by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Health, Mental Health
Racing thoughts. Nagging worry. Weekly work drama.
Many of us live with a level of persistent low-grade stress that becomes so normalized that most of the time, we don’t even realize that it’s there.
While we might not be displaying obvious signs of stress, cortisol – the hormone associated with stress – underhandedly wreaks havoc on our mental and physical health over the long-term. Therefore it’s important to make time to clear our minds and bring some peace into our lives, even if we’re not feeling particularly anxious.
Here are some of the best – and most scientifically backed – ways I’ve found to bring my mind back to center:
Make Time To Meditate
Meditation has a number of positive effects on mind and body. It’s also deceptively hard, which is why many people try it once or twice but struggle to make it a regular habit. Meditation helps combat the physical and emotional affects of stress and has lasting benefits that affect your productivity, as well as your ability to relax under pressure. Set aside time to meditate for just 10 minutes a day over the next week or two and experience the benefits for yourself.
Here is one of my favorite personal meditations, taken from my book Cured by Nature:
THE CONNECTION MEDITATION:
Sit up straight in your chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Wipe your mind clean and start over. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your abdomen.
Breathe In and feel where your air flows in your body. Is it just your lungs or does it fill your stomach, your abdomen or other parts of your body?
Breathe Out: I am connected.
Breathe In and focus on smoothing your breath.
Breathe Out: I am connected.
Continue to focus on your breath. Anytime your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath. When you are ready, open your eyes with a smile and greet your day.
Research determined that mindfulness meditation decreases activity in the brain’s default mode network (DMN). The DMN is responsible for the “monkey mind” chatter, mind-wandering, and self-referential thoughts.
Walk It Out
If you follow along with me on instagram, you know a daily walk with my pups is a non-negotiatble. While just about any walk will help to clear your head and boost endorphins (which, in turn, reduces stress hormones), consider walking in a park or other green space, or taking a short hike, which can actually put your body into a state of meditation, thanks to a phenomenon known as “involuntary attention” during which something holds our attention, but simultaneously allows for reflection.
Visualize To Manifest
A short visualization is an easy way to get back to center. Much of our worry stems from feeling a lack of control. Even the National Institutes for Health recognizes the power of “guided imagery” to elicit a relaxation response.
Simply make yourself comfortable and then picture a peaceful scene: a future vacation, your favorite beach. You can even visualize yourself accomplishing a future goal or picture yourself in in your dream home next to the man or woman of your choice (yup. anyone! Have fun!) These are some of my favorite mind-strengthening techniques to do because they truly WORK.
BONUS: Hang Up, Then Detox
Cell phones stress you out, there’s no question about it. Talking on your cell can even raise your blood pressure. If you recognize that social media, emails or your phone in general is stressing you out, put it down for the day and walk away. If you’re feeling a bit of phantom limb syndrome, read a book, take a walk or spend quality time with loved ones cooking, organizing, decorating or doing something you’ve been putting off. When you say you’re out – be OUT. Be present. At the end, I highly doubt you’ll remember the texts you got, but your loved ones smiles and laughs will be at the top of your most precious moments.
For weekends, you can also give yourself a curfew of when you’ll begin looking at your phone in the morning and what time you stop at night (for instance, 11:30 am – 3:30 pm). This will help you manage your time and open up tons of time to work on yourself and projects that are important to you as well!
Hat | Dress: Sustainably designed and ethically produced COSSAC | similar (if COSSAC dress is sold out) | Necklace
Photos by Arielle Levy
by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Fitness
With the new year, comes a new beginning, and for a lot of us new goals and resolutions. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to cleanse post-holidays and strive to be a little healthier? This week I shared a total body workout with lifestyle hub Inspired by This. These moves can be done anywhere with minimal equipment. It’s an easy way to kick start an exercise regimen!
These moves are amazing for toning, firming and sculpting your body. They’re wonderful if you have back pain or trouble exercising because they are simple and can be done at your own pace. They can also be done with or without weights and resistance, so you can accelerate your workout over time without having to modify it, just by adding weight. Best of all, they can be done in any order, because each exercise builds and focuses on a different body part (legs, chest, glutes, arms, back). Find out what feels comfortable for you and go for it!
These moves and more can be found in the bestselling 14 Day Fitness Plan, which San Diego Living on The CW called “the best way to become your own personal trainer!’ (You can watch that interview here).
Good For: Butt toning building. Waist shaping. Leg shaping toning
How Many: 10 sets of 10, 2-3 times a day (you can even do this exercise while walking!)
1. Stand up straight, head hight, hands on your hips. Breathe in some confidence.
2. Hips shoulder length apart, head straight, eyes ahead.
3. Raise your leg straight, focusing on your ankle. Add ankle resistance bands for a strength boost.
4. Hold for 5-10 seconds.
5. Back to starting position
6. Repeat 10 times and switch sides.
Good For: Butt tightening toning. Chest building. Breast toning firming.
How Many: 5 sets of 10 1-2 times a day
1. Begin with your legs shoulder length apart, weights in hand and on your ankles.
2. Activate your core.
3. Squat as though you are going to sit on a chair.
4. Hold your arms with the weights out at your sides and hold for 5-10 seconds.
5. Repeat
Good For: Core Tightening, arm toning, chest and butt sculpting, toning firming.
How Many: 2 sets of 10, 1-2 times a day
1. Stand straight, feet shoulder length apart, arm weights in hand resistance bands on your ankles.
2. Activate your core.
3. Stand on your tip toes while raising your weights.
4. Hold for 5-10 seconds.
5. Release and repeat.
Good For: Arm tightening toning. Chest and belly toning firming
How Many: 2 sets of 10, 1-2 times a day
1. Start with your legs crossed, weight ball in hand
2. Activate your core
3. Lift your arms above your head and hold for 5-10 seconds
4. Bring your arms behind your head and hold for 5-10 seconds
5. Repeat
Good For: Booty toning, shaping and sculpting
How Many: 3 Sets of 10, 1-2 times a day
1. Begin in a standing position, ankle weights on. Activate your core.
2. Hold one weight in each hand at your side and extend your left leg.
3. Bend at the right knee. Rise and Repeat.
4. Switch legs and repeat.
Good For: Core Tightening. Arm & Let Toning. Butt Chest Toning and Firming
How Many: 3 sets of 10, 1-2 times a day
1. Engage your core on all fours with your knees bent, weight bands on your ankles
2. Activate your core and keep your back straight
3. Kick back with your left leg, keeping your back straight
4. Hold your leg straight for 5-10 seconds. Don’t forget to keep your core activated
5. Repeat on your right side
by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Fashion, Fitness
January is the best time of year for a fresh start. Perhaps you’d like to be more thoughtful, more gentle or more kind. Maybe, like many of us, your mission is to get healthier or more fit. Whatever your goals, there are a few key elements to success that all of us can build on. These steps (no matter how small) can make any goal much easier to accomplish in the new year.
One of the big issues a lot of people face when sticking to their goals is the pressure they put on themselves. They focus on the resolution they’re setting, instead of the steps it will take to accomplish that goal.
Our goals should always be focused on self-love. This sets the stage for success, no matter what our ultimate objective is. Want to get in shape? I’ve partnered with Maurices this year to show you how to start!
by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Fitness
Warning: Reading this article may cause healthy habits that are hard to stop.
I always equate exercise to coffee – once you start, it’s difficult to quit. And once you stop, you REALLY feel it when you decide to start up again.
So, what gets some people up at 6 A.M. while other’s live the mantra “I’ll start tomorrow!”?
Here’s some of the favorite excuses I’ve given myself, plus how I got over them.
1. You Think It’s Hard
First, you don’t exercise because you think it’s hard.
Hmmm.
Well, my dear, it’s sure going to get harder and harder the more you don’t do it, isn’t it?
Start small. I’m talking REALLY small. One exercise a day for 5 minutes a day small. Heck, maybe you’ll even do it for ten minutes the first day. In fact, the second you BEGIN to exercise, you realize that it feels really good – and it’s hard to get people to stop!
Get up in the morning and instead of mindlessly typing in whatever URL comes into your head first, or headed to your crackapp of choice (I see you, snapchat), take a 5-10 minute walk with your loved one or your dog. Seriously. Just try it. Once you conquer the first day, science even says that you’ll want to do more. And you trust science, don’t you?
I’ve designed two fitness plans that are created with 3 things in mind: to be easy, fun and to be able to be executed at home or even on the go. They’re only a $5 investment, too. That’s less than lunch! Much like my plans, there are super affordable deals like this all over the place. You don’t have to get my fitness plans, but look around for one that calls out to you. Some personal favorites besides my own include these DVD’s by Tracy Anderson and daily Kundalini Yoga.
2. You Don’t Want To “Force Yourself”
Let me tell you a big secret: if you’re waiting until you’re “ready to start” (thin enough, strong enough, good enough) you’ll NEVER start. In fact, you’ll get bigger, weaker and worse as time goes on. So just START. You HAVE to force yourself to start almost anything in the beginning.
Then, over time (sometimes much more quickly than you expected), you’ll find that you feel good when you do it. You’ll start to love it. Or you’ll pick parts of it you love and parts of it you can tweak. I always think of my Dad when I’m exercising – he was at the gym a WEEK after his first brain surgery to remove his cancer. Talk about “forcing yourself”. He LOVED exercise, and it was a huge reason he lived four times longer than doctors initially predicted when he was diagnosed!
Trust me, I used to think, I’m in too much pain to work out. Well, YEAH sister. And you’re going to KEEP being in pain if you don’t start today! Right now!
3. You’re Not Motivated
You might say, But why? This can’t be for me! I’m not good enough/I don’t deserve it/I have no energy.
A huge part of the reason you have no energy is because you’re not exercising. Exercise promotes and creates energy. Motivate yourself with a reward. Create a habit loop, which involves a cue to trigger the behavior (setting out your workout gear), the routine itself (making it to the gym or taking out your fitness plan) and then the reward. Giving yourself a reward is so powerful because your brain can latch on to it and make the link that the behavior is worthwhile, and a reward increases the odds the routine becomes a habit.
If you do 30 minutes of exercise a day, reward yourself in any way that might motivate you. Maybe you allow yourself 30 mins of TV, a movie you enjoy or some hot fudge on your strawberries tonight. Whatever gets you up and doing it – give yourself that thing at the end! You won’t regret it!
4. You’ve Tried Before – With No Success
A huge part of the reason most people don’t exercise is because they’ve tried exercising before and either stopped getting motivated or felt that it wasn’t giving them their desired results “in time”.
STOP expecting overnight results after years of self-neglect!! My muscles tone VERY easily, but if I stop working out for a month, I am NOT going to get a 6 pack back in a week. I’m just not. The older I get, the more true this has become for me, and I can only assume it’s the same for 99.9% of the population.
I can’t stress this enough: DON’T. GIVE. UP!
Let me say that again. DON’T. GIVE. UP!!
SERIOUSLY! Giving up is the ONLY way you WON’T see any results. You can sit around and complain about your self-fulling prophecy coming true, or you can get off your butt and do some squats. Take a bike ride. Go for a hike. Which one do you think will make you feel better?!
5. You’re Too Busy
This is the #1 excuse I’ve heard when I was life coaching about healthy habits in general, and it used to be one of the most infuriating to me. Oh, I used to think, So you don’t have the time to take care of yourself, but I do?!
Well, truthfully, yes. I’ve made self-care a HUGE priority, and it’s had an immense pay off. One of the best things I’ve learned is that we ALL have the same amount of time. All of us have the same time as Beyonce, for god’s sake! Do me a favor. Give yourself a challenge and try to learn FIVE MINUTES of a Bey routine. GO ahead. I’ll wait….
…. Oh hello! Yes, it’s the year 5678. Welcome. Your routine is outdated but we applaud your efforts.
Seriously. If Beyonce can do 20 of those routines on tour, I think you can take 15 minutes out of your day for some self love and self care. You DESERVE to feel good!! None of us are too busy for our health. Without our health, nothing else matters.
by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Health
Many people treat their body’s a lot like they do their car: they don’t bother to understand the inner working, don’t fill the tank, don’t change the oil, drive it into the ground, take it to the mechanic and say, “Fix it.” Hardly a way to treat the vessel of your soul. Everything from daily medication to fix our problem or help our pain, to hard water to lethargy to junk food gets put into our body’s until we are sick, tired, fatigued or mentally/physically exhausted.
Your body and mind are meant to be a whole. To ensure that they are, your whole existence is based on feedback loops. Body listens to mind; mind listens to body. Awareness is the key: every cell in your body knows when you are unhappy, anxious or stressed. A cell’s awareness is expressed in chemical reactions instead of words, but the message comes through loud and clear.
It’s not always easy to be open about what’s happening health wise, or to explore your own wellness journey. But don’t you want to be your own medication? Don’t you want to be able to STOP that panic attack, or gain immense self control before you lash out, or look in the mirror and absolutely LOVE your body? Don’t you want to stop relying on pills and doctor’s that only treat symptoms and avoid the causes? Don’t you want to LIVE instead of TALK about living? Or worse yet – complain about living?
I have a few tips for being caught in depression, lethargy or sickness that will help to Energize your Life!
Exercise
This seems counter intuitive to people who tell me that they can’t move, can’t walk right now or can’t go on. How can I possibly get up and go for a walk when my entire problem is that I cannot get up? you wonder.
I’m regularly amazed at the difference between what I think I can do, and what I can actually do. And every time I do something that I thought I could not, and pushed my mental and physical boundaries, I’ve created NEW cells in my brain. Long term exercise can boost brainpower, as does anything that affects physical health in a positive way. Recent research, though, shows that cognitive function is improved immediately after just ten minutes of aerobic exercise. If you need a brain recharge, you might want to walk up and down the stairs a few times. Also, basic Yoga exercises can be done from right IN your bed – Yoga was invented specifically for everyone, including the bedridden! The stretching, slow controlled movements, and focus on breathing reduces tension (and stress). The benefits include better sleep, feeling more relaxed, and being mentally sharper. I love to take Raelie out on long walks, I do my Total Transformation fitness plan every day, I ride my bike, take 1-3 hikes a day and I take short runs at night for stamina!
Meditate
The deep breathing you do during meditation means more oxygen in the blood and therefore in the brain. Breath through your nose and you’ll notice that you use your diaphragm more, drawing air deeper into your lungs. Several deep breaths can also help to relax you, which is conducive to clearer thinking. A simple meditation you can do right now is just closing your eyes and paying attention to your breath. Tensing up your muscles and then relaxing them to start may help. When your mind wanders, just bring your attention back to your breath. Five or ten minutes of this will usually relax you, clear your mind, and leave you more ready for any mental task. I always find that it helps when I lose focus to concentrate on my breathing and inner thoughts again! Don’t let life wrap you up: wrap yourself around life!
Get Less Sleep
I know this seems counter intuitive, but when I start to wake up later than I intend, the first thing that I do is go to bed earlier that night and set my alarm earlier for the next morning. It immediately re-energizes my entire life to wake up with the sun instead of a few hours after. It’s widely reported that we get too much sleep (8 hours) and that between 5 – 6.9 will suffice. Sleeping more than 8 hours a night has been linked with depression and lethargy. Not only that, almost all of the most successful and financially gainful people only function – fully energized – on around 5 hours of sleep a night. Something to consider!
Avoid Caffeine & Energy Drinks
Want to know the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug? It’s probably not what you think…
It’s caffeine.
Energy drinks are like energy credit cards — you’re spending future energy to get short-term energy. The resulting energy deficit gets worse until you hit energy bankruptcy. Luckily for me, I’ve been allergic to caffeine since before I can remember. But in that time, I’ve seen it literally destroy people’s hard life work: negatively affect their moods and anxiety level, block their paths to wellness, destroy their bowel movements and intestinal tract, and make them pretty much all around irritable people with a slight addiction. Listen: no matter how much we all love it, Caffeine is a drug. It is the high without the happiness, and it gives us a crash that most people agree is not worth it. Skip the Starbucks for some lavender tea or a home made smoothie – packed with essentials that you’ll need throughout the day that will get you energized naturally. An afternoon snack of yogurt, berries, and nuts will provide the boost of energy to carry you through the day. Especially berries that are blue, red, or purple. The color comes from anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant, that boosts energy. Any kind of berry will contain tons!
Eat Well
& drink plenty of water! Dehydration is a menacing cause of fatigue and it creeps up on you slowly. If you consistently drink less than 8 cups of water a day, you may be sluggish all the time. Get a 32 oz (1 quart, 4 cups) water bottle. Your goal is to polish off 2 of those a day. Try it for a week and see if your general energy level increases. As far as food, an optimal diet is key, and we’ve heard it a hundred times, but what does it really mean? While it’s been widely debated, a mostly vegetarian diet is optimal if you can do it correctly. Honestly, how much nutrition are we getting from cooked, dead flesh? Debatable. But some people follow a semivegetarian diet — also called a flexitarian diet — which is primarily a plant-based diet but includes meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and fish on occasion or in small quantities.
Read Often
I read at least a half an hour every single day (often I spend entire mornings or afternoons reading), and it has changed my life! I mean really reading – not reading an article online or picking up a magazine. Books – but substantial books: fiction, non fiction, spiritual, autobiographical, business, life advice, adventures, poetry… you name it, I’ve read it. It’s important for me to read really substantial, life changing information daily. Reading is my drug: it forces your mind to shift gears, it improves your analytical thinking, helps your memory, increases your vocabulary, and I feel relaxed after my read. It impassions and energizes me! I am also a huge fan of writing, and reading is the perfect inspiration for everything in my life: my music, especially! I find it absolutely fascinating that almost every problem I’ve ever had has already been solved by someone else in the pages of some book – I just need to find the book and read and understand the pages!
Have Fun
I have a lot of fun with my life, and I keep only people around me who like to have fun! Laughter is great medicine for exhaustion and an important part of stress management. Make sure you laugh regularly to keep your mood up. Great monks laugh to themselves all day long for no reason! This may seem crazy, but I don’t think it’s any crazier than laying around depressed all day long! Have FUN with all of your passions, with your school work and with your co-workers! Poke some fun at your loved ones today and buy a silly hat! It really does help long term to boost your emotional well being!
Listen to Your Body
There is a natural ebb and flow of energy. Once you understand this natural rhythm of energy throughout the day, you can work on the important tasks during your peak hours and avoid naps and things that steal your day! So feel what you feel, and accept it. Open yourself up to listening to others, trust what your body is telling you. I don’t like to say that I am happy that negative things have to happen sometimes to learn, but I certainly am grateful to have gone through them and used them wisely in the future. Value your spirit and your emotional changes. Enjoy every moment. Be active. Get creative! Enjoy yourself. Once your GOOD thoughts become your GOOD actions that become your GOOD habits you will feel (and I guarantee you LOOK) much better!
Final thoughts…
Not only am I telling you that eating well, thinking positively and reading a lot can cure you of depression and chronic disease, I believe firmly that it’s the only way to true happiness. Divine blessing, bliss and ecstasy don’t belong in the souls of saints alone. They course through the bodies of each of us, bringing a sense of light, alertness, energy and excitement. Your cells feel all these things and want you to feel them too. How? By learning, day by day, to pay more attention to what your body is saying.
Want more tips for a better life?
Grab my book today!
With Love,
