College Campus Visit

Annika is growing up!

We did a college tour with her today.

She's excited to grow up and leave home. 

Where does the time go?

A Challenge

My wonderful daughter reminded me of a commitment I had made before Christmas, and then abandoned.
My new Level Up Goal is to revitalize that commitment.
Ugh!
I will not eat until my stomach growls.
Grrrr.....

Cutting through the confusion

I can't remember all of my new habits anymore, so I downloaded an app on my phone. It's called Way of Life Habit Tracker. That might help.
Winter is hitting hard. I had a gray day Monday and Tuesday. But it's sunny today--both outside and in my head.
I've got projects to do!

Practicing Thankfulness

Our snowblower stopped working today.

I chose to be thankful.

I'm not a gym membership-treadmill type of person. If I'm going to exert effort, I want to see something result from it. 

In the summer, I do yardwork. Now it's January. I chose to be thankful for the opportunity to work and to have a visible result from my effort. 

And I met my step goal!!!!

And then, Iko somehow came untied from the tree, and ran off to the neighbors. I was afraid for the lives of their free-range ducks. In panic, I chased her, and caught her knocking on their door, seeing if her friend Lily could play. 

When we were safely home, I starting looking for things to stress eat. BUT, I used mindfulness, noticed what I was doing, and got my water bottle instead. 

I think that it's the tiny decisions like this that will form habits and become a healthy lifestyle change.

Iko and and her friend Lily, on a warmer day.

Moderation

Every diet I've ever been on, and there have been lots of them, starts with a list of what to avoid and what to eat.
I can follow a list like that for about 3 days, unless I'm really motivated, then maybe a month or two.
So, what is the root of the problem?
I've seen some dogs eat everything in sight, even swallow socks whole. I've seen other dogs eat just enough food to satisfy their hunger, and then try to cover it when they are finished eating. Iko and Keiko mostly eat to satisfy their hunger, unless we are eating something that Keiko really wants. Then she will go tap her communication button that says "hungry." She wants yummy things! If Iko isn't hungry, she just won't eat. How can I learn to be like Iko?

My goal of the day is to consider the word moderation before I eat.

Proverbs 23:2-4 The Voice (VOICE)

2 If you are the type who eats too much too fast,
    do whatever is necessary to curb your enthusiasm for food.
3 Also, do not eye the ruler’s delicacies,
    for the food may not be what it seems.
4 Do not overwork yourself just to become wealthy;
    have enough sense to know when to quit.

Maybe Keiko and Iko are trying to tell me something!

Water

I read somewhere that when fat it released from the body, it turns into water and carbon dioxide. The premise of the article was that if you want to lose weight, you should drink more water and breathe more.

I don't know if it's true, but pretty much everything I've ever read about weight loss and healthy living says that drinking more water is important.
I   don't   like   water.
There, I admitted it. I like liquids with flavor: coffee, tea, juice, pop, sparkling water....
My dogs drink water. They will even drink mud-puddle flavored water.

Here is my new Level Up My Health goal. 

I will drink one of these per day. With water in it. And ice. Gotta have ice.
My plants remind me that every living thing needs water. They remind me by dying when I forget to water them. That's a morbid thought. I think I will go water myself.

Move More

Today I was able to walk in the woods with two giggly girls and three delightful dogs. 

When I got an icy patch on the path and fell, I figured out my new movement goal. I'm going to get down on the floor and get up again twice a day. It's not as easy to get up from the ground as it used to be, before I gained all this weight.

Here is a picture of Tempo, one of my Doggy School students. He's learning step by step. Every week he learns a little more. What an inspiration!

Taking steps

Finding places to walk in a Michigan January takes some creativity.

Today, we made use of the Homeschool Building during my daughter's auditions. 

We also got in some training time for Keiko.

It's a Monday

It's a snowy, cold January Monday.

I need to remember the promise of spring. My plants remind me. 

When I'm training a dog, I have to use wisdom to decide when to push through with training, and when to take a break. So, why do I force myself to push through and become frustrated to the point of giving up when I try to train myself.

Today I'm going to use wisdom to keep going on my lifestyle changes, but not add any more goals. 

Sunday Rest

After two weeks of craziness, working on painting sets, painting costumes, and sewing costumes, it's wonderful to have a day of rest. I appreciate that our church does live-streaming of the service, because I slept in this morning.
Today's message is about rest!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25E-a3yoDp0

It's so appropriate. We were created to rest.

So today, I rest.

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."  Psalm 127:2

Big Picture and Details

I like to see the big picture.

I also like to know the details.

So when I'm training dogs, I like to know where we are going to end up eventually, but I also love breaking down the process and figuring out the details.

When I'm designing or painting sets for a drama production or making costumes, I like to know how it's all going to look together, but I also love learning how to achieve the big picture by figuring out the detailed steps.

So, if the big picture of my Healthy Living journey means that I'm going to end up healthy, what do I need to figure out in the details? Putting together the look of a musical requires knowledge in different areas, such as building, painting, sewing, design, color theory, etc. Putting together a training routine for a dog also requires knowledge in several areas, such as training methods, socialization, stress-reduction, nutrition, motivation, communication, etc. What areas are involved in a Healthy Life journey? Movement, mindfulness, motivation, and moderation.

So I'm going to categorize the random changes I've made so far.

• Movement
• 5 active hours per day
• Mindfulness
• Journaling
• Think about why I eat something before I eat it
• Motivation
• Breathing
• Humming
• Light Box
• Taking Vitamin D
• Moderation
• Going to bed by 11:00

It looks like it's time to add another Movement goal, so I'm going to take 5000 steps per day. 

Show week

Dress rehearsal day is not a good day to make any lifestyle changes if one is a costume mom.

Survival mode....

sleep

I should go to sleep earlier.

So, lights out and screens off by 11:00.

developing healthy habits

I'm finding that the easiest way for me to make tiny lifestyle changes is to add habits to the ones I've already established.

I already have the habit of having my morning coffee in my recliner. Keiko added herself to my routine--she knows I need puppy snuggles (and now that she's shedding, Shiba Inu hairs in my coffee).

I added my light box to my routine by setting it up in my spot. It's also where I keep my journal, so that reminds me to write.

Today's healthy lifestyle change is taking vitamin D every day, and I'm going to take it with my coffee so I remember to do it. 

My chair faces my garden, so I can remember all the tulip and daffodil bulbs I planted this fall, and I can look forward to seeing sunshine and flowers in the spring.

And here is a picture of Keiko on my lap, with my new fuzzy blanket from my daughter. Keiko doesn't mind the light box. Do dogs need sunshine too?

Light

I live in the city that's ranked 12th of US cities that get the LEAST amount of sun.

I get winter depression.

My new Level Up step for today is to start using my light box. 

When depression hits every year, motivation to do anything stops. So will my new healthy lifestyle steps be enough to keep me going in the midst of winter, or should we move somewhere sunny?

giving myself permission

On crazy days like today, when I'm exhausted from hard work and accomplishment, I give myself permission not to add anything else to my list of lifestyle changes. Even a tiny goal is too difficult to add, so I am giving myself permission to just accomplish all the lifestyle changes I have already incorporated, which I have already done today, but not add a new one. Peace.

Cortisol

Because I'm practicing mindfulness with eating, it's becoming even more clear to me that I make bad food choices when I'm tired or when I'm stressed.

So, how can I reduce stress? What small lifestyle change can I implement today, that I can continue, that will help me reduce stress?

A quick search of "Vagus nerve and Cortisol" led me to this article which talks about the Vagus nerve:

 IT INITIATES YOUR BODY'S RELAXATION RESPONSE.
When your ever-vigilant sympathetic nervous system revs up the fight or flight responses—pouring the stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline into your body—the vagus nerve tells your body to chill out by releasing acetylcholine. The vagus nerve’s tendrils extend to many organs, acting like fiber-optic cables that send instructions to release enzymes and proteins like prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin, which calm you down. People with a stronger vagus response may be more likely to recover more quickly after stress, injury, or illness. 

I know that the breathing exercises help reduce my overall life stress, but how can I reduce the stress in the moment?

This articles give 6 ways, but I don't want to wash my face in cold water so I'm going to choose Humming.

My Level Up goal of the day is to hum one song after 4:00 pm, because that's when I start feeling stressed and tired. I'm also going to snuggle my dogs, because hugging a dog always brings me peace.

Everybody Move...(to quote the giant in the Princess Bride)

I got a really nifty Fitbit for Christmas. It has a little vibration that goes off 10 minutes before each hour if I haven't walked 250 steps that hour.

Since Christmas, some days I've achieved 8 or 9 active hours, other days 3 or 4.

In the past, I would set a goal of achieving 10 active hours per day, then after a week or two, I would not be able to do it, then I would just quit all together.

I'm doing things differently now. How can I break a movement goal into a tiny, achievable step, so I can Level Up my movement?

I'm going to choose the number 5. It's a little above my lowest days, but still possible to do. My Mom taught me yesterday to put on an active song and move during that song. It gets me enough steps, and jamming to Footloose and What Does the Fox Say with my Mom was really fun! And it gave us a break from our costume sewing and painting.

It's more difficult for me to be active on days when my creativity is flowing and I'm working on projects. It's easier to be active when my focus is on dog training. Because I'm always inventing ways to incorporate dog training lessons into life, I'm going to play the Magic Circle Game with my dogs during some of my active times. (It's in K9 Level Up, Level 2: Loose Leash)

Happy New Year!

What tiny, little, painless change can I make today, that will yield big results if I make it a habit?

My change is to think about why I'm eating before I eat--or even after....
Mindfulness.

Why did I eat three popcorn balls last night?
Was it to provide nutrition for my body? No.
Was it because I was too tired to make healthy choices? Yes.
Was it because I was feeling stressed? Yes.
Was it because I was afraid that I wouldn't get any more popcorn balls until my Dad makes them again next year? Yes.

Why didn't I eat any today?
Because of 1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears in not made perfect in love.

As a force-free, fear-free dog trainer, I teach my dogs using positive reinforcement, not fear. Can I learn to live my own life based in Love and not in Fear?

I hope so.