Jump Rope

I seem to be on the whole health kick thing right now, which I could probably continue blogging about for ages, but I will spare you for a while after this little tidbit. My new favorite form of exercise after running is JumpRope. It's fun, can be enjoyed with other people, and best of all there are a ton of different ways you can do it. Oh and I can't forget to let you know about all its benefits: Easy to use, You can take it with you anywhere, One of most efficient forms of exercise you can do, works all muscle groups, can improve timing and coordination, Plus it is great for cross training. I sound a bit like a wacko right now but whatever. Even if you only have 10 min Jump Rope! I guarantee you will break a sweat (if you do it continuously). I'm only telling you this because I didn't really ever think about it before I started jump roping a lot, and now I swear by it. So go get a jump rope, or just use a rope, whatever and get to work. It will pay off. 

Eat Healthy

So now that I'm on the Pepsi kick, I have something else to try. I haven't always had the best food habits, but the past few year or so I have been trying harder to fix that. (Not saying that I had horrible habits before, just a bit of a sweet tooth that needed to be put under control). So I started talking to my trainer a lot about it and have talked to a nutritionist a few times. Recently, I have been on quite a health kick (except for my Birthday tomorrow...I will excuse myself). Anyhow I have been focusing on eating natural foods such as fruits and vegetables and have been eating a lot of fish, eggs, and chicken for my proteins. I eat minimal bread and carbs, every few days maybe some oatmeal, but mainly I get my carbs through the fruits and vegetables- Love yams! Instead of eating three meal throughout the day I eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day to help build my metabolism and keep me energized throughout the day. 

The Result: I feel better, I am happier. I want to workout, which I love doing anyway though. Best of all I feel like my whole aura is better, I am more personable, alert, and healthier, as I have avoided getting sick in several cases that I could've due to my improved lifestyle habits. 

Refresh Everything

Ok Pepsi, Refresh Everything? I get where your going with it, and yes you do have some cool new ads. But, just one thing bothers me- Pepsi is a soft drink. How can you refresh everything with a soft drink. A soft drink is packed with sugar and unnatural chemicals your body does not like. How exactly is that refreshing? Yes you are right it's not. I don't mean to pick, but truthfully it's the same with any other soft drink also, you just happen to be my unlucky target right now. Soft drinks are in no way good for you, and are in fact detrimental to an individuals health. So try Refreshing Everything with water, something you actually need. 

Take a Walk

If you're stressed out or need to relax and have time to yourself, take a walk. Go to a park, or just take a walk up the street, around the block or whatever. I go on walks or to the park several times a week with my puppy. A walk is peaceful and gives you time to think and reflect. When I get back home I always feel refreshed, re-energized and often inspired by nature's beauty. I feel empowered and ready to take on anything. So go on a walk and think of it as a mini getaway, because it is if you let your imagination take you there. The pictures are my favorite places to go walking...my puppy included.

Find an Ad you Like

This commercial absolutely fascinates me, despite it being a bit too long. The way in which it was put together is remarkable. I can't imagine the patience and time it took to create it. It took 606 attempts to get it right, but obviously it payed off because it finally worked and the outcome is incredible. I know it's somewhat old, but GO Wieden + Kennedy (London)! For this innovative way to sell a car by using its parts instead of the typical driving through a  mountain pass. Mind you, this is real and no computer graphics were used. Oh also it is the world costliest commercial at about $6.2 million. AMAZING!

Experiment

Ha so I'm doing a little experiment because I have a very hard time paying attention and engaging as I'll often have a conversation with someone and not be able to recall much of it, if any at all. It's peculiar because when it is happening I'm conscious that I'm doing it...I am there but I am not present. So during one of my night classes the other night, I observed why I was doing this while I was sitting in class and this is what I came up with:

Why am I not paying attention?

Because I'm thinking, to pay attention I have to watch, but often I get uninterested after only moments. 

My eyes are tired, but I don' feel tired- maybe its the environment- the lighting kind of sucks in here, actually it is quite terrible and hurts my eyes. So I would rather look down at my paper because it is pretty and a crisp white compared to this cruddy lighting surrounding me. My paper is begging to be written on, drawn on- although watching my Professor is rather amusing because he paces back and forth as if in deep thought yet all the while is lecturing. In addition to pacing he makes funny facial expressions that make me laugh and when he smiles you can tell he's happy. He loves to move his hands around while he talks, he almost can't talk without doing something with them.

Welcome to the mind of someone who is ADD. Yes, crazy right? That was honestly my thought process for about 3 minutes out of my 2 hour and 50 minute class. Needless to say I'm working on it and observing when and why I pay attention so I can figure out how to engage and be more conscious of my actions. (The experiment is still in play, will update when more information has been gathered and observed)

Listen

Apparently the sound doesn't work so great on this but for my computer it's fine so I wrote out the lines for you just in case. This is a clip from the movie The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

 Soc: You will never be better, same way you will never be less than anybody else. Habit is the problem all you need to do is be conscious about your choices and responsible for your actions. 

Dan: Is that why out of all the people you could've taught you chose me.

Soc: You chose me

Dan: Why should I believe you, you taught me yourself to listen to my own intuition 

Soc: How do you know that I'm not your own intuition speaking to you right now?

Dan: You mean maybe I made you up? Don't mess with me like that.

This movie is based of the book The Way of the Peaceful Warrior which I read several years ago, and is one of my Top 10 favorite books. I chose to share this passage mainly because of the first line said by Soc " You will never be better, same way you will never be less than anybody else..."

This statement piqued my interest and stuck with me after watching the movie. I still continue to think about it because it is so true, yet no one seems to realize it. Often people will treat others as nothing to them. Continuously demeaning those that are seemingly less important than themselves (as they see it). But it is ironic because although every individual possesses their own strengths and weaknesses some people feel that they are more entitled or better than others because they perhaps have a "better" job, are book smart, have more money, own a nice car, have a beautiful garden, are a talented musician, an excellent athlete, the list goes on and on. We get so wrapped up in everything else and build up this huge image in our mind that we forget we were all created equally and for our own purpose. What's most important is that we do what we love because we enjoy it and can wake up everyday and be happy to do what we do. It's just what we do with the time we have that make us different, but by no means better than another human.