Improve your life - 6 Tips to get you started...

A new year, change of season and (actually) every day is an opportunity to start incorporating new habits into your life that will help improve your health, life and overall body, mind, spirit balance. Here are 6 tips to get you started...

1. Get Outside

No matter the weather where you live ... make it a point to dress appropriate - especially if you are living in areas like me, where the temps have been hitting -40 C. Get outside everyday for at least 10 minutes. This is great for helping to clear your mind, breathe in fresh air and connecting with nature.

2. Expand Your Knowledge

image credit: August US Vogue 2010

Learning is a life long thing. This year start expanding your mind - make reading part of your daily life; or learn about a topic that interests you. Exercising our mind is as easy as using it.

3. Explore

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Broaden your horizons ...get out of your comfort zone and travel to a place where you do not speak the language or have never visited. Travel is a learning experience not only about another culture - but also about yourself. If you are daring travel on your own.

4. Discover Smart Casual

image credit Google

When we work from a home office or are a stay at home mom/wife - or in my case are recovering from an injury it's easy to develop "Sweatpant Syndrome". I hear you ... you want comfort, but let me tell you never underestimate how much the way you look affects the way you feel. So, make sure you shower, do your hair, apply some make-up (a little lipstick, blush and mascara) and most important get out of your jammies or sweats - Jennifer Aniston is one of my fav inspirations for comfy smart casual wear. Not only will your confidence and productivity increase, you are ready to - when someone calls and asks if you would like to meet for lunch or you find you need to go out an run an errand.

5. Get Social Face to Face

It's important to have a balanced life - that means making time to actually spend and share time with family and friends. And time via social media - does not count. Technology may enable us to connect virtually - but there is no replacement for face to face human interaction.

6. Take 30

Women are known to take care of everyone else's needs ...but when it comes to our self, we often forget to make time in our day for us. Make 2014 the year that you make time for you to re-energize and self-care. Here are links to posts from 2013 that offer suggestions for how to get the most of 30 minutes each day to help balance you body, mind, and spirit. 

Are You worth 30 Minutes in YOUR day? , A Cup of Tea and a Facial mask - 30 minutes for you , 30 minutes with a Cup of Tea ...week 2 , Getting Outside with a Cup of Tea , Meditation and a Cup of Tea, Afternoon Tea Make it Part of your Day, You Haven't had a Bath since ....????

What are you doing to improve your body, mind and spirit?


Stay in Step with High Heeled Life ...

The Other Side Of Thin ... Part One

For as long as I can recall I have always been referred to as "petite" both in height (5'2 1/2") ~ yes that half inch matters, just ask any 5' something gal..LOL.~  and body size.  In 2006 my weight was steady between 110 - 117 lbs. ; I was wearing a size two, and shopping for clothes, bathing suits, even shoes was a breeze. This had been my normal for the previous 10 or so years. Now this isn't the first time I have mentioned needing to loose a little weight nor the first time I write about the importance of eating/living healthy ~ just in March I wrote about it Here and Here. What is different this time is that for the first time in my life, I'm feeling what it's like to be on the other side of thin; Yup, all 145 lbs of me!

I know what some of you may be thinking ~ "But you have been through so much the past five years"; "You know, when you are forty-something it's not as easy to keep it off"; "Meds, you know, they really make you retain water and put on the weight"; " You know, now you have limits, you really should be grateful you are alive, don't worry ~ IT happens to all of us sooner or later" my personal favourite "You look so healthy, you have gained weight!". Yes, someone (actually 2 persons) have told me the last statement recently. And yes, each statement is true (well the last one, in my opinion I looked very good and healthy before) but I was never one for excuses and  well I'm not about to start now.  The reality is that I'm not able to be as active I do have some limitations now, and yes meds and perhaps age are contributors; but I just do not feel comfortable. Clothes no longer fit and when I am able to get them on - they certainly don't look like they did even a year ago. I'm no longer comfortable in my own skin, physically and emotionally. This feeling is something I knew about, but it was foreign, unknown , it did not apply to me,  until now.

The irony here is that as I made my way through Chic & Slim the original by Anne Barone ( it is a fabulous must read) a bag of Easter jelly beans, you know the yummy sugary ones in the softest of colours, kept some how finding it's way to my hand and these must have been some magic Easter jelly beans ... once close enough jumped from hand to mouth in large groups! Can you believe the nerve, of these little beans?

We have all heard "French women don't get fat" well I can tell you on my trips to Paris I have seen some women who my wonderful friends may refer to as "healthy". But , there is a difference ~ these women are toned, and don't try to hide under sweat suits, canopy  large dresses ~ they remain comfortable in their skin! and what they also have is will power. They may have REALLY enjoyed the holiday menu , but they will not  deprive themselves of the foods they love and they will only eat what they truly savour. Before you can blink, they are back to zipping up their little black dress and attending the next holiday affair.

So, looking back on my journey to the other side of thin; there are some obvious contributors that were/are beyond my control, so instead of dwelling on them I am going to work on what I can change.

While growing up in Portugal ... my grandmother would always say "Noa seja gulosa comer so o que voce realmente gosta"  when it was time for the dessert table ... in other words don't be greedy and eat all the sweets, eat only what you really enjoy. This style of eating which I learned as a small child had grown with me through my youth and into adulthood, not only with desserts but food as well. So, this my friends is how I'm going to look at food ~ I'm going to ask myself "do I really enjoy this food? and truly savour each bite" in hopes of stopping the revolving door of eating just to eat, which somehow has become the norm. Eating needs to be viewed as part of one's lifestyle, thus it needs to fit accordingly.

Do you eat only what you really enjoy ? and truly savour it ....

or Do you find yourself eating just because it's there? 

An Award & 7 New Things

What a surprise, I received this Award button from the very inspiring Sandy of Getting Fit and Loving it. Reading her posts is both inspirational and her wit always brings a smile to my day. I recently had the privilege to give this award to Sandy – and that she would honour me with it as well, was very touching. I hope I continue to inspire Sandy as she does me, and that anyone who stops by for a visit finds some inspiration.

The rules of the award are; the recipient list 7 things about herself: so here in keeping with the rules - I’m submitting 7 “new” things – for the original 7 click here.

7 – things about me:

1) I miss the my Father dearly

2) The rebel in the family (I’m the eldest of 3)

3) Carmel is my favourite ice-cream topping

4) If I could only eat one type of food – it would be Seafood (all shell fish)

5) Oysters and champagne are my all time fav.

6) I’m not a fan of spicy food

7) I have been to Hong Kong and Thailand

Then pass the award on ...

These blogs certainly are versatile - the authors cover lifestyle and all its bits... I present to you ...

The next recipients of the Versatile Award:

Trying to Look Fab in your Forties - Your fashion finds and witting writting both inspire and make me smile.

French Mademoiselle - Your look of the week posts have been a great inspiration in rebuilding my wardrobe... your food blog Paris Pastry - can't wait to be able to start trying out the fabulous recipes you share.

Champagne & Macarons - I can't help but feel uplifted when I visit C&M's Blog ... love the music! and your images always inspire me in fashion, interior design or just life.

Castles Crowns and Cottages - Anita, the images and beautiful music on your Blog bring a sense of peace and simpler time - often forgotten. Your writing is exquisite and you are most inspiring.

I would also like to take this opportunity to award Life in Quotations with a very special award for reaching 101 followers!!! Congratulations my friend!!! His blog has inspired me to open up more in my own writing, in hopes that it will also help others. No topic is taboo with this exceptional, thought provoking writer - emotional, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, philosophical, social, physical - he and his readers cover it all, in a respectful manner. Take a moment to explore Life in Quotations and congratulate him on breaking the 101 bench mark - we all so eagerly hope to reach.

Of course every award comes with a little extra work, so my friend - you are required to list 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today. Then as blog sites that inspire you, reach 101 followers - you are to pass it on.