Round 9 - Exercise at Work

While exploring Yoga Journal's website for round 8 I discovered a link to desk exercises for stress reduction. Some days, I really need that help.
Now, some of the best fun I've had here is the after-work exercise group. We would meet on Tuesdays after work and workout together to an exercise video someone brought from home or the library. We have been able to try out a lot of new exercise routines and had a great time working out as a group. We don't meet during the summer because we have lots of outdoor activities to keep us busy. I recently bought a set of Zumba DVDs and we're all looking forward to getting together again in the fall.

Round 8 - Exercise

This past week my entire family vacationed at a huge resort in Mexico. The walk from the restaurant to the beach was at least 1/2 mile and we walked this several times a day. At first, it seemed like the beach was a long way away, but by the end of the week everyone thought the walk was a piece of cake. Naturally, I ate lots of different kinds of foods and ended up gaining 3 pounds. All muscle right?
I am inspired to get back into walking at least 4 times a week to keep the momentum going. Except, I'd like to see the weight go down rather than up.
I also bought some new Zumba DVDs, it looks like fun! I really would have liked to go to that program on Staff Development Day, but was walking the beach in Mexico. On rainy days I'll work out to these DVDs and, hopefully, keep to an exercise routine.
I have visited the yoga journal website, but need to get more into it. There is lots of information on my favorite form of exercise.

Round 7 - Stress Free Zones

Our staff room can be a stress free zone. We have a puzzle going all the time, unfortunately I find this stressful as I want to play with the puzzle and almost forget to come back from break. One day I missed eating my dinner because I was doing the puzzle. We have a CD player with several new age CDs nearby to play for a calming effect. Some people take their breaks with subdued lighting which quiets the mind. When we were migrating to Horizon we also had electric wind chimes and aromatherapy. This greatly reduced the stress of learning a whole new system.
My garden is another stress free zone. I have water features and soft lighting that help me to meditate and release the thoughts in my mind. Add some liquid fermented fruit and ahhhhh.

Round 6- Stress Therapy

I love yoga for stress therapy. I am trying the yoga at your desk since I can't seem to find time to do it at home. I also keep a yoga mat in my locker for lunch hours, it is very calming to do this before returning to work. Another of my favorites is walking the labyrinth. We had one here at Stafford in the meeting room for a while. I have one set up in my yard, made up of rocks. I love to do that barefoot, walking on the nice, soft grass.

Round 5 - Workplace Stress

I often feel workplace stress. I know sometimes I am over committed, like now with Polaris. I want to experience working through a system migration, but am also committed to developing a sytem-wide mentor program. In addition, I am continuing my regular duties as a circulation supervisor. Prioritizing and time management help with getting the work done, but when there is a deadline the stress naturally increases. I had to say, "no" to a training project I really wanted to work on so I could work on a training project I really wanted to work on. Both projects took place in the spring and it was not possible to do them at the same time. I have had to give up my exercise routine again to concentrate on graduate work at home, so I'm losing an important method of stress relief. If I indulge in anything, no matter how small, I feel like I've lost valuable time to get something else done. I really have to work on this, and get back to my exercise routine. The one thing I do now is to go to my bedroom an hour before I want to go to sleep so I can quiet my mind. I watch TV, but it just drones as I'm not really listening. This way I am able to put all my loose thoughts together and sleep more peacefully.

Round 4 - Stress

I practice yoga or take a walk as part of my regular exercise routine. They are both excellent remedies for stress. I love yoga most because I always feel totally renewed when I complete a workout.
With the Polaris training in full swing I am thinking of using the Stress Reduction Kit.

Round 3 - Conscious Eating One More Time

#3 - Body Mass Index. I am obsessing about my weight. I obsess because I realize weight goes on one pound at a time and if I keep track of it I'll be able to manage it better. I keep a weight chart on Excel. I even have a formula set up to calculate my BMI each time I enter the day's weight.
I do at least 1/2 hour of some form exercise 4 to 7 times each week, but the weight is going away ever so slowly.

Round 3 - Conscious Eating One More Time

#1 - I was very interested in the articles about coffee, especially the Wikipedia article. The most fascinating to me were the pictures of the spider webs created by a non-caffeinated spider and one by a spider exposed to caffeine. I love coffee, but usually only drink decaf. I'll have to sprinkle in some caffeinated coffee to get the extra benefit of skin cancer protection.

Round 2 - More Conscious Eating

Activity #7
I am drinking more water. I find that every time I gain weight I have not been drinking enough water. I have to work up to this gradually, but I now drink the equivalent of 8X8 or 64 oz of fluid daily. Some of it is coffee, most is water, some is fermented fruit juice.
:-)

Round 2 - More Conscious Eating

Activity #3
Try new foods. Since starting the Food Combining program I am using rice milk with my cereal in the morning. Shop Rite's Vanilla Rice Milk is delicious. My future daughter-in-law thinks it makes a tasty substitute for a glass of milk.
We have also added fennell to our salad. I love the texture and taste it adds to the salad.