Living Healthy with Yogi

When the average person thinks of living healthy, the first two things that comes to mind is diet and exercise... but there is so much more to it than eating right and sweating.  It's a combination of things that works for you as an individual. The object is to strategically find what combination works for you. 90% of the time it's instinctual, but if it's not rendering the results that you desire for optimal health, then utilize the other 10% to practice change. The health of your body, mind and spirit may differ from that of others, but there are a few simple things (in modified variations) that works for all.

The obvious is food: The quality, quantity, and type of product itself of what you put into your body determines the same of what you can/will get out of the usage of it.  The nutrient value, fat content, and sustainability of energy it can promote are some determining factors that should be considered when choosing what to eat. Remember to eat the rainbow. There are some foods that are grown from the earth that are called complete foods, meaning it has the ability to completely be properly absorbed and used by the human body.  Those are the foods that should be chosen more often than foods with a lot of empty calories and void of nutrients. (Insoluble fats and sugary-sweet processed foods). The key is a balanced diet.

Getting the right vitamins and minerals is what regulates our bodies for optimal performance, proper healing after injury, and adequate growth when needed. But as we get older it is also important to be aware of how the changes in our bodies can demand a change in our dietary needs. For example, women require more iron in their reproductive years to aid in possible fetal housing, as young men require a bit more proteins in their formative years to promote strength and rapid muscle growth.

Avoid doing anything in excess, especially bad habit-forming activities like smoking and drinking. Making attempts to stop smoking can be a difficult thing, but by doing so, it will prove to have huge benefits like adding years to your life. Also, by limiting your alcohol usage/drinking can impact your life in many other positive ways.

Be proactive about your health and get regular exercise.  Keep your joints moving, blood circulating and heart pumping strong by creating a routine of fun things to do on a daily.  You don't have to over exert yourself with a sweaty set of this or that's, but do something that will elevate your heart rate and keep a full range of motion of your joints. Please see you doctor before starting any physical routine to avoid further injury of any pre-existing conditions. It is also important to get regular checkups to ensure that you are on the right track.

Create balance, stay connected and reduce stress. Work as hard as you play, and remember that there should be a yin to your every yang.  Society puts unnecessary pressure on what we might think are needs, when in actuality its the needs of others that we adopt. It's okay to say 'no' to situations that you feel uncomfortable about, and it's okay to not beat yourself up about making that decision.
Healthy relationships are very important to maintaining overall health. Having a circle of friends, relatives and loved-ones are beneficial in adding fullness to our lives, it nurtures our spirit and adds depth to our personal being.
Excess stress can be a killer. The stress that comes up in areas of our lives as we try to do it all can really add up without notice and can lead to heart disease and other serious health issues. Attempt to manage the stress that you do have by simply stopping just to breathe with a deep inhale and a slow but steady exhale. Various aspects of yoga is my go-to stress reliever. Do what you can to avoid and eliminate stressful situations before they happen, it's a primary key to a healthier lifestyle.

Accept yourself just as you are.  Before there can be room for improvement, you must first realize what goodness you're working with.  It's mental, and the mind is very powerful. Understand that what others might see as flaws are actually our own, personal uniqueness.  Don't beat yourself up about anything you wish to change, change it from a good perspective by accepting it, embracing it as belonging to you, then work on it with compassion.  Giving yourself permission is a sure way to accomplish setting and achieving a personal goal.   

Have fun. Notice how good you feel when you are laughing, smiling and thinking good thoughts.  Simply enjoying your life is just as important as any other point of living healthy. Having a positive outlook and making sure you take time out to have fun can actually have a positive effect on your spirit health too. A single step in the right direction, taken every day, will get you where you want to go, so you might as well have fun getting there.
Go out, conquer your world.  Live Healthy.

Namaste'

Internal After Effects

Feed me, hydrate me with fresh water and bathe me with lots of pure & natural sunshine...

I will continuously GROW.

...and GROW

...and GROW

...and GROW

 

 

Namaste'

 



My Aura

Write about me and the aura that you see

but make sure it captures my full personality

 

Could it be infrared

ultraviolet

something unseen

blue

red

or a color in between

First gather all you can on what makes me tick

then think of black, or brown

where the opacity is thick

Then go from there, to the color of my hair

the shine in my eyes and the way that they stare

for those that dare

it's beyond compare

the questions not how

or why ...but where?

 

Write about my smile

write about my style

write about the God in me

something worthwhile

 

Write about me and the aura that you see

please don't forget to use the word mahogany

 

A deep shade of handsome with complexity

and undertones of integrity

higher than a basic mentality

oh well...

enough about me

 

Its not about the blackness of my skin

but the substance of content deep within.

 

 

 

Behind the poem

This poem was written by me in 2000

 

Routine day, Washington, DC, 2000 riding the metro 7-o-clock in the morning on my way to work for the largest hospital group in DC... DC General Hospital, Medicaid Division.  My co-worker expressed herself with a pad and pen in hand constantly and spoke with poise and metaphors that reinforced an essence of majesty and royalty within the black culture.  She wore her wavy black hair sporadically braided that laced against the sides of her face into fuzzy nests of silk.  Sometimes adorned with a real wild flower or an antique piece of jewelry of her distant kin.  I had known her and her family for at least 10 years.  She had a style of her own. Her name was Lisa, she lived poetry.

On this day, I remembered a poem that she recited out loud on the subway.  Within the poem, I recall words that colored my morning to have me feel like I was more than a passenger on a train, on my way to work.  I began to feel like I am a vital part of everything in this life.  She stood there in the middle of the aisles, armed with only words.  Words that floated out of her mouth with deeper meaning.  Words that blended together so well that every set of ears on the train was listening with the content of motherly advice.

I felt so in tune and captivated with her impromptu performance, the articulation of her wording, the raspy crispness of her voice, and her gentle yet aggressive approach to the unknown public.  I love words, and she reminded me of the pleasure to use them artistically.  At the last stop on our morning commute, before we separated into our own morning rituals and off into our offices, I asked her to 'write about me and the aura that you see.'

I pressed record on my cellular flip phone, recorded those few words and didn't stop talking until this poem was written.  It wrote itself.

 

 

Creative Exploration

 

 

 

cre-a-tive
[kree-ey-tiv adj]   
adjective 
1. having the quality or power of creating.
2. resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative:
creative writing.
3. originative; productive (usually followed by of).
4. Facetious. using or creating exaggerated or skewed data, information, etc.:
creative bookkeeping.

ex-plor-a-tion

[ek-spluh-rey-shuh n] 

noun

1. An act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination.   

2. The investigation of unknown regions.

There is a very unique and strange yearning inside most of us to be creative... but to be creative, it involves a certain amount of exploration to get the creative ball rolling.  What am I wanting to express?  What should I use?  How should I this or that?  Well the process itself is the art and the complete product is the creation, thus the process of creative exploration.

There are quite a hand full of commonalities that (so called) creative individuals share.  Even though there is an abundance of uniqueness, point of views, and variations of a theme, many completed works end up with some sort of tell tale signature that separates their expressions from the likeness of others. An Andy Warhol print has its own signature just as Annie Leibovitz' photos are creatively and visually hers. 

Creative explorers tend to be daydreamers. They get out of their own head and surrounds themselves with beauty.  Many like to people watch and observe everything in great detail within subtle glances. They also gravitate to work hours that work for them.

There is something almost spiritual about this, but Creative explorers take time for solitude, and with the daydreaming component, they lose track of time. They turn life’s obstacles around easily, partially due to a willingness to seek out new experiences. They usually “fail up” because they ask the big questions in order to take calculated risks.

Creative explorers view all of life as an opportunity for self-expression within following their true passions and connecting the dots. They constantly shake things up within themselves in an attempt to scratch the creative itch. One trait that is most understated is they make time for mindfulness.

...The creative exploration process could either be having to go deep into a cold, dark hole that challenges your entire being, your mere existence, to pull back a shadow that covered your life and stolen many breaths that shaped, formed, and stunted the growth of your essence. 
...It could be the harnessing of a single moment where you caught yourself in the middle of climbing out of the hole and suddenly found the strength in knowing that there is hope, a possibility for a deep inhale of real change.
...It can also be that moment where you consciously make a decision to realize and understand the location where you are is the location where you exactly belong at this precise moment.  Whether you are exploring within the hole, partially hanging around the hole or nowhere near the hole, creative exploration is a process.

Enjoy the process!


-Namaste'

Alkalized Double-Protein Meal

Grilled Chicken, Asparagus & Rice

 

 

Baby Spinach leaves (raw) ~ vitamin A, C, Calcium, & Iron

Avocado halfed with seed removed (raw) - (wipe with lemon to prevent from turning brown) ~ Omega 3, Antioxidants, vitamin A, B, C & D

Steam Fried Asparagus sauté' minced Garlic in a fry pan with little water until garlic is beginning to brown, and water is mostly evaporated (no salt) ~ Potassium, Antioxidants, Alkalizing properties, vitamin A

 

Chicken Breast (grilled)

fully cook chicken breast on grill (with your own spice blend), slightly charred but cooked until internal temperature reaches at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, let set to seal in natural juices, cut cross grain, place over Red Pepper Sauce.


Red Pepper Sauce

2 Red Bell Peppers (roasted)
1/2 Red Onion (med)
6-8 Cherry Tomatoes (garden fresh)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews (overnight soaked)
1 clove Garlic
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard (to taste)
Water (consistency)

Roast red peppers over an open flame until fully charred. remove from flame, let cool in plastic bag. Once cooled, remove charred skin and seeds. Place in processor with all other ingredients. Blend all ingredients together into a paste, add water for desired sauce consistency.

Rice w/ Vermicelli & Black Beans
  Prepare rice as usual, place vermicelli in pan with 2 Tbsp. Coconut oil on med heat until brown. Add 1/3 cup water and your personal spice blend. cook until water is all absorbed. (vermicelli should be plump and golden brown) Add rice. cook until slightly brown, there is minimal moisture and rice grains separates easily. (grate in some carrots and chopped spring onions for extra nutrition & flavor)

10 Stress Reduction Tips You Can Use Now

 

  

 

 

We live in a microwave world where everything is wanted instantly... You don't need a spa weekend or a retreat. Each of these stress-relieving tips can get you from OMG to om in less time than you think.



1. Meditate
A few minutes of practice per day can help ease anxiety. Daily meditation may alter the brain's neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress, and helps to regain clarity and focus.

It's simple. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Close your eyes or find a neutral focal point. Focus your attention on reciting -- out loud or silently -- a positive mantra such as "I feel at peace" or "I love myself." Place one hand on your belly to sync the mantra with your breaths. Let any distracting thoughts float by like clouds.


2. Deep Breathing
Take a 5-minute break and focus on your breathing. Sit up straight, eyes open with a neutral focal point or closed, with a hand on your belly. Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath start in your lower abdomen and work its way to the top of your head. Reverse the process as you exhale through your mouth.

Deep breathing counters the effects of stress by slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. Inhale good, exhale bad.


3. Be Present
Slow down and enjoy a cup of green tea.

While sipping, you can talk yourself through whatever is causing the stress, first by identifying the source, dissecting it, then verbalizing your course of action to accomplish the task at hand. Green tea has micro and macro antioxidant properties that also promotes focus.

Take 5 minutes and focus on only one behavior with awareness. Notice how the air feels on your face when you’re walking and how your feet feel hitting the ground. Enjoy the texture and taste of each bite of food. When you spend time in the moment and focus on your senses, you should feel less tense.


4. Reach Out, Touch Someone
Your social network is one of your best tools for handling stress. Be careful, it can also be a primary source for stress. Talk to others -- preferably face to face, or at least on the phone. Share what's going on. You can get a fresh perspective while keeping your people skills and connections strong.


5. Tune In to Your Body
Mentally scan your body to get a sense of how stress affects it each day. Lie on your back, or sit with your feet on the floor. Start at your toes and work your way up to your scalp, noticing how your body feels.

Simply be aware of places you feel tight or loose without trying to change anything, For 1 to 2 minutes, imagine each deep breath flowing to that body part providing exactly what it needs to restore balance. Repeat this process as you move your focus up your body, paying close attention to sensations you feel in each body part.


6. Decompress
Place a warm heat wrap around your neck and shoulders for 10 minutes. Close your eyes and relax your face, neck, upper chest, and back muscles. Remove the wrap, and use a tennis ball or foam roller to massage away tension.

Place the ball between your back and the wall. Lean into the ball, and hold gentle pressure for up to 15 seconds. Then move the ball to another spot, and apply pressure.


7. OMG... Laugh Out Loud
Laughter doesn’t just lighten your mood. It lowers your stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, and boosts chemicals in the brain called endorphins, which help your mood. Lighten up by tuning in to your favorite sitcom or video, reading the comics, or chatting with someone who makes you smile. Laughing tricks your nervous system into making you happy.

Here is a 5 minute video to laugh:

8. Play Some Tunes
Research shows that listening to soothing music can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. Create a playlist of songs or nature sounds (the ocean, a bubbling brook, birds chirping), and allow your mind to focus on the different melodies, instruments, or singers in the piece. You also can blow off steam by rocking out to more upbeat tunes -- or singing at the top of your lungs!


9. Get Moving
You don’t have to run in order to get a runner’s high. All forms of exercise, including yoga, tai-chi, Pilates and walking, can ease depression and anxiety by helping the brain release feel-good chemicals and by giving your body a chance to practice dealing with stress. You can go for a quick walk around the block, take the stairs up and down a few flights, do your best shadow dances or do some stretching exercises like head rolls and shoulder shrugs.

Physical activities and routine movement helps to promote better sleeping habits, which in turn decreases overall stress.



10. Eat Right & Be Grateful
A proper diet and gratitude are closely related. Unfortunately, it’s when we have the most work that we forget to eat well and resort to using sugary, fatty snack foods as a pick-me-up. Fruits and vegetables are always great choices, and fish with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the symptoms of stress. Fish really is brain food.

Keep a gratitude journal or several (one by your bed, one in your purse, and one at work) to help you remember all the things that are good in your life.

Being grateful for your blessings cancels out negative thoughts and worries, just as feeding your body with proper nutrition cancels out stress-related hunger

Use these journals to savor good experiences like a tasty well-balanced meal, a sunshine-filled day, and good health. Don’t forget to celebrate accomplishments like mastering a new task or a new hobby.

When you start feeling stressed, spend a few minutes looking through your notes to remind yourself what really matters. You Matter.

7 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

 

 

The following are 7 Ways to Eat Good on a Budget. But the bottom line, always remember, is this: we can pay now or pay later (in suffering, doctor bills, etc.) when it comes to our dietary discipline and food choices.

 

1. Choose Produce Not Packages: People think eating healthy is about buying a lot of expensive boxes and packages of processed foods -- but that isn't the case at all. The cheapest, most nutrient-dense foods in a grocery store live in the produce aisle. Fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.

 

2. Cook Big and Save Some for Later: Cooking meals in large batches and freezing the leftovers for later in the week, or month, can save you a lot of time and money. Instead of buying fast food or eating out at restaurants, or even cooking a full meal every time you get hungry, it's way more cost effective, time-saving and healthy for you to pull something out of the freezer and warm it up than it is to wash/chop/slice/boil/bake/wait in line/wait to be served.

 

3. Soup Up Your Options: Large vegetable soups over brown rice or whole grain noodles pack in vitamins and nutrients, fill you up, and are easy to make and delicious. Add beans, canned tuna, etc... Going totally meatless a couple of times a week (or for good) also helps your budget and gives your palate a variety to enjoy. Frozen veggies, which are inexpensive, work great in soups.

 

4. Make a Plan and See Where The Values Are: Make eating healthy a priority in terms of how we spend the resources we have. Makes no sense to be fronting like a rich person on the outside, but being in poor health on the inside, right?

 

5. Season Your Food: Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, that is! Otherwise you'll be paying a much higher price. Also, eating foods that are current in their natural growing season can help strengthen your immune system for that season. Seasonal fruits can be frozen and blended to smoothies. Frozen vegetables also can be used to make a stir fry. They're convenient and they don't spoil quickly like fresh fruits and veggies.

 

6. Join a Co-op or Local Community Garden: In exchange for your minimal volunteer work hours per month, you get your groceries at co-op members-only prices. Same thing goes for community gardens. And not only that you get to learn a WHOLE lot about nutrition and health being in that kind of environment.

 

7. Drink More Water: Many times when we think we are hungry, it may be actually a sign of thirst. Bottled water getting too expensive? Get a basic filter for your tap, some for as low as $20 bucks. We don't even know it, but when we are drinking enough water it curbs our appetite so we don't overeat. Drinking water also saves us money on all the sugary drinks on the market.

 

Summary

In summary, the main thing to remember for eating good on a budget is that it is doable!