Month: March 2020

Beach Closed

Universal Studios Hollywood 2018

Beach Closed – I was looking for pictures to share in my blog post today from my Southern California Vacation. I came across this photo from Universal Studios which is from the Jaws Movie set. I’ve heard some of the beaches have closed access to promote social distancing. This unprecedented time is very serious and I have shared with you I’m a registered nurse so I understand. At the same time I am trying to remain calm and keep things lighthearted.

My article today is about taking this time to stop, reflect, and try something new. One of my staff members shared a reflection asking us to take time to think about our World right now and consider this a chance to heal even amidst the circumstances. While we shelter in place, finding ways to stay positive, fresh, and creative can be overwhelming.

The climate is a stressful one right now, so today I thought we could focus on some ideas that will keep us fresh and look forward to a time when we can get out and about again. Here are some ideas you can consider for yourself or your family.

  • Plan a future vacation -some family members are out of work so this is a financially stressful time, planning a future vacation as a family though may brighten the day. Consider web searching destinations, planning what you will take and how you will save up
  • Try a new craft – I’ve been working on my cross stitch/needle point. It is not new for me but does help me relax and seeing it come together brings me a smile
  • Jigsaw puzzle – I bought us a 2000 piece puzzle of a Thomas Kinkade painting
  • Lego’s – I challenged my son to building something new out of his hundreds of Lego pieces (And yes they are all over the floor and thank God our dog does not eat them)
  • Using virtual tours online – Art museums around the world offer virtual tours
  • Use this time to educate our children – I remember stories during war time my grandma shared with me and that has shaped my view of this time in our world, today we talked about how businesses must stay creative in the face of change and find new ways to practice
  • Try staying engaged in club activities using social media platforms
  • Make a video of your own DYI project and post on social media
  • Try family paint night – order some painting supplies and try your own family paint night
  • Print new recipes and try something new – consider teaching your kids to cook a gourmet meal
  • Family games – we have been playing Boggle, Scategories, and Trivia to keep our minds fresh, this morning’s Trivia was Marvel Trivia which I lost at big time
  • Take a walk – use social distancing while getting out of the house and when I’ve worked remote, I put in my headphones and walked during the conference call
  • Plant a garden or start planting seeds – I am not a green thumb and have not had much look at growing food, but now is a good time to learn
  • Set limits on screen time if possible – this is a hard one and my teenage son loves his screen time, but we are trying to limit it somewhat and play games and exercise to stay healthy and keep our minds active
  • Challenge yourself or your kids to read a new book
  • Finish a project – I saw a funny joke on Facebook about how we put off our projects or do not have the time to finish them, maybe now is a good time:)
  • Write a story or as a family have one member start a story, write a few paragraphs and then pass off to the next family member until everyone has had a turn, read the completed project together
  • Volunteer to pick up groceries for your elderly neighbors or check in on them using social distancing
  • Set up a makeshift camping site in your living room (lawn chairs, lantern, sleeping bags) and make S’mores or other fun camp food, tell stories by lantern light

I would love to hear your ideas for being creative during this time. For those who are directly impacted by the COVID 19 virus, my thoughts will be with you. Every day I practice staying compassionate and seeing this around me renews my faith in being human.

The Beach will not stay closed forever! Stay safe and healthy.

Mandy

Setting priorities in times of stress and change

As I went through my week, I decided to write about setting priorites in times of stress and change. A few things this week came to mind when thinking about priorities. One is during the end of last week, I got on my scale and was up 1/4 pound. I found myself feeling stressed about something I normally would not be upset over. I’ve also had a few people over the last week tell me how afraid they are of putting on weight during this stressful time.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to increase my blog posts and find ways to offer support to my readers. I am going to focus on how to try and stay positive during this time and take care of ourselves without adding any additional stress. Please know that although I’m staying positive, in no way am I minimizing the real stress and fear faced by many. I am a registered nurse in an ambulatory type clinic and so I understand the seriousness. I have my own fears and doubts too. I want to create some support during this time for those that might need it the most.

I have reached my 90 pound weight loss mark. I saw this a little over a week ago. I posted a picture in my collage at the top of the article. My weight loss app compares weight loss to amounts of food and animals. I have lost the weight of 18 Chihuahuas. While I am happy with my weight loss and feeling good about my positive health changes, I am finding myself more stressed than usual. I made a personal decision to weigh less often right now and simply focus on my key nutrients and staying active. My priority has changed a bit these last few weeks and I decided stressing over weight is not at the top of the list. While I do not want to put on weight, 1/4 of a pound is minor in the grand scheme of events.

My personal priority during this time is to stay healthy and well. I am still reporting to work most days to support my health care team. I work remote one to two days per week. During this time I am putting a lot of energy into being a mom. I have a 13 year old son. I posted a picture above in my collage of him and I playing a game outside the other night. As schools are closed now, I am working during the day and playing teacher at night. I know many of you are doing the same. On a side note, hats off to our teachers. They do not get nearly enough credit for what they do. His teachers are e-mailing and sending well wishes along with ideas to stay active and creative during this time. I’ve also been moved by the many resources made available to all of us through internet providers and such. I received a note from audible that all children 0-18 can access books on audible for free over the next few months. Here is the link to the free audio books: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Many people are working from home right now too and this can cause stress in and of itself. Some people find solace in spending time alone at home or prefer not socializing as much. Others though are feeling overwhelmed and isolated not being able to go to work and socialize. I told my niece last week that as much as I love Netflix, you can only watch so much TV. As I am typing this my husband is watching a news channel and they are interviewing someone right now from Netflix asking how they will keep shows coming our way during shelter in place and social distancing/isolation.

So, over the next few weeks I will try and bring ideas your way for staying positive, staying creative, finding some inner peace, and staying healthy. I posted a link to a WW (Weight Watchers) article on tips for healthy snacking while you work from home. That is on my Facebook page if you want to check it out. I have spoken to some of the people who have shared their fears of gaining weight while they go through this, to try intuitive eating. Instead of stressing about every bite or morsel, try giving your body what it needs and wants, putting aside the need to diet.

One thing I’ve noticed already is even with me continuing to work, I’m finding myself needing to stay busy, and I’m cleaning my house like mad. We also had some nice weather this last few days and I’ve been playing outside with my son. We played frisbee golf the other night and it was really fun. We even tossed the football a bit. My little Yorkie is loving it too and I’ve been walking her more. Staying busy gets me active and keeps my mind fresh.

I hope you will get a chance to check out the audio books, get some time to get some activity outside with your pets or children, and simply focus on staying well. I am sending good thoughts to all of you and will write again soon.

Mandy

Intuitive Eating Part 2

Miss Penny Pearl – Sweet, adorable, tiny, little Yorkie!

I hope you had a chance to read my blog post on Intuitive eating. Perhaps you even clicked on the links I provided to the Be Nourished website or the Intuitive Eating site.

I’m continuing to do more reading on Intuitive eating and recently read through the 10 guiding principles of intuitive eating. Here is the link again if you want to take a look: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

As I’ve shared with you that I know a dietitian who has been sharing this information and it has really intrigued me. In reading the 10 principles, I’ve decided to apply as much of this to my own life as I can.

Having gone through bariatric surgery I am committed to taking in a certain amount of protein and carbohydrates. My protein intake is fairly high and my suggested carbohydrate intake is less than my protein intake. That said, the principles of intuitive eating are very valuable. In my next blog article I will talk about which of the principles I have applied to my own life and eating style.

In paraphrasing what I read of the 10 principles, I like the concept of forgetting the diet mentality. Those of us who have been on diet roller coaster for years understand the effects of chronic dieting. Waiting for the next best thing and hoping it works for us. This movement is about getting away from that idea and feeding our body what it needs and wants. Learning to stop at the first signs of fullness. We must also learn to eat when our body requires that fuel rather than waiting until we are beyond hungry to eat. Studies show how much more excessive calories we eat when we wait too long.

One of the principles that speaks to me the most is recognizing that you do not have to eat perfectly to eat healthy. It’s okay to have that chocolate cake. I often went for perfection and when I failed, let it go and then felt even worse about myself. It seems it is an endless cycle. Maybe together we can break that dieting cycle and focus on being healthy. One of the other principles focuses on getting activity, but basically recognizing you do not have to necessarily run marathons to get fitness in your life. Last night I walked my little Yorkie, Miss Penny Pearl (Pictures included at the top of my article today) and we just enjoyed a casual stroll. After I felt refreshed, energized, and felt my level of happiness go up.

I encourage those of you who are interested to read more. There is a lot of information on the website. Also, the Be Nourished website I talked about last week offers workshops and workbooks. https://benourished.org/

I would like to close today with my personal thoughts about a healthier lifestyle. Bariatric surgery was a tool to help me lose the weight that was causing my unhealthy state. It’s not for everyone and I made the personal choice to save my life. My body was already showing signs that I would have less years than I wanted. Bariatric surgery though is not easy and is not always the answer. Even with the bariatric surgery, I must decide each day to commit to a healthier lifestyle. I still have moments where I think I’m getting back into that terrible diet cycle. What has helped recently though is slowing down and being mindful about staying out of my own head. Those constant thoughts can be detrimental. I encourage you to use whatever you believe in to help you through those moments. Counseling and therapy can also help.

Good luck to all of you on your healthier journey and remember to check in with your own provider for guidance. My hope for all of you today: Take each day as it comes, be mindful about the food going in and hungry vs. full, have the chocolate or treat you seek, find balance, take a walk, swim, or other activity you enjoy and find your inner peace with food.

Mandy