learn about yourself: To be loyal to myself

learn about yourself: To be loyal to myself: “Just because I liked something at one point in time doesn’t mean I’ll always like it, or that I have to go on liking it at all points in ti...

Ways to Get to Know Yourself Better

5 Ways to Get to Know Yourself Better

Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery

Journal writing has no rules, Grason said. Just set a timer and start writing. Don’t stop until your timer rings. Below are five prompts from Grason’s inspiring book.

1. “I don’t want to write about.” This is Grason’s all-time favorite prompt. “It’s just another trick to get your subconscious to let go of ‘protecting’ you from the feelings that are hiding beneath the surface and to let the real you show up on the blank page,” she said.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write anything that comes to you. The goal is to be honest and vulnerable, Grason said. Write about the most difficult thing you can think of, she said. After you’re done, you can rip it up.

She gave the following examples: “I don’t want to write about how I’m still mad at my mother for…” or ”I don’t want to write about how I’m afraid that my relationship is falling apart…”

“Sometimes we tend to ‘write around’ the real issues in our lives. We want to make our journals pretty and perfect, when life is never perfect. Allowing yourself to write about the one thing you definitely don’t want to write about will take you right to the heart of what you need to work out on the blank page.”

2. “Who am I now?” Again, set the timer for 10 minutes and respond to this question. Also, consider who you were at different points in your life, such as when you were 8, 16 and 25. Explore the following, Grason writes:

Who were you then? Describe the differences between who you were and who you are becoming. How will the coming months and years transform your life? Then describe the you that has always been here. What is that person’s vision of your life? How has she or he guided you? Have you been listening, or have you been living on auto-pilot? When was the last time you checked in with the inner you that is always there?

3. “Things I love.” How often do you take the time to figure out what truly makes you happy? Write about anything that brings you joy and makes you smile, including the pricey stuff – like tropical getaways — and the priceless – like bubble baths and family outings at the beach. Add to this list regularly.

4. “Affirm how wonderful you are.” Make a list of 10 great qualities, and tell yourself that it’s safe to be you. Grason includes the following example of an affirmation her friend, Jennifer, created: “It is safe to be Jennifer. I am funky, intelligent, creative, wise, multifaceted, powerful, rich, exciting, joyful, energetic, healthy, and connected to Spirit. I bring that special Jenniferness to everything I do.”

5. “Conversation with your 99-year-old self.” Pretend that you’re 99 years old, very wise and in perfect health. According to Grason, answer the following questions in your journal: “What would you have me know? What should I concentrate on in the coming days and years? What things could I do or experience that would have the most positive impact on my life?”

15 Easy Ways to Be Healthier

ore and more research is showing that the key to lifelong good health is what experts call “lifestyle medicine” — making simple changes in diet, exercise and stress management. To help you turn that knowledge into results, we’ve put together this manageable list of health and wellness action steps.

We asked three experts — a naturopathic physician, a nutritionist, and a personal trainer — to tell us the top five simple-but-significant lifestyle-medicine changes they recommend.

Besides giving you three different takes on how to pick your health battles, this list gives you choices you can make without being whisked off to a reality-show fat farm — or buying a second freezer for those calorie-controlled, pre-portioned frozen meals.

James Rouse, N.D.
Naturopathic physician, triathlete, chef, author and host of TV’s “Optimum Wellness,” health-tip segments featured on NBC affiliates in several major cities.

1. Think positive and focus on gratitude

Research shows a healthy positive attitude helps build a healthier immune system and boosts overall health. Your body believes what you think, so focus on the positive.

2. Eat your vegetables

Shoot for five servings of vegetables a day — raw, steamed, or stir-fried. A diet high in vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cancers of the lung, colon, breast, cervix, esophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas and ovary. And many of the most powerful phytonutrients are the ones with the boldest colors — such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, grapes and leafy greens.

3. Set a “5-meal ideal”

What, when and how much you eat can keep both your metabolism and your energy levels steadily elevated, so you’ll have more all-day energy. A "5 meal ideal" will help you manage your weight, keep your cool, maintain your focus and avoid cravings.

4. Exercise daily 

Did you know that daily exercise can reduce all of the biomarkers of aging? This includes improving eyesight, normalizing blood pressure, improving lean muscle, lowering cholesterol and improving bone density. If you want to live well and live longer, you must exercise! Studies show that even 10 minutes of exercise makes a difference — so do something! Crank the stereo and dance in your living room. Sign up for swing dancing or ballroom-dancing lessons. Walk to the park with your kids or a neighbor you’d like to catch up with. Jump rope or play hopscotch. Spin a hula hoop. Play water volleyball. Bike to work. Jump on a trampoline. Go for a hike.

5. Get at good night's sleep

If you have trouble sleeping, try relaxation techniques such as meditation andyoga. Or eat a small bedtime snack of foods shown to help shift the body and mind into sleep mode: whole grain cereal with milk, oatmeal, cherries or chamomile tea. Darken your room more and turn your clock away from you. Write down worries or stressful thoughts to get them out of your head and onto the page. This will help you put them into perspective so you can quit worrying about them.

Christina Reiter, M.S., R.D.
Resident consulting dietitian at the University of Colorado–Boulder Wardenburg Health Center for Nutrition Education and Therapies and former director of the nutrition program at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
 

1. Check your food ’tude

What we eat and how we feel are linked in very complex ways. A healthy approach to eating is centered on savoring flavor, eating to satisfaction and increasing energy, rather than focusing on weight. Check your balance of low-calorie foods, nutrient-dense foods (providing many nutrients per calorie), and foods that are calorie dense but nutrient poor. Most Americans need to eat more fresh whole foods (in contrast to processed, highly refined foods). Try to add more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and legumes into your meals. Pair these carbohydrate-rich foods with a healthy fat or lean protein to extend satisfaction.

2. Eat like a kid 

If adding more fruits and vegetables sounds ominous, look to “finger food” versions that preschool kids love — carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, grapes, berries and dried fruits. All are nutritional powerhouses packed with antioxidants.

3. Be a picky eater

Limit saturated fats and trans fats, and aim to eat more foods rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids to cut your risk of cardiovascular disease and maybe even improve depressed moods. The equivalent of just 1 gram of EPA/DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid) daily is recommended. Eating cold-water oily fish (wild salmon, herring, sardines, trout) two to three times per week will provide both EPA and DHA. Adding up to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed and eating meat, milk and cheese from grass-fed animals will provide you with a healthy dose of omega-3s.

4. Use foods over supplements

Supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. Although many health experts recommend taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement that provides 100 to 200 percent of your recommended daily value, each and every supplement should be carefully evaluated for purity and safety. Specific supplements have been associated with toxicity, reactions with medications, competition with other nutrients, and even increased risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

5. Get satisfaction

Both eating and physical activity are fun, sensory experiences! In both, aim for pleasure — not pain. Pay attention to the nutritional value of the foods you choose to eat, as well as your sense of satisfaction, relaxation, tension, exhilaration and fatigue when you sit down to eat. Check in with yourself as you eat, rekindling your recognition of hunger, fullness and satisfaction when considering when and how much to eat.

Rick Olderman, M.S., P.T.
A physical therapist and owner of Z-Line Training in Denver, Colo., offering rehabilitation, personal training, Pilates instruction, motivational injury-prevention seminars, employee fitness program development and custom foot orthotics casting.

1. Give yourself a break

“I spend countless hours doing cardio and never seem to lose that last 10 pounds!” is a common complaint I hear from clients. Give yourself permission to shorten your workout. Believe it or not, overtraining could be the problem. Your body can plateau if not given adequate rest to restore itself, ultimately leading to a decline in performance. Fatigue, moodiness, lack of enthusiasm, depression and increased cortisol (the “stress” hormone) are some hallmarks of overtraining syndrome. Creating a periodization program — breaking up your routine into various training modes — can help prevent overtraining by building rest phases into your regimen. For example, you might weight train on Monday and Wednesday, cycle on Tuesday and Thursday, run on Friday and rest on Saturday and Sunday. You can also help balance your program by simply incorporating more variety.

2. Think small

Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. Try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions.

3. Keep good company

You can do all the right things — but if you have personal relationships with people who have unhealthy habits, it is often an uphill battle. The healthiest people are those who have relationships with other healthy people. Get your family or friends involved with you when you walk or plan healthier meals. Making healthy changes with a loved one can bring you closer together as well as motivate you.

4. Make a list … and check it twice

Take a few minutes and write down all the reasons you can’t begin an exercise program. Then look at the basis of each reason. For instance, if you wrote, “No time” as one of your reasons, then perhaps that’s based on a belief that an exercise program takes a lot of time. Starting with even five minutes a day will have a positive effect because you will have created a healthy habit where one didn’t exist before, and that’s a powerful mental adjustment. A closer look at your list will expose those false beliefs hiding behind each excuse.

5. Sign up for an event

Let’s face it, exercising just for the sake of exercising or losing weight can get boring. Spice things up by signing up for an event like a run/walk race or a cycling ride where you can be part of a team. Doing so gives your workouts a new purpose, and it’s fun to be around others who are exercising just like you — not to mention that most events benefit nonprofit organizations, which doubles your feel-good high.

To be loyal to myself

“Just because I liked something at one point in time doesn’t mean I’ll always like it, or that I have to go on liking it at all points in time as an unthinking act of loyalty to who I am as a person, based solely on who I was as a person. To be loyal to myself is to allow myself to grow and change, and challenge who I am and what I think. The only thing I am for sure is unsure, and this means I’m growing, and not stagnant or shrinking.” http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4157885.Jarod_Kintz