Happy Friday! For this week’s edition of Friday Focus I thought I’d ramble about what’s top of mind for me these days as well as common themes I’ve come across this week. So let’s get started:
Stevia based cokes: I was over at a friends’ house for dinner and they were raving about stevia based cokes. I decided to give Blue Sky (root beer flavor) a try and was amazed! It truly tasted like root beer and brought back some childhood memories. While I couldn’t finish the whole can (there’s just too much stevia!) I thought it was good enough to go to Whole Foods and pick up a 6 pack along with a stevia based ginger ale from Zevia. This time, I stuck a can in the freezer for 35 minutes and it was icy enough where it was delicious as well.
Personally, I have to really be in the mood to finish a whole can; the stevia taste is just too overpowering! What’s crazy is that just 2 years ago I was the person who HAD to have a can of diet coke at 10am every single day. It wasn’t until I got adrenal fatigue when one morning I cracked open a can and literally spit it out. My body was telling me no bueno and what I thought would be a temporary cut from my diet became a life long change – for the better. These days I can’t imagine how in the world I used to drink that stuff!
HRV: This morning I saw a new indicator on the Elite HRV app indicating I should focus on active recovery or take a rest day. I took it to heart and went for a 4 mile walk and did a bunch of foam rolling at the gym. I truly think the body knows what to do… we just need to take the time to learn to listen to our bodies.
When I was doing the 50 minute aerobic based workout yesterday I noticed that by minute 40 I was TIRED. No doubt about it. So it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see that I needed a rest day. Now would I have taken the rest day had I not had a second source of reason? Probably not.
Fear is just a STATE: I’m learning more and more we are what we think. Which explain why when we are in a negative state it’s so hard to cut back on the momentum already existing to believe yourself OUT of the state, because we’ve already convinced ourselves of the fear, anger, or anxiety. However, if we are what we think in negative states that means we are also what we think in POSITIVE states. So why not do our best to stay in this positive state? It’s been a constant theme this week and I am loving the reminders.
Who or what is your quickest energy boost?: On a related note to states of mind, it’s important to know who, or what, act as YOUR quickest way for an energy boost. For me, it’s talking to certain people in my life. It’s the quickest way to get me to laugh and remember what’s most important. Another quick energy boost is a hard core workout. Nothing like getting in the zone and some heavy breathing to put you in the moment!
Energy boosts are wide ranging and can vary from person to person. It could be that you need to treat yourself to a cup of coffee, take a nap, saying no to social media and reading a good book, going out to dinner instead of stressing about making dinner yourself, etc. It’s important to identify your top 3 and keep it handy for those moments when you need it most.
Here’s to another weekend filled with connection, love, peace, and nature.
Namaste.