Wellness Wednesday

This week I'm in the process of writing a mock grant proposal for a class plus getting ready for a craft show that I'm doing as a fundraiser for our local homeless ministry.  That said, I haven't had a lot of time to do research for *Wellness Wednesday."  Instead, since it is the holiday season when many of us get off the good health track, I'm sharing 6 Healthy Holiday Tips from MindBodyGreen:

6 Healthy Holiday Tips

By Katie Bressack

The holidays are always a wonderful time to see family, friends and be with loved ones. They are also the busiest time of the year and sometimes we get so caught up in what we need to do, that we might forget about taking care of ourselves. 

Here are six of my favorite healthy holiday tips that I like to share with my clients to help them maintain balance in their lives.  

1. Tis the Season to Plan

A secret of mine is to plan ahead by writing lists. Write down everything you need to do and give yourself deadlines. It is amazing how much you can get done if you actually know what you want to accomplish. 

2. A Spoonful of Love

Don’t forget about you. It is the season for giving but if you are overworked, stressed and running around you won’t be able to enjoy the holidays. Keep your energy levels up! Maintain your sleep schedule and aim for at least 8 hours of sleep. Stay focused on your exercise regimen. Working out will help your energy levels remain high and keep your brain clear and focused. It also keeps us from binging on all of the cookies and treats in your office or home. 

3. Have Yourself A Very Merry Plate

At your holiday gatherings, eat whatever you want just take smaller than usual portions. Keep enough room on your plate so you can see spaces in between the different foods. If you know you will still indulge just a little too much use a smaller plate so even if it is full, your stomach won’t be. 

4. Joy to Making Memories

You usually only eat Pecan Pie once a year so how about actually tasting and enjoying the Pecan Pie. By taking small bites and chewing all of your food slowly you actually taste all of the deliciousness you or a loved one has made. 

5. Sleigh Bells Ring, Is It Time For Seconds?

A great trick is to drink an entire glass of water after you eat. Then wait 15-20 minutes. Take this time to jump into conversations with your loved ones or start a fun chat. It also allows you to really listen to your body. Are you really hungry and need seconds? The time in between your last bite and your spoon in the mash potatoes will make this clear for you.  

6. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy

The holidays are special because they only happen once a year. The most important thing to remember is to enjoy them because they go by so fast. Sometimes it is the only time of year you might see someone you love. 

Quote for the Day

"The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure upon how our children grow up today."

~Margaret Mead

Thinking of Others

I meant to put up something about Buy Nothing Day here on the blog yesterday.  Well, time got away from me and I ended up just putting a quick comment about it up on facebook.  Over the last few years, I've tried to spread the word about Buy Nothing Day as I am so opposed to the rampant consumerism that we gorge on in the US.  My husband also pointed out that we spend one day counting all of our blessings, and then the very next day we run out in search of more *stuff* because we don't have enough.


I'm embarrassed to admit that there's another element of the day known as "Black Friday" that I haven't given much thought to:  the store employees.  This morning, as I was going through the blogs that I read on my Google Reader (I'm way behind with over 800 to read!), I ran across this commentary on the day.  As someone in retail, Vivienne points out that stores opened early, early on Black Friday - as early as 10:00 p.m. on Thursday.  Not only that, employees had to arrive before the store opened to get ready for the sale.  Add time for commuting, time getting ready for work, and to get enough sleep in order to be able to function on the job.  In order to accomplish all of this, she points out that bedtime needed to be at 2:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day!  As bad as that is, other stores opened as early as 9:00 p.m. this year so those employees really didn't have a Thanksgiving holiday.  


I read another blogger defending Black Friday as an opportunity for less fortunate individuals to purchase much needed items like socks and jeans at a more affordable price.  However, nothing prevents the stores from offering special sales at another time, allowing a more sane holiday weekend.  And we can have a say in this madness.  What if they threw a sale and nobody came?  


I'm especially addressing people of faith who should be the most vocal on this subject.  I hear people lament how terrible it is that employees are forced to work on holidays, Sundays, etc., yet have no problem frequenting the very places that are open on those days.  It's simply a case of supply and demand:   If we stopped shopping on those days, the stores and restaurants would not be open.  So maybe we should extend the Buy Nothing Day spirit into the rest of the year and refrain from shopping and eating out on days when everyone, by our own admission, should be home with their families.

(Photo source:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1335852)

I Am Thankful

As I celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I am reminded of all the things I have to be thankful for.  Here are ten things:


I am thankful for my husband who is also my best friend.
I am thankful for my two beautiful children who have grown into loving, caring, amazing adults.
I am thankful to have been born into a culture where I am free to worship in my own way.
I am thankful to have all of my material needs supplied:  water, food, clothing, shelter.
I am thankful to have all of my luxuries supplied.
I am thankful to be a small part of Danita's Children, working to help orphans in Haiti.
I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to receive an education.
I am thankful for good health.
I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to travel which has expanded my worldview.
I am thankful for all the animals that have been a part of my life and show me unconditional love.


These represent just a fraction of the many blessings that have been bestowed on me.


Wishing all my American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

(Photo source:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/401684)

Wellness Wednesday

Being grateful is good for you.  It not only makes you feel better, it serves as a stress reducer.  And we all know what stress does to our health.  Go here to read more about what mental health experts have to say about gratitude.  Then, despite what difficulties you may be going through, take a few minutes every day to remember what you have to be grateful for.

(Photo source:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1370477)

That Time of Year

This is one time of year that I really dread.  No, it's not the rampant consumerism of the season (although that does bother me, a lot).  It's hunting season.  That means men and boys (and sometimes women) in camouflage clothing, vehicles - everything - invading the quiet corners of the country.  Regular readers will remember that I wrote about the whole phenomena here.


Many of these people have no respect for private property.  They feel that when they see wide open spaces, they're entitled to hunt there (despite there being laws to the contrary).  We who live in the country are forced to wear a color called "blaze orange" on our own farms in order to not get shot at.  


Last year, my husband was in the woods behind our house, minding his own business, when a hunter took a shot in his direction.  As he ran out of the woods, yelling at the careless hunter, the man jumped in his truck and took off.  I hope that this hunter was so shaken up by the possibility that he could have killed someone that he no longer hunts like that.  Not long ago, my husband talked to a fellow goat farmer who told him that he and his wife have actually been shot SEVERAL times during past hunting seasons!  So this poor man wears blaze orange, even when he's inside during this time of year.  


And don't even get me started on the hunters who use dogs to hunt.  Jack, my little beagle/basset hound mix who passed away almost two years ago, was a former hunting dog.  He was abandoned to fend for himself because he didn't live up to hunting expectations. (We're glad he became a part of our family, though.)  Even many of the dogs who do perform well are ill-treated.  They're not fed enough food so they're "hungry" when they hunt.  Recently, two local hunting dogs attacked our chickens, killing several and maiming others that were so bad off that my husband had to euthanize them. All for sport.  Most of these dogs are beagles who do not naturally attack chickens or other livestock.  It's just that they were so hungry that they were desperate.  Just so their owners can use them to hunt deer.  And most of these hunters don't even want the meat; they want the antlers as trophies.


I suppose I'll just grin and bear it - and try to avoid getting shot.  On several occasions I have told my husband that I'd like to follow one of these hunters home to the city one day and then sit in front of his house with a loaded rifle in my lap.  I wonder how he'd feel about that.

(Photo source:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1355961)

I feel a pang of guilt every time I use my trash can at home (or anywhere, for that matter).  As I drop something into the container, I think about how wasteful our culture is.  Each item I discard represents something that was once of value but is now worthless and will join the millions and billions of other useless items that have been used up.  Each item often represents finite resources that are being used up for our convenience, not always out of necessity. 


I recently had a conversation with someone who had briefly done some missionary work in Russia a few years ago.  She told me how shocking (to her and the rest of her group) it was that the Russian women they came in contact with had never seen nor heard of paper plates.  Her group supplied them with some disposable goods and they discovered the women were washing them!  The American reaction to this was to tell them to stop doing it and to just throw everything away.  


At this point, I tried to keep my jaw from dropping to the ground as I thought, what is wrong with washing reusable plates and why are we (Americans) introducing such an unsustainable practice to this culture?  People in poverty do not need to get into the habit of disposables.  While it may be good for the companies that manufacture such goods, it is certainly bad for the Russian (and other) people.  When it is a struggle to feed the children (this was in an orphanage), how on earth are they to find the resources to pay for disposable goods?  And once the plates, cups, and utensils are used, where will they go?  Who will pay for the expanded infrastructure to handle the extra garbage that will be generated?


As I close the cabinet door where I keep my kitchen trash can, so many more questions and feelings come to the surface.  Why has our world come to this?  Why has it become the norm to have so much trash?  Why don't we think about where it all goes?  Why aren't more of us thinking about alternatives?  Call me crazy, but it seems there has got to be a better way to do life.

(Photo source:  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1218054)