Are You Nourished?

Confession time. I haven't been nourishing myself. And, I mean in a creative way. Lately, I've been racing from here to there for work; creating wedding to-do lists consisting of my shorthand re: dj, photog, gifts, first dance; then, all of a sudden it's tax time again, and I'm talking aloud for two hours to Quickbooks Online as if it's a friend (but most of the time a foe!).

So, for anyone who might read this blog, who might enjoy learning about moderate, flexible and balanced exercise and all the tidbits I like to string along with that topic, I apologize for being absent. I'm always open to questions and writing topic ideas, so send 'em my way. Otherwise, you might be waiting until after December!

In the meantime, I found a lovely speech talking about nourishing your creativity. You've probably read Eat Pray Love, so you're probably familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert. I used to do a daily writing exercise she suggested a couple years ago, and I've even let that go. So, if you're like me - if you tend to get a little "out of sorts" (okay, let's call it what it is) - If you tend to get a bit bitchy when you don't nourish yourself in a proper creative way, take her advice and use your God-given gifts. Why not??!!

Visit http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

I've got a little creative idea up my sleeve for the weekend (on top of two parties, maybe three, and lots of housework) - I hope to share it with you next week. Until then, think about all the ways you truly nourish yourself (while vitamins and antioxidants are great, I'm talking about nourishment other than food). Think about it, then treat yourself.

Some Days You Shop

If you're wondering how much you should be "exercising", you're one of many! But, no wonder because there are so many different messages about exercise. Here's a few you might be considering:

*Something balanced and moderate like what the CDC recommends ~ About 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity/week + plus 2 days of resistance training.

*Something close to The Biggest Loser tv show ~ grueling workouts with a bully trainer.

*Something along the lines of All or Nothing.

*Something that involves no training shoes or sweat.

*Something more boring than a physics class (no offense to you physicists!).

Look, the road of fitness shouldn't equal strict rules, gym-only workouts, hardcore trainers or black/white thinking. Like I mentioned recently, think moderate, balanced and flexible - just like your diet - eat your veggies, incorporate some protein, and eat those carbs for energy! Get an array of movement, learn to tune into your body, and yes, learn proper form and function of resistance, cardiovascular and flexibility training.

Take today for example - I finished training clients pretty early, so I thought I'd take advantage of my daytime freetime to run some wedding errands at the mall. Then, I thought I'd have plenty of time at home to create some step moves for my class tomorrow - you know, have my own little class by myself at home.

Well, 11am turned into 1pm, then all of a sudden, it was 3:45pm when I started heading up 75 to go home. I'd shoe-shopped and bra-shopped until I almost dropped. Zero energy leftover for any sort of step routine, and not too much brain work leftover for my usual evening computer time.

My point is that every day is different. Every body is different. Some days you make it to the gym. Some days you squeeze in some yoga. Some days you walk with a friend. Some days you train for a 1/2 marathon. Some days you rest. Some days you shop for shoes and bras until your legs ache.

Like I encouraged a client recently: View physical fitness as a combination of all physical activity - working, playing, errands, "exercising". Add up those things to see how you are feeling strength/endurance/flexibility-wise. Then, tweak your "exercise" training where necessary to feel balanced, and of course, Listen to Your Body.