Today the kids were up very early. They're early risers anyway, usually filling the house with yells and laughter by 7 a.m. This morning, for whatever reason, they were up a little before 6:20 a.m. So, we went through the motions, breakfast, snacks, drinks, supplements, shakes and so forth. Then I got a crazy idea: Why don't we walk to the park? We have an elementary school around the corner with a play ground.
We walked there and the kids climbed up to the highest slide and went down about 60 trillion times while I jogged laps around them for about 25 minutes (with High Knees and Sprints. I do love me some running).
On the way home, I pointed out all the flowers, trees, shrubs and leaves I could and we talked about them. I showed them acorns and oaks, and explained how everything the tiny seed needs to become a tree is right inside. The seed just needs the right conditions to grow. Good dirt, water, fresh air and sunshine. If the seed had all of those requirements, it would grow up to be a huge tree.
My 4 year old looked at all the acorns on the ground and looked back up at me. "Momma, that's a lot of trees!"
I went on to explain that not every seed would get those perfect conditions. Only a few of them would. God would make sure that the strongest seeds with the best potential to be a big ol' tree would grow. That was God's job.
I drew a parallel with the kids about people. How we have thoughts and feelings and God gave us free will, which means we get to choose how we want to grow. I told my girls about how God let us pick the conditions for ourselves to grow into. We could choose to grow into astronauts, or doctors, or gardeners, or secretaries or whatever we want to be.
The kids went on to make knock knock jokes, but our lovely little nature walk got me thinking. I've been on a learning curve lately, reading everything I can about personal finance, investing, real estate options, strength training, dietary recommendations, human psychology, charities, vlogging, marketing and, of course, biblical teachings to supplement my daily Bible readings. I want to grow in the area of finances so that I can have more to give more. I don't like only giving 10%, I want to really change the world, especially for kids in critical condition.
But it's my choice to grow. That's such a beautiful thing! Likewise, everyone I listen to as I go about my daily life that complains, whines or grumbles about their current circumstances is choosing to complain over changing and growing. Library cards are free--go get a new skill set so you can change your circumstances. It really is that easy. Know where you're going, and then read a book or listen to a CD/MP3 on how to get there. If you want to be a real estate tycoon, learn from Donald Trump or Robert Kiyosaki. If you're drowning in debt, learn from Dave Ramsey or David Bach.
Even if you have no idea where to start, make the decision to start. If you are homeless, you can still get a library card and get access to the internet and go from there. You always have the power to affect your situation, don't ever convince yourself otherwise.
Do you feel helpless? Do you want to change but still don't know how to get started? E-mail me and let me help you! mannateamkratos (at) gmail :)
Lizi
Showing posts with label mindset. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindset. Show all posts
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Where Has The Time Gone?
Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and asked yourself that question? Do you frequently feel like you tried your hardest but you have nothing to show for it? Let's look at some ways to manage time more effectively to have results to show for it at the end of the day.
#1. Define Your Goals--Some people are into structure, some aren't. I recommend doing what works for you. If writing 3 things you want to do by the end of the day on the back of a receipt and sticking it in your pocket works for you, then do it! I don't care. I like having a day planner with time blocked off for each part of my day, with my running "To Do" list on the side. I can tell you right now, though, that if I asked my brother to keep one, it would never get written in. Ever. He's a "back of the receipt" kind of guy, and you know what? It works beautifully for him. So define your goals and put them somewhere. A secondary thing to do, once you have a focus for your activities, is to prioritize them. For example, I have a goal of working out for 30 minutes every day. It's a priority for me. Another priority for me is to learn something new. If I have 2 hours left in my day, I might try a new workout. Why? Because both of these things are priorities for me and I have a limited amount of time, so I'll learn a new workout for bonus points. Let's say in this 2 hours left scenario I also needed to...I don't know...return Library books. I might just bump that to the next day, because while returning them is important, the library books won't impact my health like working out will.
#2. Bust Time Wasters--If you frequently find yourself intimidated by your To Do list and jumping on FaceBook to compensate, you need to become aware of your bad habits and cut it out. If you are supposed to be setting up lunch meetings and instead you grab a coffee and hang out on Twitter for an hour, become aware of it and cut it out. A good way to catch yourself at this is to write down everything you do, every 15 minutes for 1 day. Don't lie to yourself and don't hold back. From when you wake up, begin recording even the mundane details. I realized I spent about 40 minutes every day just staring into space thinking of what to do next. That's what led me to a to do list! Almost an hour wasted literally doing nothing (not that thinking is bad, it's not, I still spend plenty of time doing it, but there's no need for me to stand around figuring out what to do next instead of having a plan of action that I wrote up yesterday and charging forward! Then I get to spend more time with my kids and husband after completing my To Do's :) )
#3. Rinse and Repeat--There's a Japanese Proverb that says, "Beginning is easy. Continuing is hard." My sentiments exactly! Don't just do this once or twice and then write it off. If you want a successful life, you have to change the way you do things. If you want to get healthy, you have to change the way you eat. If you want to catch a rainbow trout, you have to have a certain bait. You see where I'm going with these analogies? If you're unhappy with your life--MAKE A CHANGE! And then keep doing what is successful and modify what is unsuccessful.
Just never, ever stop. A friend of mine once pointed out that in Texas, Highway 45 runs all the way from DFW to Houston. And it doesn't matter if you go 50 miles an hour or 5 miles an hour--you'll get to Houston. Just don't lay down and don't turn around.
Lizi
#1. Define Your Goals--Some people are into structure, some aren't. I recommend doing what works for you. If writing 3 things you want to do by the end of the day on the back of a receipt and sticking it in your pocket works for you, then do it! I don't care. I like having a day planner with time blocked off for each part of my day, with my running "To Do" list on the side. I can tell you right now, though, that if I asked my brother to keep one, it would never get written in. Ever. He's a "back of the receipt" kind of guy, and you know what? It works beautifully for him. So define your goals and put them somewhere. A secondary thing to do, once you have a focus for your activities, is to prioritize them. For example, I have a goal of working out for 30 minutes every day. It's a priority for me. Another priority for me is to learn something new. If I have 2 hours left in my day, I might try a new workout. Why? Because both of these things are priorities for me and I have a limited amount of time, so I'll learn a new workout for bonus points. Let's say in this 2 hours left scenario I also needed to...I don't know...return Library books. I might just bump that to the next day, because while returning them is important, the library books won't impact my health like working out will.
#2. Bust Time Wasters--If you frequently find yourself intimidated by your To Do list and jumping on FaceBook to compensate, you need to become aware of your bad habits and cut it out. If you are supposed to be setting up lunch meetings and instead you grab a coffee and hang out on Twitter for an hour, become aware of it and cut it out. A good way to catch yourself at this is to write down everything you do, every 15 minutes for 1 day. Don't lie to yourself and don't hold back. From when you wake up, begin recording even the mundane details. I realized I spent about 40 minutes every day just staring into space thinking of what to do next. That's what led me to a to do list! Almost an hour wasted literally doing nothing (not that thinking is bad, it's not, I still spend plenty of time doing it, but there's no need for me to stand around figuring out what to do next instead of having a plan of action that I wrote up yesterday and charging forward! Then I get to spend more time with my kids and husband after completing my To Do's :) )
#3. Rinse and Repeat--There's a Japanese Proverb that says, "Beginning is easy. Continuing is hard." My sentiments exactly! Don't just do this once or twice and then write it off. If you want a successful life, you have to change the way you do things. If you want to get healthy, you have to change the way you eat. If you want to catch a rainbow trout, you have to have a certain bait. You see where I'm going with these analogies? If you're unhappy with your life--MAKE A CHANGE! And then keep doing what is successful and modify what is unsuccessful.
Just never, ever stop. A friend of mine once pointed out that in Texas, Highway 45 runs all the way from DFW to Houston. And it doesn't matter if you go 50 miles an hour or 5 miles an hour--you'll get to Houston. Just don't lay down and don't turn around.
Lizi
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Just Do It!
I've noticed a trend in people that are changing their lifestyles.
They want to change their eating habits. They want to start working out. They have a general idea of why they want to do that: live longer, lose weight, look fabulous, have more energy and so on.
And then they talk themselves right out of it!
Either their wasn't specific enough information on exactly when to do what exercise, or when to eat what specific meal, or what kinds of foods you should combine, or that sounds like too much food or not enough food and so on.
For the love--Don't talk yourself out of a healthy lifestyle!!!! ALL OF THOSE ARE EXCUSES!!!
The bottom line is this: Eat healthy, real foods (real foods don't come through a window or out of a bag/box). Aim for 5 days per week of mixed exercises. Drink plenty of water. Supplement your nutrition appropriately.
That's pretty much it.
"But!!!" I hear you cry, "But do I do cardio, or yoga, or weights, or pilates, or yogalates, or Insanity, or use a personal trainer? And when I eat, do I eat according to my blood type, or low fat, or low carb, or Paleo, or according to an endo-ecto-mesomorph plan, or 500 calories a day? And do I weigh myself, or measure inches, or use calipers, or buy a $200+ body composition scale?"
The answer to those questions is...yes.
Ha! Now I've really got you trippin'!
You can do whatever kind of exercise you like. I myself, for example, love to run and lift weights. So, if my day allows it, I go on a 2 or 3 mile run (to some of you that's puny, to some of you that is a Herculean feat, to me that's what I have time for). If you like Yoga, do that! If you have a personal trainer, use them. If you used to like one thing but you got bored of it, FIND SOMETHING ELSE! It's the Age of Information, y'all--there IS something out there for you.
You can follow whatever realistic eating plan you want to--as long as it's real food (You know, fresh fruits and vegetables, the best meat you can afford, prepared in your home with healthy ingredients you add yourself. If you have no idea what real food is, open a new tab on your browser and fart around for a bit finding out--it's worth it). You cannot eat a fast food diet and be okay--you might take the buns off and have a chicken breast with a diet soda but consider this #rant: The "chicken breast" is made up of old, bacteria-laden mixed parts (bacteria laden because of antibiotic use in modern farming, mind you), then it was injected with a sugar/salt water mixture to make it moist and tasty (barf), then it was fried, then it was coated in liquid smoke to make you think it was grilled. You can re-name your diet soda chemical soup. You basically consumed a bunch of garbage that will release free radicals to zing around in your body, damaging otherwise perfectly happy cells, which (if you eat like that I'm guessing you don't care about supplementing vitamins too much) don't have the proper nutrients to then recover from the damage. You age your body every time you eat that junk. Cut it out! /#endrant
I think he says it best:
They want to change their eating habits. They want to start working out. They have a general idea of why they want to do that: live longer, lose weight, look fabulous, have more energy and so on.
And then they talk themselves right out of it!
Either their wasn't specific enough information on exactly when to do what exercise, or when to eat what specific meal, or what kinds of foods you should combine, or that sounds like too much food or not enough food and so on.
For the love--Don't talk yourself out of a healthy lifestyle!!!! ALL OF THOSE ARE EXCUSES!!!
The bottom line is this: Eat healthy, real foods (real foods don't come through a window or out of a bag/box). Aim for 5 days per week of mixed exercises. Drink plenty of water. Supplement your nutrition appropriately.
That's pretty much it.
"But!!!" I hear you cry, "But do I do cardio, or yoga, or weights, or pilates, or yogalates, or Insanity, or use a personal trainer? And when I eat, do I eat according to my blood type, or low fat, or low carb, or Paleo, or according to an endo-ecto-mesomorph plan, or 500 calories a day? And do I weigh myself, or measure inches, or use calipers, or buy a $200+ body composition scale?"
The answer to those questions is...yes.
Ha! Now I've really got you trippin'!
You can do whatever kind of exercise you like. I myself, for example, love to run and lift weights. So, if my day allows it, I go on a 2 or 3 mile run (to some of you that's puny, to some of you that is a Herculean feat, to me that's what I have time for). If you like Yoga, do that! If you have a personal trainer, use them. If you used to like one thing but you got bored of it, FIND SOMETHING ELSE! It's the Age of Information, y'all--there IS something out there for you.
You can follow whatever realistic eating plan you want to--as long as it's real food (You know, fresh fruits and vegetables, the best meat you can afford, prepared in your home with healthy ingredients you add yourself. If you have no idea what real food is, open a new tab on your browser and fart around for a bit finding out--it's worth it). You cannot eat a fast food diet and be okay--you might take the buns off and have a chicken breast with a diet soda but consider this #rant: The "chicken breast" is made up of old, bacteria-laden mixed parts (bacteria laden because of antibiotic use in modern farming, mind you), then it was injected with a sugar/salt water mixture to make it moist and tasty (barf), then it was fried, then it was coated in liquid smoke to make you think it was grilled. You can re-name your diet soda chemical soup. You basically consumed a bunch of garbage that will release free radicals to zing around in your body, damaging otherwise perfectly happy cells, which (if you eat like that I'm guessing you don't care about supplementing vitamins too much) don't have the proper nutrients to then recover from the damage. You age your body every time you eat that junk. Cut it out! /#endrant
I think he says it best:
Drink your freakin' water too. Your body is over 90% water--you literally need it to live. If you get all of your water from carbonated crap, you're surviving but you're not thriving. When you drink your 8-10 glasses daily, your body releases toxins stored in your cells for your kidneys to deal with, which can often make you lose weight. Also, your cells release extra water they were HOARDING because they thought you lived in a desert, which often causes you to lose weight. Additionally, your molecular functions work properly when they have enough H2O to work with, giving you more energy. Oh, and you'll probably lose some weight.
On supplementation: The only reason I recommend it is because we've jacked up this planet so much our plants can't absorb the nutrients necessary for our optimal health. Some of us have seen the study on the peaches in the 50's versus the peaches now. Basically, we said screw composting, we'll concentrate on phosphorus/nitrogen balance in the soil only to make sure we can make more food to make more money. Do you think dirt is made up of 2 minerals? If you've gone through 10th grade chemistry, then you know it's incredibly more complicated than that. In addition to the declining nutritive value of our food because of crappy farming practices, we're now also genetically modifying it without enough testing to make sure that's okay to eat, spraying it with pesticides, covering it in salmonella, e.coli and MRSA--and recommending everyone eat more of it! The USDA recommends 7 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily for men, and from 9 up to 13 servings per day for adolescent teenage boys. Don't get me wrong here: EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGGIES! Just be aware that what you put in your body might have unnatural issues, and to counteract that, you might need to add additional plant-derived nutrients. Examples would be antioxidants, because they fight free radicals to keep your cells happy, glyconutrients to keep your cells communicating properly and recovering from damage, enzymes to properly break down and use nutrients from the plants you eat and so forth. Another thing to supplement is protein if you--like me--don't get enough of it. I eat really healthy, but I am also busy, and if given the choice between stopping my life to cook up a bunch of meat because I forgot to on a Sunday (when I try to prepare it ahead, but seriously, I'm not perfect) OR eating chopped up raw broccoli and roasted red pepper hummus, guess what wins every time? The faster one! And while chickpeas in hummus are healthy and have protein, that's not enough to sustain my level of output during the day. Therefore, I supplement with a good, clean, real protein powder, and vitamin complexes derived from plants, and glyconutrients, and antioxidants and omega 3 essential fatty acids (they're necessary for a healthy brain, eyes and heart as well as a natural anti-inflammatory).
Sorry for the nutrition rant. I'm a little passionate about the care and keeping of the world and the human body.
Anyway, you can complicate your life as much as you want to, but you'll end up feeling like a failure and quitting. Don't do that. Don't give up on being healthy, or being able to see your feet when you look down, or running a mile, or living to be 130 years old and the world's top endurance knitter (I don't even know if that exists...yet...). Don't give up on your desires for a better, healthier lifestyle.
Just do it already.
Eat real foods. Aim for mixed exercises 5 times per week. Drink your water. Supplement appropriately.
Repeat, and enjoy a long, healthy, happy life.
Lizi
Friday, October 26, 2012
VLOGGING!!!
(Sounds like a new word for vomit haha! But I'm talking about Video Blogging...Video + Blogging = Vlogging!)
Today I'm going to be working on several little segments while my hubby works on saving 50 kids by Thanksgiving!!!
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest developments in our family. Team Kratos has been growing like crazy, so I thought blogging in video might be a little shorter and sweeter for everyone. I'll start posting them in the coming weeks for you guys.
Until then, remember:
Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Follow your dreams!
Do things that make you happy. Like curling your hair :p
Eat healthy, nourishing foods and feed them to your friends and family.
And please forgive me for being an erratic poster. I will do my best to continue to inspire you all to live your best lives, as well as uncomplicate the crazy world of health for you in my own weird way.
God bless, you're the best!!!
Lizi
Today I'm going to be working on several little segments while my hubby works on saving 50 kids by Thanksgiving!!!
Keep your eyes peeled for the latest developments in our family. Team Kratos has been growing like crazy, so I thought blogging in video might be a little shorter and sweeter for everyone. I'll start posting them in the coming weeks for you guys.
Until then, remember:
Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Follow your dreams!
Do things that make you happy. Like curling your hair :p
Eat healthy, nourishing foods and feed them to your friends and family.
And please forgive me for being an erratic poster. I will do my best to continue to inspire you all to live your best lives, as well as uncomplicate the crazy world of health for you in my own weird way.
God bless, you're the best!!!
Lizi
Friday, October 19, 2012
Driven Mindset
I've learned several things over the years:
Time management is very important.
People are very important.
Controlling your thoughts is very important.
And giving back is very important.
So when I have a day where I am nervous about trying something new, or talking to someone unfamiliar, or doing something differently, I remind myself of what is important. I can't ever renew my time, so wasting it on dumb things that don't help me at all shouldn't be an option. I should never put my fear of talking to new people above the knowledge that there are people in this world actively looking to lose weight and get healthy, and by letting fear stop me, I'm contributing to the awful way they feel. I shouldn't let fear, doubt or worry burden my thoughts, because the Bible says "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). I know that giving blesses me and the person I am giving to, more than I will ever see or know, and that I should perpetuate a giving spirit in myself and encourage it in others.
This is what I'm digging on today, I hope it inspires you to banish fear, prioritize, get your thoughts under control and CRUSH IT today!
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Time management is very important.
People are very important.
Controlling your thoughts is very important.
And giving back is very important.
So when I have a day where I am nervous about trying something new, or talking to someone unfamiliar, or doing something differently, I remind myself of what is important. I can't ever renew my time, so wasting it on dumb things that don't help me at all shouldn't be an option. I should never put my fear of talking to new people above the knowledge that there are people in this world actively looking to lose weight and get healthy, and by letting fear stop me, I'm contributing to the awful way they feel. I shouldn't let fear, doubt or worry burden my thoughts, because the Bible says "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). I know that giving blesses me and the person I am giving to, more than I will ever see or know, and that I should perpetuate a giving spirit in myself and encourage it in others.
This is what I'm digging on today, I hope it inspires you to banish fear, prioritize, get your thoughts under control and CRUSH IT today!
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Self-Compassion
I am a driven perfectionist. I can admit that. This is what has caused me to go above and beyond what anyone told me I might be capable of achieving based on my past.
I am intentional about what I feed myself, what I feed my family, how I speak to others--I even mind my own thought patterns and evaluate habits.
But I am guilty of not being very kind to myself.
I don't "go easy" on myself when I eat some junk food. Mind you--getting me to eat junk food requires isolating me from all healthy food choices for a minimum of 8 hours with only something fried as an option. Even then, I might prefer fasting to filling my body with free radicals.
Being around sick people all day in a clinical setting does funny things to you.
So when I read this article, I was surprised! Modern psychology is telling us to take it easy again.
It is well known that we as Americans have a culture of busyness. We must always be running ourselves ragged to feel that we've done something significant in our day--an unhealthy way to live. I am guilty of this lifestyle, although I am trying to work on it...
Anyhow, new studies are showing we are just as reactive towards ourselves with regard to dieting. Read the article here and tell me what you think.
Are you too easy on yourself with regards to diet? Too hard on yourself? Leave a comment below!
I am intentional about what I feed myself, what I feed my family, how I speak to others--I even mind my own thought patterns and evaluate habits.
But I am guilty of not being very kind to myself.
I don't "go easy" on myself when I eat some junk food. Mind you--getting me to eat junk food requires isolating me from all healthy food choices for a minimum of 8 hours with only something fried as an option. Even then, I might prefer fasting to filling my body with free radicals.
Being around sick people all day in a clinical setting does funny things to you.
So when I read this article, I was surprised! Modern psychology is telling us to take it easy again.
It is well known that we as Americans have a culture of busyness. We must always be running ourselves ragged to feel that we've done something significant in our day--an unhealthy way to live. I am guilty of this lifestyle, although I am trying to work on it...
Anyhow, new studies are showing we are just as reactive towards ourselves with regard to dieting. Read the article here and tell me what you think.
Are you too easy on yourself with regards to diet? Too hard on yourself? Leave a comment below!
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