do the mind-body challenge

A had a terrble flu, so last week I wasn’t up to the exercise challenge. But now I’m better, so I had my 10 minute walk. I hadn’t realised it, but I walk a lot doing my errands. Well, maybe not a lot… Still, it’s not really what I need. And due to money/schedule issues, I can’t really exercise the ways I’d like to, which would be Aikido and Yoga classes. Maybe I could settle for some at-home yoga. Should be better than nothing….

End Mindless Eating.
Actually, that’s an easy one for me. I enjoy my food, most of the time. I just have to not allow myself to become so enthralled in a task I forget to eat and then devour my food because I feel like I’m starving.

... the challenge is ending, so good luck to everybody in keeping the good changes/resolutions/etc. I’ll continue to work my way slowly through all activities, day by day…
What I’m getting from the challenge up till now: you are supposed to have a sanctuary, to sit quietly/meditate for some time every day, and to try to do nice, calm things too (every day if possible).
Now I’m focusing on making my meals healthier.

Today was the “Happy meals” day. I made some subtitutions. I already don’t eat much fat or processed foods, no caffeine, don’t smoke… Maybe that’s why I don’t feel a huge difference when I try eating plans. But I want to pay more attention to this, because I’m coming out of a flu and I have a ton of work to do, so I’ll need all the energy I can get.
I think I eat healthy enough, but from the sample plan I gather I must eat more fruit and a little more protein. More dark green leafy vegetables, too. All that instead of the pasta and bread I love….
I want to give their Immunity Booster Diet a try, and then probably the Energy Booster Diet.

Yesterday’s assignment for me: Engage in a relaxing activity. Give yourself at least 10 minutes to perform one of these rituals. If you remember, the options were aromatherapy, going outside or taking a bath.
I don’t have a bathtub and I shower in the morning, but I decided on an extra evening shower with a lavender aromatherapy gel. But when the time came, I was so tired that I opted for just going to bed and giving myself a foot massage, just to be able to do the challenge. How come something that was supposed to be a treat became a chore? What’s wrong with me? Well, maybe tomorrow…

About balance: Here is a link about balance (in this case referring to how much time you put into every area of your life) from ivillage + redbook.

assignment: set goals for the challenge.
I’ll have to think more about this. I’ve seen there’s a lot of talk about balance on the texts, but actually what I want is to engage in more restorative practices, to gain more energy and to quiet my mind. Probably more meditation than other things…
I’ve read some entries, and I’m so not sure about all the optimism change-of-mind… But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Following the happiness + peace of mind assignment, I watched a rerun of a show that makes me happy and tried to meditate for 15 minutes before my son came home. It’s amazing how much “stuff” kept popping into my head. Not only the usual to-do list, but also some (fairly recent) things that made me angry but I could do nothing about. I hope if I keep doing it I’ll eventually be able to quiet my mind.
I suppose this is something to keep doing on a daily basis – something that makes us happy and /or some kind of meditation… It’s twisted how instead of nice that feels like an obligation…

the assignment was to sit quietly for ten minutes and ask ourselves:
Is there anything my body is trying to tell me?
Sadly, my body was telling me that I was coming down with the flu. At least I listened to it and tried to take care of myself: I slept as much as I could during the weekend, even if it meant accumulated house work. I’ll catch up… eventually…
I’ll probably be going to bed early today, too.

The de-cluttering day. Actually, I already had plans to work on this once my parents got back home, so it was a nice touch of synchronicity. I went through my clothes, my son’s clothes, and even convinced my husband to part with some of his. Also added some towels and sheets to the pile. It will all go to charity. I feel happy for this. :)