Magic.
That’s what happens.
Put a group of women together and get them talking about their lives and the challenges they face with trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their families.
Ask a group of women to share what they’ve learned about their own health and the strategies they use to take care of themselves.
Direct a group of women to let loose and be silly for a bit.
What you get is energy. Empowerment. Support.
Magic.
I facilitated another BOW for the Ladies night recently. After introductions, I explained to the women how my own life has changed in the past few years, and that while much of this night would focus on food, there was so much more to finding health and happiness. Attitude and gratitude play an equally important role, as does moving our bodies and stress reduction.
We laughed our way through simple activities, like wall sitting while singing three rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat…in a round. Try it with your kids or co-workers when you need a good laugh and a little muscle toning in your legs and core.
While a gym is motivating for some, you don’t need the gym to fit activity into your day every day. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had no choice but to do this, and our modern-day bodies evolved around this activity. We are designed to keep moving.
From there, it was on to a little apple meditation. The women were great at this, and I hope they continue to try this activity again at home. Every day we have opportunities to breathe deeply and be truly in the moment. This form of meditation is similar to what Buddhist monks use. Those very monks have been found to have larger parts of the brain that are responsible for learning, retention, memory, focus, and mood.
Rather than seeing food preparation as a means to an end, try turning at least one meal prep into a time just for you. Focus while you chop, mix, puree, or whatever the food prep may be. Observe the colors of the food, the way the foods feel in your hands, the knife as you grip it, etc. You don’t need candles or a yoga mat; a cutting board and a carrot can work just fine.
It was on to the kitchen after that, where the discussion turned to how our food today has changed over the past few decades.
Rather than discuss every little ingredient that may or may not cause cancer, I encouraged the women to think Big Picture. Essentially every modern-day convenience that’s been introduced since the 1950’s contains some sort of toxin. Bang! Simple.
Okay, maybe not so uplifting, but when we think in those terms, it’s much easier than nit-picking. Now the goal is to start removing those toxins one by one, step by baby step. The more toxins we remove from our lives, the stronger our bodies will be and the better they can handle the ones that are left or that we can’t help avoiding.
Baby steps include…
*Drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day.
*Reading ingredient labels to learn what’s in our food.
*Buying organic as much as possible. (Check Environmental Working Group’s list.)
*Looking for “fragrance-free” detergents and personal care products (or those scented with plant oils).
Each of these women had heard of genetically-modified food, which was very exciting. Two years ago, that was not the case. Eating more whole, unprocessed foods will help us to avoid GMO as gm corn and soy is in virtually every processed food. Purchasing organic is another way to avoid GMO, as is looking for the “Non-GMO Verified” symbol on many products.
The women also sampled not-tuna salad, homemade applesauce, fresh-popped popcorn, and chewy chocolate raisin squares. (Recipe to come!)
The smoothies were a big hit, too. The Pina Colada was a favorite of BOW reader, Nancy, who shared during last week’s cleanse. So yummy! The Fall/Winter apple and pear smoothie is always a favorite of mine at this time of year.
The host of this night was so excited, she is ready to have a follow-up for this group and another for a different group of friends! Many of the women were hoping to get their men on board, too.
I encourage all these women to keep up the support. Stay in touch with friends, form book groups and bring a “healthy” meal to share, challenge each other to try a new recipe every month. It’s this kind of support that is essential in a culture where fast and processed is the norm. This way of thinking is changing and each of us is making that happen.
If you’d love to experience this kind of fun in your home, contact me today to book your night: Donna@BetterOffWell.com
