that it was all in right order. So, what the heck am I talking about? Well, last week, the final week of a consulting project that I have been working on full-time since October included 3 overnight shifts. It is less important what the project was, then the insights. However, to provide some context, it was at a hospital who was going live on electronic medical record and needed on-site support to hold hands for providers, nurses and pharmacists as they were implementing the new system, a skill set I learned many years ago as part of larger skill set that also included needs assessment, developing and delivering a variety of training for healthcare organizations. In any case, my shift was 11 pm – 7 am, and I am neither a late night person nor a morning person, and having learned the delicate balance my body requires, it does not respond well to big shocks, nor did it. So…to begin at the beginning of the week, I was both trusting and apprehensive, and like we do when we just have to do what we have to do, I showed up and just did what I had to do. I made my way through Day 1 and Day 2 and just as I was starting to get the hang of living at night, was told they didn’t need me so resumed getting my body...
Some Tips For Feeling Better
I commence with a parallel drawn from nature that all living creatures, plants etc… have both common and individual needs to flourish. Each animal in the “kingdom” needs to eat, drink, sleep, procreate, co-create, in an environment that fits for them. However, exactly what they eat, what they do in their daily life and where/how they do it is unique. Likewise with our sisters and brothers in the plant kingdom, when you take a moment to notice, isn’t it true that although all plants, trees and greeneries need some combination of water, soil, sunlight/shade as a common ground isn’t is also true that for each one to flourish they all need a different combination in order to do so? So,….if we are a part of the same Creation, and we are, does’nt it make sense that we too would have some common and unique needs to be our best? Taking a look first at a few of our common needs, which we have probably all heard, but not necessarily fully learned or implemented into our lives; 1) our physical selves we need safety / security / shelter, a simultaneous complex and simple web of foods and water to nourish the universe of cells in our bodies with the specific biochemistry that most of us do not get, exercise and sleep 2) sense of belongingness, connectedness and community 3) purpose. This does not complete the list, however for the purposes of this blog post, I’m starting with a few examples. So, if as humans we know that we have these diverse needs, being really honest with yourself, have you arrived...About Dawn Vogel
Dawn Vogel is founder of Luminous Concepts Productions. She is passionate about elevating health and human potential, advancing consciousness in practical ways and bettering our world. Working with people in practices, businesses or causes who are elevating people, her vision is to strengthen individuals and groups of individuals to strengthen those they serve through Luminous Concepts Productions. She creates photography & video stories that inspire, promote, educate and help people better reach their people.