Need a new home workout?

I have heard one too many of my friends say that they hate the gym or can never seem to get the motivation to go.  In fact, the latter has been a problem that I myself have had.  If this is a problem you have also encountered, just follow this recipe:

Finish reading this post + get off your butt + and MOVE.

You can do it anytime of the day and never leave your house. It's simple, it's easy, and it can be fun. Yes you heard me right, fun! You Put some music on  DANCE around your house or room that you are in for ten minutes. You will feel light hearted having fun, and burn calories at the same time. 

If you are someone who would rather be more proactive than to dance around a room, maybe feeling silly or don't want to be caught by someone watching, I have another activity for you. CLEAN!! Though many of us would undoubtedly say that cleaning is one of our least favorite activities, if you have the right mindset, it puts more purpose behind it.  Next time you have some cleaning to do, think about it as a workout you want to do, instead of another chore you have to do.  Engage your core and tighten your arm muscles when sweeping, scrubbing the floors, vaccuming, you name it. You can also do simple calf raises when doing the dishes by lifting your heel off the floor and putting it back down, and repeating until your done.  

I recently went home to Maui for two weeks to spend time with my family for Christmas and helped my mom with a bunch of projects around the house. One of those being cleaning. As I scrubbed the front porch (that their three outdoor dogs sleep on) my arms started to burn. I couldn't help but smile a little and embrace the burn. I tightened my abs and kept scrubbing until done, using a little more arm strength than before. After I was done, I felt accomplished and had gotten a nice little workout in.

Does it really need to be done?

In Scott Scheper's book How to Get Focused, he outlines 'eight things everybody ought to know about concentrating'.

Number four is: Questions that kill procrastination

The brain processes meaning before detail. This is where procrastination stems from. Your boss, professor or co-worker tells you that the task on your desk is important, but your brain doesn’t yet agree. If you push forth anyways, and embark on the task before understanding its meaning, you’ll end up frustrating yourself and wasting time because you may have to do it all over.

For this reason, whenever you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself the following questions:

Question one: Does this really need to be done?

• If you’re in the business world, term it as, “Will this increase revenue, and/or reduce cost?”
• If you’re in school, ask “Will this impact my grade?” Note: In school, it’s not necessarily about preparing you for the real-world, it’s about assimilating information, regurgitating it on a test, and then hopefully remembering some of it in the future, which gives you more context for the real world. This is why, the question isn’t, “Will this prepare me for the real world?”

I agree with most of his reasoning behind his eight tips to learn good concentration skills, and as a student learned quite a bit about what questions to ask myself when having too much on my plate. To learn more about this chapter or the book on the whole, visit his website at http://howtogetfocused.com

HOWEVER, It was more than upsetting to read about the only question Scott Scheper states as important to ask yourself when you are a student. I do not believe that grades are everything, even if our school system is set up to honor them. Instead, learning real world experiences and knowledge that pertains to real occupations that could be held in the future is more important than remembering information memorized from a text book for a few months and then loosing it. I strongly believe that listening to professors speak is more important than trying to take notes and not understanding them later. Really grasping at least a few topics from a course that will pertain to things one does in a future career is more important than a grade!

MyMcKenzie project.

I currently just finished my university's Environmental Leadership Program working on the MyMcKenzie project. Our main goal was to take photographs of the great McKenzie River watershed here in Oregon, that invoke emotion that wouldn't normally be seen from various different people within the community, while showcasing its beauty and educating them on its destruction. We created a photography based website with photo essays, a gallery of all of our pictures, and ways in which the viewers can get involved.  I was extremely thrilled to of gotten the chance to work on such an amazing project. You can check out our website here MyMcKenzie.

During the project I found myself looking for inspiration every chance I get, and I continue to do so now that I bought a new camera. 

Below are a few pictures I took at D-Wright Observatory, Highway 242, Clear Lake (the McKenzie River's headwaters) and then Tamolitch Pool (also known as Blue Pool), an area where the water comes back to the surface from underground.

Reminder

Protein boost breakfast

A morning full of PROTEIN!! The most important thing to have in the morning is protein and good carbohydrates to give your body power throughout the day!

The other morning this is what I made: A delicious vegetarian sausage and veggie stir fry with scrambled eggs on the side.  

 

Ingredients: 

1/3 of an onion

1/2 of a sweet pepper (I used red)

5 mushrooms

1 vegetarian sausage link (I used the Field Roast brand)

1 handful of spinach 

2 eggs 

[The onion, red pepper, and eggs are all organically grown from my landlord who has a farm out in Venita OR :) ]

Directions:

•  In preparation I cut all ingredients into thin slices as seen in the pictures above.
• Grease the pan. I added some organic Olive Oil to the pan.
• Start with cooking the ingredients that take a longer time to cook. I put my sliced sausage and  red peppers in first. Then added Onions after a minute or so. 
• At this time in another pan (that I greased also) I start to make my eggs. I tend to like them scrambles of over-easy.
• After a few minutes stirring often, add the ingredients that cook faster such as the spinach and mushrooms. 
• In a few minutes once the mushrooms and spinach are soft, it will be done, simultaneously the eggs will finish cooking. 

And... tadaaaaaa!

I like to serve my scrambles with a piece of toast or pancake (as seen here partly eaten already, haha).

Btw- You might have noticed a drink called Synergy in the picture when I'm preparing the food and in this larger image. You might or might not be curious about it, but since I thoroughly enjoy it I thought I would share some info on it!  It is a KOMBUCHA drink!! Kombucha is a tea like drink made of a fermented mushroom (sounds gross I know, but it doesn't taste like it). It is highly beneficial to you, giving your body an immediate energy boost with natural good bacteria. You should do your own research in the drink however if you are interested in starting to drink it on a regular basis because there is some discussion of it being bad for your health in drinking it too often. I tend to grab this Synergy brand when I am out and about on the go in a small shopping market near or on campus, but there are also great local brands that I am sure you can find in your town or city. If you are not able to, try a health food store nearest to you. 

Beware- Due to uptight governmental laws, the Classic Synergy can now only be purchased if you are 21 years or older due to slight (very very little) alcohol content. In no way is this an actual alcoholic beverage.

Flax Seed, Yogurt & Fruit Bowls

I try to eat a bowl or cup of plain organic yogurt with ground flax seed every morning. I usually do not reach that goal, but I get pretty darn close to it.  Having organic plain yogurt first thing in the morning is highly beneficial to your health. Yogurt is packed with protein and potassium, but another beneficial item it has are probiotics! These are live bacteria that help in your digestion while protecting the body against other harmful bacterias. A cup of yogurt topped with ground flax seed which is dense in fiber, protein, and Omega 3 oil, makes for one healthy breakfast or part of one. 

I buy my Flax seed in bulk at a local health food store and store them in an air tight glass jar.

[Many of my bulk goodies I store in glass jars such as the one photographed here. These I reuse after buying them with pasta sauce or a nut butter in them, finishing the contents and cleaning them. It's always better to REUSE then recycle!]

To ground the flax seed I use a coffee grinder seen in the picture to the right. I normally grind about 1/2 - 1 whole Tablespoon full, or just above the blade in the grinder.

[I have a separate grinder for coffee and for flax seeds! The brand I have for my flax seed is Braun and my coffee grinder is Mr. Coffee.]

After the flax seed is made into a powder like form, you add it into the bowl or cup of yogurt and stir. I usually top with chunks of fruit or raisins with some organic maple syrup. You, however may alter this to your tasting.

As a side note:

When I store fruit, especially the bigger fruit such as pineapple or melons, I like to wrap them then place them on a big serving platter so the juices that may seep out do not get all over my fridge!

:)

I love Karen Salmansohn's self help website that is full of inspiration!
Check it out here.

To make you giggle.

There is no better medicine than laughter. I truly believe that, and anyone who makes extra time for a laugh in their lives will agree with me. There is no excuse to being so uptight to not laugh at sticky, sometimes upsetting situation and to turn it into something to laugh at. Or what about searching for something to laugh at? There's nothing wrong with that! When I am feeling blue or extra stressed out, I love to find something to laugh at.

I found this today through StumbleUpon and watched it three times straight through and cracked up each time. YouTube can do wonders at times!

Just do it.

Today I mostly spent the day running errands and cleaning my house. However when I woke up this morning, the one task that I had for myself to accomplish before anything else ( I have an on going 'to-do' list) was to go on an actual run/walk and to clean out my own body with some cardiovascular exercise followed with a healthy breakfast. I did indeed make and eat a wholesome, healthy breakfast (which today was organic plain yogurt with granola and ground flax seed on top) but afterwords, I found other things to do to keep myself busy instead of exercising. The same thing has happened the past three days. Despite this somewhat discouraging fact, I ended up being able to make myself go on a walk with my partner this afternoon before we ate dinner. We have a great relationship when it comes down to pushing each other. I push her to get out of the house and away from her studies (she's pre-med, double majoring and triple minoring) but once out of the house she encourages me to push myself even more. This in turn, ends with great reward. As Phil Knight would encourage me to say for the love of Nike: Just do it.


I am not trying to lose a bunch of weight necessarily, I am just trying to be the healthiest me I can be. And lately, needless to say I have not been on par with the healthy, fit Cassidy I know has once existed and thrived off live. She is not gone, so I shouldn't say she has once existed as though she doesn't anymore. This Me has just been preoccupied with taking a breather from a crazy stressful school year, a visit to Oregon from Mom, taking and finishing classes during two Summer terms, a visit from a childhood friend of mine and my sisters and her boyfriend, helping my little sister organize her life a little, pack, move, move back (the storage unit was closed the day we went- once in the whole year) pack, move, drive to shuttle her off to the airport, and say goodbye, and working on keeping up with yard work at my new house.

So... I am excited to be done with Summer classes and have time to myself to reflect on what I want to spend my extra time doing. One thing being: The health of my body that I love so much! There is no better confidence booster than loving yourself fully, including your body.

Just to be clear, I a STRONG advocate for healthy weight loss and a balanced nutritious lifestyle to follow it. If anyone has questions on what this means to me or how to pertain this to your life, don't feel shy to ask me questions!! I'd love to help.

Conversations with Strangers

This morning has been a beautiful one as I treated my girlfriend to coffee and breakfast at Vero Espresso House since she took me out on a dinner and drinks date night the evening before. Not only did the outrageously gorgeous weather make this morning beautiful, but the company did.  No I am not talking about my girlfriend, who though is beautiful also, the company we were given was from a complete stranger.  This young man named Jesse began discussing our choice of food we selected for breakfast then quickly moved the conversation to the autobiography of Keith Richards which he was reading on his newly purchased Kindle.  From there, the words exchanged with this complete stranger went on a journey from urban planning to the who's who on Maui to general life advice.  I couldn't help leaving Vero's with a smile on my face.

Sometimes the person next to you on the bus, at a restaurant, in class, or just another pedestrian walking by you as you rush through life-  may be a future worthy friend, co worker, or soul mate. One can never truly know what the future holds for them. So why not give a stranger a smile, or friendly greeting?  The worst that can happen is that it not be returned to you, and that doesn't feel too bad after knowing that you gave it first and it cost you nothing... for a smile or greeting to someone who might have really needed it, is one of the greatest gifts to give.

Though I wasn't always, I am now a strong believer that you are never alone in the world. No one is. Whether we want to be or not, we are all connected.  Therefore, strangers are only possibilities of great additions in your life.

Sunbow

Cirque Du Soleil

My partner bought us tickets to see "Cirque Du Soleil- Dralion" last night, and it has taken me a whole day to recover and collect my thoughts fully on it. The show was a magical performance yet quite funny; no doubt it made for a great night filled with lots of entertainment.

Cirque Du Soleil is ....
(description taken from Cirque Du Soleil- Dralion website)

Fusing the 3000 year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts with the multidisciplinary approach of Cirque du Soleil, Dralion draws its inspiration from Eastern philosophy and its never-ending quest for harmony between humans and nature. The show’s name is derived from its two emblematic creatures: the dragon, symbolizing the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West.

In Dralion, the four elements that govern the natural order take on a human form. Thus embodied, each element is represented by its own evocative colour: air is blue; water is green; fire is red; earth is ochre. In the world of Dralion, cultures blend, Man and Nature are one, and balance is achieved.

A short video on the show can be watched here to get a better idea of what exactly I saw :)

It was most inspiring for me to watch in awe what the human body is capable of. I used to do gymnastics when I was younger and dance ballet, jazz, and hiphop growing up. I am quite flexible, not to gloat or anything, but my ability does not even begin to compare what these performers can do. After the show I could not help be inspired to get even more into shape but also increase my flexibility. In my past I have done yoga quite a bit which not only helps balance me spiritually, but also helped push me to be more flexible over time with out actually 'stretching'; that is of course to common how far can you reach stretching exercises that we all grew up with in gym class. So, my motive to getting more flexible is to start practicing yoga more often and integrating it into my every day practices.

Time.

As much as I would like to think I have all the answers to happiness, I do not. Of course, if I did this blog would not be title ' the discovery...' but instead 'the discovered'. One concept I have not been able to grasp in life thus far is time management. In the world we all live in today, time is everything. Time is money. Time is a luxury. Time is happiness. One needs time to cook healthy meals, get exercise, relax, clean, have 'me time', be around people that make them happy, go on outdoor adventures, get educated, cross off to-do lists, etc.

As a college student, managing my time is a constant battle. No matter how many to-do lists and schedules I make, I can never seem to follow them.

Recently I came down with a cold that turned into walking pneumonia for two, almost three weeks. Falling behind in classes and a social life (that is, away from my partner and my bed) has taken a toll on my never ending to-do list that seems to be doubling over night recently. In hopeless despair I started researching why it is this always happens to me, and in doing so found this great website. Zenhabits.

Inspiration & motivation can be seen in everything