Well it’s been 3 months since I wrote this post. {Can it really be 3 months already?!} In July, I had the insane idea of turning my life upside to start living a more inspiring life. It went something like this:
Less sugar + More meditation = Happier Life
How successful have I been?
{Exercise}
I’ve been walking/hiking 3-5 days a week, doing my regular zumba class, biking every few months and adding yoga 1-2 a week plus tai chi and meditation.
Although I’ve been doing yoga off and on for the last 15 years, I was never a big yoga fan. It’s found its way in my exercise graveyard with step aerobics, spinning and inline skating. I guess I felt that all that twisting and turning myself into a pretzel was a lot more stressful than it should be.
But then I found something wonderfully blissful: Gentle Yoga! Sure, I’m the youngest in the bunch. But I leave feeling like I had a mini vacay. Except for teachers continuously reminding that this is “gentle yoga,” (in case I was expecting bikram), I felt right at home. Less intimidating, less pressure on my joints and less anxiety about falling on my behind.
{Diet}
I’ve also cut down on sugar tremendously. Although I still have an occasional pinkberry {oh how I love you Pomegranate yogurt}. One thing that’s helped is watching the sugar contents on boxes and bottles. Did you know, for example, that some juices have about 30g? More than the vegan cookies I love from Trader Joes. I try to pick cereals that have less than 9g of sugar. My sugar count is still tipping the scales towards diabetes so I’m trying to be very careful. The good news is that eating less sugar, makes you crave it less. After awhile, I’m noticing that everything store bought tastes much too sweet. I’m even skipping Jamba Juice and making my own smoothies now.
{Spirituality}
I used to be a highly spiritual person. But I somehow lost that side of myself as I got older. Yet, returning to what’s important instead of worrying about superficial things has brought back a deeper sense of meaning in my life. Surprisingly all it takes is 5 minutes of deep breathing and I’m set. A nice walk near trees does it for me too.
{Health}
The best news is that all my hard work has paid off. A recent lab test reveals that I’m healthy for the first time in a year. That’s a cause for celebration! And I’m pretty excited with the results.
So how about you?
I know I haven’t blogged on this in awhile. But hope you’re all finding your own peace and bliss and on your way to healing yourself.