blog, health, wellness, performance, nutrition

Live Simply. Dream Big. Be Grateful. Give Love. Laugh Lots.

Live Simply. Dream Big. Be Grateful. Give Love. Laugh Lots. ~ Paulo Coelho

True words to live by and I often notice, that when I am not “living up to these words,” I am out of balance. Don’t ever let someone convince you that you dream too big, love too much or laugh too often…. YOU will never be too much for the right person and remember, your supportive tribe will love you back just the way you are, unconditionally.

I am grateful to have always lived in cities that are filled with an abundance of diverse options/activities, culture, history, sporting events… you name it. With that also comes a certain vastness and the older I get, the more I treasure and respect simplicity. Walking to the beach to catch a beautiful sunset with my rescue dog Bella, tops my list of simple, favorite things. It is possible to find this within yourself and live it out despite some of the chaos going on in the world around you. That’s another reason why primary foods are so imperative!

Primary foods are a huge component in our overall wellbeing. Relationships, physical activity, career, play and spirituality are all primary “foods” that tie together to create a happy, functioning sense of self. Take notice of what and who fills you up versus feeling depleted. As health coaches, we of course want to help and enrich our clients lives from the inside-out, but we must remember that we need to protect and nurture our own energy, our environment and practice self-care- this is true for all of us.

Remember to take some time to reflect on all you are grateful for!

xx, a-m

#listen #feel #primaryfoods #soulful #fitfluential #fitfam #fitspo #activelifestyle #vulnerability #amsunshinefit #health #happiness #mindbodyspirit #sunset #sealife #inspire #believe #livelaughlove

Balance

“Work-life balance was a mistake from the start. Because we don’t really want balance. We want satisfaction.” – Matthew Kelly, author

Balance is a sticky subject among many people. We have careers, partners, children, family commitments, charity work, hobbies, worship time – plus, big desires to improve our health. How can one possibly balance so many things?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret here: You can’t…a word I normally strike from the vocabulary!

Balance… Is It Possible?

“Harmony” is a better equipped goal than balance.

Harmony means everything is co-existing in a spirit of cooperation and by choice. More thriving rather than surviving and truly being present in doing what you want, with who you want, when you want! But whatever you want to call it – harmony, balance, or “fitting it all in” – there is a secret to doing more of what you want and less of what you don’t want.

Want to hear it?

I just need to warn you that although the equation sounds simple, it actually takes massive willpower to execute. It also requires that you get absolutely clear on what you want your life to look like, and what you do not want in your life- this includes people, people!

Ready? Okay, here’s the secret:

First ask yourself what isn’t serving you. What doesn’t need to be in your life? What is dragging you down? Keeping you awake at night?
Have you identified a few things? Now get rid of them (or fix them – now).
Next, ask yourself what you want in your life – or in this week or day? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do? Who do you want to be with? Write them down….Focus your energy on these things. Anything that doesn’t fit into this larger scheme… let it go (or learn how to say “no”).
Without your health you have nothing, so getting yourself back in harmony, balance, however you want to approach it isn’t selfish, its necessary.

Ready to dive in and make a few changes? Give these tips a try and see how much more harmonious your life can be. No balance required.

Get Even Healthier!

Are you curious about how to harmonize your health goals? How to fit wellness into your busy schedule? Let’s talk!

xx, a-m

Rise Up

If you aren’t familiar with the beautiful Andra Day and her song Rise Up, I suggest you give it a listen. It played today on my way to an acupuncture/reiki session and the timing couldn’t have been more profound. That said, a bit on rising up today in spite of the ache…

I found an amazing blend of acupuncture and reiki through a healer locally in Venice. She has helped me with some of my ongoing inflammatory challenges in my gut. I find the treatments to be a compliment to a healthy lifestyle as well as incorporating into your healing process if you have an injury you are rehabbing, have inflammatory challenges or even chronic migraines to name a few.

I get needles inserted into specific points- meridian points or pathways in my body. We all have these points and traditional chinese medicine believes that chi or our flow of energy, flows through these pathways or meridians. These pathways are re-opened and you are left feeling more energetic and less “congested” after your session.

Acupuncture needle placement points can also help with muscle and nerve injuries- again, because it helps increase blood flow. Since I was feeling knee pain as well, I had needles applied to various parts of my body, including my stomach, knee, forehead, feet and hands.

The needles do not hurt upon insertion or removal (you will see the red tops to the needles in the pic above), but I will say that the more toxic or inflamed I have felt, the more I do feel a slight pinching sensation as the needle makes its way in. For my particular session, and something you may want to explore in your area, my practitioner also does a reiki treatment on me to further reduce stress and promote relaxation. It creates a greater sense of energy moving throughout my body and a feeling that lasts long afterwards. One of my favorite parts of the service is the tuning forks at the end. I will write more on this in another detailed blog, but let’s just say, the sound waves of these tuning forks resonate and send a vibrational wave from your head, ears, all the way down to your feet. You can feel them stimulating your body and is a great closing to the healing session.

In closing, some beautiful lyrics below from the song Rise Up by Andra Day that we can all benefit from:

And I’ll rise up
I’ll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I’ll rise unafraid
I’ll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again
And I’ll rise up
High like the waves
I’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
I’ll rise up

xx, a-m

#selfcare #healing #acupuncture #reiki #energy #wellness #wellbeing #fitfam #health

express yourself

Going old school here with a little NWA Express yourself playing in the background but the truth of it is, you must… Go on and do it- express yourself! Holding things inside not only fosters resentment, hurt, pain, but it also creates unnecessary strain, stress and tightness within your body. This isn’t good for any of us or for those around you. It can be seen and felt and your body wants nothing more than to let it out.

Kind of like a good sweat in a spin class, run or lift session… you know what I mean… those toxins make their way out of your body and you are left feeling way better then when you started! Same goes for expressing yourself verbally. I encourage you, like I do many of my clients and friends, to say what you need to say. Don’t hold things in- feelings, thoughts, ideas…. Be mindful in your delivery of course, but get them out and release them. Life is short and again, holding onto things internally isn’t contributing to your health and wellbeing, it is only hurting it and we want and need you healthy, happy and joyful. Go after what you want and trust what feels good from the inside-out!!
xx,
a-m

A season of creation and the best canvas is yourself

What’s your favorite time of you? For me, Fall is my favorite and football is my favorite sport- that said, I know I want to stay healthy enough to enjoy it to the fullest and eating right/exercising gives me just that. I’m not talking about deprivation, but rather balance. This is the time of year where many of us begin to fall back, slack on our fitness and food choices. We often blame it on the days getting shorter>darker earlier, cooler temps and more temptations to reach for those comfort foods and of course the “football season munchies.”

Why not turn the tables this season and commit to yourself. Commit to staying healthy and strong so you have the energy and stamina to enjoy all the awesomeness that the new season brings!

Move your body a bit more and then a bit more every day…
Try standing while you work or better yet, use a standing desk or make your own
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Fit in a walk, jog or HIIT workout over your lunch break
Register for a 5k, 10k or marathon (depending on your goal) and train with a friend/partner

There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your every day and as we all know, only you can truly hold yourself accountable- so schedule this appointment for yourself and do it! If it means you set calendar reminders on your phone, do that and do it for reminders to drink your water as well as often times, you’re not hungry, you’re dehydrated.

If you feel stuck, exhausted, stressed out, ask for suggestions and help… there are many certified health and wellness professionals like myself, who would love to get you on the fast track to reaching your goals and feeling healthier and stronger from the inside>out!!!
xx,
A-M
E: amsunshinefit@gmail.com
#amsunshinefit #healthy #fall #fuel #fitfam #fitspo #healthcoach #nutrition #hydration #mindset