The Energized Woman

Archive for November, 2009

For a while now I have been receiving Nancy Okerlund’s online newsletter, The Introvert Energizer.  I always love when a new issue arrives in my inbox.  This is the article that Nancy wrote in her ezine recently, and I wanted to share it with you.  You can learn more at http://www.introvertenergy.com.

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Walking Slow

Early this morning I was at the gym, going around the running
track really slow.  Nobody seemed to notice.  By really slow I
mean slower than a stroll.  It’s a pace that probably looks like
Buddhist meditation walking.

It’s slow enough that once somebody asked me if I was okay, as
he passed me.  Not sure what he was thinking – maybe I look like
my battery’s dying.

Years ago I studied tai chi.  There was a period when I’d go out
into my neighborhood doing an even slower walk.  I quit that because I was afraid somebody really would turn me in for looking too strange.

Recently I got a note from an Introvert Energizer reader
describing her slower pace (than her extrovert husband’s).  She
said she finds it hard to get going in the morning.  One thing
she does about it is to sleep till she wakes up with no alarm
and have breakfast before she showers.

I share her experience with getting going in the morning.  One
thing that helps me is to start the day by doing nothing.  I lie
in bed for a few minutes after I wake up, clueless (on purpose)
about what I’m going to do next. 

When I get up I follow my body around for a few minutes, letting
it putter.  Before long I seem to get my bearing, without trying
much.  It feels comfortable even when I have to be somewhere at
a specific time.  Starting the day not in a hurry.

Introvert bodies are designed for a slower pace.  Maybe it’s
because, as brain researchers explain, our longer brain pathway
requires more processing time than extroverts’.  (But the reward
is that it integrates complex intellectual and emotional
information more easily.)

It’s actually harder for introverts to move our bodies because
we predominate on the side of the autonomic nervous system (the
parasympathetic) that requires conscious thought.  We have to
decide to move.  Evidently extroverts "just do it" .

And the key neurotransmitter in our brains (acetylcholine) works
along the same lines – it says, "Let’s think about it."  No need
to rush into something.  (Versus the extrovert neurotransmitter,
dopamine, which goes, essentially, "If it feels good, do it.")

I started my Buddhist walking workouts a few years ago as an
introvert experiment.  I think I was tired of decades of gearing
myself up for aerobic exercise and curious about how slow
I’d go if I wasn’t pushing myself.  It turned out to be pretty
slow .

The experiment has turned into a habit.  I feel a little guilty
about my lack of aerobic exercise.  (I notice the exercise
experts aren’t in agreement about it these days, though, so who
knows what to think.)  I don’t really know what it’s doing for
my body to meander around the track.  But I love going to the
gym to slow down.

End of food for thought, onto a practical idea:

A Practical Idea for Introverts and Extroverts

Take yourself on a slow walk.  See what you notice.

© 2009 Introvert Energy, All rights reserved. 

By Nancy Okerlund of Introvert Energy. Please visit Nancy’s web site at http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8_Skd&m=1bPUfNeqePkhCH&b=facrmK6rxf4InyW5VwrLRA for additional information on thriving as an introvert.

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On today’s edition of my audio blog, I explore the topic of gratitude.  With Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season upon us here in the United States, it seems quite fitting to take a closer look at a habit that can have such a tremendous impact on our overall well-being.  You can listen in on the player below, or you can click here to download the episode to your MP3 player.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, and thank you for visiting my blog:-).

The theme for this week seems to be gratitude, especially for those of you in the U.S. who will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday.  I know that I have a lot to be grateful for, and one of the biggest blessings in my life is friendship.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend time with my friend, Theresa.  We met in college, and I can’t believe it but we’ve now been friends for almost 20 years!  Although she was originally a Michigander like myself, shortly after college she moved to North Carolina.  We try to see each other at least once a year, which is not nearly enough.  However, recently we had gone almost a year and a half without seeing each other in person.  Last Tuesday Theresa brought up the idea of meeting halfway, somewhere in Ohio, over the weekend.  And despite some initial scheduling complications, we did it!

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This articles offers some great tips to keep in mind when it comes to the role your eating habits play in keeping you healthy on a mental level.  Take a look now to see which of these you’re already incorporating into your daily routine, and which ones you might consider giving a try.  Given the stress that so many of us are under these days, it now becomes even more critical for us to to build a solid foundation through our nutrition habits.

You can read the full article by clicking on the link below:

http://www.bertnash.org/events/MHM11-16.htm

Surprised by the word at the end of the above title?  You probably expected to see something like, “to…be jolly.”  Am I right?  Well, on this week’s edition of my audio blog, I share my perspective on how simplifying, especially at this time of year, can be just what you need to bring you into a more jolly state.  It’s really not about doing more; it’s about deciding what is meaningful for you and your family and creating that.  The simplicity comes from creating something meaningful, and leaving out all the rest of the stuff.

My hunch is that you already have enough on your plate right now; there’s really no need to add more and more, to make things more complicated than is needed.  I am hereby giving you permission to keep it simple.

Go ahead and have a listen on the player below, or you can download the episode to your MP3 player by clicking here.

I just finished my lunch, and I am feeling so good.  Isn’t it great when you eat something and then you can actually feel how happy your body is with what you ate?  What a great experience.

Today is a work day for me, so my mom is taking care of my little guy.  When I dropped him off, my mom surprised me with a salad she put together for me to take home as my lunch.  What a lovely treat for me!

Here is what the salad contained:

baby spinach leaves

raspberries

strawberries

blueberries

walnuts

And I topped it off with poppy seed dressing.  Let me tell you, it was amazing!!!  It’s always so wonderful when tasty and healthy can describe the same meal.

If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy a salad, and you want one that packs a nutritional punch, give this one a try.  And leave me a comment to let me know how you liked it.

In honor of Mental Health Wellness Week, which began on 11/14, I wanted to share some tips throughout this week for taking better care of yourself.  This particular article that I would like to share outlines some great strategies for coping more effectively with stress.

You can click on the link below to read the article.

http://www.bertnash.org/events/Strategies11-17.htm

Nuts are a great source of energy, and one of my favorite nut choices is almonds.  Almonds really pack a nutritional punch; they are a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, and healthy fats.  I try to eat almonds just about everyday, and if you’re not already enjoying them regularly I would encourage you to do so.

The video below share an easy recipe for getting even more of an energy boost from almonds.  I have tried the recipe shared at the beginning, with just almonds and water, and it really is delicious.  I think I might try some of the other ingredients that Rose suggests adding as well.

Let me know what you think after you try the soaked almonds. 

Just wanted to let you know about something that came to my inbox this afternoon.  In the month of November a series of 4 free health teleseminars is being offered for women who are suffering from a variety of conditions (see partial list below).  If you’d like to learn more about these teleseminars, please click here.  When you sign up, you will receive the audios for the calls that have already taken place. 

• Candida
• Eczema
• Weight Gain
• ADD
• Mood Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder

• Brain Fog
• Anxiety
• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Thyroid Imbalance
• Depression

(Please note:  I have not listened to these calls yet, but I really respect the work that Tera Warner does and I know that she is deeply passionate about helping others.  For more information about her work, you can visit http://www.theRawDivas.com.)

I’m a firm believer in the mind-body connection, and the stress that so many of you are experiencing these days really can take a toll on so many levels.  Headaches, irritability, digestive issues, sleep problems, and the list goes on of how stress can show up in your body.  I’m sure that as you’re reading this you could add your own symptoms to the list.  Unfortunately, no one seems to be immune. 

One of the most common sources of this ongoing stress is in the area of finances.  The feelings of uncertainty when it comes to jobs, rising expenses, and the concern of increased spending with the holidays approaching, are just of few of the topics that are occupying our minds these days (and nights).  So many of us feel like there’s no relief in sight.  Perhaps you are one of them.

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