Wild Woman Wednesday

$hopping $ans $pending = $illy $avings!

Wild Women LOVE their shopping.  There's this fun imaginary world called http://www.polyvore.com/, where you can play big girl dress-up to your heart's content.  Here's the fun part - instead of creating lessons in lusting and discontent and coveting, you just gather all these terrific outfits together and then use them when you do go to your normal shops, consignment stores and second-hand gently used boutiques.  The clothes on the site are absolutely over-the-top reDUNK-Qlous expensive (mostly), so you just laugh at the prices, put your dream outfits together, then let your creativity loose while matching the crazy $$$ items with something more realistic for most of us who live on planet Earth!  My Grandma used to call it "having champagne taste with a beer wallet."

Girls just wanna have fun (and maybe the occasional pretty outfit).  If you'd like to see more of my play closet - it's simply de-vooooon - go to polyvore and follow me at kre8tv4Him!  So go exercise your right to go shopping crazy wichur bad self -- happy simulated shopping!

 

Blessings,

Linda

 

10 Mood-Boosting Foods You Can Grow: Organic Gardening

10 Mood-Boosting Foods You Can Grow: Organic Gardening

Trim Tuesday

How’s your wellness walk today?  Are you being intentional and mindful about what you eat, what you drink, and your exercise program?  Is it time for a revamp, or a catch up?  One of the most important things to remember is that your wellness walk is a journey, a daily step-by-step path to health.  And it’s not just about your body, either… it’s about emotional/mental health, spiritual wellness, financial and relational wellness, and your well-being overall. 

Are you stumbling around, tripping over the weeds of doing too much?  Tangled up in tension and stress?  Falling from fatigue?  This is one of the hardest areas for me in trying to stay on track – getting diverted by the million and one other demands that are crying out for my attention.  It is during these times that I find it easiest to fall into (nod to Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan) the pit of despair and despondency!  Once there, the temptation to give up grows up like a nasty weed around my spirit and before I know it… my energy and passion are being choked, and I’m just about ready to give up altogether.

Okay, so let’s get our trim-it muscles flexing and ready to weed!  Look at each of the areas of your life:

·         physical health (including nutrition and exercise),

·         spiritual

·         financial

·         relational (relationships with family, friends)

·         career/education

·         self-care

Choose one small task in each category that you can concentrate on this week, and one thing you can eliminate.  For example:

·         Physical:  drink more water; stop eating junk food

·         Spiritual:  spend 10 minutes each day in prayer; stop letting other things crowd out this quiet time, make it a precedence.

·         Financial:  Save $10 this week ($2 day); no instant  gratification purchases, must wait 24 hours to buy!

·         Relationships:  Spend one hour of one-on-one time with someone you love just talking or walking; don’t allow anyone to manipulate/maneuver/guilt you into doing something you don’t want to do.

·         Career/education: spend one hour this week reading about the field in which you want to become an expert; don’t allow your inner gremlin to make you think you’ll never make it.

·         Self-care:  Do something that makes you feel terrific, like a long shower or bubble bath, or a quiet walk alone in the woods or a hour reading a book by a lake/stream/beach; resist putting yourself last and make taking care of yourself a priority!

This should be a fun task for you, where you will do something positive, and eliminate something negative.  Trim the time-wasters and life leeches, and nurture/grow the significants.  I hope you will take up this exercise in cutting away the life clutter in order to make room for the wonderful things in store for you.  Take heart, take a deep breath, get excited, and start trimming today!

Blessings,

Linda

Motivational Monday

I have never, never, never (did I mention not at all ever never???) had a perfectly smooth stomach with hips that jutted out past the doorway before the rest of you came in the door.  When I was 17 I had the first of many surgeries which resulted in an almost hip-to-hip incision and scar.  That was used several times over during the course of the years for my C-section when my daughter was born, and later for my hersterectomy (spelling intentional, thank you very much).  When I was overweight, I got the dreaded “apron” effect of the folding fat pooch, and while I am now at a good weight and probably in the best healthy shape of my life, the drum-tight tum-tum has remained elusive.

While I do not expect at this stage of life to have a 20-something never given birth tummy (hey this is a working baby body!), I am now determined that this will be my six-pack summer (nod to Phil Vassar’s song) – as best as my personal best can be!  I would like to actually have a day (outside of pregnancy) when I am not mindfully holding my stomach in every waking moment – can anyone else relate???  Even personal trainers have their Achilles' heels!In order to do that, I have designed a combo kettlebell and Pilates mat and reformer routine which I have coined my “Kettlaties” workout.  Tonight I did four sets of swings with a 12 kg bell for a total of 118 swings (55, 30, 13, 20), a 3-minute plank, and 20 minutes of work on the Pilates reformer.  Since I had to finish up studying and take a mid-term I didn’t run.  I plan on doing my Kettlaties workouts on Mon/Wed/Fri, with alternating workouts on Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun – which may include swimming, walking, running, Pilates mat, stability ball, weights and bands.  I’m still designing that program and will see what I have time for tonight.

I write this to encourage/motivate others to join me in a six-pack summer adventure!!!  Memorial Day is Monday, May 28^th, which gives us about six weeks to a six-pack.  A bit aggressive, but again, I’m not looking for outrageous model-perfect results – I’m setting a realistic goal of having better abs for me.  I want my core to be strong, supportive to my back and body, and healthy.  I’m not willing to sacrifice health/nutrition – for me it’s all about being healthy and strong.  If you’d like to jump on the six-pack bandwagon, email me at linda@coachlindabush.com, and we’ll encourage each other and cheer each other on!

Blessings,

Linda

Tenacious Thursday

I had the privilege of meeting with a client last night who just knocked my socks off.  A lovely young woman who contracted a disease years ago just as her life was really getting started.  She wound up having to spend two whole years in bed, and has been slowly and tenaciously putting one foot in front of the other (both figuratively and literally) to reclaim her health, her vitality and her life.  As I drove home from the gym I couldn’t get her out of my mind – that fresh face covering a weary soul wrapped in hope and determination.  It just about brought me to tears – not of pity, but of inspiration.  

I know there are many wild women out there who are facing down mountains every day, wondering if they can make it, wondering if they are enough… days of bone-tired whys, slow progress, and times when it’s all you can do to get up out of bed to face another day.  Baby, you can – you can do it.  Maybe you need a good night’s sleep.  Maybe you need a deep, cathartic cry to cleanse out your system.  Maybe you need to just find one last shred of courage and oomph to take the next step.  But you can do it.  You are infinitely valuable and worthy and a treasure in and of yourself right this very second, just as you are.  Never, ever forget that!!!  You may feel light years away from where you want to go, but that’s okay.  Every journey is simply one step at a time.

Today look in the mirror and exercise your heart – make it bigger and bigger, and then wrap YOURSELF up in it.  There’s no one else on earth like you – and we are all glad you are on the planet.  Today, just for today, do what you can, where you can, when you can.  Make the most of you, the most of your opportunities and time.  Stop dwelling on the past or the might-have-beens and celebrate the how-far-I’ve-come.  Honor your acts of today – even if it’s as beautiful and simple as the fact that you had the courage to wash your face, brush your teeth, and lift your face to the sky.  You did it.  And you will do it again tomorrow… and the day after that… and the day after that…  Make it a practice to write down three things each day for which you are grateful/blessed, and three things that you successfully accomplished each day.  Focus on those successes, for they are the things which pave the way to your future, to the best you that you strive to become.

You are so precious and wonderful – you are strong, and you are tenacious, and you are a WILD WOMAN! 

With love and blessings,

Linda

P.S.  And if you are reading this and recognize yourself, thank you so much for making my life a little brighter with your visit last night - I think you are AWESOME!!!!!

Wild Woman Wednesday

FREE!  FREE!  Wild women love free, as long as it makes sense!  For example, as I’ve written about before, free food isn’t free – it still has calories, fat, etc.  Free "for a limited time" isn’t always good either, because eventually you’re still gonna pay.  Always read the label and fine print to make sure FREE is truly FREE!!!

However… before I become the perpetual pee-peer on your FREE parade, allow me to invite you to exercise your gimme-gimme it’s free frugality muscle for something that will exercise your mind and expand your world:  Free books/e-books!

On the “How-To Geek” website I found a great article entitled “How to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks Online” and its companion piece, “How to Send eBooks & Other Documents to Your Kindle.”  Check this out – you may be able to find all kinds of free reads, which is ALWAYS a good thing!  To exercise my own frugality, when I purchased my long-awaited iPhone, I opted not to purchase a separate Kindle since I was already able to download the Kindle app onto my iPhone and my laptop – $aved there!  I also $ave sometimes by purchasing a book as a Kindle instead of paper, because they can cost less than a regular book.  However, when it comes to textbooks or research materials, I still tend to go for paper, as I can’t give up highlighting and writing notes by hand, even though you can do the same on an electronic book. 

Using my iPhone Kindle app also FREES me to have reading material GA-LORE 24/7!  I find I’m able to grab a few pages whenever I have a bit of rare and glorious down time (like waiting in a doctor’s office, or standing in line at the grocery store).  It FREES me from the tyranny of the endless wait – I feel productive and happy that I’m able to  $AVE time and $AVE money!

Remember the good old days when your friend would finish reading a book she had been raving she just couldn’t put down, and she’d pass along the weathered and lovingly turned pages of this treasure to you to share?  Well, now if you have a Kindle you can also share (certain) books!  Here’s the link that explains it all (please note not all books are tagged to be loan-able, and the limit is 14 days).  CLICK HERE to go to those instructions.

So now that you are armed with all this $avvy $avings and are the new Princess of Prudentiality (seriously, is that a word???), feel FREE to get started saving time and money!  Remember - put those pennies away for a rainy day, or to pay down a credit card, or to gather together to invest!

Blessings,

Linda

Tender Talk Tuesday

Today we’re going to exercise the strongest muscle you have – your tongue.  We haven’t been able as a society to tame it yet, but today you and I will work on it.

For today, I want you to be mindful/intentional of every word that comes out of your mouth.  Is it true?  Is it kind?  Is it necessary?  Will it comfort/ease/help, or will it hurt, criticize and tear down?  Is it something you would say in front of the person you’re discussing?  Is it soothing, like balm on a wound, or is it a verbal bullet that sears through the soul like fire?

Just for today, for this one day only, say only something that will be kind… sweet… calming… use your words like a cozy warm blanket to envelope the spirit of everyone you meet.  Wrap up your words like precious treasures with cheer, reassurance, humor that isn’t sarcastic or at someone’s expense.  Refrain from any cursing or off-color remarks. 

Even work on the tone of your voice – keep it soft, warm and loving.  Cushion your volume with a gentle spirit.  Often speaking softer causes people to listen more and pay attention, especially if you are one who relies on communication via yelling and repetition (i.e., nagging). 

Find words of respect and encouragement for your husband/significant other, words of love for your children and friends, words of support for your coworkers and people you meet throughout the day.  Surprise a stranger with a kind word, a word of thanks or praise.  And if you have been using silence as a weapon, melt it with courage to be the first to speak – in love.

The power you wield with your words is more influential than you can imagine.  Lydia Snider wrote that each day the average person will say 2,250 words to 7.4 other individuals.  Will yours hurt or heal?  Use them well.  They may make all the difference to one person’s life today.

Blessings,

Linda

Move It Out Monday

I’m Linda, and I’m a chocolaholic!  Yep, I admit it.  Yesterday was a combination Easter/birthday celebration, so I indulged in my sweet cravings without one shred of guilt.  Now, before you have visions of me looking like the rotund and bloated blueberry girl from the original Willie Wonka movie, or envision me found with chocolate smeared all over my face surrounded by a chalk mark on the living room floor with a suspiciously empty Easter basket nearby, I am happy to say that I wasn’t beyond chocolate-crazed yesterday.  No, I didn’t look like I was about to give birth to a 10 pound solid milk-chocolate bunny, but I did have some kisses, an few mini-candies (my idea of a perfect “mini-bar”), and a slice of ice cream cake. 

Guess what happened?  I actually woke up this morning with a sugar hangover.  Yep, yep yep – full-fledged foggy kinda headachy yuck do I have to get out of bed daze.  Imagine that!  So now that the festivities are behind me (and I plan to ensure that is ONLY on a figure of speech), I am hopping faster than E. Bun-nah back onto the healthy eating lifestyle bandwagon.  It’s time to move all that junk out of my system.

You have probably read a ton of ideas/plans/methods on how to detox your system, from the simple (drink more water) to the intense (colonics).  I’m going for the fairly simple and easy-to-do lots of water and veggies method.  While I am not an advocate of cutting out any one food group from your daily nutrition plan, for this week I will be focusing mostly on eating non-processed foods, lots and lots of veggies of every kind, some fruits and drinking water with lemons/cucumbers and green tea or herbal teas.  It’s nothing radical or bizarre, just an easy-breezy way for me to get the excess junk out of my body. 

Are you feeling the food fog as well?  Then exercise your detox muscles and make more healthy, clean and simple eating choices for awhile to get all the gunk out of your system!

Blessings,

Linda

Trim Tips Tuesday

Yet again, Eat This, Not That! Has provided some terrific tips on weight loss.  Today’s blog was about best restaurant weight loss tips, and they were so good I just had to share them with you!  CLICK HERE.

So exercise your restaurant restraint muscles, and enjoy!

Blessings,

Linda

Mind Clutter Monday

One of the many newsletters I enjoy is "Just a Minute" with Laura Vanderkam, which you can visit by clicking HERE.  Laura Vanderkam is a nationally recognized writer, journalist and author who questions the status quo and helps her readers rediscover their true passions and beliefs in pursuit of more meaningful lives. Today her newsletter was on cleaning out your life, but she spoke on an interesting topic of "Psychic Clutter".  No, we aren't talking about a morass of mediums on your front lawn, a sea of soothsayers washing over your porch, or a tangle of tellers trampling at your back door -- but the mental mind mess we all juggle.  I can tell you, when my mind is going a million miles a minute and I've just about had it, my outside world reflects it -- piles of papers here, more junk on the desk -- I can't breathe just thinking about it.

So today, I invite you to read her article below, then surf over to her website to sign up for her newsletter, and exercise your banish-it biceps to toss away some mind clutter!  Always feel free to comment - would love to hear your thoughts!

Blessings,
Linda

****************

Clean out your life
It’s amazing how clutter accumulates. We have lived in our house for less than a year, and already there are small piles in hot spots. No one knows how they started -- what led someone to put a copy of Time magazine on top of a plumbing bill on top of a half-finished art project -- but now they seem to grow of their own accord.

I spent some time last weekend attacking the pile on the kitchen counter but, life with small children being what it is, the counter looked worse on Sunday than it did on Friday. The impulse for spring cleaning is soon thwarted. But maybe that’s OK, because I think a better target for clutter busting is the psychic clutter many of us accumulate in our lives.

You know what I’m talking about. There’s the time clutter: standing meetings that don’t accomplish anything more than confirming that, yep! Everyone is still doing her job. Conference calls that last an hour merely because that is the unit in which things can be scheduled on everyone’s calendars. There’s commitment clutter: you fight every week to drag your daughter to piano lessons when she doesn’t want to go and you don’t want to take her. You subscribe to newsletters that aren’t nearly as fascinating as this one, and feel a vague sense of life slipping away as you take the time to delete them. You see those emails from DailyLit with a tiny snippet of Sense and Sensibility showing up in your inbox every morning for 6 months even though you stopped reading after day 3 (that last one might just be me). No wonder a recent poll commissioned by Real Simple found that 52% of women claimed to have less than 11 hours of free time per week. They’re lying -- even the busiest American demographics watch 11 hours of weekly TV on average -- but time feels less free when it’s cluttered by stuff you don’t want to do. Real Simple didn’t survey men, but no doubt many feel the same.
The beginning of spring is a good time to get rid of things. Take a broom to your calendar. Take a sponge to recurring sources of stress in your inbox. Scrub your commitments down to a few where you can whole-heartedly go all in. Saying yes to too many opportunities is really saying no to them all, since you won’t be able to give them the attention they deserve. Kill the standing meeting. Not in charge? Lobby for its demise. Teach your teens to read a bus schedule (or set up a carpool). Automate anything you need in your life frequently. The goal is long stretches of open time that you can then choose to fill with things that bring you joy: focused thinking at work, enjoying your family at home, delving deeply into a hobby you claim you’re too busy to fathom. You want as little weighing on your mind as possible. Knowing you need to go inside for a phone call takes some of the joy out of standing outside your office, staring at the riotously pink display of an in-bloom magnolia. So be sure you need and want to be on that call before you commit to it.

What psychic clutter can you banish from your life this month?