by Heather | Dec 17, 2018 | challenges, exercise, general health, Tips, wellness
THE HOME STRETCH 15 CHALLENGE!
This week’s challenge can feel almost like a guilty pleasure … although I promise you, there’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty about it.
Your challenge is to spend 15-20 minutes at the end of each day stretching or doing some mobility/recovery work (like foam rolling). Or, you can find a soothing yoga routine and do that instead!
At first, you might wonder how you’re going to find 15 minutes to get this done, but once you realize how much better it makes you feel, you’ll find yourself looking forward to it… and might actually make this a non-negotiable after this challenge is over!
When I stretch out in the evening, sometimes I’ll listen to music, other times to my favorite podcasts or audiobooks, and yes, sometimes I’ll even watch one of my fav TV shows.
The reason we’re doing this challenge is because stretching before bed will help you reconnect with your body and focus on areas that might need a little extra TLC from the day.
You’ll head to bed rested and relaxed.
Looking for a routine to get you started? Try this before-bed yoga sequence: www.popsugar.com/fitness/Before-Bed-Yoga-Sequence-25491816
Are you in?
by Heather | Jun 20, 2017 | challenges, general health, Tips, Uncategorized
Switch Your Mind From Negative To Positive
When is the last time you meditated?
With the busy hustle of day-to-day activities, life can leave us feeling stressed, exhausted, disconnected, and overwhelmed.
Sometimes it seems there’s just not enough time in the day to get everything done, and it can really begin to take a toll on our health and mental state.
So how do you fit in an extra 10 minutes for meditation? That seems crazy right?! It’s NOT!
Finding 10-15 minutes can actually help give you more time by reducing your stress levels and allow you to focus more on the task at hand.
Meditation has also been shown to improve your immune system, brain health, decrease anxiety, improve self-esteem, improve mental strength, and contribute to longevity.
Meditation has the potential to change your life!
Meditating can help switch your mind from negativity to positivity, from unhappy to happy, and from unsettled to peaceful.
If you’re not sure how to meditate, there are some wonderful guided meditations that can walk you step-by-step through the entire process.
If you’ve tried meditation in the past and had trouble calming your mind- that’s totally normal.
The key, like anything else, is consistency. It takes practice and commitment to see the benefits. However it’s amazing what you can accomplish in just 5-10 minutes a day.
Check out these free apps to help guide you and also remind you to meditate:
• Insight Timer – https://insighttimer.com
• Headspace – www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
Your challenge is to meditate for at least 5-10 minutes every day this week.
Are you up for the challenge? Let me know!
by Heather | May 9, 2016 | exercise
Down Dog
This week’s challenge will be AMAZING for both your body and your mind.
It’s energizing, will boost your circulation, and will stretch you out and make you feel like a million bucks.
This week, your challenge is to practice the Downward Facing Dog position for 3 minutes EVERY DAY.
Here’s how to do it:
The body should look like an inverted “V”.
- Start by resting on your knees (toes curled up) and hands.
- Then you exhale and push your knees away from the floor, raising your hips and straightening your legs and arms.
- To release from Downward-Facing Dog, exhale and slowly drop your knees to the floor and rest with your arms under your shoulders as in Child’s pose.
For more detailed instructions, you can click here: drweil.com/drw/u/ART00526/Downward-Facing-Dog.html
Practicing this daily has incredible benefits. Here are just a few:
- Down Dog is one of the best ways to elongate and realign the spine
- Stretches the postural muscles and back of the legs and can help reduce lower back pain
- Brings awareness to your breathing, calms the mind and relieves stress
- It helps open and strengthen your chest muscles
- It helps build stamina and strength in your arms
- Helps improve digestion and blood flow
