Wellness Wednesday Walkin'

Did you know that today is National Walking Day?  Well it is!

Walking is such a healthy habit.
And one of my favorite pastimes.

Clears my mind.  Gets the blood flowin'.

Allows me to soak in some fresh air and Vitamin D.

And the best part is, I find it's just as therapeutic and cathartic all by my lonesome as it is with a companion.  There is a time and a place for both.

There's not a lot of daylight left for us Pacific Northwesterners, so lace up those sneaks tomorrow, folks!  Or grab a buddy and go for a darkish stroll now.  I for one walked to the grocery store to do my shopping this evening.  But before you do the same, heed my warning: Do not - I repeat - do NOT bring the largest tote bag you can find and fill it to the brim with things like a carton of eggs and a cantaloupe and grapes and vitamin water... I mean what?  Hello.  That was dumb.  But it's almost tank top season, so heyyohhh!  Extra arm workout for me.

Anyway, I just thought I would share that little tid-bit with you, because after all it is Wellness Wednesday!  Lucky me!  Such a wonderful opportunity for a both a blog topic and alliteration.

Happy walking, my people.

Today's jam: "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox

(Yeah, ouch.  Don't walk on broken glass.

In fact wear shoes.  For sure shoes.

But I mean the song's really fun.)

Wellness Wednesday

HOLD  UP - I know what you're thinking.  "It's Thursday..."  Well!  Use your imagination!  It's only been one day, have you already forgotten what Wednesday was like??  HA kidding.  But not really, because I really do want you to pretend it's Wednesday.  I had big plans to unveil Wellness Wednesday yesterday, and the evening just got away from me!  So here it is.  Today.  On Thursday.  You'll get over it.

On this, the first installment of WW, I would like to reiterate the importance of avoiding the little minx I like to call HANGER.  No, not pronounced like a coat hanger or airplane hangar.  We're talking the combination between Hunger and Anger.  Hard "G" sound.  HanGer.  Folks, today I got Hangry.  Heaven help us all.  It was not a pretty picture.  I was hot mess.  It was 3pm before I ate lunch (yikes), and for about 4 hours before that I was dealing with a new phone activation disaster and a frustrating work meeting.  I mean what?  That would have raised my blood pressure by a couple notches even properly nourished, let alone ravenous.

Sooooo, long story short - why do I do this to myself?  Pack a freakin' Luna Bar!  A banana!  Anything!  Let my temper tantrum be a lesson to you.  Ok, it wasn't a temper tantrum.  But it also wasn't cute.  You get it.  Stay nourished throughout the day.  Snacking is important.  Maybe not snacking on Doritos*, but maybe some almonds?  Fruit?  Trail mix (without strategically planning your handfuls around the chocolate chips... yeah right)?  Celery sticks and/or carrots dipped in a mixture of plain 0% greek yogurt and Hidden Valley ranch seasoning (you're welcome)?  Find something that suits you and your preferences and dietary needs and make it happen!  "They" say you should eat breakfast within one hour of waking up, have a small snack a couple hours later, lunch a couple hours after that, dinner, etc. etc.  Depending on when you eat your main meals.  Trying to avoid going longer than 4 hours between meals.  It can be easier said than done, but your brain and body and metabolism will thank you.  Don't just take my word for it.  My friends over at Self (yeah I know, suuuuper scholarly) would agree. 

*If a magic fairy told me I could make one food calorie-free and healthy and eat as much of it as I wanted for the rest of my life because it's good for me, that food would be Doritos... now you know.

I'll tell you another thing that helps with just about every ailment, though.

Allen Stone.  I swear to you, his voice puts me in a trance.

I forget where I am and who I am (well ok, not that)

and end up a puddle of mushy twitterpation.

So, whether you're hungry or angry or hangry or any way a person could be, 

it would behoove you to feast your eyes and ears on this little piece of magic.

Don't see the video above?  Click here.

Today's jam:  Allen.  We've been over this. 

TTFN!

Singin' In the Rain

Hey beauts.

So if you read my last post, you saw that there's been a bit of rainy, foggy, chilly gloom around these parts lately!  Yiiiiiikes.  But today is a gorgeous day and I'm feelin GOOD and I thought I'd share a really interesting article I read recently (can you call BuzzFeed lists "interesting articles"?  Yeah, I think you can. So I stand by it).

If you know me at all, you know I do a fair amount of singing.  And humming.  And when I say a fair amount, I mean it's rare that I go more than 15 minutes without doing one or the other, unless I'm sleeping.  Or it's socially unacceptable to do so.  And sometimes that doesn't even stop me.  Oops!  We're talking grocery store aisles, libraries, gas stations, etc.  I've been given looks.  And I'm fairly certain a lot of people think I talk to myself.  Whatcha-gonna-do. Most of the time I don't notice when I'm doing it.  I would say probably three times a week my office mate will say "What are you singing this time?" or "There she goes again." Or "Hey I like that song."  To which I reply, "What song?"  And she informs me that I was singing.  Geez!  God bless my perfect roommate, who hears the singing while cooking / cleaning / showering / existing that occurs around our apartment on a daily basis.  

You know what I've realized?  Singing gets me through a lot.  Sometimes all I want is to get in my car and put on a playlist of belters and let 'er rip.  I actually have one on my phone called "Belters," containing the likes of R. Kelly, JoJo, Mandy Moore, Kelly Clarkson, Switchfoot, and many many more.  It covers all the bases and gets the job done.  

When I first started skiing, both my daredevil younger sister and I would sing our way down the whole mountain.  Singing louder as the run got steeper.  It helped us simultaneously concentrate and distract, and seemed to ease the tension of a scary moment.  Scary, snowy driving over Snoqualmie Pass?  Never without a lot of singing.  Preparing for a stressful work day or event?  Sing sing sing, hum hum hum.  

My point in telling you all of this is to say - it really works!  And I am a FIRRRMMMMM believer that singing shouldn't be reserved for people who consider themselves singers.  We all have vocal cords.  So use them for more than basic communication.  It's a God-given, built-in stress reliever, people!  Have at it!  But don't just take my word for it.  Check it out:

15 Reasons You Need To Start Singing Every Minute Of Every Day
(I mean the title alone is amazing... they had me at hello)

And just in case you prefer to take your health tips from something slightly more scholarly, here's a Time Magazine article while we're at it: 

Singing Changes Your Brain

Honestly, articles abound on this topic!  Have a little Google fest for yourself!  (That kind of sounds bad for some reason.  So, just Google it...)

And don't forget to dance.  While you sing.  Whenever possible.  I know I've made my thoughts on this perfectly clear, but I can't say it enough.  Zumba provides a great opportunity for this, seeing as the music is so loud nobody will hear you singing along to the songs you don't actually know, and they're all too preoccupied with watching their own damn selves shake their groove thangs to even notice!  For real.  It's perfect.  And, as I said to my main squeeze Russanne the other day, "Nothing makes me feel like more of a hot goddess than just the right combo of cropped, fitted yoga pants, a flowy workout top, Nikes, and Sean Paul."  Guys I love Sean Paul and I don't care who knows it.  So you just go ahead and click here and learn this dance (sorry for the terrible sound quality) and know that it's my new favorite thing.  That specific routine.  I do it at Zumba.  That very one.  Every week.  And feel like a freaking dancing queen.  Young and sweet.  Only seventeen (can't win 'em all).

So sing like no one is watching and dance like no one is listening or whatever the crap that awful quote is, and let's power through the rainy season right into the summer of our dreams!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you.

Just keeping with the theme here.

Today's jam: "Song for Zula" by Phosphorescent.

(I don't know about you, but this song makes me feel like I can do anything)

Ain't No Sunshine

The sun'll come ouuuutttt, TOMORROW this Spring (hopefully).

Bet your bottom dollar that TOMORROWWWW in May (if we're lucky),

There'll be SUN.

Ok so that sassy little ditty isn't entirely true.  We've actually had a lot of sunshine lately in these parts.  Not nearly as much of the Western WA rain that we're so unfairly (in)famous for.  I mean don't get me wrong - it rains.  Kind of a lot.  But not so much this Winter so far.  But geeeeeeeesh is it cold (... easy, Spokanites.  I know, you're colder).  And it still gets dark much earlier than we would prefer.  Though that's slowly but surely changing too!  Wahoo!  

The point is, it's Winter.  It's dark, it's dreary, it's time to listen to Re:Stacks by Bon Iver on repeat and hole up with ooey, gooey comfort foods and hot drinks and Grey's Anatomy Netflix binges.  All day, e'ry day.  Oh, that's just me?  EFF.  Except I know it's not, so get over yourselves.  And not EVERYTHING I eat is ooey gooey and comforting, oh-KAY?  And I still go to the gym and make mostly healthy choices.  I just do it in time to come back to Grey's Anatomy when it's all dark and dreary.  Yikes.

Because you know what?  Cold, dark Winter months affect me.  And I don't care who knows it.  Do I fall into deep, dark, devastating depression?  No.  Do I maybe fall into a little teenie weenie touch of depression from time to time?  YES.  And so do YOU.  Because everyone does.  Not just in the Winter, not just because of the Winter.  But because of our brains and our serotonin and our Mood Monsters who selfishly hog them.  My theory is that they get just as sad and cold and hungry in the Winter as we do, so they feel like they need to hole up with our ooey gooey comforting neurotransmitters too (GROSS, don't let yourself try to picture that). 

So what do we do abut this?

It's hard to say.  Because we can't manufacture sunshine, right?

Well actually we kinda can.  I mean not REALLY.  But kind of.

1. I have heard good things about sun lamps.  Keep one on your desk?  Or maybe just use it at home when you are bummed that you completely missed the light of day because you rose before the sun and worked right through its bed time.
2. Vitamin D supplements.  This ain't no joke.  I have been reading a lot about Vitamin D and its MANY benefits, and it's really important to supplement when you aren't getting it in the form of those glorious warm rays.
3. Exercise.  I say it every time I'm talking about ways to improve mood and energy and blah, blah, blah, but that's because it's the oldest and most basic trick in the book folks!  So go on a walk!  In the sun!  While taking your Vitamin D supplement!  Ok, ok.  Over the top.  Just getting excited.
4. If you have to snuggle up indoors, don't snuggle up alone!  Oooooo, romantic!  That's not what I meant.  Well, maybe it is.  That's not a bad option.  Ayyyohhhhh!
5. Make fun plans for this weekend or next weekend or every weekend and have great things to look forward to.  Trust me, this works wonders.

Anyway y'all.  I just wanted to take a quick breather from the dark and dreary places we find ourselves in these looonnnnng Winter months to say... the sun really WILL come up soon.  Maybe not tomorrow.  But soon.  And if you're surprised at how dark and sad and lonely you feel this time of year, just be comforted in knowing you're not alone.  And it makes perfect sense.  Our bodies just need a little extra TLC to deal with the natural mood-boosters we're lacking.  So be good to yourself.  Be kind to yourself.  Listen to yourself.  Don't pretend like you're fine when you're not, because that just leads to darker, drearier, dreadful places where you don't want to be.  Feel the way you feel, listen to your realistic bummer moods, and then do something about it.

And listening to this song can't hurt...

Today's jam: "Shuffle" by Bombay Bicycle Club

Be back again soon!
(I'm REALLY going to try to make that true)

Really good news.

"Chasing meaning is better for your health than trying to avoid discomfort."  

Watch this video.  And then we'll talk.

TED strikes again, ladies and gentlemen.

This science changes things for anxious folks.  One of the most powerful tips I have ever been given about coping with stress and anxiety is to let myself feel the physiological feelings my body experiences in anxious moments.  Just let the feelings wash over me.  Acknowledge them.  Experience them.  Because they are JUST feelings.  And I don't always have to know why my body feels them.  There isn't always a good reason or something I should be worried about.  In fact most of the time - when I was feeling anxious often - it was just because of my serotonin and Mood Monsters.  

So knowing this, what Kelly McGonigal* talked about above, COMPLETELY CHANGES THINGS when it comes to our stress response!  I would LOVE to think of the "yucky" anxious feelings we all feel from time to time as my body preparing me for success!  So now I will.  And then maybe we can take those moments of I-feel-so-anxious-for-no-apparent-reason and turn them into "Hmmm I'm feeling pretty anxious... maybe that means I'm about to do something cool.  Or that I should go for a run.  Or go kick some a$$ at a Zumba class.  Or just say 'Hey body, we're all good here.  Save it for a time when I'm really going to need this preparation.'"  

Wow.  I think this changed my life.

And I hope it can do a little something for yours too.

Happy Sunday, everyone.  I hope you are relaxed and content.

*Her last name is McGonigal!!  I'm going to pretend like it's actually spelled McGonagall, and that her first name is actually Minerva.

Bye!

Today's jam: "Little Too Much" by Natasha Bedingfield 

About Time

I saw About Time last night, the new(ish) movie starring Rachel McAdams, Bill Weasley Domhnall Gleeson, and Bill Nighy.  It was amazing.  I absolutely loved it.  In fact I haven't had such a strong reaction to a movie in a while.  I mean I don't think it's gotten any serious critical acclaim, and I don't know what Ebert and Roeper would say, but I don't care.  It really got me good.

And the main message, driven home in the moving final sequence of the film, couldn't be more appropriate or meaningful for us anxious-minded folks.  In my humble opinion, anyway.

So get after it!

Today's jam:  "Wild and Reckless" by Austin Jenckes

(Because I'm mourning his elimination from The Voice last night.  I mean really!!!)

Who, me?

Hi readers (all 3 of you... ba-dum-CHHHH)!

I have something pretty exciting to share.  A little over a month ago, I attended an incredible event called Collide - a day for women.  Collide gatherings are held quarterly, at First Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, WA; the same building where I attended The INN (a college ministry) during my time at Western.  The INN is a beautiful place and so is Collide.  A wonderful day full of care and compassion and community for women of all ages.  After the last event, I felt compelled to share - via the contact cards provided - that I have been through a lot when it comes to anxiety and would be happy to chat with other women who might be struggling.  To share stories, validate feelings, etc.  

Well lo and behold, after communicating with the wonderful women who are the brains behind the Collide operation, I have been invited to share my story and experiences as a breakout session leader at the next event - this Saturday, November 16th!  

I am still kind of in shock.  But I am SO excited, so honored, and so looking forward to this amazing opportunity.  And would love for you to join me!  ... If you're a woman.  Sorry fellas.  I don't make the rules.  

Anyway, if you are interested in this event, CLICK HERE to register!  You don't have to pre-register to attend, but it is appreciated if possible.  Or if you have more questions, feel free to check out the Collide facebook page here or email me at AndieLovesCompany@gmail.com :)  And did I mention it's FREE?!  What a deal!  If When you are uber impressed with the day and delicious lunch provided (!!!), there will be an opportunity to donate to the cause, should you feel so inclined.   

So here I sit (bet you can't guess where), trying to collect the millions of thoughts I've had about what I want to share since agreeing to speak.  Yikes.  Prayers, good vibes, and/or whatever good mojo you believe in are much appreciated!

I am pretty dang nervous, but I know it will be a great day.  Crazy how life happens, huh?  You just never know when the urge to write your name on a contact card could turn into an amazing opportunity.

Today's jam:  "Lost in the Light" by Bahamas

Bye bye, love birds.

(I don't know... I'm running out of pet names for you)