Discover Your Bliss

Simplify Your Life Tip - Save Money, Gain Joy

Keeping with last week's theme inspired by Oprah's show, here's this week's simplify your life tip:

Two items that most people want more of are time and money. 

Sometimes having a surplus of one or the other can generate more of the one you desire. 

Let's say that you have a surplus of money - you can use that money to buy time-saving items or hire someone to do your laundry, clean your house or cook for you - so you will have more time. 

Most of the time, we feel like we don't have enough of either and can not fathom where this surplus of time or money will appear in our life. 

What would you do if someone handed you an extra 30 minutes a day?  How would you use those 30 extra minutes? 

Answering these questions first is key to the next part of this tip, so gather your answer - what would you do with an extra 30 minutes a day? 

Do you have your answer?  Good, then we'll continue.

To make things easier, we're going to generate 30 extra minutes a week first so we can start small and build up to 30 minutes a day. 

Where's 30 minutes a week that you can subtract from your television watching or computer surfing?  If you break it down by the day - that's only 6 minutes a day.  Is it possible for you to reduce your television watching or computer surfing by 6 minutes a day?  What's your first step in shifting 6 minutes a day?

After you practice shifting 6 minutes a day - how does it feel?  Do you finally have time to exercise or are you spending that extra 30 minutes a week connecting with others? 

Now that you've cleared 30 minutes a week, how does it feel?  Up for a challenge?  Move onto 30 minutes a day.  Be sure to build up slowly - go from one 30 minute section to two 30 minute sections of extra time each week. 

Celebrate you ability to shift your time to the things that you want and are important.  Acknowledge yourself.  Express gratitude for these gifts. 

You can do it - I know you can!

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Get Cheaper Exercise Shoes and Clothes

Have a specific type of running shoe that you like in a particular size?  Want to know when it goes on sale?  Check out shopittome.com/running

Here, you can sign up for email alerts for sales on your favorite items.  Doesn't cost a thing and could save you a ton of money and time. 

Now you can spend all of your extra time saved by this service exercising.  What bliss (well, for some like me - since I love to exercise). 

How does it feel to have a personal sale shopper?  How do services such as these enhance/detract from your life?

I'd love to hear you comments and discoveries. 

Need Help Working Out?

I often check out exercise DVDs from the library to add some variety to my exercise routine. 

Often times, I find I like a particular exercise DVD and want to find more similar to it, yet I don't know where to look.

Check out collagevideo.com - it's an exercise video mecca. 

This site is so cool - you can sort exercise videos by goals, workout types, instructors, brands, equipment used and specialty videos. 

Within each of the above categories is another menu of choices. 

I searched under "equipment used" and selected "stability ball."  I found one DVD prior to discovering this site and wanted to find more that use the stability ball.  My seach found 74 different workout titles.  

Within that search you can narrow your findings even further with more sub-categories.  I chose "length" and it gave me even more options:  Under 20 minutes, 20-30 minutes, 31-40 minutes, 41-60 minutes and over 60 minutes.  It also tells you how many DVDs are in each category.  The "over 60 minute" category has the most at 35.  There's also an option that allows you to check or uncheck a box beside each category of time so you can search however many "length" categories of your choosing.

What I love about this site is the detailed information about each DVD.  There's a symbol to denote the workout type as well as a breakdown of what's on the DVD.  Customer reviews, a star rating system as well as a "staff favorite" note. 

The video clip preview is unique - it breaks down the whole DVD in a "collage" method that shows the variety of each workout instead of highlighting a single section of the video.  This video preview clip gives a better understanding of the DVD as a whole. 

Want to save some cash?  Search your local library for the workout DVDs you want (most libraries have online catalog searches) or Netflix your workout video as part of your monthly subscription.  This way, you can keep the DVD as long as you'd like.  

How do you infuse variety into your exercise routine?  What would it look like to make a single change?  

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Oprah's Best Life Series: A Wealth of Information and Support

If you'd like support, information and inspiration for your new year's resolutions (money, spirituality, weight, sex & health), then Oprah's Best Life Series might be you first step. 

All new shows starting today - Monday, January 5, 2009 - The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah & Friends (XM radio) will help you get your 2009 off to a great start followed by a week of exclusive live webcasts on Oprah.com. 

Here's the schedule for the next two weeks:

Oprah's Best Life Series Schedule:

YOUR WEIGHT
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 5
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 5 (View hourly schedule)
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 12, 9 p.m./8c
Have you fallen off the fitness wagon? Bob Greene will help you get back on it.

YOUR HEALTH
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 6
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 6 (View hourly schedule)
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 13, 9 p.m./8c
Dr. Oz has a smart and easy wellness plan to take care of your one and only body.

YOUR SPIRITUALITY
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 7
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 7 (View hourly schedule)
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 14, 9 p.m./8c
Elizabeth Lesser, the Rev. Ed Bacon and  Michael Bernard Beckwith explore ways to find deeper meaning in life.

YOUR MONEY
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 8
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 8 (View hourly schedule)
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 15, 9 p.m./8c
Suze Orman shows you how to get a fresh start on your finances.

Your SEX LIFE
The Oprah Winfrey Show: January 9
Oprah & Friends Radio: January 9 (View hourly schedule)
Oprah.com Live Webcast: January 16, 9 p.m./8c
Dr. Laura Berman offers advice about increasing intimacy and passion.

Best of all this is FREE.  Make sure you have a seat for the live webcasts - click here to register. 

Want more support?  Start an Oprah "Best Life" group in your area or create an online message board.  The possibilities are endless. 

Not interested in these topics?  Then start your own group.  Make 2009 your year to shine. 

How does coming together as a group for a similar goal support you?  What does it look like to move toward a goal alone verses a group?  How do you determine if a group verses working by yourself support you best? 

I'd love to hear your comments and insights. 

Workout & Help the World

What if your workout hours could turn into helping others?

Just think about it - if you help yourself (through exercise), you can help others in the world. 

Eric Harr, fitness pro and author of Goal Digger Fitness, will donate $5 to the humanitarian organization CARE for every hour you exercise and log at www.care.org/workout - up to $1 million. 

1 1/2 hours a week provides a student in the developing world with clean water.

200 hours could build a home for natural disaster victims.

Ready, set, workout and do good!  What bliss! 

How does it feel to help others through helping yourself?  What would it look like if you took care of yourself first before helping others? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries.

How to Save Money - One Pedal at a Time

One Friday I had a meeting at a local Starbucks not far from where I live.  I realized that my "find a parking space time" would be longer than my commute time, so I decided to bike it. 

I don't remember how long it had been since I last rode my bike, yet I was up to the challenge. 

It took me less than five minutes to bike there and it felt so wonderful to be using a "green" form of transportation (plus the bike riding burns calories). 

Later that day, I needed to meet someone in Westwood.  The headache with Westwood is parking and I wasn't in the mood to find a place to park and pay for the space. 

I did a quick Mapquest to figure out the distance between my place and my destination.  It was less than four miles each way.  I could use sidewalks all the way, so I decided to add another bike commute to my day. 

The bike ride was amazing and I felt so accomplished to have ridden my bike, save money on gas and parking and the best part was not looking for a space. 

As a result of my day of biking, I challenged myself to replace one car trip each week with one bike trip. 

The key to finding my one bike trip each week was my calendar.  I scheduled my bike commute into my calendar so I would have enough time to make it to my destination and would know ahead of time so I could plan accordingly.

Besides the exercise and support for the environment, I have found the the sheer adventure of biking in new areas has given me more confidence to bike longer distances and more often. 

Sure, riding a bike takes a bit of planning depending on where you want to go, yet for the most part, it turns out to be easier done than thought. 

I have a bag that Velcros to the front of my bike to hold larger items and a smaller bag that Velcros under my seat for smaller items like my keys.  Both bags can be quickly removed from the bike so I can carry them with me. 

I also make sure that I have a light on my bike in case I ride after dark.  Riding my bike at night is far more fun than I ever imagined. 

Think of riding a bike as one pedal at a time.  You don't have to bike 50 miles.  Start with a destination that's close to where you live and practice biking to that destination once a week.  Just think of all the benefits. 

How can riding a bike support your energy?  What would bike riding do for you?  How can you incorporate a bike (or other green transportation) into your week or month?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Los Pobladores: Walk to Los Angeles pt. 1

Many moons ago (okay in July of this year) while on a 15 mile hike with Ranger Ernie (of Griffith Park), I met a couple that has a thirst for life. 

The couple's thirst:  find fun things to do in LA that are free and/or inexpensive.

One of the many cool and free suggestions the couple spoke of was the walk to Los Angeles. 

Every year (around labor day), walkers gather in San Gabriel (at the mission) to make the nine mile walk to downtown Los Angeles in celebration of the city of Los Angeles' birthday.  This year LA turned 227!

The walk retraces the founder's footsteps to the Los Angeles Historical Monument at Olvera Street and ends with historical reenactments, entertainment, artisans, food and birthday cake. 

Always up for something new, I faxed in my registration form so I could officially become part of the walk. 

The couple suggested that we show up a bit late in order to avoid hearing the lengthy speeches prior to the walk's start. 

Since the festivities were set to start at 6am, we figured that leaving at 5:30am (yes, in the morning) would give us plenty of time to park, hop on the bus and join the group. 

The morning of the walk, we zipped to downtown (no traffic) and found the parking lot we thought we were supposed to use for the day.  When we asked a man in the parking lot about parking there, he told us to go to another location(that we later learned didn't exist) which ended up sucking about 30 minutes of our time. 

We finally returned to the first parking lot, saw the bus taking walkers to the mission and asked where to park.  Turns out, the man didn't know what he was talking about.  We quickly pulled in, parked and jumped on the bus. 

As a result of our parking challenges, we arrived to the mission as the volunteers were packing up the registration tables.  The walkers had already left and we were surrounded by veteran walkers from years past that were shocked.  Most of them reported that they'd never left this early and that this was a first. 

We quickly registered, hit the bathrooms and were off on our nine mile journey.

  Here's the view as we began our walk - we can no longer walk in the street since we're not in the group.  We start off on the sidewalk in hopes of catching up with the pack at some point.  If you look carefully, you might be able to see the faint lights of a police car bringing up the rear of the group.

We will follow Mission street for the majority of our walk - aka - El Camino Real.

Ah ha!  We finally catch up to some walkers - it's a historic moment folks - we are no longer at the back of the pack.

The official site of "port-a-potty" station number two allows us to pass even more walkers.  Yahoo - walking in the street could be so close I can smell it. 

Now we're catching up to the street walkers (no, not the prostitutes).  The open road is so close.

Victory!  We finally made it to the street walking.  Police escorts are so cool (unless you commit a crime, then I'd guess that the fun disappears). 

Stay tuned for more "Walking to Los Angeles" in future posts. 

How does embracing your inner "turtle" support your freedom?  What can you learn from your inner "rabbit?" 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Customize Your Music to Your Workout

Challenged to stay motivated to exercise?  Need some more motivation?  Let the music move you.

I found a few web pages that make working out to your own beat easier and more enjoyable.

Need your music to help you keep the pace?  Check out MyWalkingMusic.com - this site allows you to customize popular songs to your walking speed (without distorting the song). 

Want someone else to play DJ?  Check out djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html or iTunes.com - provides hour-long podcasts of high-energy instrumental and vocal music at jogger- and walker-friendly tempos. 

Want to organize your music by beat?  Check out BeaTunes.com - here you can take charge of your music list and organize, sort and clean up play lists.  The key to BeaTunes is organizing your music by beats per minute so you can group similar speed music for a more efficient workout. 

Get creative - create the ultimate soundtrack for your workout, raise your energy and increase your bliss!

How does support factor into the things you "have to" do each day?  What would it look like to see everything as a gift?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries!

No One Can Be Fearless Alone - Oklahoma City's Support System

Oklahoma City's Mayor - Mick Cornett - came up with a creative way to support his city/state to overcome an unhealthy challenge plaguing the state: obesity.

Welcome to - www.ThisCityisGoingonaDiet.com - The goal - lose one million pounds (collectively) as a city/state.

Is it working?  You bet - at last count - the total weight loss is 22,462 pounds and counting. 

I love how the act of joining together to support each other in an individual goal (weight loss/healthy lifestyle) created a state-wide (and world-wide via the web) support system. 

Talk about Fearless.  Rhonda Britten says, "No one can be fearless alone."  Oklahoma is doing just that - joining forces to support each other in building a healthier life and brighter future. 

How does the support of others affect your journey?  What would it look like to multiply your support by ten?  What about by 100?  What's one thing you can do to increase your support system?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and discoveries!

6,398 Steps and Counting...

As I stated in a previous blog posting, I've been measuring my steps each day to see how close I get to the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

I acknowledge that my step counter can not count how many steps are equivalent to biking for 2 hours or swimming (or any other step-free activity like Yoga or Pilates), yet I do know on the days that do not include any exercise outside of walking or jogging that my steps count becomes an important part of my day.

Today, I'm up to 6,298 and counting.  The reason why I've logged so many steps is a direct result of my awareness of the 10,000 steps a day. 

Instead of walking to the bank and back then driving to the post office, I opted to walk to the bank, continue walking to the post office and then I swung by the pharmacy on my way home (it's a 24 hour pharmacy -so I can go at any hour).

According to my pedometer 6,398 steps is equivalent to 3.130 miles.

I'm so excited to have the awareness.  Now I'm making it a game to get my 10,000 steps a day.

I'm also feeling a lot better by making sure I have 10,000 steps at the end of each day.

Instead of being smaller than a challenge, I'm bigger than my challenge - that way I see everything as a game or something that's do-able instead of impossible.   

How would coming from a place of being bigger than your challenges (instead of seeing them as impossible) support you?  How does shifting this dynamic support your process?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries!

P.S.  A big thanks to Amy M. for commenting on several of my blog entries.  Amy is this month's commenting queen!  Thanks so much - it multiplies my bliss!