NOVEMBER 2015 Favorites & Inspirational Findings - #LifestyleFriday

At the beginning of each month, I count the blessings and misfortunes of the previous one. Welcome to #LifestyleFriday November Favorites & Inspirational Findings  Edition!

MONTHLY FAVORITES

Salmon is still my favourite food! Especially when I find new ways to cook and enjoy it. This month I made it into medium sized fishballs, and served it next to vegetable rice. Delicious!

Since I began my yoga practice, inversions have been one of my favourite poses. Prasarita Padottanasana, or Wide Legged Forward Fold, is a mild inversion, that calms the nervous system, calms anxiety and stretches the back legs among many other benefits.

It has helped me unwind and let go of steam whenever I felt like I needed to cool off. You might think that is not a big deal to fold forward like this, but you’ll be surprised at how much your feet and legs have to work to execute it correctly (and safely!).

Here’s how Yoga Journal teaches it, and this is how Adriene taught me. Choose your favourite. They are equally useful, but my money’s been on Mrs. Mishler for more than a year now! Hehe!

Relaxation has been the best so far this month. I have been meditating twice a day for 10 minutes each, since May this year and let me tell you: VISUALISATION RULES! If you are a visual person like me, you’ll totally resonate with putting your mind at ease in your very own zen garden.

Focus on the breath and immerse yourself into plush white clouds, green meadows with calm lakes, big trees with lots of shade and scream on top of a mountain! Let the mind be calm. Let the mind unwind! You need it!

INSPIRATIONAL FINDINGS

This November, Mr. Dale Carnegie caught my attention with his world-renowned “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. A classic for self-development and everybody who wants to be liked and respected by people. Nevermind that it’s been written in 1936! It’s teachings are still of value. It has taught me to respect, listen to and give back to people in order to even have the nerve to expect admiration and love. How you are with them draws the image they associate with you in their minds. Please use warm and cheerful colors! The world has enough shades of gray (pun intended!)

Once again, Chase Jarvis makes his way onto my list of inspirational people! Beginning with CreativeLive and arriving at his new YouTube series called #cjRAW, this man’s creative journey has caught my attention for years now. Photography, chasing your own dream, the climb to finding your passion in life, constant learning and the importance of education are the points in which I find similarities. Is that enough? Hehe!

Adriene Mishler is a daily presence when I’m on the yoga mat. Her fun classes and insightful tips and tricks makes you feel and accept that your body can do more than the mind can think of doing. Once you understand that and focus on the breath and sensations in the body, Mrs Mishler’s mission is fullfilled. Find what feels good and you’ll find yourself.

The Ikonnians, like someone named them, have done it again! After being outrunned by Gary Vee, Tim Ferris and Chase last month, Mimi and Alex Ikonn were back in my daily playlist on YouTube this November! Business made easy, inspiration to pursue your ideas and dreams and to build a sustainable lifestyle while you enjoy every second of it.

Food Matters TV did a free broadcast of four of their most compelling movies about food, health and emotions. These are usually available to purchase on their website, but they decided to share incredible information with their followers, at no cost, but only benefits. “Origins”, “Hungry for Change” and “e-Motion” paint a thriller-ish picture of today’s food industry and food choices available in our supermarkets, plus hidden dangers in our homes and the trapped negative emotions in our bodies and minds. Wholeheartedly, the most insightful documentaries I have seen in a while now.

THANK YOU!

I am so grateful for all of you! For reading the blog, for retweeting, for liking on Facebook and on Instagram. For simply being there to listen. It is so important for me to stay in touch with you guys and make my message be heard. 2016 will be full of surprises! Stick around!

This was all for this week’s #LifestyleFriday! Thanks for being here!

You can Subscribe in the upper right hand corner.

Love,

Alexis

NOVEMBER 2015 Health Review, Tips & Quick Recipe - #HealthyThursday

At the beginning of each month, I count the blessings and misfortunes of the previous one. Welcome to #HealthyThursday November Health Review, Tips & Quick Recipe Edition! Keep reading to find out more.

MS STATUS UPDATE

Since last month, I’ve seen my MS act up a little bit more than usual. Meaning I got faced with new symptoms that went on and off and thus not being able to be considered as relapses. You relapse when you experience a new symptom or an older one acts up differently, the whole issue last longer than 24 hours, and you are at least 30 days apart from your last episode.

There were mostly sensory and visual issues, but concentrated around my premenstrual period, when the body gets inflammed and hot (totally not the type of hotness you would want in a relationship!) from the inside out. Top that with days where my lifestyle schedule got upside down due to urgent stuff, social occasions and cravings and you get multiple sclerosis and emotional mayhem.

I noticed “menthol” sensations down my right front shin. The type of sensation you get when you put a menthol based cream on your body, or that when your body recovers from being numb. It went on and off, but nothing stable. The second thing was some stinging in my left eye. The type of pain that you have when an eyelash falls inside your eye. But trust me, I know how to tell those two apart by now! This also was short-lived, so I got over it.

HEALTH TIPS

The body is a well-oiled machine, that you can fine tune to be the best shape and version of you possible. Have the same sleeping patterns, the same healthy diet and the same amount of exercise daily. Once you get used to that lifestyle, you’ll feel a lot better, trust me. But there is a downside to that also. The brain has to learn new patterns, skills and habits. If you screw that up, not having a constant behavior, it’s going to be confused and act up. It’s important to have a schedule and stick to it.

Daily exercise and stopping to be present in the moment are equally important techniques to master. Moving your body constantly and progressively makes you stronger and more flexible. Staying present in the moment and breathing deeply while you focus on your breath gets you closer to your self and calms your mind. If the body doesn’t move, the mind is racing.

So, this month’s health tip is eat moderately, move more and relax the mind through breathing.

Not stuffing your face makes you feel lighter and boosts up your self confidence. Exercising trims and tones that body to fit into your favorite clothes and being mindful and relaxing with breathing helps you to see things more clearly and have a calmer outlook on your life.

QUICK RECIPE

I know you want it! I know you crave it! It’s your favorite guilty pleasure! Chocolate!

Here’s the gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free recipe that you’ll just fall in love with!

COCONUT HONEY CHOCOLATE

(serves 2; difficulty: easy; time needed: aprox. 5 minutes)

INGREDIENTS:

Basic recipe:

• 6 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted)
• 4 tablespoons of raw honey
• 6 tablespoons of raw cocoa

Add your own twist:

• essence of your liking (rum, vanilla, etc)
• chopped peanuts, goji berries, almonds, etc

HOW IT'S DONE:

• melt the coconut oil over low heat, until it gets liquid (put aside to cool off)

• in a bowl mix together the cocoa, honey, essences and add the oil (use a mixer to get a creamier texture and to speed things up a bit; you could also do this with a spoon)

• after all the ingredients are evenly blended, add the twist of your liking (I didn't today)
• eat it right away if you like, or put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden, take it out and serve with the fruit or topping of your linking (same or other than the ones you used in the mix).

Moderation is advised, as it’s still a sweet treat.

So now you know what to do when those cravings hit home! Hehe!

This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thanks for being here!

You can Subscribe in the upper right hand corner.

Love,

Alexis