Strong:

Today's photo challenge is strong.  #theidearoom

Aftermath: Photo a day challenge

Left bowl out last night. This morning.  Totally empty. Of course!  Follow along with me on my photo a day challenge. #theidearoom http://www.theidearoom.net/2016/10/november-photo-day-challenge-3.html

It's been a while

Hi all, I've been on blog hiatus due to life... I found a fun challenge. It's not fitness related, but I wanted to try and get back into my thirty day challenge. Want to join??

It's a photo challenge from the Idea Room.  It starts November 1st. Info at link below.

http://www.theidearoom.net/2016/10/november-photo-day-challenge-3.html

New Year, New idea

I saw this photo on Facebook that had a new year idea. A Happiness jar. 

Take a jar and every day write something positive on a piece of paper and on New Year's Eve read them all.

I resolve to be more positive and so I started. I decided a journal would be more practical. 365 pieces of paper sounds like too much. 

I'm sorry I can't find the link, but there are a lot of posts about the happiness jar. Start yours today! 

Meditation Practice

I have read that meditation is a wonderful way to promote inner calm in your life.

On recommendation from a doctor, I started to use an iPhone app for meditation.  She recommended Headspace and Simply being.  I looked at those apps and decided to download the Headspace app which was free and if I think I want to try another I would pay the $1.99 for the Simply being app.  I did notice another app had better reviews than Headspace, which is called Breathe. It's free as well. So I downloaded this app.

I started with Stop, Breathe and Think app on Monday since it was top rated and I will use it for 15 days and assess the app.  I will then start trying Headspace, which has a 10 day start and then use it for 5 more days to see if I like this app as well.

That would be my 30 days to improve.

Link to the Stop Breathe and Think app:
http://stopbreathethink.org

Link to the Headspace app:
https://www.headspace.com/signup?origintoken=google-b&gclid=CjwKEAjw1f6vBRC7tLqO_aih5WISJAAE0CYw572tyREs7ehJpSgJjbDjJj4HB9HqqMsX10thjqtX3xoCRz3w_wcB

Week One: Meditation practice

I've been using Stop, Breathe and Think app for a week and I have to say that I feel a difference in my whole attitude.

I feel just generally good.  I think meditation is a wonderful and easy way to feel good.  How wonderful that this app has proven to me that you only need a few minutes a day to feel good. This past week I've spent 53 minutes meditating. Not too long out of the entire week for more inner calm. 

The Stop Breathe Think app has a check in at the beginning to assess how you are feeling and then it recommends meditations for how you are feeling.  You can also just look at the list of meditations, read the descriptions and choose the meditation that you would find most helpful.

The free meditations are about 6 minutes each and then you can purchase longer mediations if you want to go further.  I haven't tried this yet, but I think I might try it in the future.  I found it interesting that they had meditations by k.d. lang.  It says, "Musician k.d. lang shares meditations that inspire her and have personally helped her deal with anxiety, the impact of fame and the opinion of others." You can buy her 5 meditations for $1.99.

Link to the app:
http://stopbreathethink.org

30 day Internet fast

I'm starting today an Internet fast. I have been feeling for some time that I waste my time surfing the Internet looking at all the great things other people are doing, while not doing much myself.  So. I am going to not use the Internet for 30 days. I can check my email twice a day. Lunch time and once at night. I can respond to texts. That is all. 

I think this is going to be difficult for me but maybe I will be more present and actually accomplish things this month. 

I'll update in a week. Wish me luck.