8/15: love, me

Hi Friends:

 

First, a couple of announcements:

-Starting in September, I will also have class at Nuuanu Elementary on Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30! The first Thursday of the month is no longer free; the first Tuesday of the month will be the free class. My passes are good at both classes. If you come early, you can get some extra exercise in by helping me move the tables.

 

-I will participating in a Zumbathon, Saturday August 27, 3-6p.m. at St. Francis School. The flyer is attached. Tix are $10, and you can reserve and pick them up from me. Should be a fun time. It's a study-abroad fundraiser.

 

-Here are couple more suggestions from people on electrolytes: coconut water, and Bob Harper's electrolyte drink recipe (thanks for the tip, Maile!). On the Dr. Oz website, it says:

Add a boost to your water bottle with Bob Harper's simple, natural electrolyte recipe. You'll maximize your workout and prevent dehydration.

Ingredients
1 liter of water
1/2 tsp of baking soda
2 tbsp of agave nectar
1/2 tbsp of sea salt

Directions
Combine all ingredients in water bottle and sip during workout as needed.
-Noe also says to have protein after working out.

Now, for today's thought:

 

I was going to post  about writing yourself a love letter (inspiration here: http://www.aspiremag.net/writing-as-a-practice-of-self-love-write-yourself-a-love-letter), but then I tried the exercise and it's really hard. I got really self conscious and felt like I was updating my resume. It felt like I was bragging about myself, to myself. I like the idea of being your own cheerleader and telling yourself nice things, but a whole letter is a little too much of a time and emotional commitment.

 

And then I was going make a post about writing a self-love letter of forgiveness (inspiration here: http://www.theselflovediet.org/pdf/body-forgiveness-template.pdf), but it made me feel actually worse than I had already been feeling, and I felt guilty for all the ways I had mistreated myself in the past. Who really needs to dredge up all that yucky stuff?

 

So I decided the most painless, still positive thing would be to list three things I love about myself that I would give as a compliment to someone else. Then, I could give myself credit for something, but at the same time not get too bogged down emotionally. I came up with:

-I love the way you like to make things from scratch.

-I think you pick really good, really different music for Zumba.

-I love that constantly work to make a better system, and be more organized, and get on schedule.

 

That took only about five minutes, and I feel pretty good about myself. I encourage you to try it, especially about stuff nobody else even notices, such as, "I like the way you wipe the counter after washing your hands in a public bathroom/I love how you've organized your closet/I think it's wonderful that you didn't eat that extra piece of cake, even though you wanted to."

 

And don't forget to thank yourself for the lovely compliment!

 

Ok, have a great week,

meredith