Fabulous and Fit at 40 Plus

Perhaps it’s time to consider a new morning ritual to begin your day! It could be the perfect way to initiate positive change in your life. Starting a new habit begins with an idea. What comes to mind to kickstart your day? It could be as simple as drinking a glass of water. Let’s get you started on a revitalizing approach to your morning that is indeed rewarding!

Think of one thing that you could do differently upon awakening. Here are some ideas to get you thinking.

1. Say thank you
2. Say an affirmation. Perhaps have one written on a sticky note left on your nightstand.
3. Looking at an uplifting picture posted across the room.
4. Reading a favorite quote.
5. Using the 5 second rule. Count down from 5.

Next, put it into action and see what happens!

Here’s another idea! Have you ever thought about wishing yourself a great day?

1. You have to look in the mirror anyway so give yourself a smile & wish yourself a great day! (Can refer to the mirror work blog post.)
2. Carry on with the morning routine.

How you start your morning can influence your mood, behaviour and day. Practicing a self-care morning routine can reduce stress and boost happiness. This positive action gets the mind working another way making it a simple empowering tool and creates a ripple effect which is certainly illuminating. The studies are compelling enough that it’s well worth the try!

Have fun exploring wonderful and refreshing ways to ignite a new day. A slight change is all that it takes, making all the difference, so get yourself moving towards a healthier start!

I discovered something inspiring about a morning mindfulness practice. Early in my experience as a mediation enthusiast, I was told by a teacher to choose the time of day and be consistent! Since I was in university with a heavy workload, mornings seemed best for this self-care practice.

That was pleasantly surprising! I noticed something in particular had changed – more time. Being aware of my thoughts slowed them down. A redirection of my attention to the present moment created efficiency. Morning tasks were completed in a timely manner. Perhaps the mentally waking up my mind became aligned with my body creating better communication between the two that saved time? This empowered me as well. I became a better listener to my body. If I become unhinged, I can stop and reground!

Nothing changed in my morning routine other than incorporating some mindfulness. I now use an inner approach to start my day. This makes a substantial difference!

 

My mirror work practice began after my husband passed away. An email from Hay House with the subject line, Mirror Work, showed up in my inbox. A 5-day mirror work challenge was presented, so I signed up. A wholehearted lifestyle took shape, thanks to Louise Hay’s mirror work challenge. I found a new self-love practice and became empowered.    

One of the lessons required saying in the mirror life loves me and repeating this ten times, five times per day. The 5-day challenge carried on until I felt better in the grief process. Over time other affirmations were said such as I am thankful for all the love in my life and I am grateful to be loved and supported by life. A smile formed on my face. I looked peaceful. 

 A couple of years after, another email from Hay House appeared. It was a morning exercise from Louise Hay’s book Mirror Work, that begins like this: Good morning, [Name]. I love you. I really, really love you. There are great experiences coming our way today. Oh, you look wonderful today. You have the best smile. I wish you a terrific day today. My day began with love and it didn’t stop there! I carried on saying ten things I appreciated about myself such as I appreciate my courage. Out of curiosity this thought came to mind, What would happen from doing this for one year? From that day forward, I never stopped. This is why.

Mirror work is an empowering tool. There is more to it than saying kind words to myself. I feel I am showing up for myself and that says I am important. That act also makes me feel loved, cherished and special. Generating wonderful emotions at the start of my day changes how I move through it. Most importantly my self-relationship has improved immensely and that empowers!

Embracing mirror work has transformed my lifestyle to a healthier one. There is no negative outcome from doing mirror work. It is moving me gracefully through the aging process.

What are pulses? Pulses are often referred to as legumes. I like to call these gems! They include black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas. 

As I was growing-up, I never consumed them on a regular basis and mostly had them in popular dishes such as chili or split green pea soup. It was during my studies when I learned about the Mediterranean diet that I began incorporating more beans into my meals. As understanding the benefits of pulses influenced me to eat more of them.

Since it wasn’t ingrained in me to eat them like it was to eat my vegetables, embarking on a Mediterranean diet lifestyle was challenging. At first, I added black beans to salads. Since they are flavourless, I thought of adding them to a smoothie. The texture is thicker due to their fibre content so that took time to get used to and eventually I did! Now, it feels like I am consuming a decent meal and my body seems to crave it. With the added protein it gives me a feeling of satiety and the energy needed to get my day going.

From barely consuming beans to consuming them almost daily has greatly improved my gut health. Increasing fibre consumption changes the bacteria composition to the more beneficial kind. Beneficial bacteria means more SCFA’s (short chain fatty acids) are produced. One function of these compounds is deactivating toxins protecting the gut lining. Having a healthy gut microbiome is vital for a strong immune system too. Adapting to one of the world’s healthiest diets took time and so worth it. 

I first heard about Michelin-Star restaurants at university in a product development class on innovative methods in cookery. The modernist ideas included thermacirculators which are ovens that operate at a constant low temperature. This allows vegetables to cook evenly with no loss of flavour and colour, and the connective tissue in meats dissolve away without overcooking producing tasteful results. Another method called liquid nitrogen causes food to freeze rapidly. Rapid freezing changes the food’s texture producing a pleasant mouthfeel when compared to the traditional freezing method. Lastly, transglutiminase, a meat enzyme, that has glue-like qualities. It’s been used to glue together different meats and fish transforming regular dishes into phenomenal ones. All of these innovative methods created not only inspiring new dishes but works of art too! Furthermore, I learned about these pioneers in food preparation and presentation; Ferran Adria, Grant Achatz, Heston Blumenthal and Wylie Dufresne. They are exceptionally talented chefs. Fine dining has vaulted to a new level. I decided I am going to experience many Michelin-Star restaurants!

My latest trip to San Francisco in the summer of 2018, was my first Michelin-star dining experience! When my friend and I were preparing for the trip, we reviewed a Michelin-star website. I was pleasantly surprised that the prices were not out of this world and we each chose a restaurant. I was not aware of a rating system until my friend mentioned it. She was viewing the website and said the restaurants we chose were one-star. I said “What does that mean?” She Googled it. One-star is given to a restaurant of high standard where the dishes are perfectly executed every time and worth a stop. Two stars indicate outstanding cuisine, skill and creativity in crafting the dishes, and you’ll want to go out of your way to eat there. Three-star status is beyond exceptional. The dishes are over the top and worth traveling to to experience a meal. Other elements like service and ambience are also apart of the rating system. So much goes into creating an exceptional dining experience. Great tasting food is not the only factor!

The one-star restaurants we chose were Octavia and SPQR. What I experienced felt like a three-star so I cannot imagine how much better it could be but I will find out one of these days! I felt both meals were exceptional. I couldn’t say which one I liked better. The feeling on my palate was dreamy as the texture and creaminess of the dishes were perfectly executed and the emotions it evoked caused me to mindfully savour each bite. Service was delicious too. It takes a certain personality to do the job well and both places had employed servers who were above and beyond. The difference between the restaurants was its ambience. Each place was small but their decor created different dining experiences.

Octavia had an upbeat feel about it. The room was light and airy. There were windows on two of the four walls. The contrasted painted walls from off-white to dark grey was so stunning. Accompanied with it was grey wood incorporated by tables, flooring and shelves. This presented an aesthetically pleasing look and so well balanced that it accomplished a cozy and warm atmosphere. Added to this was the perfectly dimmed lighting. All of these carefully thought out exquisite elements and details executed an exceptional dining experience from start to finish. SPQR was stellar in almost all categories but fell short in the decor component. It was dull in comparison to Octavia. I have realized that a full-on rich dining experience includes more than the food, it also includes a feeling. If I had to choose between the restaurants, I would dine at Octavia as the ambience positively enriched my experience.