Treat Your Mind and Body like a Ferrari


“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  ~ World Health Organization (1948)

Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on our mental stresses, or on trying to exercise, we forget that our body operates best when we allow each area of our life to function together. And sometimes this means making simple changes in other areas of our life so that we can focus on the place that needs most attention.

For example, you may have a deadline at work, or you might be learning a new position and feel the stress of either situation in your mind. You come home drained from all that intense focus and effort. But instead of collapsing on the couch and flicking on the TV, your mind and body might recharge more efficiently if you take a few minutes to create a simple healthy snack (or meal) and drink a big glass of water.

When we stress our brain, we stress our body. Our brain, after all, is intricately connected to all functions of our body. Too much junk food or a lack of any food at all, and not enough clean eating will cause our bodies will rebel. Do you ever feel lethargic, develop sudden skin problems or get sick more often than you think you should? It may not just be the stress at work. It could be your eating habits.

Some of us treat our minds like a finely tuned Ferrari, but turn around and treat our bodies like a junkyard truck. It is time to treat your whole self – body, mind and soul – like the beautiful instrument it is.

Take small steps to start to tune your body, and your mind and soul will function incrementally and noticeably better.

The Intention to Connect

Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 8 of the Virtual Book Tour for the E-Book Parenting Responsively for Connection. (To order, visit http://heartwiseparent.com/responsive-parenting-e-book/), written by ACPI Parenting Coaches for parents to deal with the most difficult task of maintaining connection with the growing child whose behavior changes and shifts.


Yesterday, the book tour focused on Influencing Character Through Connection at the site: http://parentcoachsedef.blogspot.com with Sedef Örsel Özcelik. Visit now if you haven’t had the opportunity to meet all the authors. 
Today, enjoy this book excerpt below on one of my favorite topics: Intention.

Setting the Intention to Connect

©  2011 by Sherri Boles-Rogers
            Most of us would agree that at one point or another, we all yearn to be better connected to our children.  Perhaps this is because deep down we understand that a strong parent-child bond will help us weather the many storms we will encounter on our parenting journey.  Just as our children's mind and body need to be nurtured, so does our connection. But do we truly understand how to nurture it?

Family Play at Any Age*

Channel your energy into fun and creativity with your family. 

Listen to your thoughts and make a personal commitment to smile with each response. A smile and a bit of creative rewording, turns bickering into bright moments. “The children are starting to argue and dinner’s in half an hour,” becomes, “Hmm, they must be hungry. ‘Kids, I’ve got carrots and dip. Want some now?’”
“I just cleaned up this room and it is already a disaster,” becomes, ‘Kids, who can grab the most items in one minute? One, two, three, go!’”
Turn argumentative episodes into spontaneous fun. It is better for everyone. For example, my children love contests, especially ones like who-can-get-their-pajamas-on-first? That one is their favorite, followed closely by who-can-get-their-shoes-on-first? Boring and routine becomes fun and adventurous.
For a parent to have fun, sometimes you need to schedule it. Plan a trip to an ice rink or roller rink. Have family game night. Choose an activity everyone will enjoy.

5-Minute Metamom – Create Instant Play
1.      Keep a deck of cards in the kitchen. As dinner is cooking, invite your child to play one hand of rummy.
2.      Play 20 questions or eye spy. This is great in the doctor’s office or other waiting areas.
3.      For your older children, create two copies of Sudoku or a word jumble and challenge them to the fastest time.
4.      Tickle your young children for a moment.
5.      Dance around the living room with your child to their favorite song.
6.      Find a few moments to cuddle with your young child.
7.   Discover age appropriate activities for the family. 
       
Teenagers
·         Card Games: Rummy/Poker
·         Board Games with more challenge
·         Soccer, baseball, tennis
·         Multi-player electronic games
·         Skiing, swimming

Young Children
·         Card Games: Go Fish, Memory, Old Maid
·         Simple board games – or simplify ones for older children
·         Tag
·         Peek-a-boo
·         Coloring/Painting

       Elementary School Children
·         Card Games: Crazy Eights, War
·         Board Games
·         Hang man
·         Hide ‘n’ Seek, sardines
·         Soccer, baseball, tennis
·         Active electronic game
·         Swimming

Create an environment of play. When play is scheduled into your routine, it will raise the vibration for all of you. Vibration comes into play with the law of attraction. Like attracts like and a high vibration, such as joy, attracts more high vibration feelings. We could all use a little more joy in our lives. The sacral chakra and the creativity which blossoms when it is balanced, opens the door to the foundation of joy.
Make a habit out of play when your children are young. They want to be close to you and they want to play, so family games provide both. Your teenagers may display some resistance to family games, as they naturally move towards independence. Try to meet your teenagers half way and focus on their current interests. Throw the ball with them. Design the latest clothing trend. Challenge them to a video game. Although you may believe there is too much video play in your house, this is a path to engage your older children and have fun together.
Focus on play, and the seriousness and discipline will fade into the background of your family life.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. How do you play with your family? What makes you laugh? What is your child's favorite family activity? What would you add to the list above?
*Excerpt from book: Metaphysical Mom: 5 Minutes to Calm

Shifting from a Negative Mindset

There are a few people in my life who are having a hard time with depression, so I invited a guest writer who has experienced depression and now helps others overcome their symptoms. Enjoy this post by John Meeks.

Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative

The mind is a powerful organ. It has the power to keep us happy, make us sad or change our outlook on the future.

Welcome to the Virtual Book Tour for "Parenting Responsively for Connection"

Parenting Responsively for Connection

Virtual E-Book Tour


Until June 21st, the new E-Book, Parenting Responsively for Connections will be on tour through 14 blog sites. Each day has a new article from the book. 

This book contains down-to-earth and easy-to-apply strategies for staying connected to your child as they grow from the early years into the school years. Learn how to cope with issues from potty training to developing success study skills. 




Eleven ACPI Certified Parenting Coaches - compassionate parents who walk their talk - have joined together to bring you the best of their accumulated knowledge and 110+ years of parenting experiences. They have created a book full of sincerity and realism. No fluff here from these astute and intelligent parenting coaches.

Sherri Boles-Rogers, ACPI CPC
Alan Carson, M.Ed., ACPI CPC
Lesa Day, ACPI CPC
Sharon Egan, MS, ACPI CPC
Marcia Hall, CPN, ACPI CPC
Kareen Hannon, ACPI CPC
Adina Lederer, ACPI CCPF
Malini Mandal, OT, ACPI CCP
Sedef Orsel, ACPI CCP
Minette Riordan, Ph.D., ACPI CCP
Jennie Tehomilic, ACPI CPC

Blog With Us and Follow The Journey Of A Book Tour


6-08-11 – Day 1 – http//www.Heartwiseparent.com/blog
6-09-11 – Day 2 – http://www.yesIcanandIwill.com
6-10-11 – Day 3 – http://www.northtexaskids.com
6-11-11 – Day 4 – http//academyforcoachingparents.com
6-12-11 – Day 5 – http://YourParentingQuestions.blogs
6-13-11 – Day 6 – http://www.nannyalliance.blogspot.com
6-14-11 – Day 7 – http://parentcoachsedef.blogspot.com, (English)  or (Turkish) http://cocukluyuzbiz.blogspot.com
6-15-11 – Day 8 – http://metaphysicsetcetera.blogspot.com
6-16-11 – Day 9 – http://www.intentionalconsciousparenting
6-17-11 – Day 10 – http://annebabaokulum.blogspot.com – (Turkish)
6-18-11 – Day 11 – http://www.lifeinaweek.com
6-19-11 – Day 12 – http://www.heartwiseparent.com/blog
6-20-11-  Day 13 – http://www.parentingheart.com
6-21-11 – Day 14 – http://www.classantics.com

On June 15th, Metaphysical Mom will host the tour and post a unique article for you. Please visit here on the 15th, and throughout the tour on other sites to comment and respond to author articles.

I look forward to seeing you on the tour!