The Beauty In Balance

Energy and Equilibrium.

Yin and Yang.

Status quo.

Balance.

The universe, and everything that makes it up, is in a constant struggle to find one thing – equilibrium.

This is true in the environment, in ecosystems, in the world’s water cycle, in the cycle of the seasons and the turning of the earth. The winds, the waves, and every motion that is created in the universe, is a result of a force attempting to return matter to a state of balance.

The same is true in your body, mind, and spirit.

When your body, mind, or soul becomes out of balance, it is your natural reaction to try to correct that imbalance. This can lead to both healthy and unhealthy behaviors.

I’ll give you a couple examples:

If you’ve stayed up all night studying, you put your brain into a state of imbalance. It is no longer rested, you feel sluggish, and you try to correct that imbalance with a chemical – caffeine. Eventually, your body would have correct that imbalance on its own, with sleep, but by forcing it to correct with caffeine, you set off a chain of events that will force the body to return to balance from both the lack of sleep and the jolt of chemicals that you gave to your brain.

Another example is if you decide that suddenly, you’re going to eat McDonald’s every single day for a month. (Thank you for this, Morgan Spurlock). You will throw your body’s equilibrium out of whack, and it will try its damndest to rid your body of the excess chemicals – Diarrhea? Vomiting? Excess sleep? If you were to continue on this diet, eventually your body would find a way to adapt to the damage you were doing to it, and again reach an equilibrium state. Although you may not be healthy in this new state, your body would find balance.

One more example, a little more personal. I struggled for a long time to find balance in my diet and exercise routine. I’ll admit that it’s something that I’m still on the hunt for, but it’s improved dramatically. About two years ago exactly, I was running every day, and consuming very minimal calories. My body was shocked by this routine at first and I lost a dramatic amount of weight. However, eventually my body, in an attempt to reach a state of equilibrium, was no longer responding to the amount of cardio I was doing, and I could not continue to lose weight.

The damage that this did to my body and hormones was devastating, but the good news is that my body is STILL trying to reach equilibrium! As long as I continue to fuel it with good food and a healthy amount of exercise, it will figure out that I am not going to starve it anymore, and it will return to a balanced state.

If you feel as if you are out of balance, or that you are suffering from any type of extreme state of being – chronic pain, depression, headaches, an eating disorder, an exercise addiction, obesity, alcoholism, insomnia, etc. the good news is that you can fix it. I truly believe with every fiber of my being that the universe, and you, will eventually find balance if you want it. Your body already desires so much to reach a state of equilibrium, that if you don’t fight it, you are more than halfway there!

How do you go about finding balance?

That is a deeply personal question and one that only you can answer. Your personal imbalances are most likely a result of your thoughts and everyday patterns. If you are able to identify the source of your imbalance, then you can begin to take the steps to correct it.

How to find the source of your imbalance?

Again, there is no one right answer for any person. Some people can do some reflecting, journaling, or meditating and come up with the answer within themselves. For others, you may want to look to your family and friends and take into account their honest and loving opinions. For many, including myself, I find that therapy is a great place for me to uncover my patterns that put me out of balance, and learn how to correct them through the advice of a professional.

If you take away nothing from this but one thing, I just want you to know that peace is possible. If you have ever experienced a quiet moment all to yourself, where you felt that everything was right with the world, you know what I mean. In that moment, you may have felt calm, happiness, or even just content. For me, it happens with the first snow, when the world is quiet, blanketed in a soft fresh layer of new-ness. It speaks to me of all the extraordinary possibilities of life.

That is what being in equilibrium feels like. It’s not an overwhelming excitement or joy, it is simply a happiness and satisfaction with the present moment.

This is what I am forever searching for, and I hope that you and I both find it. If we can live at peace and find balance with ourselves at each present moment, then we will be able to find peace and balance with the universe and all those around us.

Namaste.

❤

T&T

“Another Word For Creativity Is Courage”

The quote that titles this blog is credited to George Prince, and I believe he said it better than anyone else ever could.

Creativity is courage. It is expressing the deepest feelings inside of yourself. Allowing whatever darkness, light, or shade of color that is within you to be brought forth in whichever manner feels the best for that moment.

As human beings, we crave self-expression. Through language, music, movement, art, or writing, creation is at the very core of our souls. If we don’t have a way to let out our true selves in some form or another, we are living merely a fraction of the existence that is possible. The potential for human creativity is boundless, and each individual has their own contribution to make that is unique and so incredibly beautiful.

I mentioned in one of my first blog posts, that in treating yourself well, it is important to make one of your passions in life your creative outlet. https://treatsandtraining.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/what-is-a-treat/

The importance of having a creative outlet goes beyond just the function of a hobby. Research has actually proven that creative expression has a myriad of benefits on our mental and physical well-being. An article by the American Journal of Public Health, published in 2010 expounded upon the existing research on the topic, examining “The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health.” All of the publications that this article examined confirmed that, “through creativity and imagination, we find our identity and our reservoir of healing.” Essentially, through the examination of four areas of self-expression: movement-based expression, visual arts, music engagement, and expressive writing, nearly all of the patients in the studies conducted showed an increase in mental and physical health by engagement in these activities (Am J Public Health, 2010).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804629/

To put it simply, CREATIVITY IS SOOOOO GOOD FOR YOU!!!

If you aren’t currently expressing yourself creatively, it’s easy to begin doing and to create a habit of allowing your true self to shine. This article from HuffPost.com does a great job of giving tips on simple ways to spark your creativity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/boost-your-creativity_n_3679087.html

Living a creative life, or incorporating creativity into your day-to-day routine isn’t as difficult as you’d think. Activities like listening to music, sitting down in a quiet place for a few minutes, or just letting your mind wander during a mundane activity can get the creative juices flowing.

I love that quote by Bradbury, because he’s right! If you start thinking too hard and judging yourself on your creative expression, it ruins the whole point! The fun part about being creative is the risk that’s involved. You are getting in touch with parts of yourself or emotions inside of you that you might not be aware of, and you have to grasp those parts, accept them, love them, because they are a part of you!

That is why creativity is courage. It is courageous to look within to find what makes you tick, what makes you hum, what makes you excited about life and inspired to innovate. You have to be willing to treat yourself kindly, without judgment, and that can be scary when you’ve become so involved in a pattern of suppressing those creative ideas.

THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO BE CREATIVE!

Don’t let fear of messing up, or being self-conscious stop you from expressing yourself. That’s the best part about a creative outlet – it is WHATEVER you WANT! You can sing, dance, laugh, cry, move, paint, write, create – as long as it feels good, you’re doing it right!

Fear is something that paralyzed me for the longest time. Fear of judgment from others and judgment of myself stopped me from moving forward in life, from expressing myself, from being in touch with my emotions, from saying what I really feel, from doing what I really want, and take my word for it, that the cycle of fear is a hard habit to break.

The best news is, that it only takes one small act of courage to break through the barriers that fear puts in your way. For me, this blog was one of my first steps on the road to living a courageous and creative life. This outlet is a way for me to discover my passions, express myself, and do so without fear of judgment or shame. I can’t express enough gratitude to you who read this blog for allowing me this indulgence.

All it takes is one flicker of creativity courage to light the flame of passion for the life that you are capable of living.

So, my advice to you is: try something new, innovate, experiment, get crazy, be silly, be passionate, and see where it takes you! You’ll discover things about yourself you never knew, and that’s the fun part.

❤

T&T

The Meaning Behind The Mantra Madness

“Just Breathe.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“Just keep swimming.”

“OM.”

What do all of these phrases have in common? They are all examples of mantras. I’ll provide some background on the subject and how powerful having the right mantra can be to your overall health and life goals!

Let’s back up.

First of all, what is a mantra?

Trusty old wikipedia told me, “”Mantra” (Sanskrit मंत्र) means a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power.^[2][3] Mantra may or may not be syntactic or have literal meaning; the spiritual value of mantra comes when it is audible, visible, or present in thought.^[2][4]“

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra

In layman’s terms, that means that a mantra is a group of words or sounds that can be thought or said aloud that hold some type of meaning for whoever is saying them.

That’s the “OM” symbol, one of the simplest mantras that exists.

So, why have a mantra? What’s the point?

Nikola Tesla, a world-renowned inventor, electrical engineer, and brilliant scientist, best known for his work on electric currents was noted to have said:

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

This is the electric man himself.

A mantra is a way of generating a specific kind of energy with your mind. If you repeat a mantra to yourself over and over, it has the power to shape your thoughts and the energy that you put out into the world. With the right mantra, you can change the habits of your thinking to create a more positive outlook on life and you’d be amazed at the power behind this habit! I am a firm believer that you get back what you put out. A smile at a stranger, an unexpected act of kindness, or just a simple thank you generate the type of positive energy that will leave you and others around you feeling better about the world, despite its many flaws.

Ok, so how do I choose a mantra? 

Everyone is different. Each mantra should be unique to you. Think about what you want from your mantra.

Do you want to feel powerful or strong?

 – Choose words or phrases that indicate strength to you, like “focus” “success” or “determination”

Do you want to be more calm and relaxed?

 – Pick a mantra that soothes you, maybe you don’t need words, just a sound, like the “OM”

Do you want your mantra to change a habit?

 – Visualize the new habit you want to form and find words that you associate with it, like “patience” “kindness” or “boldness”

The most important thing about a mantra is that it is yours!

You can even pick a mantra of the day if you have some specific goal that you feel you need a little help in reaching! The power of a good mantra is like nothing else!

I recently have decided on my own mantra, based on the direction that I want my life to go. I want to pursue my dreams, be true to myself, and know myself on a deeper level so that I can continue to improve who I am in every facet of my life.

My mantra of the moment is:

“I will live every moment with intention, integrity, and introspection.”

(I’m a huge fan of alliteration if you couldn’t tell by now!)

So meditate on it. Find what works for you. With the right mantra in your mind and spirit in your heart, true transformation is possible!

❤

T&T

Why The Scale Is Worse Than A Medieval Torture Device

I’m going to preface this post by saying that there are a number of people who can benefit from tracking weight loss through monitoring that little number that blinks up at you from the screen underneath your feet. These are people who are severely overweight, in situations where their weight is putting them in a highly at-risk category for all sorts of health complications. These people should probably also be seeing a professional and monitoring other measures of their health than just the number reflected on the scale.

For everyone else reading this – STOP TORTURING YOURSELF. 

There are SO many other ways to measure if you’re improving your health and moving towards your fitness goals than by waking up every morning and determining the mood of your day by the number that indicates the relationship between your mass and the gravitational pull of the Earth.

Every magazine and new diet that comes out screams:

“LOSE 10 LBS BY THIS WEEKEND!”

“HOW TO FINALLY DROP THOSE LAST FEW INCHES!”

“DROP THAT BABY WEIGHT!”

“HERE’S HOW YOUR FAVORITE CELEBRITY DRANK ONLY THE NECTAR OF MAGICAL ORCHIDS FROM THE RAINFOREST FOR A WEEK AND LOST 3 INCHES!”

“SUMMER’S AROUND THE CORNER, BETTER SLIM DOWN FOR BIKINI SEASON!”

It’s no wonder that we have a society full of people, and women especially, constantly calculating their self-worth based solely on the judgment of an inanimate object.

If you’d allow, I’m going to share with you a personal story. If you’re not interested in the personal stuff, feel free to skip to the end to find out other ways you can learn how to measure progress and value your health.

I’ll start by saying that I have never been severely overweight. 

Going through puberty added a few pounds to my tiny frame, and when you’re 5 feet tall and earn this baby-weight before all of the other girls, you can start to feel a little self-conscious. Naturally, this weight gain will even out as you grow taller and your body matures, but it can be a little bit startling for someone like me, a type-a personality, who thrives on being the best that I can be. 

Unfortunately, this type of personality also naturally lends itself to eating disordered tendencies. After my freshman year of college, I returned home a few pounds lighter than when I had left. This was a total accident, and probably the result of walking to class every day and not having food at my fingertips at every waking moment. When people started to comment on my weight loss in a positive way, I loved it! Wow, people think I look good! Next logical step for me: if people think I look good now, I’ll lose even more weight and they will think I look even better!

This is so wrong. Especially for me, when I was already down to about 120lbs and didn’t have a whole lot of weight on me to lose. 

So, what did I do? I started running. Daily. The weight flew off, because I had never been much of a runner before. Pair this with starting to be more conscious of food and the pounds dripped off like the sweat during those torturous miles. 

When I returned to college for my sophomore year, I was primed to develop an eating disorder, and that’s exactly what happened. I was so afraid that the weight I had lost over the summer would quickly come back on, and I started weighing myself daily to make sure that didn’t happen! 

Every morning, I’d faithfully check the scale, and if it wasn’t going down (even .02 lbs), then I needed to do something more that day to fix that. This led to more cardio, less food, and a wardrobe that I was swimming in. 

Not only does this obsession creep into your own mind, and ruin your self-image, it ruins your relationships with others. I started to fear group settings where I might have to explain why I was only eating half an apple or a few bites of a sandwich, and if any event might interfere with my “progress” there’s no way I would think about going.

Fast-forward about 6 months and I was at my lowest weight ever. I was weak, cold, exhausted, and the only way that I could feel good about myself was if all of my efforts were reflected in that damn scale. What a sad waste of time.

Then I met someone. I met a guy who was caring, compassionate, and who was able to help me temporarily break out of this dark place in my life. Through his friendship and love for me, I started eating more and I gained weight, but my mindset didn’t really change for at least another year. I avoided the scale like the plague until one day, I decided to hop back on, “just to see.” It set me back. Hard.

That number on the scale meant failure. I had lost control. Even though everyone around me thought I looked better, I felt like I had messed everything up. I got back on the treadmill and cut calories again, not satisfied until I saw that number drop. 

Finally, I reached a point where my body could not physically take the demands that I was placing on it. The number of miles that I was running was ruining my knees and the muscles in my quads. I had to stop. 

This is where weight lifting began to save my life. Through the help of a friend who is a personal trainer, I learned different strength movements. I started using the dumbbells instead of the treadmill, bike, and stair master, and the changes I saw in my own body were INCREDIBLE. I started to be able to do things that I never thought were possible. I became my own inspiration. I learned that strong beat the hell out of skinny, and I have not looked back since then. 

In the last month alone, I have seen a dramatic increase in my strength and overall health with a combination of lifting heavy weights in the gym (I mean REALLY heavy) and eating (A LOT OF FOOD). 

If you’re wondering if I weigh myself still, I do. The reason for that is so that I can see how much muscle mass I’m putting on. I am no longer afraid of gaining, I crave it! I want to see my numbers go up, because those numbers increasing on the scale are a reflection of the strength I’m gaining in the gym. 

Wow. If you made it through that whole thing, you deserve a round of applause. If you skipped to this point, you’ll find listed below a few ways that you can keep yourself sane and determine if you’re making progress in your overall health and fitness.

 1. HOW DO YOU FEEL?! – your training and nutrition should make you feel better, not worse. being healthy feels good. you should have more energy, sleep better, think more clearly, and have a more positive outlook on life

2. HOW DO YOUR CLOTHES FIT? – this is a tricky one, because in my own personal experience, clothes becoming more loose may not always be a good thing. but, if you’re noticing that you have a little extra room in the waist, and a little more tightness around the glutes, that may be a good indicator that those squats are doing what they’re made for!

3. SET GOALS THAT DON’T SURROUND YOUR WEIGHT! – measure your health by little things, like being able to carry the entire load of groceries on one arm, walking up the stairs without getting winded, being able to do an extra push-up at the end of your workout, etc. the list is endless!

Below, I’ve added a link to another well-written blogpost by Nia Shanks, a “coach, health and fitness writer, and leader of the Lift Like a Girl revolution.” You can see what she also has to say about tossing the scale as a measure of progress.

http://www.niashanks.com/stop-weighing-on-the-scale-for-weight-loss/

One last thing to consider – why do you really want to lose weight? What does losing weight really mean? If you want to lose weight, think about the fact that you might not be losing fat, you might be losing muscle mass, bone density, and maybe even a few brain cells! How about instead of wanting to lose something, you start to think about what you want to gain?

I want to gain strength. I want to gain happiness. I want to gain confidence. I want to gain independence. I want to gain overall badass-ness.

(YES, I DREW THAT MYSELF!)

So, what do you say? Ready to make some gains with me?

❤

T&T

But.. What Does It Taste Like?

The human mouth and mind are incredible. Okay, let’s be real, the human body is incredible. However, the mouth and mind connection are pretty amazing.

Think about it, little bumps on your tongue can detect the genetic makeup of whatever you put in your mouth, and sends signals to your brain that tell you, “YUM, give me more of that!” or, “That’s probably been sitting in the fridge for 10 days too long. Please spit it out now.” Ew.

We know instinctively from birth what chemicals are good for our bodies and what ones will hurt us. We are then socialized by our parents and friends and society (ever think about how Taco Bell commercials only come on after 4pm?). These socializations combined with our genetics indicate to us which foods taste good, and which ones taste bad.

(Really though, what the hell is “fourthmeal?“)

Anyway, it seems simple enough – we know what we like and what tastes good. BUT what happens when what we are putting in our mouth is jam-packed with additives, preservatives, sodium, and added sugar?

After eating these chemicals for years, our taste buds become so overwhelmed with this overstimulation that they pretty much stop working. They are “desensitized.”

Think about this doozy – WHAT DOES TACO BELL TASTE LIKE!? 

I haven’t had it in years, but I can tell you from too many crunch wrap supremes in my teens that it tastes like… NOTHING. It tastes like grease and salt and hypertension. And throw in a side of diabetes and some heart disease with that please.

It sounds funny when I put it like that, but in America, where fast food is cheap and readily available and mass marketed to us until our eyeballs pop out, we have some serious issues with sodium and sugar consumption.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/The-Effects-of-Excess-Sodium-on-Your-Health-and-Appearance_UCM_454387_Article.jsp

That’s a link to the American Heart Association’s website that detail “The Effects of Excess Sodium on Your Health and Appearance.” If you’re too lazy to click the link I’ll share some details here:

– 9 out of 10 Americans consume too much sodium.

– 1500mg a day is the recommended sodium intake…

Want to know how much the average American is consuming?

You probably don’t, but I’m going to tell you. 3400mg!!!

For those of you who aren’t too quick on the math – that’s more than double the recommended intake. Check out the handy info graphic below for even more!

– 

Now how about sugar? Sugar addiction is a real thing. It is destroying our insides – AND our outsides. Not to mention that it’s loaded into many foods that you wouldn’t normally suspect of being high-sugar. Ketchup? Salad dressing? Flavored yogurts? The list goes on. And eating more sugar just makes you continue to crave it! It’s a vicious cycle that those sneaky fast food producers are well-aware of. How do you think they keep you coming back? They are profiting from your addiction to sugar and sodium. And it is hurting you!

http://endsugaraddiction.com

I could go into detail about how to best break this cycle, but the website I listed above pretty much does it for me.

There is a rainbow at the end of this stormy and depressing blog. The light at the end of the tunnel is REAL FOOD. The best part about consuming a diet of foods that don’t have television advertisements and seasoning them with herbs and spices, is that you start to learn what flavors you like! Add some basil, oregano, thyme, or my favorite.. GARLIC!

That is one sexy clove!

Once you cut the added junk, you can actually gain back that sensitivity to flavors that you were born with! You start to become sensitive to sugar and salt, and find that a little bit of honey or maple syrup goes a long way! Fresh fruit suddenly tastes sweeter, and you don’t need to salt your vegetables into oblivion. That’s just sad.

You’ll start to realize that a “treat” doesn’t have to be a candy bar, or something that can survive beyond the destruction of the earth. (Twinkies, I’m talking to you).

You’ll realize that things that come from the ground actually do have a taste. And that victory is sweet enough in itself.

❤

T&T

What is a TREAT?

I like to use acronyms. I think they’re a powerful tool for memory, and they are a fun way to spell out a definition. So, the name of this blog, “Treats and Training” needs a little explanation. We’ll start with treats.

Google told me that treats are:

 

Obviously, in this context, we are talking about number 2. A source of a special delight or pleasure. So, in thinking about a treat, we are thinking about something that is special, which means that we hold it in high regard, and something that gives us pleasure. Pleasure in this life is most often associated with physical rewards – sex, food, entertainment, etc. However, real pleasure, that is experienced on a deeper level has little to do with the physical, and more to do with the mental.

The maximization of pleasure can be described as real happiness. Deep, meaningful pleasure that comes from more than an instant gratification. It’s what we all want, right? Ok, so how do we get there?

This article gives some great insight that I found helpful.

http://www.lifeedited.com/the-difference-between-pleasure-and-happiness/

In my own experience, I’ve had some struggles with this particular topic. We assume that we would naturally gravitate towards what makes us happy, but that’s often not the case. For me, I love making other people happy. I get enjoyment from knowing that something that I’ve done has made a difference in the life of someone else. This is great, but what happens when I am constantly sacrificing my own pleasure and fulfillment for the happiness of someone else? I’ll tell you what – depression, unhappiness, resentment, and this ends up being worse for me and the person that I was originally trying to make happy in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle.

To help you avoid this unfortunate mistake, you simply have to put yourself first – TREAT yourself. By doing this, you can start to find happiness and radiate that outwardly so it can shine on every relationship and aspect of your life.

T(ake time for what you enjoy.)

• Life is short. Find three things that you are truly passionate about – make one of these your job, make the second your hobby, and make the third your creative outlet. And take the time to do all of them.

R(espect your body’s needs.)

• You have one body to live in. Take care of it! This means nourishing your body with a healthy diet, taking care of your mental state, and finding a healthy outlet for exercise and stress. For me, this could mean lifting heavy stuff, or just going for a walk in the woods.

E(xpect more of yourself.)

• You have to hold yourself accountable. You are responsible for the choices you make, and the consequences that they have. This doesn’t mean drive yourself into the ground trying to meet insane expectations. Be gentle with yourself, but it’s necessary to not become complacent.

A(ccept challenges.)

• Step outside your comfort zone! Do one thing a day that challenges yourself, and you’ll be surprised that the things you think you cannot do are usually attainable if you can get out of your own way.

T(reasure the little things.)

• A breath of fresh air, a quiet moment with a book, the silence of snowfall, the simple beauty of the smile on the face of someone you love. All of these things are small, but they add up. They can easily pass you by if you don’t treasure them as individual and important moments.  Being present is the best treat you can give yourself, because you can fully experience all that life has to offer.

So, just remember to TREAT yourself. Give your body and mind what it wants and needs, and don’t be afraid to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. You’ll find that life can become a treat in itself.

Until next time!

❤

T&T