by Carol deLaski | Feb 6, 2015 | Change, Sandie Lynch
5 Steps to help you find peace, joy and the ability to rejoice in whatever you are going through.
When we feel challenged by a situation, a person, and or a hardship, probably the last thing we think about is rejoicing. But what if we were told that for every difficult situation we moved through we would win money, and that the more difficult the situation the more money we would win; up to a million dollars for each challenge we successfully faced and moved through. How would this change how see challenges? I can imagine that knowing this beforehand may make each new challenge more exciting, and may make it be something we look forward to verses an energy drain.
Now, unless this is a game show, it is unlikely money will be our motivating factor to face our difficulties with excitement, but it is possible to see our biggest challenges as opportunities for positively impacting our lives, and that these challenges could actually lead us to more money, greater happiness, exceptional success, everlasting peace and joy.
Many moons ago, I can remember I was extremely discouraged about a challenging time at work, and a dear friend who was being supportive suggested I consider this – when I find myself stuck or experiencing the same difficulty over and over again or maybe even a “season” of struggle, that it may be that “life” is trying to teach me a lesson. She also suggested that until I learn that lesson, I would continue to experience this difficulty over and over and over, until I finally got it. Therefore, I could continue to repeat the process, stay stuck, and feel frustrated or “look for the lesson” and move on. Ever since this conversation, I have kept this in mind, and looked for the lesson “life”, or as I see it, God was wanting me to learn. As I have practiced being the observer over the past 15 years, it is getting easier to embrace peace and find patience as I “look for the lesson” through difficult and challenging times.
Now I find myself joking with my friends, that it time to look for “learn the lesson” so that I can get the heck out of this mess and move one. The truth is, the biggest lesson I’m learning is, as I “look for the lesson,” I’m having more fun and joy laughing at myself throughout the process. I have to admit, not all situations lend themselves to rejoicing, but when much of it is outside of my control, and I find myself trying to gain control or change something I can’t change, I have to laugh and eventually decide that it is best to sit back, look for the lesson, and enjoy the ride…finally…Rejoice in the process! I have come to a place where I have realized, life is too short to agonize through tough times, and because there will be many, I don’t want to live the majority of my life to feeling drained and stressed.
Here are a few tips and beliefs that have helped me find peace, joy and the ability to rejoice in the process, I pray they help you if you are in difficult place right now.
- Embrace that each difficulty or challenge is allowed into our life for a greater good, something we can’t see but trust that it will show up later, like the money concept above. Trust that “life” or God knows what we need and this difficulty is moving us in the direction we need to go. Often we see this in hindsight, but don’t consider this during the dark or difficult days.
- See discomfort as the alarm that tells us something needs to change or “not so good stuff” will show up later, therefore TURN NOW! Sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves and expect way too much or be on the insanity cycle; expecting different results, but doing the same thing. Feeling pain, fear, anxiety, humiliation, are strong emotions that are signals to take notice that there is a lesson to learn! Instead of running or trying to control the situation, see it instead as the alert to avoid greater harm in the future, and embrace a new way.
- Give Yourself Grace and don’t expect more than you do. When feeling inadequate to handle the situation, that’s when we are being pulled to forces outside ourselves to ask for help from others and our higher power or God. Evidence show, reaching out to others lowers our stress hormone cortisol and increases our oxytocin, our love hormone to help us to feel calmer during hard times. We are designed for relationship and this is where the best outcomes show up. Think about it, when we help others, it feels great. Trust there are people just waiting to help! Reach out and feel the love! The burden is always lighter when shared.
- Trust in the process and believe there are no mistakes! We are exactly where we need to be to learn the next life lesson. If you are like I was…a little stubborn, the process may be slower than desired. But believe me, we are being pulled, guided, and motivated toward our greater good. Learning is like a foundation, it has to be built before the beautiful house we want to live in can be built. By accepting each challenge as an opportunity for positive growth, we expand our wisdom in what we are here for and wisely move toward living our best life by living in our designed purpose.
- Rejoice in the process! Look for the lesson, the connection, and or the open door that leads toward your best…otherwise, what is the alternative? May you live with more peace, joy, and rejoice through each difficulty, anticipating the good around the corner!!
Today’s author: Sandie Lynch MS, RDN, LDN, Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer, and Wholistic Wellbeing Coach. Owner and CEO of ATP Consultants, LLC. Sharing 5 Key Principles to Attain Top Performance in living your best life at any age!
Check out ATP Fitness to “Kick-Start” your 2015. Learn, practice, and embrace the strategies that will build Wholistic Wellbeing for life!
Contact Sandie at [email protected] to find out more!
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by Carol deLaski | Jan 30, 2015 | Kelye Rouse-Brown, Retreats
The words community and celebration summarize our kick- off event of the new Be You series for the 2015 Wholistic Woman Retreats year at a glance. The new Be You program is building from a past series called Build Your Own Business (BYOB) success that I created five years ago as a way to build and weave a community together on a monthly basis with education and happy hours. Roughly 500 overlapping participants (mostly women) joined in for the personal and professional tips, fun networking, and a focus on results. All women based speakers brought powerful knowledge to our community, and this will continue.
During our event on Tuesday, we spent much of our time discussing the power of one word which filled the room with words of wisdom. I was happy to hear the word “shine” two times as that was my word last year and it served me well. My word this year is “move”. As I received this strong word late last year it became clear it was time to “move” toward the “Be You” program – dropping the “B” or Business from BYOB and focusing on YOU with a supportive group of professional coaches and members of the Wholistic Woman community.
Part of the program on Tuesday, which was extra special for me, was a 10 year business anniversary celebration of my KRB Customized Training Solutions, now KRB Business Solutions LLC. As I shared a few milestones, it was clear the first half of the decade was business building and the second part community building. My business motto is educate, motivate and cultivate. In building my business it was about education and motivation all the way. I have learned that the cultivating piece is a process and takes time. My business has involved traveling the past 20 years and you could say working on the road is how I do business. In the middle years of building my business, I was really craving community in my area. As the saying goes, “home is where the heart is” and those of you that know me, know I have a lot of heart. With traveling, my heart was all over the place. The BYOB monthly sessions, which I conducted and trained on a much bigger scale for a corporation before starting my own business, came to be a constant and were the building blocks in my life here locally. I have recognized that some business projects will come and go – like hitting the ball out of the park with a Washington Nationals 6 month contract during their inaugural season, and some stay – like my new Joint Venture in Texas formed with my top client of 5 years.
It is interesting that before starting my business there was a postcard with the words “take a leap of faith” that nudged me to start my business and now I am living this one word in my joint venture Minute Leap DFW, LLC years later.
Community building is where the heart is. The encouragement, empathy and attitude of gratitude in our community makes us whole. In other words, business will be here, but community is the heart that keeps us alive and growing. I am proud to see the seed I have planted grow, and it feels amazing to serve a larger community through WWR and pass on a program to more “women on the- grow” for more enrichment.
Our celebration the other night was topped off with a champagne toast and songs I selected for Coach Sandie to sing. Just as we all sang, “walking 500 miles and 500 more to be the one who walk those miles and shows up at your door” – KRB will be there, WWR will be there, our door is open and we invite you in. We have walked these miles and are opening more doors in our community. The second song, “Walking on Sunshine” touches me and touched others with beautiful words like: “ I feel alive, I feel a love.” I am more alive and a better me because of our community, and hope the new Be You program will serve you to be the best YOU in 2015.
If you are not a member, please consider reviewing our membership plan for Wholistic Woman Retreats by Clicking Here to see how you can build a better you through our community membership. Be Whole, and celebrate Being YOU!
Today’s author: Kelye Rouse Brown is an executive coach, conference speaker, HR expert, and seminar leader on employee and management training. Through her company, KRB Business Solutions, LLC, she specializes in communications and leadership, career coaching, and result driven solutions for hospitality, healthcare and service oriented clients. You can reach Kelye at [email protected] or visit her website www.krbcustomizedtrainingsolutions.com
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by Carol deLaski | Jan 21, 2015 | Laura Hall
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the word “listen”, as it’s my One Word for 2015. The questions I’ve been asking myself are, “What does it mean to really listen?”, “How can I be a better listener?” and “What gets in the way of listening for me?”.
I believe the above quote, by Stephen Covey, speaks to what it means to really listen. It’s about going into the conversation with the intention of understanding what the other person is saying.
When I was in coach training I remember learning about the 3 levels of listening. Understanding these levels can be very useful when it comes to being a better listener.
Level 1 is subjective listening. When you are operating from level 1 listening the main thought in your mind is, “How does this relate to me?”. An example of level 1 listening may look something like this:
Speaker: “I had a really hard time falling asleep last night! I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things I had to do this week.”
Listener: “I know, I hate when that happens to me! I end up so exhausted the next day that I’m not as effective as I could be.”
Level 2 is objective listening. At this level, the listener is completely focused on the speaker. They have turned down the volume on their own thoughts and are really trying to hear what the speaker is saying. An example of level 2 listening might be:
Speaker: “I had a really hard time falling asleep last night! I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things I had to do this week.”
Listener: “I’m sorry that happened to you, what time did you finally get to sleep?”
Level 3 is intuitive listening. Here, the listener is paying attention not only to the actual words, but also noticing tone of voice, energy level, feelings, etc. In essence, the listener is also paying attention to what’s NOT being said. For example:
Speaker: “I had a really hard time falling asleep last night! I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things I had to do this week.”
Listener: “It sounds like you must have a lot going on! It also sounds like you may be feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed out. What were you able to do to finally get back to sleep?”
At the end of the level 3 example, the listener asked a question. This is a great way to be a better listener. Ask questions! It lets the speaker know you are fully engaged and are interested in what they are saying.
Good listeners also pay attention to body language – both their own as well as the person they are listening to.
Good listeners make eye contact, they nod occasionally, and every now and then add a “yes” or “right” to the conversation. They also watch the other person’s body language. They pay attention to the other person’s posture and facial expressions as both of these will give them clues about how the other person is feeling and what they are really trying to express.
Finally, people who are excellent listeners understand what gets in the way of them fully listening. I’ve come up with a list of things I know get in my way. These include:
- Multitasking – i.e. watching TV while I’m talking to someone on the phone, checking my texts while I’m talking to someone in person, or playing a game on my iPad while my child is trying to tell me something about their day
- Having more than one conversation going at a time – It used to be that if I was choosing a seat at a large table, I’d pick the middle spot so I could be involved in all of the conversations. What I’ve learned over time is that this no longer works for me. I now pick an end seat so there are less conversations going on around me and I can more fully focus on those closest to me.
- A subject I’m not interested in – This is a tricky one for me because I love to learn new things, but when a subject becomes boring to me or too complicated for me to understand (like maybe nuclear physics) I know I have a tendency to zone out.
- Physical discomfort – pain, hunger, being too hot or too cold, needing to go to the bathroom, being tired. All of these can get in the way of being the best listener I can be.
- Not being fully present – when I have a lot of my own stuff going on and my mind is racing, I have a hard time not letting my mind wander..
- Making assumptions – My mind likes to try to figure things out. I sometimes assume I know what the person is going to say next. I believe this gets in the way of me listening fully
When you know what gets in your way when it comes to listening, you know what to look out for. What would go on your list? I’d love it if you’d list them in the comments section below 🙂
If you want to be a better listener, I believe that just like everything, the more you practice, the better you get. Pay attention to what level you are operating out of, ask questions, be aware of body language, and be mindful of the things that could get in the way.
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach whose business, Hall Coaching, was established in 2009 with the vision of waking women up from the nightmares of “How did I get here?” and, “Is this as good as it gets?”, so that they can begin creating and living the life of their real dreams, hopes and desires. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com
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by Carol deLaski | Dec 18, 2014 | Holidays, Sandie Lynch
Not just survive!
The Holiday Season is upon us. Will you thrive or survive? For many the holiday season may be a source of cheer, joy, love, and connection, others may feel a lot of stress, and then there are some who may barely “survive” the whole process.
What contributes to all the stress?
There could be feelings the loss or being disconnected from loved ones and/or having sadness over broken relationships. Having unrealistic expectations set by others or even on you. A busier schedule is typical with decorating the house, gift buying and wrapping, extra social events, and preparing special meals and treats, leading us to eat richer foods more often. Therefore, the busier schedule, high expectations and rich food is a recipe for high stress and maybe even a wellbeing disaster.
What is the mindset that leads to increased stress and possibly a “wellbeing” meltdown?
Look over the following list of self-talk. Do you find yourself saying any of the following?
- If I don’t do it, it won’t get done.
- I have to do _______, it’s what everyone expects.
- I need to do _______I don’t want to disappoint or upset anyone I have to do it this way, its tradition!
- I’ll get rest when its done!
- I’ll start an exercise plan and eat better starting in January.
- I don’t have time to do what I want or need, everyone else comes first
If you answered yes to any of the statements above, consider embracing a mindset to thrive in “Wholistic Wellbeing” and not just survive this holiday.
- I am a divine being created to enjoy this Holiday.
- Only my creator and I know what is best for me.
- An “Attitude of Gratitude” is a great gift to share.
- The best things in life are free!
- You are enough, anything more is just stuff.
Now equipped with a Mindset to Thrive…
- Determine what is most important and let the rest go!
- Be Realistic of what is possible to accomplish in normal daytime hours.
- Communicate openly your new plan with those it may affect, invite and enlist others to take on what you are “letting go.”
- Embrace healthy habits throughout the Holidays
- Do fun exercise 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes to lighten your mood and increase your energy. The result will be a sharper mind, more tone, strength and increased confidence for those social events.
- Eat healthy, choosing 5 fruits and vegetables a day, lean meats, low fat dairy, and whole grains and legumes daily. You will optimize your metabolism, immune and digestive system, keeping you light on your feet, full of energy, and help keep the weight off ensuring you feel great in those holiday clothes
- Limit rich foods and extras to 1 day a week and then “get it out of the house” so you’re not tempted to “munch” the rest of the week.
The Holidays are a time for love and connection, why not start with you!
Do more than survive…Thrive!
Written by Sandie Lynch MS, RDN, LDN, Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer, and Wholistic Wellbeing Coach. Owner and CEO of ATP Consultants, LLC. Sharing 5 Key Principles to Attain Top Performance in living your best life at any age!
Check out ATP Fitness in January to “Kick-Start” your 2015. Learn, practice, and embrace the strategies that will build Wholistic Wellbeing for life!
Contact Sandie at [email protected] to find out more!
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by Carol deLaski | Dec 10, 2014 | Kelye Rouse-Brown, Retreats
“I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk 500 more just to be the “woman” ……great lyrics by the Proclaimers. At this time I reflect and celebrate the 10 years and thousands of miles I have walked, with others, to be the woman I am today in business. KRB Customized Training Solutions celebrates 10 years this January 2015 and for the last 5 years has included and created a series of seminars called BYOB or Build Your Own Business success with 500 cumulative participants. The business sessions picked up momentum year after year reaching a five year milestone in 2014. They proved to be a great outlet for small business and entrepreneurs to become educated, motivated and to cultivate their individual success. All it really takes is one step that turns into three to make a better you with more success, both personally and professionally.
My 3 lessons and motto are:
- Educate – share and do what builds your skills and knowledge to develop yourself and others
- Motivate – build a strong team and community to support yourself and others to spark action
- Cultivate – grow, have fun, and let the spirit of positivity shine through to build success
These steps have been the foundation of my business success. It all started with my background in hospitality (both hotel and corporate work) which gave me the skills and knowledge to go out on my own and form KRB Customized Training Solutions, a professional HR, training and coaching company. I’m happy to announce that my new business name will be launched in 2015: KRB Business Solutions, LLC.
Five years into my business I recognized I wanted to reach out to the community and offer mini-seminars like I had on a much larger scale when I worked in the corporate world. Prior to starting my own business I traveled 40 weeks a year, and thousands of miles, delivering workshops and opening hotels in North America. It seemed as easy as one, two, three, to start workshops locally for large and small organizations, and entrepreneurs….. and to call them Build Your Own Business (BYOB) success seminars.
Initially, I conducted all of the training sessions myself. In time, however, I decided to invite area professionals to participate in the BYOB series and offer their expertise…which was a great move! Some of the topics I led were:
- Cutting Edge Communication
- Human Resources
- Mentoring and Accountability
- Creating Memorable Customer Care Moments
- Leadership
- Personal Sales
Jane Helm with Moore Wealth was a large contributor to the success of BYOB, adding topics such as ‘How to Play the Money Game’ and ‘More Money Matters’. Other professionals and topics included Using YouTube for Business Growth by Whitney Hahn of Digital Bard and Vitality Visioning by Jeanette Eleff of Focused Vitality, just to name a few.
It was a win-win…sharing what we know and learning from others at the same time, to really grow. The condensed sessions were designed for participants to unwind with fun networking from 5pm-6pm while discussing 10 business savvy tips. The focus was improving your business, and yourself, taking ownership of your success, and having a happy hour.
Many of the professionals that contributed to the success of BYOB were members of the Wholistic Coaching Coalition, a group of local certified coaches that I co-founded with Carol delaski, Laura Hall, Sandie Lynch, Lisa DiSciullo and Jeanette Eleff in 2010. My motto of Educate, Motivate, and Cultivate contributed to the success of the Wholistic Woman Retreats community.
I’m happy to announce that KRB Customized Training Solution’s BYOB program is growing and changing into a new and better version and will be called Be YOU in 2015. KRB and the Wholistic Coaches, who each have their own businesses, are excited to take new steps to bring you the Be YOU series. We are enhancing the program to include a private room, dinner, book topics facilitated by the coaches, longer sessions and a few past BYOB presenters for 2015.
Thank you for 10 years of learning, growing, and supporting one another. Join us as we continue to take steps to build a better you with this supportive community.
Save the date for the launch of the Be You series on Tuesday, January 27th 2015 – 5:30pm-7pm at Jo Jo’s Restaurant, 16 E. Patrick St. Frederick, MD to learn more about these fun and enriching opportunities.
Today’s author: Kelye Rouse-Brown is an executive coach, conference speaker, HR expert, and seminar leader on employee and management training. Through her company, KRB Customized Training Solutions, she specializes in communications and leadership, career coaching, and result driven solutions for hospitality, healthcare and service oriented clients. You can reach Kelye at [email protected] or visit her website www.krbcustomizedtrainingsolutions.com
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by Carol deLaski | Nov 21, 2014 | Gratitude, Laura Hall
“I always believed that one woman’s success can only help another woman’s success“~ Gloria Vanderbilt
Of all the events hosted by Wholistic Woman Retreats I think our Gratitude Dinner is one of my favorites! The evening feels laid back, warm, inviting, and fun. This is the only WWR event that is exclusively for members. Our members are the heart and soul of our community, and this evening is designed to show them how grateful we are for their presence and participation.
Be Grateful has a very simple design. We begin with appetizers and socializing. Then we gather around the tables for a delicious catered dinner. After a leisurely meal, when dessert and coffee have been served, we have an open time of sharing gratitude.
One by one, as they are ready, women express what they are grateful for and I feel my heart swelling with warmth, love and acceptance. Common themes of gratitude include being surrounded by a nurturing community of women, having a place free from judgment and competition to meet new people and develop personal and professional relationships, and being part of a group that is different from anything they’ve ever experienced before.
Our community is made up of a wide range of women. Some of us are in our 30s, some of us are in our 80s, and some of us are in between. Some of us work outside the home and some of us don’t. Some of us are parents and some of us aren’t. Some of us are Republicans, some of us are Democrats and some of us consider ourselves apolitical. I could go on and on about the myriad of ways that we are all different, but the truth is that none of that matters, because when this community gets together, all we see are the ways that we are similar, and that feels amazing!
Our community is unique…not because we have it all figured out, but rather because we know that we are all works-in-progress. We honor one another wherever we are on the journey. We understand the importance of self-care, and although we might struggle with it at times, we know there is no shame in brushing ourselves off and trying again. We practice kindness and compassion, both with ourselves and others. We celebrate each others’ successes. We know that TOGETHER WE ARE WHOLE.
So, to the members of Wholistic Woman Retreats…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
You are the reason we do what we do. Your willingness to be real, to support one another and to come together as a community means more than you’ll ever know. We couldn’t do it without you!
To those of you who aren’t members yet, but feel drawn to this type of community, we hope that you will consider this your invitation to join us. The world needs more Wholistic women! We have many wonderful events planned for the coming year and we’d love to see you at some (or all) of them, including this year’s Gratitude Dinner on November 18th from 6-9 pm at ThorpeWood.
Become a member today by clicking here and then register for Be Grateful.
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach whose business, Hall Coaching, was established in 2009 with the vision of waking women up from the nightmares of “How did I get here?” and, “Is this as good as it gets?”, so that they can begin creating and living the life of their real dreams, hopes and desires. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com
by Carol deLaski | Nov 12, 2014 | Carol deLaski, Gratitude
What do you do when you’re down-in-the-dumps and want to lift your spirits? A proven way to shift energy from the negative to the positive is to focus on being grateful. When you do so, you change your perspective from a scarcity-mentality to one of abundance. Asking yourself, What am I grateful for? is a ‘tried-and-true’ remedy for the doldrums.
There are other advantages to being grateful as well. Literature has recognized the benefits of cultivating gratefulness as a virtue for thousands of years. More recently, through the study of positive psychology, mental health professionals are examining how virtues such as gratitude may benefit our health….and what they are finding is promising.
When it comes to health, grateful people — those who consistently incorporate gratitude into their lives — have an edge on those who are not-so-grateful, according to research on gratitude conducted by Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California Davis.
“Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations,” says Emmons.
Gratitude can also help us manage stress better.It’s commonly known that stress can make us sick, especially when we have trouble coping with it. Stress has been linked to many illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer. “Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress,” Emmons says.
In addition, grateful people tend to be more optimistic and researchers are seeing how that characteristic boosts the immune system. “There are some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function,” says Lisa Aspinwall, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Utah.
So, how do you become more grateful?
- Keep a gratitude journal and daily list 3 things which you are thankful for to focus on the positive.
- Offer thanks throughout the day much like a breath prayer. Expressing appreciation to others, or to God, as you receive anything from a parking space to a beautiful sunset creates a habit of gratitude. In time, this practice may allow you to find the good even in very difficult circumstances.
- Surround yourself with people who make a habit of being grateful. Their positive energy will be contagious and support you in your effort to be more appreciative.
Ladies, consider joining the Wholistic Woman Community for their annual gratitude dinner on Nov. 18th from 6-9 pm. This members-only event is a highlight of the year. If you aren’t a member yet, you may join for 2015 and attend this year’s dinner. Click here for details and to register by 11/14 to reserve your spot to this special occasion.
As you incorporate any or all of these steps to become more grateful, I encourage you to take them beyond Thanksgiving and make it a practice that you do throughout the year. Gratitude is a powerful tool for your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Today’s author: Carol deLaski, PCC, is a professional certified coach, speaker and author of Lost and Found: Discovering Strength in Love and Faith. You may contact her at [email protected].
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by Carol deLaski | Nov 5, 2014 | Health, Sandie Lynch
We all age and depending on how we live we can either speed it up or slow it down! I plan to slow it down, therefore, I am constantly looking for natural ways to do just that.
I can remember my mom saying, “I never feel old until I look in the mirror.” I too feel young, but when I look in the mirror I see the signs of aging. The habits I held in my early adult years have taken their toll; sunbathing, poor diet, and inadequate sleep.
Until a few years ago, I continued to rob myself of sleep because there were just not enough hours in the day to get everything done – at least I thought. Then I started to review the research on the design of sleep and discovered I was accelerating my aging and decreasing my productivity by living sleep deprived. Needless to say, I now make every effort to get adequate rest!
Free Anti-aging Solution!
Do you invest in creams, lotions, and supplements, and/or other anti-aging products to stay feeling and looking younger? You may find your best solution may be between the sheets.
Sleep is the body’s mechanism to repair, replace and reboot our cells, tissues, and memories. We all have probably felt and seen the ill effects of a poor nights sleep in our performance and in the mirror, but it also throws the body into stress mode and instead of using our food to optimize health and productiveness it begins to breakdown and alter metabolic processes just to survive.
Benefits of Sleep and How it “Slows the Aging Process:”
- Sharper Mind: Dementia or memory loss is a common sign of aging. In 2009, researchers determined that brain events, called “sharp wave ripples”, are responsible for consolidating memory. These “ripples” also transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex of the brain, where long-term memories are stored. Sharp wave ripples occur mostly during the deepest levels of sleep, therefore, lack of sleep disrupts this process and contributes to impaired cognitive processes; decreased focus, alertness, ability to reason, problem solve, use good judgment, remember the days activities, as well as what was learned. No wonder I couldn’t get things done!
- Fewer Health Problems: Many chronic diseases are the result of inflammation in the body. Lack of sleep increases inflammation and our risk for developing heart disease possibly resulting in heart attack, heart failure, heart arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes. Studies have shown getting at least 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep provides optimal health, lowers risk of chronic disease, and increases our likeliness of living our longest and best quality life. Alternatively, our risk of dying by a serious accident increases when sleep deprived, as well as our risk of dying by a chronic disease. Dying of Cardiovascular disease increases by 50% when we get less than 6 hours consistently a night. By all means let’s get our rest!
- Younger Looking Skin: As we age, our skin becomes thinner and lackluster; showing more fine-lines, dark circles, and puffiness around the eyes. It also loses its ability to hold moisture and protect us from environmental allergens. Lack of sleep accelerates these results by two processes; first, it increases the stress hormone Cortisol, which breaks down collagen, the protein that keeps our skin firm, second, it lowers the release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), the hormone responsible for keeping our skin thick, supple, and impermeable to toxins. Technically, when Cortisol is elevated it breaks down all proteins in the body; it is not choosy, even breaking down muscle tissue including our heart muscle. Cortisol reroutes our energy from rebuilding for optimal health, strength and stamina for survival only. The primary role of HGH is stimulating tissue for building, repair, and replacement, thus with the decreased levels in sleep deprivation, all cell turnover declines, making our skin look dull, and lackluster.
- Healthier Weight: Studies show lack of sleep increases hunger and appetite, and is possibly related to obesity. Individuals who get less than 6 hours of sleep eat about 500 extra calories a day, this is enough to add 1 pound a week. In a 2004 study, Siebern demonstrated those who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours. Siebern says, “Ghrelin stimulates hunger and leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite, shortened sleep time is associated with decreases in leptin and elevations in ghrelin.”
Sleep is the best way to ensure the body keeps all metabolic processes in optimal working condition for health.
So are you getting enough sleep?
Signs of sleep deprivation include sleepiness throughout the day especially after a meal, needing stimulants such a coffee or tea to stay alert, noticing decreased energy, ability focus, and memory recall, resulting in lowered productivity and living a full active life.
Set Yourself Up for Adequate Beauty Rest:
- Plan! Determine how many hours you need to feel rested and stay on a schedule. Go to bed each night at the same time.
- Wind down and relax: 30 minutes prior to bed turn lights down and electronics off. Electronics: TV, computer, and cell phones use “blue light” which simulates “Day” keeping you awake longer and prevents the increase of melatonin, which induces sleep.
- Keep it Dark and Quiet: Any light or noise interruptions during the night may trigger you to awaken. Use a sleeping mask or room darkening curtains or blinds. Use white noise to keep sound consistent throughout the night.
- Avoid Beverages and Large Meals before bed: To stay asleep keep beverages and meals to earlier in the evening, at least 3-4 hours for meals and 1-2 hours for beverages before bedtime. Eating and drinking too close to bedtime hinders the body’s ability to enter into deep sleep cycles and may easily awaken you to go relieve yourself.
Have you ever thought how old you want to be and what your life will look like as you age?
What are you doing to ensure your vision becomes a reality?
I don’t profess to foretell the future, but I’m planning to live to be 105 years old. God may have different plans and that’s ok, but if this is His plan too, all I can do is make the days I have left on this earth my best! I invite you to join me.
My philosophy in my “Wholistic Wellbeing” coaching business; ATP Consultants, LLC is to share 5 Key Principles to “ATP.” The ATP stands for Attain Top Performance in Life. Once I learned in college, “ATP,” adenosine triphosphate, is the body’s source of energy; I wanted to have a business by the same name. I love positive, joyful energy and plan to have plenty of supply throughout my life. My journey is live to “ATP” in life! Therefore, I love to learn and share the amazing qualities of the body in helping us do just that when we honor it with what it needs to perform its “TOP”…especially as we grow older. Get your beauty rest to feel and live your best!
What will you do differently to ensure that you “ATP”(Attain Top Performance) in life?
Written by Sandie Lynch MS, RDN, LDN, Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer, and Well-being Coach. Owner and CEO of ATP Consultants, LLC. Sharing 5 Key Principles to Attain Top Performance in living your best life at any age!
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by Carol deLaski | Oct 31, 2014 | Health, Kelye Rouse-Brown, Retreats
My mom, an Oklahoma native, was a cowgirl at heart. She believed in “putting on your brave girl boots” and pushing through. So, as you can probably imagine, I was very excited about this years Dress for a Cure Fashion Show theme of Give Cancer the Boot.
This event was created to honor my mom as she battled ovarian cancer. Dress for a Cure became even nearer and dearer to my heart when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and my mother and I faced our health challenges together.
Recently, I have learned of an organization called FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), a nonprofit group that fights hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Their focus is a good ‘fit’ with our personal experience of cancer and I wanted to support them. Truly, my mom was the force inside me. First she encouraged me to be proactive with genetic testing in 2001 which showed that I was BRCA1 positive. Then when I was diagnosed in 2011 she helped me to give cancer the boot!
My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer over 13 years ago and passed away on April 3, 2013. Dress for a Cure is a way for me to remember our journey, and to educate others while having fashion fun. This event embodies so much of what my mom represents….the heart, bravery, and “cowgirl” spirit to stay alive during difficult times and to plan ahead.
This year was my 4th annual Dress for a Cure Fashion Show. I am excited to report that the event tripled in size this year and we raised over $1,000 for FORCE. This is an event that my mother and I saw as an opportunity to get the word out for a great cause. Thanks to my friends at Aspire Women’s Clothing Boutique and Whidden Hill who helped host the event. Aspire provided the clothing worn by our beautiful models (as they have the past three years) and for the first time this year Whidden Hill helped us give cancer the boot by providing the models with western boots to compliment their outfits.
Speaking of boots, I wear my cowgirl boots all the time as I too, am a cowgirl at heart. Wearing my western boots reminds me to be brave, to push through and to help others give cancer the boot!
Today’s author: Kelye Rouse Brown is an executive coach, conference speaker, HR expert, and seminar leader on employee and management training. Through her company, KRB Customized Training Solutions, she specializes in communications and leadership, career coaching, and result driven solutions for hospitality, healthcare and service oriented clients. You can reach Kelye at [email protected] or visit her website www.krbcustomizedtrainingsolutions.com
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by Carol deLaski | Oct 15, 2014 | Guest Blogging, Personal Development
Do you ever find it difficult to return to everyday life after being away? Our guest blogger, Linda Brennan, shares how SCUBA lessons remind her to practice good self care when returning from a ‘deep’ experience.
Years ago I participated in a class to obtain a SCUBA certification. For those who are unfamiliar with SCUBA, it is actually an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. I was very excited to have the opportunity to learn to use equipment that would allow me to stay underwater for extended periods of time to observe and swim among marine life. SCUBA diving also appealed greatly to my sense of adventure.
The class, however, proved to be quite challenging, both mentally and physically. We had to memorize formulas for the amounts of oxygen that would be used in our tanks dependent upon the depth and length of our dive, as well as learning how to put on all of our gear underwater. Our swimming ability and stamina was tested by retrieving bricks from the bottom of a pool, and we had to know how to equalize our ear pressure during a descent so that our eardrums wouldn’t rupture. But the one aspect of the aquatic SCUBA instruction that I find to be quite applicable to landlubber situations is the concept of a slow ascent back to the surface after a deep dive.
When staying underwater in greater depths for an extended period of time, a SCUBA diver has to breathe a gaseous mixture that contains nitrogen. The nitrogen gas needs to be released slowly from the divers’ bloodstream when they ascend to the surface. If the diver ascends too rapidly, the nitrogen can bubble out of the blood and cause a very painful and often fatal condition known as the ‘bends’. When this happens, the diver needs to get to the nearest decompression chamber in an effort to try to reverse the condition. Prevention of the bends, however, is simple and painless; the diver is required to ascend slowly and periodically pause to ‘hang-on-the-line’ for a while on the way to the surface. This effort does require some planning since the diver must know how long they were underwater and how deep their dive was, as well as how much breathable air is remaining in their tank.
This SCUBA concept of a slow ascent reminds me of the times in my life when I have had to dive deep into something in my life and have then had to stay at the depths for extended periods of time. These deep dives have sometimes been unexpected and without much warning, such as the serious illnesses of a loved one or even a death. Some dives have been more expected, such as sending a child off to college, a job change, or going on a planned retreat. Deep dives have also occurred for me during particularly moving spiritual experiences or intimate conversations with friends. Even after returning from a vacation, a retreat, or a service experience, I have found myself unable to immediately return to life as usual. I may be back to where I started geographically, but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally I have not transitioned back to where I am physically standing. The return to ‘normal’ life (if there is such a thing) can feel overwhelming. I often become frustrated at my inability to transition. It is at times like this that I do better if I remember the SCUBA concept of ‘hanging-on-the-line’; stopping to rest while my body adjusts to the ascent, thereby preventing a case of the ‘bends.’ I need time to let the bubbles slowly dissolve and absorb. Trying to find the balance and the tools I need for this more gentle transition depends again, on the extent, depth, and nature of the dive.
After a weekend retreat, I may find that I just need quiet when I return home. This was always easier said than done when I had children wanting my attention when I first walked in the door. I found that some prayer time in the car on the way home, a walk in the backyard, journaling time, or listening to inspirational music when alone seemed helpful.
If my dive was deeper or the time of it more extensive, such as periods in my life where I had a loved one that I wanted to be with during serious illness, it could take months afterwards for me to transition. I learned over the years to recognize and honor my need for special self-care during these more challenging transitions. Again, for me, music, prayer, conversations with trusted friends or family members, nature, journaling, acupuncture, exercise and a deliberate reduction in social activities helped me to ‘hang-on-the-line’.
I am still learning how to ascend to the surface and transition with each new situation that occurs in my life and I believe this is a lifelong process. Each deep dive provides an opportunity for growth and change.
Longtime member of Wholistic Woman Retreats, Linda Brennan is our talented guest blogger this month. She is a biologist at Ft. Detrick and resides in Middletown with her husband Bill and playful dog Bailey.
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