Tag: #ConnecticutBlogger

My Clean Living Life, Part III

This has got to be one, if not the, hardest times of the year for a striving-to-be-clean girl like me (smile).

 

It doesn’t help that I live in New England where its bitter cold outside  at 5am in the morning when I wake up to go to the gym.

 

 

And, to add insult to injury, good and un-healthy food greets me everywhere I turn, making it harder and harder for me to make  the right food choices…Between office day and night parties, get-togethers with friends, family gatherings, pre-holiday dinners, after-work happy hours and the like, I almost feel like throwing in the towel and biting into that lovely red velvet cupcake!

 

 

And eating clean?!?   What a joke?!?   Not with all of these yummy, unhealthy but delicious snacks surrounding me…

 

 

But then this tiny little nagging voice of reason shakes me, wakes me up and tells me to maintain control because if I keep giving in to food temptation, it’s going to be that much harder come January 2nd…

 

So…I take a deep breath and remind myself of the little things that I have done in the past to counteract the decadence.   Here are just a few tips that I have used successfully:

 

  • Drink lots of water (not only is it filling but it also cleans out toxins)
  • Eat slowly and take small bites
  • At parties, eat out of tiny dinner plates 
  • Try not do two things at once (like eat and talk on the phone) as you will lose track of your portions
  • And finally, drink one large (10 ounces or more) glass of ice water for every alcoholic drink consumed

 

The holidays are truly a whirlwind of fun, good food, good drinks and activity but if you try to keep track of what you eat and drink daily and not give in to every temptation out there you can get through them with minimal damage and celebrate the post New Year in style!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Thanks(Giving)

One of my favorite holidays growing up (besides Christmas) was Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving in my mind was Christmas without the presents and I mean that in the best way.  You see, I grew up in a large, dual-parented family in the small town of Groton, CT.   I was one of 7 children and the ‘baby girl.’

My father was in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a housewife (today she would be called a ‘stay at home mom’).

Here’s a picture of my  parents when they first met.  My mother Jean was 17 and my father Jonie B. was 19.

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In my humble opinion, holidays were and are so much more fun when you can share them with your parents and siblings and the bigger your family, the better.  I was 6 years old in this picture of me and my six siblings, I’m the second one in from the right.

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My mother was the ultimate multi-tasker and as such super organized so the bigger holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) afforded her the opportunity to show off her skills.

She would take one or more of us with her to the grocery store to buy the turkey, the trimmings and the holiday themed tablecloth, plates, cups, cutlery and paper machete turkey.

Between making sure that the house was spick and span clean as well as decorated, each and everyone’s clothes washed and folded, and the food prepped and ready, she was also genius at balancing our lives to ensure that we were where we needed to be at any given time.

I had no cooking skills whatsoever so I marveled at how my mother could wash, stuff and prepare the turkey, bake multiple pies with homemade (not store-bought) crusts and then cook a ton of side dishes with ease.

On the big day, the food was blessed and then we would go around the dinner table and share what we were most thankful for that particular year.  This would usually elicit misty eyes…

Then my father, Jonie B., would do the honors by carving the turkey.  If he was out to sea during the holiday, my older brother Michael would handle it.

The Thanksgiving menu was not light.  It usually consisted of an oversized turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, giblets, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens with ham bone, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy, string beans with fat back, hot dinner rolls, pumpkin pies, sweet potatoe pies, and apple cider to wash it all down with.

Huge mounds of food on serving plates would be passed around the table, laughter was heard throughout and we all knew that we would be eating leftovers for days!

Football was on TV all day long, Macy’s parade as well.  Good times.

Fast Forward to today:   with the holiday season quickly approaching, I sometimes catch myself getting caught up in a lot of the negativity of the world.  My solution a few weeks ago (inspired by my good church friend, Bobo) was to start a (daily) blessings jar to remind myself that I still have plenty to be thankful for.  It works like a charm (smile).

One of the first blessings that I wrote and put in my jar was how thankful I was (am) for my late mother so this blog post is written in loving memory of  Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis, gone but not forgotten…

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Yoga Anyone?

As I mentioned before in Check out my blog post:  Cave Girl, I work Monday through Friday on 100% commission in media ad sales, a super stressful, extremely competitive industry.   Consequently, on the weekends (or even some weeknights) I’m on the look-out for new ways to de-stress.

 

 

 

Yoga has become a new ‘old way.‘  Full Moon Yoga with Gong Meditation that is.  It’s my new go-to when the gym (Edge Fitness in Hamden) although helpful in terms of working up a sweat, building lean muscle, burning calories and fat, etc. still leaves me with a busy mind…

 

 

 

At this point I’m looking more for something that helps me to relax to the point of emptying my mind and filling it with good clear thoughts.

 

My solution has become Full Moon Yoga with Gong Meditation.  It’s offered once a month at the Yoga Community Center in Hamden, on the Friday closest to the Full Moon. It’s  held from 7pm to 9pm.  It’s wise not to go on a full stomach and light refreshments are served afterwards.  It costs $22 for one session or $60 for three sessions.  Everything takes place on the second floor in a large yellow walled yoga studio with soft lighting and relaxing music.  Mats, blankets and other yoga equipment are provided if you do not have your own.  Quick tip: don’t forget your water bottle.  Kundalini Yoga is practiced in the first hour and the second hour (while you are now lying on your mat, covered in a blanket with your eyes closed) focuses on deep sound healing and relaxation via Gong Meditation.  This is where you hear an actual gong being struck repeatedly for a good hour.  The gong vibrations (after two or more sessions) will cause you to experience deep relaxation.  The goal of  each of these sessions is to “elevate awareness and rebalance your physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.”  I remember the first or second time I went I felt like I was walking on actual clouds for at least an hour after the session (smile).

 

Here’s the room where all the magic happens…

 

If interested, you may register online at yourcommunityyoga.com or call them at (203) 287-2277.  Drop-Ins, however, are always welcome.

Namaste!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL