This week, in addition to getting back to a regular workout schedule, I’ve been getting my east garden cleared of deadfall and winter underbrush. I spent last season cutting a trail to the firepit in the west woods, now it’s time for the east yard to get in shape. It’s time consuming but it’s a labor of love. Spending time in nature lets me connect in a deeper way. Usually I’m weeding or pruning, seldom am I simply sitting in the garden, observing, appreciating. Having clear pathways between the trees will make it easier for me to commune each day in appreciation rather than chore. All week, I’ve been going out several times a day and doing an hour here, an hour there. The pruning, pulling and raking all use the muscles in my arms, chest, shoulders, legs, and back so I am out there until I wear myself out. Then I take a break inside doing computer work and run back out when my muscles have recuped. I decided to keep two piles of brush I’ve raked near the entrance as landscape berms, as they give privacy to the cleared pathways inside.     Continue reading →

This week I’ve gotten back into my old habit of going to the gym each morning, walking the treadmill first thing and focusing each day on a particular muscle group for the machines. I’m also at home doing mini workouts throughout the day on those muscle groups as well. It helps to immerse myself in it as a daily practice. I got a HealthRider Cardio Rider from a galpal and I’m really digging it. It really works my shoulders, arms, upper back and chest. The different hand and leg positions determine which muscles get worked. I can do as many reps as I can throughout the day and then an hour later do it again to build up strength. Plus it’s kinda like riding a pony and I can pretend I’m a princess riding off to a faraway land to save the kingdom. I still need to walk the treadmill every day and work out at the gym but now I can keep up with upper body stuff at home in the wee hours. I like the feeling of, after working out, doing some yoga stretches while I hydrate my body. Then when I sit for meditation, I can tune into my muscles and get to know how they feel in my body. I can envision them healing and growing strong. When I get that tuned in to my physical form, I naturally turn to healthier food choices, so I’m a week without bread and potatoes, eating just lean poultry, fish and veggies, and back to a big salad twice a day.  Here are some exercises I can do with it. With my feet on the top pedals, it’s much more tension. The same when I hold the center post with one hand at a time. http://www.livestrong.com/article/342451-healthrider-cardio-rider-exercises/ And here’s the 30 minute workout video for it from 1995. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5YVfRM9b-WY

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I’d just closed the blinds and was winding down to take a nap today when a small dark bird appeared out of nowhere and flew across the living room. I immediately opened the back door and front doors, creating two doorways of light in an otherwise darkened room. I was going to shoo him out with a broom when he flew out the back door on his own. He was so fast and it was so dark in the living room, I didn’t see what kind he was. Cardinal or wren sized, he did not chirp and with wings spread he looked like a fluffy ball fluttering by. He must have come in thru Benny’s torn screen in the office window, or when I had the front door propped open earlier as I pulled the cardio rider inside.   The superstition is that if you find a bird in your house, important news is on the way.  Birds have a long history with superstition as they come from the sky, and spend their lives between the earth and heaven.  Earlier this week, I’d had a vision of Sai Baba and Amma in IHOP.  I consider a bird flying into the home a sign of good luck, a gift from the heavens.

It feels good to be back in the gym, doing more than just a quickie. It’s too easy to get out of the habit, to tell myself that I need to do computer work instead, or that my yard work constitutes a workout. When I do the gym first thing in the morning before I go into the office, that lets my work day flow more freely and it’s a more productive and satisfying day. And my life is all about what satisfies me. I’m sticking to the treadmill this week, not attempting the elliptical since it wore more out quickly last week. I worked arms, back, shoulders and core. It gets easier each time I do it. I feel worn out for an hour afterward but drinking water recupes me quickly. The head cold last month kicked my butt. I had fun bouncing on the man’s trampoline rebounder this week. I like running in place on it. I want to get one with a stabilizer bar. I’ve also been playing with my resistance bands at home, so at night my arms sing a happy song.  33 Resistance Band Exercises You Can Do Literally Anywhere. I’ve had a set of these hanging over my door and finally pulled them down to use this week. I’ve got two sizes and they give a decent workout. I do three sets of 15 reps working each muscle, in a loop.

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Time to get back in daily workout mode

March 2015 cover

Hello and welcome to the March 2015 edition of Horizons Magazine. It was refreshing to have a little taste of winter, but Spring is definitely here! Along with the cooler weather came a giant head cold that made me low energy for 10 days. It’s a different kind of meditation when I’m taking meds for a headcold. The sounds in my head increase as I tune into the sinuses singing. As I breathe prana thru the nostrils, I feel detached, as if the giant thunderhead is not a part of me. When the nostrils clog up and I breathe thru my mouth, I feel my consciousness rise outside the body, observing its aches and pains without being too involved in it. Until the next breath. Times like this when my body gets knocked down a bit, I realize I live in my mind WAAAAAY more than I live in my body. Yay for being in control of my own thoughts.   Continue reading →

Changing a habit is as simple as training myself to have discipline over where I chose to place my focus. When I immerse myself in the world of that which I strive to be, I attract the circumstances and events that support my vision. If I want to get fit and strong, I’ll spend more time in the gym or Googling to learn about muscle structure. I’ll spend less time watching cooking shows or cat videos and talking with friends about fashion. Staying focused and on purpose helps me attract what I want. It’s up to me.