Peaceful Pursuits and Pleasure

Mornings are always hectic for me, I try and pack everything in, exercise, grocery shopping, and laundry, anything I can do for myself or my home before the phone rings or family commitments get in the way. Right now it’s been about finding a job and a purpose and suffice it to say all of it can be quite taxing on the body and brain.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and if there’s any advice I can give it’s to slow down and find peaceful pursuits and pleasures to regenerate and renew. It's the slowing down that will get you to your goals in weight loss and maintenance.

As I got up this morning my first bit of pleasure came unexpectedly on the way back from picking up my favorite cup o' joe. Just as I was driving to cross off another item on my list of “To Dos” for the day a mother duck, her babies and a father duck were crossing right in front of me. Slowly and methodically the parents ushered their sweet furry babies across a very busy highway forcing me to stop and watch. The family of ducks forced me to slow down from my busy day. In many ways it was a relief and a peaceful pleasure.

Peaceful pursuits and pleasures can bring us joy and happiness. Injecting these pleasures into our day can definitely heal our hearts and and give us peace of mind.

Taking this action to pursue peace and pleasure helps with weight loss. I know that when I’m at my happiest or when I have slowed down it's much easier to try and maintain or lose a couple of pounds.

It’s been said that people tend to burn more calories and reach their goals when they’re happy. The negatives out of my life I found I could concentrate on what was important to me and for my health. It’s not always easy but I'm learning to be conscious of it.

What are some Peaceful Pursuits and Pleasures that you can incorporate into your day?

These are some things that I’ve practiced over the years:

1. An early morning talk with my 20 year old son.

2. Having my daughter spend an afternoon with me at a movie in the middle of the day.

3. Feeling a soft warm breeze while sitting outside on my patio.

4. An afternoon walk and feeling the sun on my skin.

5. Sitting next to a beautiful lake watching a sailboat go by in Michigan.

6. Listening to a favorite song.

7. Reminiscing over old photos.

8. Working with a purpose. There’s nothing like knowing you’ve made someone else happy.

9. Cooking a healthy comforting meal that my family loves.

10. Flying a kite.

11. Immersing myself in a favorite hobby.

12. Meditating and listening to my own breath.

13. A long nap.

14. A picnic with my husband.

15. Hearing leaves crunching beneath my feet in the fall.

16. Building a fire, staring at the flames and feeling the warmth.

17. Journaling

18. A candlelit dinner for two.

19. A good book and a cup of tea.

20. A bike ride on a tree covered trail.

There are so many peaceful pursuits and pleasures if we’d only take time out to revel in them. This Mother’s Day give yourself the gift of happiness and find something that will give you your peace.

Mother's Day The Healthy Way

I’m different when it comes to gifts. I admit I like gadgets over Godiva (sorry). If you buy me software or books I know will challenge my thinking or motivate me to do something positive with my life I’m forever grateful. My husband gets the hint when I leave magazine ads lying around or e-mail him ideas from Amazon. He is the best gift giver.


This Mother’s Day why not spice it up a bit. Help mom stay healthy and fit. Give the gift of longevity. Let her know how much having her around really means.

Here are 10 unexpected Mother’s Day Gift ideas:



YOU BARS

Design your own custom energy bar perfectly tailored to your personal taste and nutritional needs.

The build-a-bar page allows you to design anything from high-protein low carb energy bars to gluten free protein bars.

Each customized nutrition bar is handmade and guaranteed delicious.




FLOWER FUN BENTO COMPLETE LUNCH BOX SYSTEM 2.0
From: Obentec Laptop Lunches

Tell Mom it’s healthier to take her lunch whether she works or is always on the go. It’s so much fun buying a lunchbox from an aesthetic point of view and not just for its practical use. Some of them are as pretty as the purses we love to buy. All the more reason to get one of these cute lunch bags.

This system includes:

• A black flower-printed canvas insulating carrying case

• A reusable water bottle

• A Laptop Lunch Bento 2.0 (black outer and pink inner containers)

• A set of stylish utensils

• The Laptop Lunch User’s Guide Book

Dimensions: Carrying case – H 7.5” x W 11.5” x D 2.5”

This product is free of phthlates, bisphenol A (BPA), PVC, and lead! The carrying case is made out of 100% recycled polypropylene fabric and wipes clean with a damp cloth.

  

GARMIN EDGE 605 BIKE COMPUTER

This may seem over the top but if you’re a cyclist or even a novice cyclist this looks like so much fun. Right now I have a very simple battery operated speedometer on my bike and I use it all the time. Even my husband would approve of this gadget.

With the Garmin Edge 605 you can take your fitness cycling to the next level with this GPS navigator, cycling computer and personal trainer. For competitive road racers or mountain bikers, the Edge 605 will help you achieve your personal best. The unit comes loaded with a built-in base map and a microSD card slot that lets you add maps along with storing workouts, courses and saved rides.

The easy-to-use unit attaches to your bike's handlebars or stem to show you where you're going, how far, fast and long you're pedaling, how many calories you're burning. The barometric altimeter provides precise elevation and vertical profile data. The waterproof, self-calibrating unit is small, lightweight and easy to install. The 176 x 220 pixel color LCD display with back lighting shows a map view for GPS navigation or up to eight performance data fields for full and continuous training feedback.

Store up to 100 locations that you can navigate to; the high-sensitivity GPS receiver knows your position even in tree covers and canyons. You can also set it to trigger a lap every time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance, and it records up to 1,000 laps. Training Center software helps you create workouts, record and download courses, overlay your data onto a course map and race against a virtual competitor or your own time on the course. Download your data to your PC to chart and analyze your performance.

Whew! I'm sold.

HEALTH MAGAZINES

I'm a magazine junkie! If you buy me a subscription to one of my favorite health magazines I'm a happy mom. Magazines like  Prevention, Health, Fitness etc. are some that come to mind. There are also Healthy food magazines like Cooking Light and Vegetarian Times for great recipes.




ECO-FRIENDLY GIFTS

EcoExpress creates natural and organic gifts that are unique, memorable and high quality.

You can send beautiful gifts and support the environment with a wide assortment of earth friendly gourmet, fruit, spa and rainforest green gifts and baskets.

COOKING CLASSES

Set up an afternoon where you and your mom can learn some healthy cooking. If you’re on a tight budget create your own cooking class at your home or on the more expensive side seek out classes in your area. Make sure the cooking is about healthy foods to incorporate into her diet.

DECORATIVE RECIPE BOX WITH ALL YOUR FAVORITE HEALTHY RECIPES

This is a great project for the entire family. You can buy boxes at the local craft store and decorate with Stamps, stickers or decoupage with favorite photos etc. Look through your repertoire of healthy recipes type them up and print them on your computer or hand write them on cute recipe cards you can find at the dollar store.

BASKET OF DARK CHOCOLATES AND GREEN TEAS

Your local grocery store, Trader Joes, or Whole Foods has an assortment of healthy teas and dark chocolate bars you can put in a cute basket you buy at your local craft or dollar store.

EXERCISE CLASS

Treat mom to an exercise session. How about a ZUMBA Class! Or maybe she might like yoga or jazzercise. There are tons of classes available in your city. Check online for times and prices.

Whatever you decide, this year treat mom to something that will give her stress relief and add energy to her week. She’ll definitely thank you.