Skinny Snow Flake: Your Weekly Winter Waist Watcher, Vol.3: Om - Y - God

A friend's twitter prompted me to put this out there.  The M word; the scary one that seems to be so simple, yet most of us struggle with it quite a bit: 

Meditation.

My advice is keep it simple.  There is no right way to do it, as long as you do it. Especially at the start.  Here are a few simple tips for the beginner meditation mastering one out there:

1) There is no wright way or wrong way.  Only a way that gets done. Commit to a daily check-in. If you fall off track, the next time you remember, you get back on track :) 

2) Do not aim for perfection. Aim for practice.  Drop the idea of 20, 30, 45 minutes of solid, daily meditation, at lest 1-2 times daily.  Start slow and steady. Settle into staying present for just a minute, or five first thing in the morning. Whatever you can handle, and are comfortable with.  Work on this and progress from here

3) You can stay present in silence, or use a guided meditation already pre-made. There are some great ones here. Do explore options, see which works) Commit, and stay consistent.  

If you fall off track, the next time you remember, you get back on track :) 

Enjoy!
xo

Skinny Snow Flake: Your Weekly Winter Waist Watcher, Vol.2: Thank you, thank you, thank YOU !

Our US friends are celebrating one of my personal favourite holidays: Thanksgiving.  I love the spirit of giving thanks for everything in our lives.  It really IS a time to slow down a little, or even for a few moments, and reflect and find items in your life to be thankful for.  So good, so good for you as well :) 

I suggest you visit my wellness portal, www.monikakovacs.com, register for a FREE profile and complete your own custom 'Attitude' profile for the coming 30 days.  This simple 5 minutes daily exercise will ask you to reflect on your day and help you see how your life really IS by the end.  Quite fun and eye-opening :) 

A little extra. Thanksgiving's 'massive' calorie count: By the numbers:

1,500
The amount of calories an average woman needs each day.

2,000
The amount of calories an average man needs each day.

3,000
The estimated amount of calories in a typical Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, side dishes, and dessert

5,000 to 6,000
The estimated amount of calories people consume throughout Thanksgiving Day - roughly TRIPLE the recommended daily intake.

3,500
The amount of calories needed for the body to create one extra pound of fat

In conclusion:  Americans eat *3 TIMES* the amount of calories they need in a single day.  I.e. we eat enough extra calorie's to add extra 1-2 pounds of fat in less than 24 hours.

Now to ease that paranoia you got from the last sentence, chill out. One overindulgence will NOT cause you to gain weight, or fat.  An one time caloric excess will not affect an otherwise steady lower calorie healthy diet.  

The most important part is to enjoy yourself and the company you spend this lovely time with. 

xo
Monika

Without Brushing My Hair

The closer I get to you, Beloved,

The more I can see

It is just You and I all alone In this World.

I hear A knock at my door,

Who else could it be,

So I rush without brushing My hair.

For too Many nights

I have begged for Your Return

And what Is the use of vanity

At this late hour, at this divine season,

That has now come to my folded Knees?

If your love letters are true dear God

I will surrender myself to

Who You keep saying I Am.

Hafiz

Skinny Snow Flake: Your Weekly Winter Waist Watcher, Vol.1: Eating Well

A fundamental aspect to great health is learning how to provide our bodies with the highest quality nutrition, in the right amounts.  With an abundance of resources of great variety of information available, this task is as challenging as it gets.  We are solely responsible for what goes into our bodies, so we better start paying attention.  A simple rule of thumb may be, if it grows live, eat it, if it does not, do not eat it.  Still confused?  Look at what you are about tot eat and the form it is in, is it close to how it would occur in it's natural state.  If yes, eat it, if not, well.....it is LEGO, play with it, but do not eat it!  

Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains grow organically.  Processed, canned, man-altered foods are not life-sustaining, no matter what the label may say, or how well the presentation tempts your saliva to start overstimulating.  Nature and life has already provided us with everything we need to feed ourselves and to live with abundant health. The simpler we eat, the healthier we’ll be.

A sweet affirmation: I listen to my body and lovingly respond to its needs—giving it just the right amount of food, rest, and exercise.

xo

Monika

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