The Heart Of A Mother

Wind Markham has been very close to our family for a long time.  She  lives a simple healthful lifestyle and has a lot of experience as a mother.  She has followed a natural, organic, high fresh food regime for eating and she’s been doing it for a long time.  Her 3 children follow in those footsteps.

If you have thought about homeschooling your children, Wind has a unique approach and she offers her wisdom in this interview.

As far as practicing what she teaches, Wind completely lives the life she speaks about and you’ll know it when you listen.

What’s shared in this interview, is truly, The Heart of a Mother.

You can take a look at Wind’s blog HERE

Click Here For Your Free Download Of  The Heart Of A Mother Interview.

Are you the creator of your health or is that someone else’s responsibility?

Originally Posted January 31, 2011

What do you do on a daily basis to make sure your body is getting what it needs?  Do you think it makes a difference what you put in your body?

Surprisingly, there are people, who believe it makes no difference what kind of food they eat at all.  This is rapidly changing, as more people are waking up to the understanding of real health, and becoming aware of how doing different things make a difference.  It’s probably safe to say, anyone who really thinks about it, would admit they think different ways of living do make a difference to some degree.

Quoting Caroline Myss, PhD, from her talk called Energy Anatomy, “Our bodies are like energy bank accounts.”  For example, if we wake up feeling stressed, we have already used some of our credit up for the day because of how it drains energy from us.  You can go as deep as you want with this understanding and rearrange your life according to your new understanding, as to keep more of your energy and use it more wisely.

Today I heard someone use this analogy in terms of health and thought it would be good to share it.

Are you making more deposits or withdrawals on your health?  Are you getting a good sleep?  Are you drinking a healthful amount of water and making other choices which build on your health?  Or are you loading up on stimulants, like caffeine, day after day or doing other things that are like taking a withdrawal from your health account, leading to things like burned out adrenal glands, high stress and trouble sleeping?

So who is responsible for your health and is it a priority for you?  What can you do on a daily basis to start adding to your health bank account?  Little things done on a daily basis can help you to build your health up.

You can add a little to your account everyday by doing the following:

• Take a few minutes everyday to take some deep breaths all the way down to the lowest part of your abdomen.  This fills the body with oxygen and helps you to gain perspective.
• Be sure to drink good water.  The water at the tap is not healthful.  It contains chlorine and, often, fluoride.  Both of these chemicals can have devastating affects on your health.  Be sure to get a good filter, find a spring, or get your water from a place that has a filter that you can refill bottles with.  It’s important to make sure it filters out the fluoride and chlorine.
• Eat more fresh foods.  Fresh foods, like raw fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and the best water.  They also provide plenty of fiber to keep things moving through your system.
• Make a habit of thinking of what you’re thankful for, as this will help you to keep your stress levels down and remind you of what’s important.
• Take a walk.  Getting out and seeing the world is stimulating to the mind.  Of course the fresh air is going to be very beneficial too.

There are so many things you can do to make a difference in your health and add to your account.  Start by adding good things in or doing things you know are helpful.  In addition, start eliminating the things you know are draining your account one by one.

Before long your health account will be filling up and you’ll be happy you took the initiative, as your energy levels build and stabilize.  You have the power to change yourself; and that change in you inspires others in ways you may never have imagined.

It’s your choice.  What will you do?

Do You Have A Difficult Time Getting Enough Sleep?

I’ve definitely had my share of difficulty getting enough sleep, and it’s TOTALLY my fault.  That’s why I’m doing a Sleep Challenge and I’m challenging YOU to do the same if you think you NEED more sleep.

This challenge is going to be for the next 30 days, and I’ll be getting to bed by 9:30 PM, Sunday through Friday, and by 11:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.

I figured I needed to stay up a little longer on the weekends in case My Wife and I are having too much fun to go to bed. Ha ha.

What about YOU?  Will you get to bed a little earlier too?  I highly recommend it, if you are the kind of person who KNOWS they could benefit from getting a little EXTRA sleep, but just can’t seem to make yourself get to bed at a reasonable hour.

I’m already about 3 days into my sleep challenge as I’m writing this and I can tell you that it’s making a GOOD difference in my life so far.

What’s surprising is how EASY it is and how much I LIKE it.

I think it’s just the COMMITMENT to yourself that makes it easy.  Also… Knowing that it’s only 30 days makes it easy to commit to.

During these 30 days I’m making another commitment as well; and one I’m pretty excited about.  I’ll be REWRITING my book for at least One hour per day for the next 30 days.  I’ve never seriously promoted my books before, but this rewrite has got me excited.

So there it is… 30 days of SLEEPING and Writing More.

Do you have something to say about getting enough sleep?  Will you start a new 30 day challenge?  Please share in the comments section on this page.

See The Results Of This Sleep And Book Publishing Challenge HERE.

What Can You Gain From A Running Challenge?

If you are into doing things that help you to grow, A challenge like this will definitely help.  I’m going to share what I’ve learned from doing this challenge myself, in the hope that it inspires you on some level.  I hope it will help you to do more of what you want to do.

I guess that’s the first lesson I learned.  Doing this challenge I improved my run time greatly and I’m inspired to continue with other challenges.  So there’s the first lesson.

It Will Inspire You!

The second great thing this Running Challenge reenforced is

Everything Gets Easier With Practice.

That’s right.  Of course you know it’s true, but when you first start a new challenge it might be very difficult, and it may be hard for you to imagine you could improve greatly.

On my first run, I ran pretty casually and it took me 7 minutes and 52 seconds to run a mile.  It was humbling, as I have relatives that can run close to a 5 minute mile, and nephews that can do a mile in under 6 minutes.

On my second run I pushed myself a little and got my time down to 6 minutes 58 seconds.

My Best Mile Time In The Last 30 Days was 6 minutes 35 seconds.  That’s 1 minute and 17 seconds better than my first mile time.  Now I KNOW I’m going to beat my best time soon, because it’s getting easier to go faster.

So What’s The Most Valuable Lesson From This Running Challenge?

You Are Powerful.  Full Of Power!

When you consistently challenge yourself and keep your commitments to yourself, you’ll realize how much power you truly have.

Whatever you want to do is waiting for you to do it; and the person you become along the way will make you feel GOOD about yourself.

Everybody has time.  You may be busy, but the average person spends about 80% of their time doing the things that matter the least, and 20% of their time doing the things that matter the most.

If you make conscious choices to do things you want to, or even NEED to do, you can get out of the trap most of us fall into.  It might not be easy, but it is very rewarding.

How Has This Challenge Changed Me?

I feel like I came back to life.  I’ve been doing little challenges for awhile now, and those things have helped me gain the confidence to do other things.

This running and physical play challenge was one that pushed me a little more out of my comfort zone than the other challenges, and it has truly changed my life.  Measuring my change has inspired me to beat myself and I want to keep playing this GAME.

My wife told me I seem like a completely different person, In a GOOD way.  I see that too.  I look forward to the morning more consistently.  I’m more READY to go do what I need and want to do.  I’m more inspired to do what is good for myself and others.

Of course I’ve got a long way to go, and that’s why I’m going to keep on RUNNING.

Did you challenge yourself recently?  Do you have something to say about this running and physical play challenge?  Please share YOUR thoughts on this page.

Here’s The Link To The First Post About The Running Challenge.

Are YOU Ready to Get In Shape?

I hope you are, because I’m about to let you in on what I’ve been doing lately, that’s helped me to get back in shape pretty quickly.

It’s actually pretty easy and it won’t take a huge time commitment.  There are only 2 main principles you’ll need to follow.

1. Be Consistent In Doing Your Exercise.
2. Push Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone Into A LITTLE Pain, While Doing Your Exercise.

So What Do You Need To Do To Get Back In Shape?

I recommend you do mini exercise routines 5-6 days per week when you wake up.  These are relatively simple exercises, so DON’T worry.

Ready For The Easiest Part Of These Workout Plans?  Okay!

For 2-3 of the days your going to do some simple yoga stretching and traditional style stretching exercises.  You’re not even going to get your heart rate up on these days.  Just breathe extra deep while your doing the stretches and move in your stretches.

When I say move, I mean hold a stretch for a minute, then flex your muscles that are being stretched while your in the stretch, then relax the muscles.  Experiment with the stretch.  While keeping your body in good alignment, try different variations that feel beneficial to your body.  Breathing is number 1 when it comes to your Yoga Stretching Routine.

Ready For The NOT So Easy Parts Of Your Work Out Plan? Ready Or Not!

Start off easy.  Do some squats, and do some squats where you touch your fingers to the floor and lift them up into the sky when you come back up.  Do this easy to start off and do it smooth, and increase your speed as you get warmed up.

Get on the floor in the pushup position.  Before doing any pushups, experiment with holding yourself different distances from the floor by lowering yourself close to the floor and various distances from the floor.

While in the push up position, Bring one knee at a time to your chest while the other leg goes back to the extended position; Kind of like running in the pushup position.

Now lie on your Belly, and do repetitions of lifting your legs and chest off of the floor; You should really feel this in your lower back.

Next jump back up and do some more squats. Now add a little jump to your squat.  Now bring your legs up towards your chest as you go from a squat into a jump.

Do a handstand against the wall, and hold yourself there, with your arms extended to build strength; As you get stronger, you can do handstand pushups against the wall, but don’t start off trying to do that.  Make sure you build strength first so you don’t injure yourself.

Do some boxing bunches.  Work at making them smooth and build speed as you get smooth.  Try some boxing punch sprints as you advance.  You can really get your heart rate up by alternating AIR Punches with your right and left hands.

If you’re just beginning to exercise and you don’t have much strength, try going down onto your belly and standing back up over and over again.  This is really good exercise and will help you to get into the kind of shape to do the other exercises.

Repeat these exercises to the point of breaking a sweat, and to the point where you’re muscles are fatigued, but NOT Exhausted.

Now For The Hardest Step To Getting Back In Shape Fast.

Go for a run 2 times per week, and work at beating your own run time.  Don’t worry if you don’t beat your best run time, each time.  Be willing to push your pain threshold a little further, as you feel like your body is ready for it.  You can run as little as 1 mile, 2 times per week and experience a pretty profound transformation.

What’s The Most Fun Part Of Getting Back In Shape?

Eating.  Eat plenty of fresh fruits, and Greens.  You can eat a lot of fruit no matter what the Fruit Haters Say.  Eat lots of Plant based foods for energy.  Include Rice, Quinoa, Corn, Peas, Potatoes, Garbanzo Beans, Lentils, Kidney Beans, And Pinto Beans.

Eat all kinds of vegetables; fresh, boiled or steamed.

That’s how to get back in shape fast!  Please share your comments and criticisms below.  I love to know your thoughts.

Does Physical Play Equal Weight Loss?

As you may know I’ve been doing a physical Play/Run/Weight Loss Challenge; And Yes… Doing different types of physical play along with running can amount to some pretty significant weight loss.

I’m on week 3 of the challenge and I’ve lost about 7 pounds.  In addition I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.

I’ve captured some action scenes from some of the physical play I’ve been doing and posted them on this page to give YOU some ideas of what you can do.

I hope you enjoy them.

Rolling Hard Before Dusk

Playing Soccer In The Park In The Rain

Whether you want to Drop Pounds, have some more  fun and adventure, or both; I highly recommend you get outside and Play More.

Are You Doing Your Own 30 Day Challenge?  Please Share Below!

The Physical Play And Run Challenge Begins!

This Papaya Smoothie Is For You!

If you were looking for a YUMMY papaya smoothie recipe, you came to the right spot.  This secret recipe was only a secret for about 2 days, as I had to let you in on it.

You can make this banana papaya smoothie a number of ways, and I’ve outlined the 2 ways I’ve tried recently here.

One way I’ve made this smoothie is like a pudding and the other is more like a drink.

The Drink Papaya Banana Smoothie – As Seen In The Video

Take about 1 Pound Of Ripe Papaya, and scoop it into your High Powered Blender.  Add two Medium Ripe Bananas and Approximately 2 Cups of Water.

Blend on high until SUPER smooth.  Pour into a cup and drink it up.  Mmm.

Papaya Banana Yum Pudding

Scoop about 1/2 pound RIPE Papaya into your High Powered Blender.  PEEL 5 Mediums Sized Ripe Bananas and put them into your Blender; The Peeling Step is important. (:

Add about 1 cup of water for STARTERS, and blend until CREAMY.  You can add a little more water if you don’t want it to be as thick.  Yummy.

When summer comes I’m going to add some Ice to The MIX.  I bet that’s real good too.

Please let me know if you like these Banana Papaya Smoothies Below.  Have a better one?  Feel free to share that here too.

Are You Up For A Run Challenge?

Whether you go for a run, change your diet, or do something else that will make a difference in your life, I DARE you to start something new TODAY.

Why do a 30 day Challenge?

To help you GROW, of course.

My challenge is to Run or Play Physically outside for the next 30 days.  I’ll be running 1 mile, at least 2 times per week, and seeing how much I can improve my time in the Mile.

As of NOW, I’ve already completed 2 runs AND I’m on my 4th day into the challenge.  I did the first run at a casual relaxed pace so I would have a base line to build from.

I increased my pace in my SECOND run and dropped 54 seconds off of my Mile time.  I’m inspired to see how much faster I can get.

On the days I’m not running, I’ll be doing what I’m calling “Outdoor Physical Play!”  That might be Walking, Swinging, Doing Handstands or Even Cart Wheels.  I felt I needed to be doing something related to my running challenge everyday to make this a real 30 day challenge.

I encourage you to challenge yourself like this, as 30 day challenges are SUPER inspiring.  Your lifestyle is all about your habits, and changing one thing at a time like this will get you doing MORE of what you truly Value Doing.

What will your 30 day challenge be?  Please share what you’d like to do for YOUR challenge in the comments section on this page.

=>See Action Scenes From The Physical Play And Run Challenge HERE!<=

What Can A Walking Challenge Really Do For You?

When I set out on my 30 day walking challenge, my aim was to see just how TRANSFORMATIONAL it could be.  I really LOVE Walking so it wasn’t hard to get myself started.

Although I didn’t think walking ALONE would be the most effective way to lose weight, I thought I’d drop a few pounds at least while I was enjoying being outside.

The truth is, I really enjoyed being outside, But… I didn’t lose a SINGLE pound.  I guess it’s not very realistic to expect to lose a lot of weight from walking, as you’ll only burn an average of 150 calories every 30 minutes.

If you really want to lose weight, it’s probably best to cut out about 500 calories per week from your diet, and that will help you to drop about a pound per week.

Even though I didn’t lose any weight, which might be because I was eating MORE during the challenge, I do feel generally better, and I think my body is a little more toned than before I started.

Will Walking Everyday Improve Your Health?

Walking IS Definitely Good for your Health, to say the least.  Brisk walking is BEST.  I’ve listed some of the known benefits of walking below.

Walking:

• Helps you maintain a healthful body weight
• Strengthens Bones
• Has An Age Reducing Effect.
• Lessens Chances Of Developing Diabetes Through Making Your Muscles Use Sugars More Efficiently.
• Elevates Your Mood And Reduces Stress
• Improves Your Sleep Quality
• Strengthens Your Immune System
• KEEPS You Exercising; Your less likely to quit walking than other exercise regimes.
• Improves your coordination and balance.

So… Is Walking Everyday Life Transformational?

I say YES; Walking everyday will change your life.  I know the changes will vary from one person to the next, but there is no doubt, you will transform.

Walking opened the door up for me to start running more often again.

During the walks I thought of all kinds of ways I could change my work situation.  I think getting out and seeing what’s around you, along with breathing the outside air, TRULY inspires.

I know all of the walking helped me to clear my head; Kind of like clearing out the clutter.

Walking re inspired something in me that had gotten a little lost for awhile.  It brought back that child like sense of adventure, and confidence.

30 days of walking is only the beginning for me.  I’m getting outside more from now on.  I am running again, and I see new ways I can challenge myself as a result of this too.

It’s easy to make excuses for ourselves of why we can’t do things.  Completing a walking challenge gives you confidence about what else you can change.

How much do you think YOU could transform your life by doing a NEW 30 day challenge every 30 days?

Imagine how transformational that will be if every new challenge you take on, is one that is in alignment with Living Your Dreams.

Please share your thoughts below, and KEEP Walking! 🙂