How's it going/What I've been up to...

Hello! I feel like it's been a long time since I've dedicated some time to this blog. Despite that the "100 ways" challenge has been going on for the past few months, I've been working on some other things while the awesomeness of scheduled posting took over for while.

So first things first: How did the challenge go? Were there any committed folks who tried most or all of them? I'd love to hear any feedback. If you are new here, you can still participate in the challenges by checking out the posts. Simply click on the "100 Ways to Thank Your Body" button to the right.

In the meantime, here are some of the things I've been up to since the challenge began:

• Publishing and then redesigning the website Movement Has Meaning. Check it out! We have some great bloggers who have joined in the fun. We also have a growing GLOBAL database of LMA certified practitioners.
  
• I've also been writing for the site Pure Natural Mom. It's been fun to put on my "mom" hat and write.
  
• I've also been fortunate enough to teach twice a week at BYU... giving me some "me" time doing what I love while still being able to be a mostly stay-at-home mom. Best part is my husband is home while I teach so Little C is getting some great daddy-daughter time.
  
• And mostly I spend my days with this little girl. I'm amazed at how quickly she is growing up. It's been wonderful watching her develop and seeing her unique (and determined) little personality shine.

What have you been up to?

Day 100: Listen.

This is part of the “100 Ways to Thank Your Body” challenge.


Today’s challenge, the final challenge, requires a you to listen, respond, and be patient with your body. Hopefully it's a challenge you will continue to work on beyond today.

Even though much of what our body is doing on a daily basis goes beyond our consciousness, the body does have some very specific needs.  Our most basic and critical needs come with built-in signals so that we can help our physical self perform to the best of its ability.  

The most urgent of these signals we can’t seem to avoid, even if we wanted to (like having “to go” in the middle of an important meeting).  But in our fast-paced world we have given ourselves plenty of obstacles in sensing and responding to these basic signals when they first happen.  How many of us have tried to “hold it” when the urge to use the bathroom kicks in?  How many of us ignore those hunger pains because eating would mess up our current diet plan?  Or who hasn’t been guilty of eating way too much despite feeling full a good ten or so bites ago?  

While all of these seem like little grievances in the big scheme of life, every time we ignore our body’s signals we get a more detached or, worse yet, our body stops giving us the signals we need.  For those who feel really disconnected to their bodies, listening to the most obvious and basic signals (hunger, thirst, elimination, etc.) and responding immediately can have a powerful affect on our ability to start hearing the more subtle and complex signals our body utilizes.

One of the best ways we can thank our body is by respecting all it does, listening to its needs, and remembering that it is connected to all we do. This may take a mental shift (and some practice) but make an effort to respond to your body’s signals and be prepared to feel more connected to your own self.

Day 99: Give Some Hugs

This is part of the “100 Ways to Thank Your Body” challenge.

Who doesn’t love a good hug? Make an effort to hug as many people today as you can (Although, you may want to adhere to some degree of social norms here. Be careful what strangers you choose to hug.)

Here’s a great article on the benefits of touch (and especially hugging).