Are you feeling energetic or feeling fatigued?

More often than not, the answer to that question is fatigued.

People are feeling more fatigued than ever and are puzzled about what they can do about it.

One thing’s for sure, many people are looking for energy in all the wrong places.

Let’s not focus on the wrong places!

Instead, let’s focus on the right solutions to becoming an energized you.

It’s important to understand that energy is a by-product.

It’s a by-product of a healthy lifestyle that includes adequate sleep, limiting sugar intake, and many other healthy choices you can make.

Here are some other suggestions:

1. Stop making excuses! Instead, start making exercise a priority. Exercise helps with energy. It adds years to your life, and life to your years. Even 15-20 minutes will boost your energy. Run, squat, do jumping jacks, dance, throw a frisbee around; whatever, just do it and the energy boost will follow.

2. Unclutter your life.

This is one of my personal favorites. The more clutter, the less energy.

I’ve seen it time and time again. Make a plan to set time aside to unclutter your life and living space.

Start small if this is really a challenge for you, and just keep making progress. If you need some help, hire someone.

Organize and unclutter and so much energy will be freed up, you’ll be amazed.

3. Energize your Chi.

Chi is your life force and there are times when it’s out of balance.

When it’s out of balance your energy will be disrupted and weakened. When your Chi is flowing smoothly and at optimal levels, you feel like you can take on the world.

One great way to balance and energize your Chi is through acupuncture.

4. Support your liver.

When your liver isn’t functioning well your energy will diminish. These vegetables support your liver: carrots, beets, garlic, and artichokes.

5. Disconnect from information overload.

Pick a day and make it a media-free day. No email, TV, or radio.

Watch your energy accumulate rather than flow out to all these distractions. Yes, you need some information, but information overload is a challenge for us all.

I recently did this for five days and it made a huge difference in my own energy level.

Start fixing your fatigue with these 5 strategies. You’ll feel more energetic, and full of life!

shelli

There are many prescription drugs available to treat all kinds of menopause symptoms, but I’m a firm believer in natural remedies.

The choice is up to you, but if you want to join me in working with natural remedies, here are a few ideas for you to try.

1. Yoga works for many women. Yoga may not be for every woman but it’s a popular choice. Join a class or use a video. Gather a few of your women friends and practice yoga in your own home. You could even bring in a yoga teacher to design a home based yoga program that addresses menopause symptoms.

2. Use acupuncture. Find a practitioner who has experience treating women going through the middle age transition. Acupuncture is very effective. Often herbal remedies are combined with the treatments.

3. Hot flashes are often the worst menopausal symptom. The simplest natural remedy you can use is deep breathing. Slow breaths can reduce the severity of the hot flashes and will relax you. For many women drinking a hot cup of herbal tea helps ease hot flashes.

4. Making dietary changes, limiting alcohol consumption, and exercising are all natural ways to relieve menopause symptoms. In general, clean up your diet limiting sugar, caffeine and processed foods. Instead choose fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins.

While you don’t have an option about going through menopause, you CAN decrease the side effects and symptoms naturally.

Start with these four basic ideas and see what works for you!

shelli

“Shelli, thanks for the blog post. It was a nudge into looking at life in a fresh way.”

This reminded me that we all need a nudge into looking at life in a fresh way.

It’s truly amazing how routine we can all be.

Of course, some routine is great, but being ALL routine gets stale and lacks a certain creativity and energy.

One way in which we tend to become overly routine oriented is in forgetting to sample life’s treasures.

After all, life is a treasure chest filled with so many wonderful choices.

A friend was telling me that she lives in an area of the country that has many cultural offerings, wineries, athletic events and historic sights. And during her years of living there she realized she had only sampled a few of these options.

This point hit home.

Having grown up in New York, I felt embarrassed when tourists told me all that they’d seen and done, realizing how few of these sights and events I had actually seen and done.

If you’re feeling like you’re up for some new samplings and fresh ways of looking at life, try some new foods, new recipes, new activities and new fitness routines.

“Same old same old” has its place.

However, infusing your life with a fresh way of looking and doing has its place too.

Need a nudge?

Read through the Activemenopauselifestyle blog posts and you’ll find many ideas like the one that prompted this woman to email me!

The other day I got such a nice compliment.

“You have really healthy looking skin. Do you do anything special?”

That got me thinking, do I do anything special?

As I look back over the years, one of the practices that I’ve enjoyed that’s an example of taking special care of my skin is called skin brushing.

Now I don’t mean the kind of treatment you’d get in a spa in Baden Baden where they rub and scrub until you cry for mercy. I’m talking about a much gentler approach to skin care!

Before I get to the how of skin brushing, let’s visit the WHY to skin brush.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body.

It also plays a large role in detoxification, so think of your skin as an organ of elimination.

Skin brushing aids your lymph system in clearing itself of the many toxins that enter your lymph glands. By improving the detoxification of metabolic waste, you also keep bacteria from gathering in your body.

On the outside you’ll improve your circulation by keeping your pores open and ready to handle detoxification.

It will also eliminate any dead cells that have accumulated. Your skin can easily become clogged from pollution, as well as synthetic personal care products and clothes, so keeping your pores open is important.

With brushing, your skin will look and feel more resilient and healthy.

How to skin brush:

1. Buy a NATURAL bristle brush. A synthetic one will scratch rather than brush your skin.

2. Look for a brush with a long handle. You want to be able to reach all over your body.

3. Brush before your shower or bath. Skin brushing every day is fine.

4.Don’t wet your skin before you brush. Brush your skin when it’s dry.

5. Skin brush towards your heart for the best detoxification possible. 

6. Brush the soles of your feet first. The nerve endings in your feet affect your whole body. Then work your way up your legs to your stomach and buttocks and then your hands and arms.

7. Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on your abdomen.

8. Use light strokes over and around your breasts. Do not brush your nipples.

9. Brush each part of your body as vigorously as feels good. Brush your whole body.

10. Take your bath or shower. End with a cool rinse to stimulate blood circulation.

Remember, skin brushing is good because it:

· Tightens skin.

· Aids digestion.

· Stimulates circulation.

· Increases cell renewal.

· Cleanses lymphatic glands.

· Removes dead skin.

· Strengthens immune system function.

Skin brushing is a cleansing process.

I also think it feels good.

It only takes a few minutes, will leave you feeling refreshed and energized, and helps you detoxify your largest organ!

Use skin brushing for natural glowing skin and let me know how it feels!

shelli

Do you know this quote by 19th century English physicist, Michael Faraday?

“Nothing is too wonderful to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.”

He was actually talking about electromagnetism, but if you ask me, there can be other ways to apply his idea.

In thinking about the laws of nature I’m going to stretch the meaning to include what I think of as the laws of natural living.

Here’s an example.

I recently spent some time with a couple in their mid-sixties. They had all kinds of physical ailments, low energy and very limited mobility.

While it’s true that I am 10 years younger than they are, you would have thought the age difference was more like 20 years.

I do not have physical ailments, low energy or limited mobility.

The difference between me and this couple?

I truly feel it’s the difference in the way we’ve approached the laws of natural living.

I’m calling them laws because just like gravity is considered a law of nature, I believe there are laws of natural living that will greatly influence each and every one of us when it comes to things like physical ailments, energy and mobility.

What are some of the laws of natural living?

As I see it, they’re things like honoring your body by not overeating and getting fat.

And it’s not just overeating, it’s what you’re eating as well.

It’s having an active lifestyle so that you move your body and enjoy your body and all the wonderful things it’s capable of.

It’s knowing yourself well enough to know when stress is getting the best of you, and doing something to handle it.

I’m sure you could expand on this list and add some laws of your own.

It’s important to recognize that we are responsible for differentiating between the laws of UNnatural living and the toll they’ll take on us physically, mentally and spiritually, and the natural laws that support and contribute to us having the healthiest and most vibrant life possible!

It is wonderful and not too good to be true that when you make choices consistent with the laws of nature, abundant health can be yours!

Do you consider yourself lucky?

Do you know someone you think of as having all the luck, and you call them a lucky duck?

It’s interesting how we view luck.

Some say luck is preparedness meeting opportunity.

There’s also the expression “born under a lucky star.”

Some people seem to have the Midas touch and all they touch turns to gold. They seem to get lucky breaks followed by more lucky breaks.

I DO consider myself lucky.

I have abundant health, a profession I enjoy and wonderful relationships.

While I’ve had my share of lucky breaks and serendipity, I must admit that I do feel like I also go out and MAKE my luck.

How?

Glad you asked!

Here are some ideas as to how I approach creating my good luck:

1. Get out there. I admit, my naturally outgoing personality makes this one look easy but I still have to practice getting out there. The more you do this the more you’ll come across opportunities and the helpful people who go along with those opportunities.

Meet new people. Learn something new about the people you already know. Ask questions. Develop a curious nature.

Put yourself out there so that luck will find you!

2. Go with your gut. Trusting and believing your gut reactions to life can be helpful. Our instincts can guide us.

There’s the intellectual approach to life, which has its place, but don’t forget to make room for your instincts to help you make decisions.

Start to notice if your luck comes from the times you let your gut be your guide. This will help you trust your gut feelings in the future.

3. Grab the silver lining. If you think of those people you consider lucky, I’ll bet one trait they have is making lemonade out of lemons.

They seem to find something positive to take out of every situation, even when they are out of luck. Misery loves company, and lady luck does too.

Fortune seems to go to the fortunate, so find some positive aspect you can focus on in every situation and create your own luck.

These 3 G’s: get, go and grab, can be applied to all aspects of your life.

Want better health, want to enjoy your life more or want to feel more fulfilled in your relationships?

Work with these three approaches and see if you find more opportunities meeting with your preparedness. I’m betting on lady luck that you do!

shelli

No matter what your sport or what your health and fitness goals are in life, here are 5 perspectives to use that will enhance your experience, guaranteed!

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Be thankful for your body.

It’s such a gift to be able to be physically active and see your body support you in your physical endeavors.

You likely put many hours into your training, so sometimes it’s easy to forget and take for granted our body’s response to the load we place on it.

Recall how far you’ve come as an athlete and how much progress you’ve made.

Play golf?

Recall how awkward you were during the early days on the driving range.

Swim?

Remember when you could barely swim two laps in the pool?

Training for a marathon?

It’s taken months of dedication and adaptation running mile after mile.

Sometimes when you stop and realize where you WERE as an athlete and how much progress you’ve made, it’s quite an eye opener.

Think about injuries you’ve overcome, obstacles you’ve busted through and choices you’ve had to make to enjoy an active lifestyle.

None of these are easy to handle, so bring that attitude of gratitude with you as you pursue activities that bring you pleasure and you’ll enjoy them even more!

Believe

Believe in yourself.

It’s easy to get discouraged and think you won’t ever reach your goals. Setbacks happen, it’s normal.

Get back in the game and start from where you find yourself and keep going!

Surround yourself with a good community of like-minded people and learn to use their support. They’ll help you stay the course, however, the core belief in yourself must come from you.

Understand your Nutrition and Hydration Needs

As an athlete and active woman you should know what your nutrition and hydration needs are.

Don’t get caught up in what someone else is doing. You have your own needs.

Also, make sure to learn what it takes for your body to recover. Being smart about your recovery time is essential to keeping yourself training long into the future.

Stay in the Moment

I know you’ve heard this before, but it can be tricky to really grasp what it means.

Simply put, stay tuned in to what’s happening with your body.

Stay present in both your mind and body to what you’re experiencing.

Stay focused on what you are doing and how you’re feeling while you’re exercising, training, or racing.

You can do a body scan asking yourself questions such as: am I feeling hydrated, how is my heart rate, how do I feel?

Think about what you are doing in this moment.

Don’t fall into the mental trap of spending too much time in future planning.

For instance, if you’re out for a hike and your thoughts turn to “what am I going to have for dinner tonight?” it’s likely that you’re probably hungry and should take in some fuel NOW!

Staying present fosters a sense of enjoyment and enriches your experience and memory of what you’re doing.

It takes practice, so if you’re not already working with this idea, start now.

It’s All About the Journey

I know, this sounds like a platitude but it’s really true.

As athletes we reach for new goals and experiences. We can be overly result-oriented so we have a tendency to forget to enjoy the journey and focus too much on our improvement or lack of results as a measure of success.

I train many first time marathoners.

The first goal I look to instill in them is that they finish the marathon with a smile on their face!

Their result time for that first marathon is insignificant compared to having a great experience. There is only one first, and I want them to enjoy it and perhaps even think about doing it again. It requires that their mindset focus on the journey!

There will always be rough spots and obstacles to overcome if we’re active and pursue an active lifestyle.

I think these five focuses help us keep one foot in front of the other, doing our best and moving forward.

Your perspective is key to how you’ll experience your life, so add these five to your perspective checklist and let them enrich your active lifestyle!

shelli