Thursday, December 20, 2012

Cholesterol is NOT The Bad Guy!

You're officially off the hook if you love your coffee with grass-fed butter, hurrah!

Yes, you read that correctly. Whenever someone says to me, "I'm sure this is bad for me. It's so high in fat and cholesterol" I respond, "cholesterol is NOT the bad guy you know." Here's a short article explaining why...seriously it'll take you 3 minutes to read it!

Click here to read why Cholesterol is GOOD for you!

With fittest intentions,

Michelle

 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

We Need Moments and Acts of Kindness

Along with everyone else in the nation, and I'm sure the world, I am horrified to think of the atrocity that occurred yesterday in Newtown, CT. I can hardly find words to even begin this post, I mean, what can I say that would even begin to describe how i feel about how the deaths of an entire Kindergarten class, their schoolmates, teachers and Principal? I guess I don't need to get detailed because I'm sure you, reader, feel just as saddened and horrified as I do.

My brother's girlfriend's birthday party came on the heels of this attack. Kind of a rough night to have a party, but it was for the best. After all, when something makes you keenly aware of the love you have for your friends and family I believe it best to go spend quality time with them. The party went well and it also allowed me some time to observe my 2.5 yr old nephew. While I was watching his sweet little face light up as he took in all the Christmas Lights on the gigantic tree, my heart broke to think of all the cold beds in the Newtown area that night.

Facebook blew up yesterday with updated statuses commenting on the news; prayers, best wishes, expressions of horror and so on. A lot of people were saying, "what is going on with the world? There are so many shootings lately, like in the last few years it seems to have become this gruesome trend!" Sadly they're right. Here's the thing though, if we want to see change in the world, we need to be that change. We can't just sit in our homes and be horrified at the news and then say, "gosh I hope I get home safely from the mall today." To act like victims-in-waiting is NOT a proactive mindset at all! If we want our world to be a friendly more loving place, we need to be friendly and more loving.

We all know about the butterfly effect, or the domino effect. The idea is that one small drop in the pond here will create a ripple which will expand and travel outwards effecting many other things, both foreseen and unforeseen. As the common phrase goes: A butterfly flaps its wings in Tampa and there's a storm in Taiwan. So why wait for a ripple of terror to hit us when we can CHOOSE to drop a boulder of kindness into that pond?

So I am taking action by pledging to do someone a kindness today. Two someones. I will buy a coffee for the next person in line. I will insist that the person behind me at the grocery store with a crying baby go before me even though I only have small basket. I will make an exchange genuine by taking it away from the superficial niceties, away from "how are you?" "Good, how are you?" "Good." Instead I will comment admiringly on his tattoo, or her hair, or earrings, or boots...it doesn't matter what as long as that person can feel that they were just recognized as another human being, not simply as a service person. If someone is surprised or shocked, then clearly my act of kindness found a needy home. We can't know what our affect on any one person will be, so dole out the kind acts without judgement. I will not limit my acts to people that look like they'll appreciate or understand.

If every one of us gives a moment of kindness to just two people today, I believe we can take back the affection that we felt for our communities. Going to the mall or store will become a happy opportunity to find someone that needs a moment of kindness instead of being laden with apprehension. Sure it may seem a little awkward at first, but change isn't always easy, but that certainly doesn't mean the change isn't worth having! Aren't you a CrossFitter by the way? Wasn't becoming a CrossFitter difficult? Days of being unable to take the stairs didn't stop you did it? Aren't you a yogi by the way? Wasn't finding the time to practice and learning to breathe into poses difficult? But that didn't stop you from seeing the value in what you were doing and therefore from quitting did it?

This is my pledge. What are you doing today?

With fittest intentions,

Michelle

 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Seriously, Could You Laugh Occasionally?

Life is a serious business. Kids, work, house, car, taxes, workouts, food, world news....it can all add up to stress! You may not even realize it but, as adults, we spend more time stressed and less time laughing or smiling. You're running errands or working to beat a deadline and so hours may elapse between the rare giggle or grin. You may not think this is you, but when you read the following you may be surprised.

"The average four-year-old laughs 300 times a day, a 40-year-old, only four." -Published on June 21, 2011 by Dr. Pamela Gerloff in The Possibility Paradigm

THREE HUNDRED vs FOUR!! Ok, so huge difference but why does it necessarily matter? It matters to your health! Some studies have shown that laughter can boost your immune system, lower and/or help regulate blood sugar and help relax people so they can then sleep better. Some doctors don't think the studies are conclusive enough, but I don't think anyone out there is going to say, "DON'T laugh, it'll make you worse." [Well, unless you've recently had some particular surgeries/ailments in which the shaking from laughter can aggravate an incision site or sore area.]

You can read one of the many articles (this one from Mayo Clinic) on this topic HERE.

Here is a fun Laughter Game you can play. (I never win this!)

  • Get two or more people to play.
  • First person says, "Ha" once. The next person says, "Ha" twice, and so on.
  • As long as you say your correct number of "Ha"s, there's no rule about HOW they need to be said. Loud, slow, deep, high, squeaky whatever.
  • Good luck!
  • P.S. Kids will kick your butt at this game, and they will love it!


With fittest intentions,

Michelle