My body is screaming loudly for a respite as I have seriously put it through it's paces over the last couple days. That said, I always allot at least one stretch day in my regimen—one that's typically Yoga-infused—just to be sure that I keep my flexibility where I want and need it to be.
It's important to always listen to your body's cues when you come across the point where everything hurts and you literally don't have the energy to lift a pot much less a weight.
Rest is one of the most important aspects of training and if you neglect to get it as needed, you can potentially do unnecessary harm to the progress you've already made.
Remember to always take a day or two—sometimes a week is necessary—to reset and rejuvenate. Your body will thank you for it and the gains you'll experience the next time you workout will be felt two-fold.
I had the great fortune of finding the most beautiful, form-fitting, dress whilst on a family trip to Washington, D.C. a couple weeks back—a sweetheart of a deal found on a Lord and Taylor rack for under $30 after being marked down from over $200—and I decided I was going to wear that very dress to a wedding that's quickly approaching (April 28th).
That dress is an absolute stunner, according to my hubby, and I have zero intention of wearing it with too much armor (i.e. spanx) as I hope I can pull it off without such accoutrements—wishful thinking, I'm sure, but that's the plan.
So, in an attempt to do just that, I upped my ab routine to include more planking, more crunching, and a lot more cardio. In other words, my regimen went from hell to, as my friend Ally at Copacetic in Carolina might call it, the 5th circle of hell (haha, I still think that's too funny) the moment I walked out of Lord & Taylor's. But it shall all be worth it if I can pull it off as that dress is definitely as much for the hubby as it is for me.
That said, I'm at the midway point and I'll be making even more adjustments over the coming days to see if I can reach my goal before then. Fingers, toes, and eyes are certainly crossed.
If you're curious as to how far I've come, just click here, otherwise silently be wishing me luck.
Thanks to a federal grant, a local store in San Antonio was able to install a new refrigeration unit that will allow them to sell fresh fruits and vegetables to their local patrons. The addition of such items, it is hoped, will help consumers in that neighborhood make better choices about what they choose to put into their bodies.
The effort—as part of the "Communities Putting Prevention to Work" federal grant—hopes to be the first of many opportunities for the federal government to increase health and food awareness in local communities where food and health education is not as prevalent.
Don't get me wrong, I do applaud the idea of convenience stores offering fresh fruits and veggies to its patrons but, in the end, it's still going to be up to the consumer/parent to make that choice and a federal effort to offer it won't necessarily guarantee a positive result.
This won't be a long post, but it's one that I felt heavily prompted to write today.
I am a wife, mother, and seeker of all things real in this world. I know that sounds corny to some of you, but that's who I am—it's my truth—that's my version of who I am in a nutshell. However, with that realization, I am never far from the reality of how much growing I still have yet to do.
As a wife, I do my best to be a friend and confidante to the man in my life because I don't think any marriage (or partnership) is worth having if it is had minus communication, loyalty, and love. The three come as a package deal and work in conjunction—not independently of each other—and require daily practice by both parties in order to be effective.
As a mother, I've discovered that I am better at the practical things—organization, providing loving care and nourishment, and being the best role model I can be—but I understand my limits as well. I play with my children, but I don't consider myself a playful person. Their father makes for a much more fascinating playmate and that works fine for them—and for us.
And finally, as a seeker of all things real, I am drawn to things that are both of this world and not. I want to learn new things and expose myself to the world in a more spiritually connective way because I feel that far too many of us take the world in which we live, breathe, and love for granted.
So, through my weekly practice of reading spiritually awakening literature and diving faithfully into the practice of Yoga, I feel more whole with each new day that greets me—isn't that all any of us want to feel?
My life is by no means perfect, but I don't expect it to be. Perfection isn't attainable, but living a life filled with grace is, and that's all I ever hope to do.
Here's a true fact about me: I am typically all the way to one side or the other where serious matters are concerned. I can find the so-called grey area, but I don't often subscribe to it because I feel that to be a woman of conviction, you actually need to have convictions.
That said, the inherent danger in never allowing yourself to see the other side, or at least empathize with the person from whom it's coming, is you might find it difficult to later feel the compassion your heart needs to make the necessary connections to causes outside of your own.
I struggle daily with my ability to see the other side of the coin because I have made it my personal goal to be strong in my beliefs and not allow the outside world to twist or manipulate those ideals in any way. However, by that same token, I also know that I should not allow my beliefs to be so pervasive that I fail to understand the beliefs of others. I know the golden rule of life—or at least as it pertains to my life—'as easily as that can be one person's plight, it could be mine also'.
Keeping the latter in mind, I treat everyone with the same level of respect that I would want for myself. It's only fair. We don't have to agree to have an intelligent conversation, we just need to understand that we each come to the table with our own theory of what's best.
To live life in the middle can be a good thing, but don't go overboard. Have convictions of your own and remain open to the discussions of those who hold the opposite point of view. Your life has to be about something more than just nodding your head in agreement with every new idea you are given. Find your truth and let it guide your life.
Have you ever watched the documentary Food Inc? Well, I have—twice—and it's disturbing to see the lack of value the federal government appears to have in policing the quality of the food that comes across our kitchen tables every night.
So, when it came to my attention that some of the geniuses responsible for passing laws in this country were putting the wheels in motion to not only renege on the promise of more money for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but to cut them back another $87 million, I was a bit perplexed—quite frankly outraged—by the sheer irresponsibility of it all.
Budget cuts proposed by House Republicans to the Food and Drug Administration would undermine the agency's ability to carry out a historic food-safety law passed by Congress just five months ago, food-safety supporters say.
The legislation, passed in December, is the first major change to the nation's food-safety laws since 1938. It calls for the FDA to significantly step up scrutiny of domestic and imported food and devise a new system to prevent the kind of contamination that sickens 1 in 6 Americans every year.
The law, which received bipartisan support, followed years of cutbacks at the FDA and waves of national food-borne illnesses linked to foods as varied as spinach, peanuts and cookie dough.
To carry out the new law, President Obama is seeking $955 million for food safety at the FDA in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
Last week, the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the FDA pared back that amount to $750 million, which is $87 million less than the figure the agency is currently receiving for food safety.
...the agency will not be able to meet many requirements of the new law, including increased inspections of food manufacturing plants, better coordination with state health departments and development of the capability to more respond quickly to food-borne illnesses to reduce their impact.
Richard D. Saunders, deputy director of Virginia's Division of Animal and Food Industry Services, questions the wisdom of passing the law " if you're going to turn around and cut FDA's funding ... FDA has never had enough funding to begin with."
I don't give a flip what party you belong to, you have to wonder about the genius behind any think-tank that feels we, as American citizens, can get by with less where food safety is concerned. It's just idiotic as all heck to believe we are okay with the status quo when there are increasingly more outbreaks of E. Coli, salmonella, and various other food borne illnesses around the globe.
If anything, they should be giving more to the cause, not less.
Perhaps the House subcommittee needs an outbreak to come there way at one of their lunch sessions so that they can grasp the urgency of this matter because it seems to me that they aren't taking any of this seriously enough.
Ay yi yi. Here's an idea for those morons we've entrusted to help "run this country", how about you actually start making laws that protect us, eh? I mean, I know that the money from all those big corporations help fund your yearly vacations, but I would like to be able to go into a supermarket, pick up some romaine lettuce or peanut butter and know that I won't die.
Here's my take on Arnold Schwarzenegger's dalliances with what is seeming more and more like a multitude of women: he's a scumbag and deserves no mercy.
That said, I am utterly disgusted by the nerve of any woman who wants to offer an apology after she's admitted to having an ongoing affair with another woman's husband. Granted, it was Arnold's responsibility to protect and respect the vows he took when he made the decision to marry Maria Shriver, but shouldn't there be some measure of dignity and honor coming from these alleged other women as well?
Perhaps my error here is in believing that there should be more respect, as a society, for the sanctity of marriage.
If a man or woman is unhappy in his union, that is not an excuse for infidelity. If it gets to that point, I feel, they need to let their significant other know about it so that they are allowed the option of either leaving the marriage or taking the necessary steps to fix what's broken in the relationship. However, none of that can happen if some lonely heart is waiting in the wings throwing dirt on your vows.
Sure, there are some who, at least in this case, would actually blame Maria for perceived short-comings in her ability to keep her husband close but, on the real, let's be more intelligent about this situation. Any woman who chose to entertain Arnold's demands, with full knowledge of his situation, is simply a woman with poor morals or below average self-esteem.
That being said, I am loathe to have any appreciation for this particular female's audacity in offering up an apology to Maria for "...the mistakes I made in the past and for being intimate with your husband..." and to then have the nerve to ask for forgiveness while in the same breath knowing she's about to try and cash in on her 15 minutes...despicable. If anything, she's happy for the opportunity to make a dishonest dollar off the pain and suffering of others.
Sorry, but there's simply no honor in that act.
Take a look at this woman's interview and tell me if she looks sorry to you.
Give me a break, lady. I hope, for Maria's sake, this classless nightmare ends soon.
See, this right here is why some people don't need to have the ability to buy airtime and market a product. While I am more than certain someone saw this infomercial and thought 'wow that's what I want', I can't imagine what genius thought it would be a cool idea to call it the 'Pajama Jean'.
Seriously...why on earth would anyone want to buy this item—ever? And, might I add, how much I love the fact that they throw in a free grey crew neck with purchase. I mean, let's be honest, what woman's wardrobe would be complete without a GREY crew neck?
After I finished laughing profusely, I decided that I had truly seen it all.
I am all for a program that encourages healthy living and First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign is something I, as a parent, definitely support. The obesity rate among our young children has skyrocketed thanks to the over-consumption of unhealthy goods—including those served in our school cafeterias—and there isn't enough emphasis on physical education (P.E.).
Quite frankly, there are many schools in the country which no longer incorporate P.E. into the days of our children and it used to be a staple in every curriculum!
So, it's high time that we all start instilling the value of exercise into the minds of our little boys and girls while they are still young enough and impressionable enough to accept it as a normal part of their daily life. And, as the First Lady demonstrates, it doesn't matter how you get moving—just move!
Learn more about the 'Let's Move' initiative here, but take a look at The First Lady's recent visit to a local Washington D.C. school where she got her groove going with a group of very lucky middle-school students.
Jamie Oliver, better known to most as the energetic British chef who dazzled the US with his humor, charm, and great recipes as The Naked Chef started what he called a Food Revolution a couple of years ago. His goal was to help reintroduce people to their home kitchens and encourage them to cook fresh, cook smart, and eat sensibly.
His message, while simple, was something of a nuisance to those who were hell bent on keeping this world fully processed, always fried, and never informed. In short, he wasn't hawking high-fructose corn syrup or advocating the consumption of meat at every meal, so he was not as marketable to the masses as a Bobby Flay or a Paula Deen.
Yet he managed to garner a huge following and many awards for espousing a fresh message to those who were looking to make a change in their eating habits and his philosophy of eating fresh foods (homegrown if possible) resonated with those who were getting fed up with the corn-fed ways of this world. He helped spark the migration of many individuals back into their kitchens, gardens, and local farmer's markets.
So, although I am not one for watching much reality television, I was intrigued to see him take on "the man" in the second season of his television series: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It was clear from start, though, that Oliver would be taking on a much bigger fish than the one he found in season one.
In L.A. , school lunches are served with the option of chocolate or strawberry milk. However, one small carton of flavored milk is loaded with more sugar than even one can of soda. So, Oliver, in only the way he can, decided to make a push to get rid of the option altogether.
Coincidence?...Maybe, but it's one heck of a coincidence if it is one.
I sincerely hope that another network decides to continue with Oliver's premise and offers more programming of this sort to the masses because it's definitely something that needs a platform—even if it's not always easy to accept the message it sends.
I don't care what your political affiliation might be, this whole "birth certificate" matter has to have you scratching your head—if you're honest with yourself.
I don't subscribe to either side, Republican or Democrat, at this point, but I am 100 percent on the side of the President when he states "we don't have time for this..." It's time for serious people to focus on serious issues and maybe now that sideshow Bob (yes, I mean you, Donald Trump) no longer has this idiocy to get airtime over (and you networks should really be ashamed of yourselves for giving that fool a platform), we can see more chatter about the issues actually affecting the bottom-line of tax payers all over this nation.
So, Prince William of Wales is marrying Kate Middleton? Good for him, it's always nice to see young couples in love come together in holy matrimony. That's so special.
Next.
Listen, I hate to sound the horn of the minority on this one, but why on earth should I care about a marriage that has absolutely nothing to do with what's going on in the United States of America? Hell, the royals weren't even so courteous as to extend an invite to that guy who happens to be our President so why on earth should the event make my calendar if it isn't even on his?
I mean, I get it, this is Lady Diana's son, and Lady Di was a pop culture icon both in the UK and the US—everyone loved her. Many people will likely feel they come full circle, having watched Diana wed Prince Charles so long ago, and now watching her son wed his love in just as lavish an affair. But, to me, it's not worth the spectacle; it's simply not that big of a deal.
Let's get on with it, I say, so everyone else can turn the page.
Yoga is something that I have danced with, off and on, over the last 5-years, However, it is only in the past five months that I have come to appreciate the balance it offers in my life.
I find that I am more willing to accept the inconsistencies and curve balls thrown my way because I see the benefits in going with the flow rather than obsessing over the details. Even more, the beauty and simplicity of the things around me have become magnified in such a way that it's become impossible for me not to find some level of gratification in even the most mundane moments.
Granted, I still have times where my anger and frustration get the best of me but I feel, for the most part, that I am much more centered and focused on my life as a "work in progress" as opposed to a completed picture with no hope of getting better—I am rediscovering myself as a wife, mother, woman, and friend and enjoying the lessons I'm learning along the way.
I credit yoga for allowing me the avenue to do such things without feeling the pain and disappointment that I might have in the past.
It's as if I have come to accept my bad parts for what they were/are and decided to no longer let them define me. I finally started to realize that the only consistency in this life is that things will always change and my place in that cycle is up to me.
I guess what I'm saying is, the journey does not come in trying to overcome the obstacles that these "changes" represent, but rather in taking those obstacles as symbols of how much stronger your becoming as a person because you have found a way to overcome them on your own.
Yoga has opened up a world within myself that I might otherwise never have found and I am loving it.
Now...if I could just master that darned crane (see photo).
64-year old Coral Springs resident, Roberta Spen, was approached by a police officer at the local McDonald's—while she was placing a food order in the drive-thru lane—and was told to pull into the parking lot for a traffic stop. Rather than doing so, she completed her order, collected her food, and drove off.
So, the officer follows her out of the lot and flips his lights and siren at her again. She stops, he gets out and asks her to roll down her window and show him her license, insurance, and registration. Instead of doing so, she—according to the police report—"rolled her window down one inch and said she was not speeding and she would not roll her window down", after which she pulled off—again!
The officer, now accompanied by several of his nearby friends in their police cars, box this woman in at an intersection. Instead of deciding the jig is up, and giving up this nonsensical episode, Ms. Spen calmly backs her car up and manages to get away from this mini-blockade.
Her next, and final, stop was a gas station where, with many police units now involved, she is taken from her vehicle—by force—and escorted to jail.
By the time all was said and done, she racked up several avoidable charges which included fleeing and eluding, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with defective equipment—the latter (a faulty brake light) being the reason for the stop in the first place.
I tell you, you can't make this stuff up.
Hope she enjoyed that McDonald's as it will likely be the most expensive order she's ever made.
Recently, I have abandoned my daily yoga routine. I abandoned it not because it's not useful—trust me it is—but because I haven't been able to find the time to fit it into my busy schedule. However, of late, the lack of it has caused me to spiral back into my daily stress-filled ritual of trying to do too much with too little.
One of the basic mantras of the yoga routine I follow is to remember to "smile" and "be grateful for everything the day hath brought". I often forget to actually smile during the course of a normal day—on the inside, not the outside—because I'm so focused on the outward responsibilities that I have yet to complete.
The solution to my problem is easy enough: I'll just have to get back to my morning yoga ritual. I miss that moment of personal reflection and meditative contemplation—breathe in the positive, exhale the negative.
People describe individuals who aren't open to change, or new ideas, as "set" in their way—don't bother engaging those types of people in a conversation meant to evoke an intelligent, productive, debate—you're wasting your time.
As easy a write-off as that explanation might be, I don't buy it. Despite what you have been told, no one is set in their way. Some people are simply more resistant to change than others because they fear the unknown and we are all, to some degree, guilty of that.
Over a period of time we become comfortable with the knowledge we have acquired and we don't look kindly upon people who challenge us on those notions. Our knowledge, derived from years of personal experience, forms the foundation of our paradigms and when those paradigms are challenged, the natural instinct for many of us is to fight back and reject the new. And, we extend those rejections not because we are unwilling to accept that they might be right, but rather because we cannot deal with the possibility that we might be wrong.
It's as much about ego as it is about principle.
However, none of us can become better versions of ourselves if we choose to remain ignorant to the changes and the people that dwell among us. You must be willing to accept the possibility that what you know isn't absolute, and you must remain open to more than just what you've come to know if you ever expect to learn anything else of substance.
Understand this: As a reasonable, intelligent, and sentient human being, you always have the capacity to evolve—both in mind and in body—that journey is endless. To disrespect that journey, by never giving yourself the chance to accept or understand the unfamiliar, is to lay waste to all the possibilities that life has to offer.
Do not allow yourself to be stifled by a stubborn resistance to change. Trust that you are worth more than that, and allow yourself to become better than even you could have ever imagined.
As a young girl, growing up in the post-civil rights south, I didn't have to worry about Jim Crow laws. I wasn't concerned that I would be persecuted, beaten, or denied access to a public place because of the color of my skin.
I don't have first-person accounts of my life being threatened.
Every school/college I ever attended was integrated.
At the age of 18, I cast my first vote—no picket lines or shouting protesters to impede my progress.
I'd say my life was, relatively, easy where race is concerned.
That said, I am not naive to the fact that racism exists. It occurs in more subtle forms now, but it is by no means eliminated. And, despite what many believe, it did not become a dead topic with the election of President Barack Obama.
So, as I revisited the "I Have A Dream" speech (seen below), I marveled both at how far we've come and how far we have to go. Though King's speech spoke of racial inequality, the message of tolerance and respect is one that still applies today.
We, as Americans, are still judging each other. We are still looking at the poor and labeling them unworthy of help. We are still choosing to devalue the life of the men and women who decide to live a lifestyle different from that of our own. We are still content to see inner-city children receive lesser educations—at times—than their suburban counterparts.
The ignorance still exists because we continue to allow ourselves to be educated by the words and belief systems of others, rather than through educating ourselves. Change has come, but there is still much room for improvement.
MLK Day was meant to recognize a man who fought hard for the rights of blacks and he is deserving of this respect for all that he was able to do in a time when most were unwilling to take a stand.
However, this day is just as important for those whose lives weren't directly altered by the works of Dr. King, and other great civil rights activists, because it's a sad reminder of how justice can be twisted if left unchallenged.
We are better today than we were 50 years ago, but there is always room to do, and be, better.
I value my right as a citizen, and as a woman, to play a part in how this country is run. I teach my children, even though they are still too young to understand, that it's important to be counted—even if they find themselves in the minority.
It's about taking a stand, and making a commitment, to be a part of the governmental process. The outcome may not always end in your favor, but that should never be an excuse for not being a part of the journey. However, after the shootings in Arizona, I am less and less enamored of that journey.
The killings in Tuscon, AZ—including the near-fatal wounding of Gabrielle Giffords—reminded me that the time we live in has become volatile. The hatred, the inability to accept the views of others, and the endless need to place blame on someone, anyone, for the mess that has been created seems to take precedence over finding solutions—and that's sad.
Jared Loughner—albeit disturbed—has become representative of where we're headed as a nation if we don't start to check our values at the gate. So many of us blindly follow the herd that we can no longer distinguish our personal beliefs from that of our favorite political figures.
We blindly follow them and all they say because we no longer remember how to lead for ourselves, and that's unacceptable. If you don't like the world you live in, do more to exact the change you want to see.
Don't spend your time pointing fingers and placing blame because, the truth is, no one is innocent of this mess we've brought upon ourselves. We have all played a part in this debacle and we all need to play an equal part in digging ourselves out.
Step away from the rhetoric and get back to the business of educating yourself and those around you—if they're willing to listen—about the real issues. Because, in the end, that's all that matters—everything else is just hot air.
There are often situations where you feel like you are being picked on. You don't necessarily understand or know why people are doing it, but you know they are and you don't like it very much. The usual response to such a feeling is to turn tail and run—as far away as possible.
But, what happens when you find yourself in a similar situation again...and again...and again? At what point do you stop looking for the external factors in exchange for turning your sights internally?
None of us are destined to be perfect, but it is important to recognize the serial imperfections that you place upon the doorstep of the world. In other words, are you arrogant? Unapproachable? Unyielding when it comes to the actions or opinions of others? Are you...awkward?
Believe it or not, it all matters, and it is a strong possibility that your inability yo remain settled in multiple situations is less about the people you're complaining about, than it is about you.
You are the common denominator in every situation...just make sure you're not the problem.
