Getting Fit

It seems like we've been into the new year by 6 months already...but it's really still new.  How are the resolutions coming along...remember that resolve to get fit?

Here is a little list of resources to help you get things on track, if for nothing else, to get you out of the house while winter drags on.  There is much to be said about physical exercise to help deal with seasonal depression, isolation and give you a new lease on life.

1. Rigby Miss Fit - Formerly known as Bcome Fitness, these women host a variety of exercise classes and with just a short drive, there is probably something you'll love here.  From TRX classes to Cardio and Kickboxing, give it a try! 
2. Campus Recreation -If you are a BYUI student there is a world of fitness available to you at no charge, even if you aren't you can still access any one of these amazing classes with no membership needed. 
3. Teton Crossfit Are you in to more serious training and weightlifting?  Check out Teton Crossfit.  They offer some flexible memberships at a low cost.  
4. Rexburg Rebels- Have you heard of the latest craze in exercise?  A pound class!  We have an awesome little following of Pound enthusiasts here in town, each Thursday night at the Madison Middle school.  Class begins at 8:30.
5.  Fuzion Dance Studio  This is an awesome little dance studio in Sugar City and offers a very low cost, per class option for Zumba, PiYo and Toning.  Grab your friends and sweat it out for an early morning of Zumba!
6. Gravity Factory  Here in town offers a unique opportunity to get a little yoga in while your little one jumps at a discounted rate.  Tuesdays and Thursday mornings are their Mommy and Me classes, give them a call for rates. 
7. Indoor Track at BYUI offers a great alternative if you just want to do some walking in a safe, well lit location, free from the harsh winter elements.  This is a great environment and awesome to gather as friends and family to get a little exercise and fresh air. 

Sometimes, it's more important to just expand your lungs, clear your mind and just start moving.   We can often begin to feel a little weary and sluggish as we head in to March.  Whether you want to lose some weight or just shake off the winter blues, there are many options right here in our community that don't require a lot of money or membership fees.  Grab your girlfriends,  your kids or your spouse and discover some new ways to get your heart pumping.  

Making Sense Of It All

It's hard to imagine a world where human life and experience is so blatantly disregarded, and our carelessness and indifference, in our treatment toward one another, is standard issue... yet, here we are.

This is not the same world many of us grew up in; Red Rover Red Rover, in the front yard til the sun set in the distance, chasing down dirt roads and stumbling upon adventure and dreams.  Phones hung on the wall, neighbors sat on the porch, families gathered around a table of home cooked meals and life seemed so manageable.

It's been a tumultuous month in the arena of women's health issues and women's rights.  The abortion debate exploded with a ruling in New York, allowing late term abortion for anyone, by anyone.  A tattered country already unraveling and divided by feelings, opinions, politics and religion, is teetering on a fulcrum of anger and intolerance.  This post is not about abortion and whether it's right or wrong.  It's about making sense of the suffering and anger in a tired and worn out world we find ourselves in. 

Bill Bullard,

“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge… is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. It requires profound purpose larger than the self kind of understanding.”

There will never be a shortage of opinions and most people will always be of the knee jerk variety who offer their two cents, to the chatter of the world as it crashes along the shore with the ebb and flow of nonsense.   We will never run out sadness, heartache, shock, even anger but beyond all of that, what is left, and....what really matters?

Profound Purpose.

Love.  Empathy.  Tolerance.

That is what really matters. 

We can never really understand what is behind all the anger and hurt that settles in around us but we can find, in the dust and ashes, beautiful surprises. 

We still have our freedom to choose for ourselves how we will revere life.  In the face of horrifying acts, we still get to choose if we harbor bitterness or radiate goodwill.  We can be the force for good, a band of love. We get to spread the benefit of doubt, see the good, be the good, rise above.  Women are beautifully strong, pillars of strength, with a grace and resilience second to none.  Women have a loving, profound purpose.  Don't let that get lost in the babel sounds of politics.

February is coming, the month to honor love, and the dark days of January will soon be a thing of the past, all 673 days of January!  Lets celebrate life and love, with an extra measure of kindness, forgiveness and hope, in the coming weeks and months.

Prescription Drug Abuse

There was a day when prescription drug abuse was a disease affecting individuals already suffering with a drug addiction involving street drugs.  It was never something we spoke about in terms of our teenagers, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, aunts or uncles.  Today, prescription drug abuse is widespread and in some communities, it is considered an epidemic.  It can affect all types of people and if there is no effective intervention can lead to devastating consequences.

What causes one to develop an addiction to prescription drugs?  There isn't just one single factor that can be a predictor of prescription drug abuse.  In many cases, it begins as a needful thing to treat such things as a broken bone, pain from surgery or injury, anxiety, and even insomnia.   At first the medications work well and much needed relief is achieved.  Over time, if the pain and discomfort persists, we develop a resistance to the medication and more is needed in order to continue to receive relief.  During this time, these powerful drugs can create changes in our brain by depressing the central nervous system which makes you drowsy and calm or, in the cases of stimulant addiction, can make you alert and overly energetic.

Prescription drugs have become more readily available and easy, especially for teens and young adults, to get.  Instead of buying drugs from the street, they can be taken right from the family medicine cabinet.

Here are some smart tips for ensuring you don't fall into an addictive situation.

1. Take your prescriptions as outlined by your health care provider.
2. Ask your doctor if there are alternatives to medications linked to addiction and abuse.  Sometimes, a different kind of medication or even a lower dose will suffice.  Remember that opioids are best used in acute episodes, not always long term or chronic pain.
3. Do not change or alter dosage amount or times you take it.
4. Make sure you understand the long and short term effects of the drug.
5. Do not share your medication, even with family members
6. Follow up closely with your doctor on your progress.
7. Keep your prescriptions locked in a safe place, away from children and teens.
8. Always check with your pharmacist before mixing prescription or over the counter medications. 
9. Consider integrative methods for dealing with pain, anxiety and insomnia.
10. When you are through with a medication, as per your doctor's orders, take any unfinished pills to a pharmacy so they can be disposed of correctly. 

Above all else, be honest and upfront with your healthcare provider if you have an addictive personality or have struggled with addictions in the past.  Communicating well and educating yourself and your loved ones will make a big difference and keep you in control of your good health. 

New Year, New You

Are you a die hard resolution maker?

Do you think it's the biggest waste of time, or do you fall somewhere in between the rustling of the calendar change.

I know for many, it has been a difficult year, and resolutions or not, we can't wait to say 'Goodbye' to 2018.  For many more people I know, some of the most amazing opportunities and blessings have presented themselves this year.

Personally, I'm always eager to start something new and that includes resolutions.  The list of all the things we hope to accomplish in the coming year can be lengthy and lofty.  Sometimes, I am still going strong a couple of months into the new year, but if I'm being honest, nothing really evolves past the first week in January.

So, what are some alternatives to a resolution that might spare you the guilt of failing miserable with some heartfelt goals?

Here's a list we've compiled:

Word of the Year: Choose a word you want to focus on for the year.  It could be JOY, GRATITUDE, GIVING, PEACE...You get the idea.  Focus on bringing more of that, into your life.

What you got right: Instead of starting the year with all the ways we need to be better, how about starting the year with a list of all the things you got right?  Why start the year on such a negative note, with line by line shortcomings?

Gratitude:  Commit the year to being grateful for you what you have and what you are.  Consider that you are enough.   It's one of the important concepts to living a full and abundant life yet we don't do it enough...consistently.

Weekly Resolutions:  Doing anything for a year, feels daunting.  Why not make little weekly resolutions to make bigger life changes.  Let's face it, no one's life actually changes all that much due to a resolution, but smaller weekly goals, actually could.

Start Something New:  Start a new hobby or activity that you have always wanted to do.  Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is start!

However you decide to start the new year, do it your way, with purpose and conviction.  You know, you could even start 2019 by doing nothing!  Absolutely Nothing.  Just let the year unfold as it will and watch with excitement, what comes next. 

Anxiety

You don't have to look far to find someone with anxiety, even severe anxiety.  It's becoming shockingly common, more common than it has seemed to be in the past. 

There's a looming deadline and your stomach is doing somersaults and your brain refuses to stop spinning, even for a minute. 

It's only the second week in the month and you have 20 bucks to your name and you're sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire. 

The baby is due any day and you had no idea one could be quite so nervous.

The doctor said you are going to need a hysterectomy and fall apart in a puddle of tears.  

Ugh...Anxiety...

Well congratulations!  If you have ever been anxious and uptight about any of the above scenarios, you're normal!  While you may feel anxious in moments such as these, they are regular comings and goings of life and it makes sense to feel a little dread now and again. A little healthy anxiety in our cave men ancestors actually helped them survive dangerous or difficult situations. 

Anxiety, the kind that requires medical intervention is much different. 

It's been three weeks since you left the house because the thought of people keeps you stuck to the couch.

You have constant thoughts of looming danger.

You wash your hands excessively and avoid touching things in public in an effort to stay healthy. 

These examples are disorders of Anxiety.  How do you tell the difference between life and an anxiety disorder?  

• Nervousness, worry and fear is ongoing
• The feeling of anxiousness is not proportionate to the cause
• Intrusive thoughts that overtake your ability to function normally
• Extreme, or exaggerated negative thoughts. 
• Worrying about a future thought

Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in this country and affects over 40 million adults.  Of all those people, only a third actually seek medical attention.  Even though it is so common, it is also a disorder that is the most misunderstood. 

Medical professionals and scientists who study anxiety all suggest the following ways to cope with your anxiety.

• Learn deep breathing techniques to help you relax and calm down.  Deep breathing does wonders to lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
• Keep your head where your body is.  Projecting fear and worry too far into the future will exacerbate your anxiety.  Stay mindful, in the moment...Wherever you are, is where you should be.
• Stop and say out loud, something you see, something you hear and something you smell.  It may seem like a small thing but helps to keep you anchored to something real, rather than imagined in your mind. 
• Don't self medicate with alcohol, caffeine or recreational drugs.  Get plenty of sleep and eat healthy, nutritious food.
• Understand what some of your triggers are.  Educating yourself on your condition goes a long way.  
• Search out a support network when you are going through difficult times.  Being alone can often make things worse.
• Talk to your healthcare provider and discuss your symptoms and treatment options. 

Almost New

Well, a new year is upon us.  How do you get ready to start a new year?  Do you, like everyone, make a plan that will surely fail?  I mean, not to be a downer but isn't that the routine we set ourselves up for? Is it inevitable?  Statistics show that 92% of all resolutions fail!! Are there resolutions that work?

Here are some ideas on planning a successful new year...

• Start small.  There's something about Auld Lang Syne that gets us all fired up and ready to change - everything! Resist the urge.  Choose just a couple of things to focus on.
• Write it down and make a plan.  We are really good at stating what we want but no plan for the journey of getting there.  Do you want to save money?  Writing that down isn't enough.  Plan out the details of saving money...how much will you want to save?  Are you willing to skip your favorite beverage addiction in lieu of saving a $4 a day?  
• Work the plan.  Have your goals and plans written where you can see them everyday.  The things we keep our attention on become the things that develop in our life.  Intention and attention is the secret to New Years success. 
• Do it now.  Procrastination is powerful.  Instead of saying to yourself, "I'll get to it after I do the dishes.", say, "I'll do it now."  Most tasks seem daunting when left in our head but the actual time it takes to accomplish that can require much less time if we just tackle it with vigor. 
• Forget about all or nothing.  We sabotage so many life goals by thinking we need to arrive with perfection intact.  Not so.  When flying a plane, pilots know that most of the time, the plane is straying off course and each moment requires a course correction.  So it is with us...veering from our plan doesn't mean an imminent fail.  Sticking to it is the thing that matters most. 

Whatever you want in life, it's yours.  It's yours if you are willing to change your mindset just a bit and keep those plans on your radar.  

So, what are the things you have planned for your New Year?

Don't Panic

We are headed into one of the most stressful seasons of the year...the Holiday season.  What we hope will be a month of giving and caring can often resemble more panic and overwhelm, as our list of things to do grows exponentially each day.   No matter what our well intention thoughts are, life can take a toll.

So, how do we avoid anxiety and panic during this party planning, gift buying, giving and spreading the light kind of month?

• Make a plan.  Keep it simple and reasonable.  
• Stay organized.  Lists can be burdensome but they do help to keep it all from getting muddled inside your head. 
• Know your limits.  It isn't a badge of honor to do more than you physically or mentally can. 
• Practice good sleep hygiene.  Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.  
• Take a break from traditions that create too much stress. Maybe it's time to create something new.
• Say no.  Remember that "No" is a complete sentence.  Though some people think they need an explanation along with a No, they don't. 
• No one is perfect, including you. Your friend's Instagram posts may look perfect, but they aren't so don't believe everything you see.  Say yes to being human this holiday season.  

If you have a history of anxiety and depression, just knowing that this time of year may not be your best time of year, is half the battle.  Only expect of yourself what you know you can manage.  Your family would rather have a calm, rested mother than one who is anxious and always in a panic.  This is not the season of guilt and shame, it's the season of new beginnings, hope and peace...not just on earth but in your heart and mind as well.  

So, make this Christmas season different.  Start some new traditions that truly do bring an extra measure of peace and hope as we inch closer to 2019.