Jump, Jive an’ Wail!

J is for Jillian

I have been doing Jillian Michael’s workouts for the past seven years or so.

A friend of mine introduced me to her DVDs and I’ve been hooked ever since. At 48, I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in and it just takes 30 minutes a day. (Do I sound like an infomercial or what?)

In my youth, I exercised to look good. Now, I workout to be strong.

When I feel strong physically, I am stronger mentally and spiritually.

I take care of my health for my loved ones, too. I want to be active for as long as possible and I want to model good living. Yesterday, my 15 year old daughter said, “Mom, when I’m your age, I hope I look like you.”

Body+Revolution+Logo

*Alphabiography blog series

Dogma

D is for Dog

Dog is an anagram for god

In my book, it is also a synonym:

unconditional love, constant affection, and non-judgment

They mirror humans –

Cruel people can create cruel pets

We should stop fearing pit bulls and, instead,

examine our own souls

Bold Moves

Photo by Stephen Di Donato

Approximately 50% of the population makes New Year’s resolutions. Of them, only 10% realize their goals (Psychology Today).

To make major changes in your life, you need to make some bold moves. But “bold” does not mean drastic and sudden. I like to think of being bold as “being courageous” and embracing a level of discomfort in order to grow.

Waking up a half hour earlier than usual and walking for 30 minutes might be uncomfortable, but doing so on a consistent basis for six months or more will undoubtedly result in favorable change.

One of the main reasons people don’t reach their goals is because they set unrealistic objectives. They plan on making radical changes through extreme acts. In reality, all it takes is a bit of courage to expand one’s comfort zone and to do it consistently…kind of like erosion: slow and steady.

Grateful for Aging

She sat across from me at her birthday dinner. She just turned 35. I am almost 49.

“I have laugh lines! I am getting gray hairs that stick straight up on end!”

“Well, it just makes it easier to pluck them out,” I said, trying to cheer her up.

“I am not going to complain about getting old. I LOVE aging!”

I looked at her sideways. This was unexpected. Who loves aging?

She explained, “We’re lucky to get old. Not everyone does. We should celebrate getting older, we’re so fortunate to keep living!”

Indeed.

I’ve decided that even though I live in America, where it is becoming a crime to be gay, trans, Mexican-American, Muslim or old, I hope we will eventually be like Taiwan when it comes to social issues. I’m not gay, but as an Asian-American, I know what discrimination feels like. In Taiwan, gays have equal rights. The Taiwanese also respect their elders and take care of them. So I’m going to walk around proud in all my Asian and old glory because I know I’m lucky to be alive and kicking.

At First Blush…

par·a·dox

ˈperəˌdäks/

noun

a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

I roll out of bed after two days of rest from exercising. I do not want to work out today! Paradoxically, after such a long respite, I feel more tired than usual. But I don my clothes and shoes and start the physical ~~self-flagellation~~ exertion.

Curiously, I feel so much better afterwards. I actually have more energy after expending it: the fridge gets cleaned out, I chirpily run errands with the family and I feel like I can handle anything.

Not everyone feels this way, I know. But if you’re in a slump, give it a try. I’m recommending a challenging workout, not just a walk around the block. See if it works. (It’s better than over-caffeination, eating sugar or complaining!)

2 Small Actions = Major Transformation

I made a couple changes this year and they’ve led to greater productivity (published my first book, lost a couple pounds and enjoyed more quality time with family). I thought I’d share them with you:

Create an Intentions List, not a “To Do” List. Reflecting on your intentions (as opposed to “tasks”) ensures your actions are aligned to your deepest values. When you sit down to enumerate all the things you want to get done, think about your intentions. Is it your intention to help others? Bring joy to loved ones? Be creative at work? This line of questioning will lead to precise calibration of your actions to your ultimate goals.
Make your first intention task easy and simple. Crossing a task off your list will light up the rewards center of your brain. It gives you a natural boost! Start the day off with an (easy) sense of accomplishment. Set yourself up for success!

Harmony

A co-worker of mine constantly tells me she needs to make a change in her life. She tells me she needs to exercise and lose weight because she has children and she needs to be a good role model. I just listen. She’s been saying this all year. I know she will take action when she’s ready.

By “ready,” I mean, “fed up.” Isn’t that really how you get motivated? You take action and make changes when you’re “fed up” with how you’ve been living.

She made a good point, though. Her life is not just hers. She affects her children enormously. Her health and well-being necessarily influence them. If she’s at her best, she can give more.

Research shows that your physical health is optimum when you are satisfied in all of the following areas:

Identifying our “weak” area can lead to the most effective goal setting.

Toe Bone Connected to the Foot Bone…

My lower back has been hurting lately – and, the cancer survivor in me jumps straight to fear. It’s a tumor, it’s come back, I assume. I fight the urge to Google it. Believe me, nothing good comes from Googling “pain” + “cancer”!

Of course, after thinking about it, I realized that my plantar fasciitis has returned and I’m walking in a different way to compensate for it. Consequently, my posture and walk has been thrown off kilter and voila (!) back pain.

Have you ever had headaches and/or dizziness and realized that your shoulders are super tight?

Everything is connected.

Doing a body scan on a daily basis has become effective for me. Try this: When lying down to sleep, do a scan. Start with the top of your head, down to your temples, your shoulders, your arms and so on. Check in with your body. Relax each part as you settle in to sleep.

It can be informative. You’ll be able to relax tight muscles and maybe put to rest any worries you have.

Breast Reconstruction

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Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with early stage I breast cancer. I had the cancer removed (a radical mastectomy) and breast implant surgery at the same time. Actually, I had expanders put in when they removed all of my breast tissue. For those of you who don’t know what this means, basically, expanders are hard balloons that get placed UNDER your chest muscles and saline is injected every week or so to create space for your implants. This is a very painful procedure for the entire duration until the expanders are replaced by silicone or saline implants.

Six surgeries later, I went from a 34A/B to a full 34C. It felt like The Reward for all the pain that accompanies a cancer diagnosis. Why so many surgeries? One of my suspicious masses was too close to my chest wall for a needle biopsy, so I had to have a surgical biopsy. I had a defective expander (this is very rare, I am told), I had an infection; I had a defective saline implants and then one of the surgeries was because my doctor thought silicon would look better than saline.

Did you know you’re supposed to replace them every ten years? So that means at 50, 60, 70 and 80 (should I live that long!), I need to replace the implants.

I’m thinking that perhaps, at 60, I may opt to remove the implants altogether. Will I be courageous enough to do that? I live in Arizona where it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit for five months of the year. I have a pool. I like to wear a bathing suit. I know there are inserts you can wear, but I’ve heard stories of them escaping your suit and floating in the pool.

In any case, these are the issues involved with breast cancer and reconstruction. I am grateful to be living in these modern times with amazing technology. In the 1800s, breast cancer was only treated when it manifested itself physically (really, too late for treatment) and they had mastectomy surgeries without anesthesia. The ladies just bit down on a bolt of cloth while the surgeon used a hot iron to cut it out.

Habits, Success and Resolutions

I don’t like to work out, but I’ve been working out regularly for decades. The secret? A reward shortly after working out. It’s usually a bubble bath.

I just bought this:

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According to Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), the secret to developing a habit is to identify and implement three things:

a cue
a routine
a reward

The cue could be “morning”, the routine could be going to the gym and the reward could be a bubble bath (I don’t advise chocolate cake).

Remember, good habits are invaluable: they help you reach your goals on autopilot. If you don’t have to struggle to do the work because it is a habit, the more likely you’ll stick with it!

What are your cues, routines and rewards?

Kismet

Daily Practice

health