Eat. Play. Love.
If there is one thing all of us could use a little more of, it’s time for play. Sometimes incorporating more fun and play into our lives seems like a daunting (perhaps even stressful) task. Who has the time between work, family, friends and keeping up with housework and cooking meals? Although it might seem like another thing on our “to do” lists, play is very important to our happiness, health and spiritual growth. On a physical level, it calms the nervous system and keeps our cortisol levels in check. When our cortisol levels are elevated, the immune system is suppressed. In addition, there is a correlation between high cortisol levels, increased blood sugar levels and extra abdominal body fat. On a spiritual level, play is a way of connecting to our inner child and our real selves that we often forget as we go about our busy adult lives. Play helps us find our center. It brings a smile to our faces and what’s the point of living if we don’t enjoy it?
So you’re convinced you need to play more, but aren’t sure how to make it happen. Well, Chelsea Calhoun of Groove Dance Fitness and I have partnered together to bring you PLAY – Play. Love. Achieve Youthfulness. PLAY is an innovative program designed to help you transition into a healthier lifestyle that is carefree and effortless. Our interactive approach and informal group setting provides an opportunity for maximum support and growth. You’ll find enjoyment in discovering new foods, experiencing alternative forms of traditional physical activity and practicing self-nourishment.
We’ll show you how to PLAY spontaneously, how to schedule in PLAYtime and how to incorporate PLAY into life’s seemingly mundane tasks. If you’re interested in learning a few powerful tools to bring more PLAY and joy into your daily routine, please join us for a FREE orientation on February 6th at 7pm at Signature Blue Events. Chelsea and I will give you a taste of how PLAY can help you create a vibrant, joyful life. This winter’s program at Signature Blue Events will focus on mindful eating, cravings, hydration and how to make movement an integral part of your day.
Looking ahead, we’ll be offering PLAY Detox in March. This program will give you the tools needed to incorporate a gentle, yet effective cleansing program into your spring cleaning routine. By detoxing your body with the help of an experienced Health Coach and Nutritional Consultant and Fitness Professional, you will have more energy, clearer thinking and better digestion. You will spend one week easing into and planning for the detox, two weeks detoxing and one week re-introducing foods and preparing the body for a healthy new routine. For more information, visit PLAY Detox. There is a special discount for participants who sign up for both PLAY and PLAY detox.
In the meantime, stay tuned here for PLAYtips…
Be Grateful.
In order to make room for more blessings, we first need to count the blessings we currently have in our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season and to forget what truly matters. Consider naming then things that you are truly thankful for every morning when you wake up. Your blessings can range from the comfy sheets on your bed to your children and other significant others. It’s important to affirm the gifts the Universe has given us to remind us how lucky we are to be here so we take nothing for granted.
Be Bad.
If you don’t get all your decorations in place, gifts perfectly wrapped or your Holiday cards signed and mailed, let it go. There will be other Holidays. How fortunate are we to have homes to decorate? Gifts to wrap? Friends and family to send cards too? Amen to that! We often have unhealthy expectations of ourselves and other people that result in undue stress. Enjoy this time of year. Only do what you’re moved to do. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with your friends and neighbors and make unrealistic goals for yourself. Let it go and lose the guilt. Your friends and family will still love you. I promise.
Remember Self-Nourishment.
We often have a tendency to get caught up in doing things for others during the Holidays. Just remember that you’re only as good to others as you are to yourself. If you don’t recharge, how effective will you really be? Incorporate down time. It will go a long way to keeping you chipper and energized during the Holidays. Your family and friends will thank you. Plus, this is a great time of year to re-connect with ourselves and reflect on what our souls are calling us to do and who to be.
Get Out & Get Moving.
It’s really important for both our physical and mental health to step out into the sunshine and fresh air this time of year. If you’re limited by daylight hours and can’t take a walk at lunch, bundle up and venture out with a loved one on a starry night. Regardless of whether or not you can get out, it’s important to continue to exercise this time of year in particular because it helps with blood sugar regulation which tends to be an issue for many of us when we’re surrounded by sugar-laden treats. It’s also helpful to soak up vitamin D when you can which is essential for a healthy immune system
Slow Down.
Although, you want to keep moving, you also don’t want to swing in the complete opposite direction and overdo it. Make sure that you take time for yourself. In addition to incorporating some daily self-nourishment techniques, be careful of how many obligations you take on this Holiday season. We have a tendency to try and make every event in addition to hosting our own events, no matter how unrealistic or unpleasant this may be. Make a conservative plan of how many events you can attend and/or host this month and stick to it! If you feel like being alone, honor that. It’s important to take time to connect with ourselves and refill that well. Although it seems counter-intuitive, we are more productive and grounded when we take some extra time each day to relax and recharge. Remember that old saying. Don’t worry. Be happy.
I can’t believe it’s August. As a kid, I remember that I would start to get sad this time of year because September was around the corner which meant that the end of my summer vacation was also near. I just wanted to continue to PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Do you remember structuring your entire day around play? I thought about play constantly and worked as efficiently as possible on chores and homework so that I could get my keister outside for some non-stop fun. Nothing was more important…well, except maybe dinner but it was even hard to drag me inside for that. What were some of my favorite forms of play? Well I enjoyed running around and screaming like a crazy person for starters. I enjoyed games with my brother, Shawn, and our friends such as red light, green light, TV tag, kick the can, A-Team, etc. Of course we loved tromping through the woods and creek nearby, swimming in our neighbors pool, playing on the swing set, developing dance routines (sorry to put you out there like that Shawn, but you have to admit our Puttin’ on the Ritz routine was pretty fly), playing catch, training our poor dog to climb trees and jump through hoops, riding our bikes, skate boarding, playing in the dirt…the list goes on and on. It’s funny how as I’ve gotten older, my play list has gotten much shorter. Well, recently, I’ve decided that I need to expand my play list again and I hope that you’ll join me.
First, what is considered play? Sometimes we consider play exercise or working on some fun creative project. Now this can be play, of course, but let’s think back to our childhoods. Play is something that we do for pure enjoyment that integrates our mind, body and spirit and creates excitement. Professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Sutton-Smith considers play an alternative cultural form, like art and music. He says play is anxiety—complete with uncertainty—but without the adrenaline and endocrine response. So it’s a healthy form of stimulation unlike stress. We know how detrimental stress can be both to our physical and mental health. Stress can create illness and depression. We’ve all experienced that. So what’s a great remedy? PLAY! I encourage you to think about one form of play that you can integrate into your life this week. It has to be fun and serve no other purpose than to make you smile, laugh and love life. Try it. You may notice a shift in your mental outlook or increased energy. You may notice that you enjoy your responsibilities much more when you make time for play and are much more efficient with your time. Most of all, the people in your life will enjoy your presence that much more because play is contagious.
Just remember, play holds the power of possibility.
Play. Love. Achieve Youthfulness.
Are you looking to connect with your best self? Play. Love. Achieve Youthfulness (P.L.AY.) is about having fun and staying young at heart! Health Coach and Nutritional Consultant, Kim Rush Lynch, and Fitness Professional, Chelsea Calhoun will use food and movement to show you how to create vibrant health and fun in your busy life. This three-month program is designed to help you transition into a healthier lifestyle. Their interactive approach and informal group setting provides an opportunity for maximum support and growth. You’ll find enjoyment in discovering what foods and exercises work best for your beautiful body. P.L.AY. members will receive up to 15% off select Cultivating Health and Groove Dance Fitness services. Program begins this October! For more information, visit www.greenbeltplay.com.