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Make Your Own Sunshine

make your own sunshine

Can we just put that in quotes and attach my name to it please? Haha! Cuz I just made that up, but it’s so true!

I have always has a strong connection to the light. The first time I remember coming to my own realization that sunshine is medicine was in high school. One day, we had a study hall out in the courtyard, and I just soaked up the sun for about 45 minutes. I remember going back into school and feeling…different. I can’t quite explain how it made me feel except to say I felt lighter and refreshed. I made a conscious connection then between the sunshine and the satisfying feelings I was having, long before people started talking about seasonal affective disorder.

 

sunshine peeking out trees

To the contrary, when I worked third shift in college, I started to feel the effects of sunlight deficiency. I never got used to third. Our bodies are not naturally in rhythm with that schedule. I had trouble sleeping during the day, I was morose about missing daylight, and I was so unhappy it made my teeth itch! To feel this opposite end of the spectrum was just as enlightening. I knew exactly how much the sun affected me and I knew that I never wanted to return to this darkness.

I’ve noticed too, that all my worst bouts of anxiety have happened in December, February, etc. So, at my last appointment, I asked my doctor what she thought about light boxes. She gave me an enthusiastic, “I love them!” She whipped the one she carried in her purse out to show me, and a few minutes later I had a script for one in my hands and am now the proud owner of a light box to remove the SAD from winter in Wisconsin, where exposure to sunshine is scarce. And my preliminary observations are that it’s working:

There’s a whole lot of science behind this. Here’s an enlightening article about the sun and health.

So, here I am with a therapeutic 10,000 lux sun maker. I really am making my own sunshine!! I love the sunshine and being in the light. I’m drawn to sunny windows like a cat (new poem about that to come). The sun’s energy just penetrates me in places that no other drug or uplifting tool or mood-boosting strategy could touch. And that, my friends, is a great metaphor for anyone who strives to make each day a little better…and brighter. Heh! Make your own sunshine!

 

Just thinking out loud, but now that I’m starting to make videos, I’m wondering if my new light box will make a good light box for shooting videos too. Haha!

Do you use a light box? If so, how has it affected you?

On Turning 30

Today, I woke up and I was 30. And I’m ok with that. I sort of have neutral feelings about the number. I didn’t dread it like some people do. I didn’t mourn the loss of my 20s. In fact, let me tell you about why I’m going to be lovin’ on turning 30 today:

A cake: that was Peanut’s idea

I have never felt so strong and healthy in my life as I do right now. I work my behind off (literally!) every day to stay strong, vital and disease-free. I like feeling this way. Instead of focusing on all the progress that could be made, I like to think of it as having more opportunities in the future to get even better. It’s not all downhill from here, and I take pleasure in knowing that.

I have never felt so completely sure of what I want to do in this life. I’m sure this vision will morph and I will always feel some level of self-doubt, but up to this point, I have never had such a clear picture as to what I was made for. Even just recognizing the desires of my heart as I grow older is so reassuring. If you had asked me what I wanted 5 or 10 years ago, I would’ve had some wavering answer about some fleeting thing. Or I may have said something about how I just didn’t know and I’d wait for the greatest opportunity to present itself to me. I probably wouldn’t have even been able to tell you what I wanted for my birthday, let alone my life. Through trial and error though, I’ve come to know that some passions are just hobbies, some depend on mood, and some…oh those beautiful “some” are delicious. Those are the passions that you just can’t get enough of. That your mind wanders to when it wanders. That your whole body vibrates for. Never have I felt this so strongly as I do right now.

Never have I felt so sure of who my friends are than I do now. In high school, friends are fickle. In college, friends move away. In your 20s, you find your place in the workforce and community and begin to make new connections. In parenthood, you find that your lifelong friends are the ones who forgive you for being late or cancelling when your kids are moody. The ones who are still there…those are the ones you keep close to your heart.

The most perfect card from my sweet co-workers. See, at work, I’m the birthday banner lady:)

Never have I felt more secure in my marriage. Like they say, those first few years are really rough. Any good family psychologist would probably have suggested a separation. But that’s not what we do. We work through those pains, put pieces back together, and make sure they’re super-glued this time. We’ve built a family, we’ve merged dreams, we’ve chipped away at our fixer-upper home, we’ve combined our efforts to make our little world better, and we’ve learned to value one another. I’m sure this part will only get better and I look forward to that, but I can tell you that we’ve already come a long way.

Flowers from my sweathearts

My spirituality has never been quite so intimate as it is today. So many things about God had seemed obscure to me growing up, but make so much more sense now, especially with more experience. It’s something that is difficult even for this writer to explain and so intimate that I don’t know that I’d be able to. This is another relationship that I know will only get much sweeter as I grow older, and I look forward to that. In fact, I thrive upon that.

My biggest tangible goal for turning 30 was to earn my personal training certificate. It’s not just an end in itself. Although I plan to pursue this passion on the side, I have deep-seated desires to make something happen with this. I want to share what I know and help other people live with more vitality and rigor. This was one of those deep-seated passions that I just didn’t want to shelve or ignore. That’s how regrets are born. My first passion has always been writing, which I do for a living. But health and fitness needed their own place in my repertoire. I take the CPT exam in less than 4 weeks and I am so proud of myself for following through on this dream of mine instead of taking the “easy” way out and ignoring it.

In my next 30 years, I hope that my family has expanded whether it be with new in-laws, dear friends, children or grandchildren. I know now that this heart of mine has room for whomever and whatever it is blessed with. There’s no limit to the amount of love that it can handle. I hope to be able to see even more of this Earth than the scant territory than I’ve been exposed to already. I hope to be able to spread my passion for fitness and personal strength to as many people as I can. I hope to use those talents that have been graciously given to me to the best of my potential. I hope to give God an even greater percentage of my focus than I do now, as He so deserves, and grow more deeply in love. I look forward to this next season of my 30s to establish an even firmer base in this world (and derriere) and expand my existence. I’d like to give as much as I possibly can.

I’m lucky to be here in the first place. I’m lucky to have made it to 30. And I look forward to how these next years of my life will transform me even further.

***Also, my workout buddy and I are taking a day off from the gym to have cupcakes for lunch. Now that’s a good friend:) I am also soooo looking forward to that!

What Have You Got to Lose?

Picture courtesy of Sunipix

A lot!

I was thinking about what might make someone motivated to lose weight when they’re sort of apathetic about their size…as in, their potentially-failing health, neutral body image, pleas from children, etc have not been enough of a push to get them to lose weight. These were some of my ideas:

1. Reproduction: Research shows that obesity is related to a host of reproductive problems. Planning to have a family–and a healthy one at that–can be a huge force toward leading a healthier lifestyle. I’ve also read that obese women are at higher risk for early and recurrent early miscarriages. It is highly advised that women get their weight under control to prevent this truly heartbreaking experience.

2. Insurance rates: I have seen instances where health insurance rates doubled as a result of health assessment reports. Talk about reason to lose weight!

3. Monetary incentives: Money, in general, is a good incentive for a lot of people to do anything. I see a lot of games popping up in area gyms and workplaces offering the “biggest loser” a pool of money or other great incentives. Perhaps stats on what they’d save money on if they’d lose weight such as grocery bills, clothing, airline seats (in some cases), gas, the obvious doctor bills and much more would assist in motivating.

4. Altruistic motives: How about encouragement to commit to running a race in honor of a friend with cancer or perhaps “dedicating” a few pounds to premature babies in the NICU (in the form of pledges per pound).

5: Success Stories: Motivational stories have always inspired me personally. When I see someone in my daily life begin to lose weight, I want to know everything about how they did it. It’s almost a stroke of jealousy that stirs up the desire in me. If someone larger than me (and whom I know personally or see in real life) can do it and look great, I want to!

6: I am also highly motivated to “show ’em” when people make rude comments or tease me about my weight or even another aspect of my life. When I came back to visit from my first semester in college, someone made a comment about my more-than-freshman-15 weight gain. That was a wake-up call. Someone else told me to revel in the weight I was at for my wedding because that was the lowest I’d ever be. Well, well, well. Today, after having a baby even, I weigh 15lbs less than I did the day I said my vows. I don’t appreciate being labeled, judged or pressed into a self-fulfilling prophesy of someone else’s. So there!

Flabby Abs Beware

I just read a great tip that I thought I’d pass along. The article I read was sort of about keeping New Year’s resolutions, but it really deals with forming healthy habits any time of year.

They key is to become emotionally attached to your goal. Don’t just say “I’m going to lose 20 lbs.” Think about how you’ll feel when you’re you’re that much lighter. Think about what you’ll be able to do or do better when that load is lifted, such as run up the stairs, fit into a beautiful dress, touch your toes, prevent a disease, run a 5K, enjoy people’s company without giving any thought to how you look, etc.

When you do work out or eat healthfully, think about how great you feel afterwards. How your lungs expand to capacity and your muscles push out against your skin. You enjoy a greater awareness of your body’s capabilities. Think of how your skin pinkens and your blood pumps like brand new.

Take this tip to another level with active visualization. I’ve been reading a lot lately about how the world’s highest achievers, including Olympic athletes, have a visualization habit in common. Before competitions, they visualize participating and completing their sport with a flawless, victorious ending. Create a vision board, write a letter to yourself, or create an “achievement” journal. Every one of these things connects you emotionally to your body and goals. It becomes increasingly difficult to quit when you’ve become emotionally attached to your goals.