Monday, June 29, 2009
Anti oxidants at the finish line
I really enjoyed this past weekend which started for me at 7am on Saturday morning. I heard just a few days before that there was to be what sounded like a fun trail running event taking place on the Groot Constantia Wine Estate so I decided to take part. Now I have run around that area before a few times with a relaxed Sunday running group made up mostly of over 50's who enjoy the social side of things as much as the run. This time it was a 12km race which was made up of completing two laps in and around the vineyards of Groot Constantia. Upon arrival, just after 8am to register, I was surprised to note just how many Capetonians were getting out on the chilly but bright sunny morning to come and take part. By the 9am start there must have been at least 200 people there which was fantastic. And it was a friendly light hearted atmosphere with quite a few of those entered doing so just to complete the exercise at a comfortable pace - no problem if that meant walking. I am however, one to put myself at the other end of the 'comfortable pace' spectrum when it comes to running, and I burst out of the starting gate as fast as I could. It was a really good race which provided a huge challenge to keep racing even when those hills framing the famous vineyards took their toll which was as early as just 2km into the race. As it was two laps I always knew I had to come around to the very same long steep hills and run them all over again in a few minutes time. As I mentioned, a decent challenge. I must point out that it was a self imposed challenge however and many people were just taking part in a much more chilled fashion which was enjoyable in a different way. I suppose a lot of people think racing as hard as the top guys do is not enjoyable however that is not the case. Its a different sort of enjoyment no doubt, but still really fun. Besides those of us that speed around the course got to finish first and have first dibs on the wine tasting that was set-up right there on the finish line to treat us for our early mornings merits. I was more than happy to drink down some red wine with all its anti oxidants to do some mopping up of those free radicals created by the heavy exertion. What a brilliant way to begin the the Saturday morning.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Letting Go
Letting go
Letting go is always so much more difficult than what you might expect.
I suppose that is why so many people are out there hanging on to their ‘stuff’. It almost feels more comfortable to hang on and carry on with life as we know it rather than step our of our comfort zone and deal with our fear, anger, emotions or anything that we are hanging on to.
Last Sunday, the 21st of June, was our Winter Solstice – the longest night and shortest day on our calendar. It is a time to let go and release, a time to start creating new experiences in our lives and move toward light and warmth… and was a big breakthrough day for me.
I have been going through a crisis situation for 1 year and 1 week… or so I thought. Yesterday I realised that I had still been hanging on to emotions of anger, frustration, fear and blame even though the crisis situation has not been a crisis for a while now.
It somehow is so much easier to blame others and point fingers in other directions but all this did was stunt my own growth and my happiness.
I realised that even though I have been dealing with my emotions through my own means I still had not totally let go.
What are you hanging onto in your life at the moment? It might be an unhealthy relationship, extra weight, feelings of anger or resentment, or even something as simple as too many items of clothing in your wardrobe.
How can we make space for new, happier experiences if we are not willing to let go?
When I was sitting in the hairdresser the other day a customer started screaming and shouting at the hairdresser for cutting her daughters hair skew. She was almost frothing at the mouth and was directing all of her years of pent up anger at the poor hairdresser.
Surely this is not the best way to get rid of your emotional baggage. If you have emotional stuff that you need to let go of then rather do it in a constructive and positive way that does not hurt others.
Think of how you would release and let go?
It might be through seeing a therapist and talking it through, it might be taking up boxing lessons, it might be doing Yoga, breathing and meditation techniques. Think of what would work for you.
My ‘therapy’ was doing my daily practice of Yoga – shifting to a more gentle practice when I did not have the energy to even walk up the stairs – and teaching Yoga every day. Somehow being in that beautiful, nurturing space that I was creating for my students brought me to a more centred place and helped me deal with my emotional turmoil that I was going through.
Letting go is scary, moving forward into the future is scary, but once you have done it the freedom, lightness and happiness that you feel is liberating!
So go on....Let Go!
"I can release the past and forgive everyone.
I free myself and everyone in my life from old past hurts.
They are free and I am free to move into new, glorious experiences!"
Louise L. Hay.
Letting go is always so much more difficult than what you might expect.
I suppose that is why so many people are out there hanging on to their ‘stuff’. It almost feels more comfortable to hang on and carry on with life as we know it rather than step our of our comfort zone and deal with our fear, anger, emotions or anything that we are hanging on to.
Last Sunday, the 21st of June, was our Winter Solstice – the longest night and shortest day on our calendar. It is a time to let go and release, a time to start creating new experiences in our lives and move toward light and warmth… and was a big breakthrough day for me.
I have been going through a crisis situation for 1 year and 1 week… or so I thought. Yesterday I realised that I had still been hanging on to emotions of anger, frustration, fear and blame even though the crisis situation has not been a crisis for a while now.
It somehow is so much easier to blame others and point fingers in other directions but all this did was stunt my own growth and my happiness.
I realised that even though I have been dealing with my emotions through my own means I still had not totally let go.
What are you hanging onto in your life at the moment? It might be an unhealthy relationship, extra weight, feelings of anger or resentment, or even something as simple as too many items of clothing in your wardrobe.
How can we make space for new, happier experiences if we are not willing to let go?
When I was sitting in the hairdresser the other day a customer started screaming and shouting at the hairdresser for cutting her daughters hair skew. She was almost frothing at the mouth and was directing all of her years of pent up anger at the poor hairdresser.
Surely this is not the best way to get rid of your emotional baggage. If you have emotional stuff that you need to let go of then rather do it in a constructive and positive way that does not hurt others.
Think of how you would release and let go?
It might be through seeing a therapist and talking it through, it might be taking up boxing lessons, it might be doing Yoga, breathing and meditation techniques. Think of what would work for you.
My ‘therapy’ was doing my daily practice of Yoga – shifting to a more gentle practice when I did not have the energy to even walk up the stairs – and teaching Yoga every day. Somehow being in that beautiful, nurturing space that I was creating for my students brought me to a more centred place and helped me deal with my emotional turmoil that I was going through.
Letting go is scary, moving forward into the future is scary, but once you have done it the freedom, lightness and happiness that you feel is liberating!
So go on....Let Go!
"I can release the past and forgive everyone.
I free myself and everyone in my life from old past hurts.
They are free and I am free to move into new, glorious experiences!"
Louise L. Hay.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Caffeine free
Hi, my name is Brazen and Im a recovering caffeine addict (among other things) *grins*I’m currently on a major mission to free myself of my caffeine addiction. So far I have managed a full month of being caffeine-free. I won’t lie to you, it has not been easy…..
The cons (for me) -
*For the first week after I stopped having my usual daily coffees I experienced the worst headaches I’ve ever had.
*I have always been the type of person who truly believes that coke goes well with most types of meals (especially burgers and chips) – Finding caffeine free alternatives to drink was a bit annoying at first.
*Checking labels to see what drinks have caffeine in can be a pain.
*I miss the caffeine energy boost I used to get and vanilla lattes
The pros (for me) –
*I have been sleeping better since I quit.
*I also find that I really don’t miss the low effects of a caffeine “come down”. I personally found that caffeine didn’t have the best effects on my mood.
*When I “overdosed” on caffeine I found it hard to concentrate and even felt a bit shaky at times.
My goal is to give up all caffeine for a few months and then very occasionally allow myself normal tea or a cup of coffee in the future – but for now I’m learning to enjoy herbal teas, water and all things caffeine free.
People may choose to quit or not quit caffeine for different reasons; here are the 3 main reasons why I decided to quit:
1. Caffeine Sensitivity: I seem to be sensitive to caffeine and show a number of reactions to caffeine such as jitters and sleeplessness.
2. Health Reasons: I seem to experience headaches and increased levels of stress resulted from caffeine consumption.
3. Ageing: There are some studies which show that caffeine consumption may speed up the ageing process – So, just in case those studies are true I thought I better cut down ;)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sleep longer this winter.
Hi there. I am Ryan and will be writing about things that happen to me, or that I think about or experience ... I live a 'Wellness' type of life so I loosely attach that to the Wellness Warehouse blog and perhaps you can get some useful information from my words and if not there is even a chance you will be entertained. A chance I say ... no promises.
Well I shall leave an introduction about myself for later. For now I just felt I wanted to write about something that I have been doing for about a year now and find worthwhile. I read in a very clever book, that it benefits the body and the way it functions, when a rhythm is set. Now you may well think right away of a strict rhythm that goes up and down or slides side to side or moves in and out in a uniform manner, with the same strength and all very regimented parameters.
That is not necessarily the case though. Think of the natural movement and position you hold your baby in when rocking the little thing to sleep. I even find a rhythm when running up a mountain with rocks strewn all over the trail. There is a pattern in that chaos and if you relax and settle into it, things become smoother.
With this in mind and from what I read in the a fore mentioned book, I decided to try and get a more natural rhythm back to my sleeping pattern. I think from a young age I worked myself into a mindset of when it is I should be sleeping and when I should be getting out of bed. I think Magnum P.I and the likes of McGyver had a lot to do with this when I was a youngster. As soon as the episode was over I knew the treat was up and I had to hit the sack. Then later on in life I knew that if I did not wake up and catch the 07H08 tube from Barnes Bridge via Clapham Junction to Waterloo station in London, I would not make it to JP Morgan in time (I suppose that has its irony, what with old man JP Morgan being a railway tycoon first and starting a bank with all his prophets second) to start my honest days work.
Well both those times are behind me now. In fact I am totally free to choose what time I wish to go to bed and what time I wish to jump up. The fact is I always was free to choose, but put these restraints upon myself by choice. So the experiment this year so far has been to go to sleep generally a lot earlier than 11pm. Hopefully by 10pm I will be in bed, and then to let myself wake up naturally. When I wake up I then get out of bed. It takes a while to adjust to of course and I needed some patience. What was then revealed was that in summer I woke upon the sunrise and in winter the very same thing. That is a rather huge difference in time. About two hours. I would naturally adjust the going to sleep times in the evening.
The result? My body felt stronger and more alert all through the day. I never felt exhausted when going to sleep and fell asleep really quickly. I also felt rested when I awoke and wanted to get up right away. I am certain the sleep was also much more worthwhile. I developed a fantastic trust that I would wake up at the right time even if perhaps I needed to get up earlier than normal for some reason.
I am really enjoying this new found way of sleeping ...and not sleeping as the case my be. Winter is more of a hibernation and summer a lot more active. The rhythm of my sleep is now a lot more in line with the sun. It does make sense in the bigger picture though and that's how I live. Living life IN the bigger picture as opposed to squashed into the contrived narrow alternative. Why wouldn't I be right? Now to bed.
Well I shall leave an introduction about myself for later. For now I just felt I wanted to write about something that I have been doing for about a year now and find worthwhile. I read in a very clever book, that it benefits the body and the way it functions, when a rhythm is set. Now you may well think right away of a strict rhythm that goes up and down or slides side to side or moves in and out in a uniform manner, with the same strength and all very regimented parameters.
That is not necessarily the case though. Think of the natural movement and position you hold your baby in when rocking the little thing to sleep. I even find a rhythm when running up a mountain with rocks strewn all over the trail. There is a pattern in that chaos and if you relax and settle into it, things become smoother.
With this in mind and from what I read in the a fore mentioned book, I decided to try and get a more natural rhythm back to my sleeping pattern. I think from a young age I worked myself into a mindset of when it is I should be sleeping and when I should be getting out of bed. I think Magnum P.I and the likes of McGyver had a lot to do with this when I was a youngster. As soon as the episode was over I knew the treat was up and I had to hit the sack. Then later on in life I knew that if I did not wake up and catch the 07H08 tube from Barnes Bridge via Clapham Junction to Waterloo station in London, I would not make it to JP Morgan in time (I suppose that has its irony, what with old man JP Morgan being a railway tycoon first and starting a bank with all his prophets second) to start my honest days work.
Well both those times are behind me now. In fact I am totally free to choose what time I wish to go to bed and what time I wish to jump up. The fact is I always was free to choose, but put these restraints upon myself by choice. So the experiment this year so far has been to go to sleep generally a lot earlier than 11pm. Hopefully by 10pm I will be in bed, and then to let myself wake up naturally. When I wake up I then get out of bed. It takes a while to adjust to of course and I needed some patience. What was then revealed was that in summer I woke upon the sunrise and in winter the very same thing. That is a rather huge difference in time. About two hours. I would naturally adjust the going to sleep times in the evening.
The result? My body felt stronger and more alert all through the day. I never felt exhausted when going to sleep and fell asleep really quickly. I also felt rested when I awoke and wanted to get up right away. I am certain the sleep was also much more worthwhile. I developed a fantastic trust that I would wake up at the right time even if perhaps I needed to get up earlier than normal for some reason.
I am really enjoying this new found way of sleeping ...and not sleeping as the case my be. Winter is more of a hibernation and summer a lot more active. The rhythm of my sleep is now a lot more in line with the sun. It does make sense in the bigger picture though and that's how I live. Living life IN the bigger picture as opposed to squashed into the contrived narrow alternative. Why wouldn't I be right? Now to bed.
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