What a beautiful evening it is
on this Full Moon / Blue Moon
New Year’s Eve.
Getting in the mood
for my yearly ritual…
listening to the album Totem
by Gabrielle Roth and The Mirrors.
Here’s Track 4 — Eternal Dance
Let the magic begin!
It’s 4:00 a.m. in chilly Montréal.
I was too busy yesterday to put up a “2 days before 2010″ blog post, so here I am already counting down hours.
The thrill is on!
Part of my day was spent talking to friends on the phone and replying to their emails. Sadly, the year’s end has brought bad news for two of my dearest soul sisters: one has kidney problems, the other was diagnosed with breast cancer and will be going in for surgery next Tuesday. I have candles burning and my thoughts are with them constantly — Healing Light, Positive Energy, and LOVE LOVE LOVE going out their way.
Later in the afternoon, I delivered my son’s documents to Revenu Québec at their downtown offices (mission accomplished!) and hunted for my new planner. I found just what I was looking for: it’s a bit larger than the one I had this year, and the columns for Saturdays and Sundays are as spacious as the ones for the week days. Yesss!
Now as soon as I finish writing this post, I’ll be relaxing in my big comfy armchair, sipping a cup or two of grean tea, thumbing through my old planner to check for birthdays and other important dates in order to copy them into my brand new planner. I doubt I’ll be going through the whole thing as I need to get some sleep.
Before I sign off, must tell you that as soon as I started writing this post a song came to mind — It Was a Very Good Year, by Frank Sinatra.
I checked my collection and found it in a double CD set, Sinatra: Soundtrack To The CBS Mini-Series, so of course I went ahead and played it. Though I’m not THAT old, I will be turning 60 in 2010. And lately I’ve been working on my Road Trip Show, which means I’ve been looking back on my life and enjoying moments I didn’t take the time to enjoy when they were actually happening — how cool is that?!
All this to say that the lyrics at the very end of the song truly resonated with me:
And now I think of my life as vintage wine
From fine old kegs
From the brim to the dregs
It poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year
Give it a listen… I’ll be back during the day
with more countdown news.
Lady Law of Attraction needs more space.
And so the big clean-up continues today…
Out with the old, in with ABUNDANCE!
Though it’s become a regular habit of mine to get rid of clutter-causing stuff, I want to make sure nothing’s going to keep the good energy from flowing through my home.
Today’s mission:
#1 — Check bedroom closet and commode drawers for unworn, unwanted, or uninteresting clothes and accessories.
#2 — Go through storage spaces and be on the look-out for useless objects.
#3 — Explore kitchen cabinets & drawers for outdated, out of order, or outright ugly items.
#4 — Inspect bathroom cabinets for whatever odds & ends are threatening havoc.
I’ve set up a JUNK STATION in the kitchen:
Blue bag on the right for recycling, black bag in the middle for garbage, striped bag on chair for Friperie Renaissance (equivalent of Goodwill).
And the beat goes on…
See you tomorrow!
The final sprint is on — time to clear the way for 2010.
If I want the next year to bring its load of ABUNDANCE,
I need to lend a helping hand to Lady Law of Attraction.
So today’s mission is to:
#1 — Get the accounting up to date for my housing co-op (left pile) and finish my son’s house-building tax report (right pile).
#2 — Once numero uno is done, tidy up that desk and tidy up my computer station.
#3 — Tidy up my drawing area.
#4 — Go through the last two boxes of my Paper Purge which was officially launched in August 2008. I’m really proud of myself for having FINALLY sorted this mess.
LET THE MAGIC BEGIN!
Back in June, I told you about my goal:
to live till I’m 133 — MINIMUM!
Ever since then, I’ve been reciting Deepak Chopra’s age-defying mantra not only as soon as I wake up in the morning and right before I doze off at night, but numerous times throughout the day, be it while taking a walk, taking a break, taking a shower, or taking a leak.
Now that my brain is convinced I’m 49, I’m ready for the next step: to perceive my body not as a fixed, material thing, but as a flexible, dynamic bundle of consciousness.
In Grow Younger, Live Longer - 10 Steps to Reverse Aging, Chopra explains that in order to reverse the aging process, you must use the words energy, transformation, and intelligence as reinforcements to experience your body as it really is — a field of inexhaustible energy, in constant transformation, and as a physical expression of pure intelligence.
For this, you will start by visualizing your body
at a quantum level — use this illustration.
Once you have that image in your mind, consciously take a deep breath (do this several times each day), close your eyes, and mentally repeat the word Energy.
Similarly, when you eat your food, do it consciously and repeat the word Transformation, visualizing the light body in transformation.
Finally, every time you take a sip of water, silently repeat the word Intelligence and envision your light body as fluid and flexible.
It is said that as you repeat this ritual with breathing, eating, and drinking, you will be starting the process of restructuring your perception and the experience of your body from material to subtle.
Book excerpt:
Enlivening Energy (Prana)
Your vital energy animates both mind and body. Throughout the day, use the word Energy and experience the life force rejuvenating every cell, tissue, and organ in your body.
Think “Energy” whenever you:
Enlivening Transformation (Tejas)
The essential transformation force is the primordial fire of life. Throughout the day, use the word Transformation to enliven the transformational process that continuously converts energy from one form into another.
Think “Transformation” whenever you:
Enlivening Intelligence (Ojas)
When intelligence is abundant and freely circulating in your body, all your physiological systems — cardiovascular, digestive, neurological, hormonal, and immune — function at their optimal level. Throughout the day, use the word Intelligence to enliven nourishment in every cell of your body.
Think “Intelligence” whenever you:
Whenever you are performing a rhythmic activity — walking, jogging, swimming, riding your bicycle, or using a treadmill — silently repeat “Energy, Transformation, Intelligence… Energy, Transformation, Intelligence… ” or “Prana, Tejas, Ojas… Prana, Tejas, Ojas… ” with your full attention on your body.
After a while, your habitual way of experiencing your body will change because your perceptions will have shifted.
You may think this is all a big hassle, but it’s not. It quickly becomes a fun habit — at least it has for me. Reciting the affirmations about being 49 puts a smile on my face and gives me an instant energy boost.
Another advantage is that the more I fill my mind with images and affirmations about staying young, fit, and healthy, the less there is room for negative thoughts.
Come on, give it a try.
Say it with me…
Every day in every way, I am increasing
my mental and physical capacity.
My Biostat is set at a healthy ___ years of age.
I look and feel a healthy ___ years YOUNG.
I am reversing my biological age:
By changing my perception of my body,
its aging, and time.
Hey… you look younger already!
I’m on a roll!
Yes, little old me — the undisciplined, routine-hating,
easily-bored-to-death moi is building momentum.
And it’s all thanks to Dino who introduced me to DailyBurn.
As soon as I saw Dino’s tweet about DailyBurn,
I was drawn to click on the link.
When I landed on the site, I knew it was the beginning
of a brand new adventure.
So, of course, I tweeted about it…
One tweet led to another, and soon
Todd Tyrtle decided to join.
We have since become
*Burn Buddies* 
Thus it will go down in History that on July 5th, 2009,
Todd and I officially started working out
and logging our daily food intake.
Here’s what the Food Log looks like:
EASY AS 1-2-3
Now that I’ve entered the required nutritional information in the “My Favorite Foods” section, all I need to do is type in the number of portions I’ve had and the nutritional breakdown is automatically calculated. (I can also choose from a long list of foods already registered by other members.)
Over time, I’ll be adding more favorite foods to my list as well as vegetarian recipes.
Throughout the day, various charts
keep me posted on my progress:
As you can see, I’m having a bit of a challenge:
must add more protein…
and must EAT MORE!
Keeping track of my food intake brought on a major wake-up call: for the past two years, I haven’t been eating as much as I should. And what I have been eating has way too many carbs and fat, and way too little protein.
If I’m going to work out 6 days a week for the rest of my life, I need to make sure my body gets enough fuel to keep me going till I’m 133… MINIMUM.
MY WORKOUT SCHEDULE
I’m taking the “slow but sure” route so as not to injure myself.
Or get sick and tired and quit.
“Remember, goals are stars to steer by,
not sticks with which to beat ourselves.”
- Barbara Smith
Every day, 6 days a week, I start off with
WARM-UP AND CARDIO exercises:
Every day, I end my routine by doing crunches
and a variety of stretches.
AND every day, if all hell doesn’t brake loose,
I take a brisk one-hour walk outside.
Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I work my
UPPER BODY using 5-pound dumb-bells:
I also do 3 sets of 8 push-ups…
the girly kind, on my knees.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,
I work on my LOWER BODY:
I also do Back Strengtheners.
Voilà!
Come Saturday, I deserve a break:
no workout, no food log.
But if you keep on reading, you’ll see that
a break won’t be that easy to take…
Here are the entries I posted in my
DailyBurn Journal for WEEK 1:
EXCITED AND DETERMINED = that’s how I feel today. After browsing this site and checking out different workouts, I decided to go with my very own slow-but-sure routine: the rebounder and the basic exercises listed in Deepak Chopra’s book, “Grow Younger, Live Longer.” I’m vegetarian and need to examine my eating habits in order to make sure I get the daily food intake I need to build muscle and stay healthy and energized. Will be getting the necessary info and post about this soon. Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Happy Oza
PROUD OF MYSELF = that’s how I feel today. Went out and bought an exercise ball. Will be checking out the training videos on YouTube, tomorrow… to see how I can add to and improve my workouts. The great thing about recording my food intake is that I realized how low my protein intake is. VERY low. And my calorie intake is also a bit low. So will have to look into this… maybe see if I should supplement with protein shakes. All in all, this experience is a terrific boost. I’m aching a bit, but I can’t wait for tomorrow’s workout. Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Burnin’ Oza
HOORAY FOR ME = that’s how I feel today. My legs are hard and feel tight, that’s how fast the rebounder works. Though today was an upper body workout day, I always start with the rebounder — for the cardio, but also for the sheer fun of it. Push-ups were easier to do than they were the first time, on Sunday, so I guess I’ll be ready to add a few by next week. Went to the library and picked up a series of DVDs on Pilates — want to learn how to use my gym ball properly. So I’m still excited about this new adventure. YESSS! Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Smilin’ Oza
BUILDING MOMENTUM = that’s what I’m proud of, today. As they say, if you persist for 21 days, you create a habit. And I do intend to make working out and eating healthy a habit… an addiction, even! I’m happy I finally increased my protein intake… but can’t seem to eat enough to reach my total daily calorie goal. You’d think all this extra exercise would make me hungry — on the contrary. Very bizarre indeed… But I feel GREAT, so I’ll try and eat a bit more in days to come. Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Gettin’ Stronger Oza
BURSTING WITH ENERGY = that’s how I feel today. Funny thing, I often find myself running around the house instead of walking, LOL. Still haven’t reached my total calorie goal — geez, it seems I’m eating all the time as it is! Will try harder, but can’t imagine ingesting more food. I’ve added a new exercise, today: DUMB-BELL SEATED SHOULDER PRESS. But I must admit, once it came time to do my push-ups, my arms were shaking. So all is good and I’m pumped like I’ve never been in my life. Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Super Oza
FLYING HIGH = that’s how I feel, tonight. The end of my first week… but the beginning of a new, healthier, fitter life. BUT… as I mentioned before, I really need to eat more. I weighed in this morning: 111.6 pounds, down from 113.8 last Sunday. And here I was, thinking I’d weigh more because I was building muscle mass. NOT! So I’ll be taking care of that in order to not disappear completely. LOL Tomorrow is an off day — no workout, no logging my food. It will be a welcome break. Back to business on Sunday for WEEK 2. Bring it on! Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. Proud Oza
INCREDULOUS = that’s how I feel, tonight. Is this really me? I had intended to take the day off, to not log my food intake, to stay put and relax. NOT! There was no way I was going to let a day pass without logging my food to see how many carbs and proteins went into my body. And though I didn’t actually “work out,” I did take a walk… a very looooonnnng walk: 3 HOURS. Incredulous, I tell you. Because I’m SO not a disciplined person. SO not into routines of any kind. Could I be addicted to DailyBurn? I think so. And I’m mighty happy about it. Tomorrow marks the beginning of Week 2 — yaba daba doo doo doo. Peace & Love & Rock’n'Roll, Mudd a.k.a. New and Improved Oza
*WEEK 2* starts today.
HOORAY!
_____________
