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Greetings friends!
Here are my "First Thoughts" on mindset, real food and behavior change.
Quote that I am pondering:
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present” Jim Rohn. I love this reminder to avoid the "I'll be happy when" mindset as well as to plan for happiness.
What I’m reading: The Body Keeps The Score. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk tells the history of PTSD treatment with great compassion for his veteran patients.
I'm looking forward to learning more about how trauma affects physical health and mental processing, both for my human and canine clients.
More on Saboteurs and Mental Fitness: In the last newsletter, I shared the Positive Intelligence saboteur assessment. Is yours the Judge, Stickler, Avoider, Hyper-Rational, Victim, Controller, Hyper-Achiever, Pleaser, Hyper-Vigilant, or Restless? In addition to teaching you to recognize these unhelpful voices, the program teaches you how to build your mental muscles so that you can shift quickly into a more positive and productive mindset. I saw a bigger impact doing six weeks of the Positive Intelligence program than I've seen in 3 years of meditation. What used to take a quiet room and 10-15 minutes, I can now do on the fly in 10-20 seconds, quickly enough to overcome my white-coat high blood pressure and drop it to 115/65 from its usual 130/80! I've also been inspired by classmates who have gotten over their insomnia, stopped drinking, and reported huge improvements in stress and happiness.
When I started, I had no intention of teaching the program, but it is so effective that I can't wait to bring it to you. I'll be running my first Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness Class starting on Monday, August 2nd and meeting weekly for seven weeks. Please email anne@ongoodbehavior.com if you would like to register. This first group is limited to the first five to respond.
What I’m cooking right now:
Homemade Hummus
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 rounded tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 can chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed and drained
Combine everything in a food processor except the chickpeas. Process until garlic is pureed and everything is combined. Now add chickpeas and process until smooth. Serve with assorted veggies or wrapped in lettuce or just eat with a spoon! Freshly made hummus tastes, well, fresh! And it's a good way to get healthy olive oil.
What I’m celebrating: My return to agility competition! Rehab involved physical therapy to strengthen the atrophied muscles, changing my diet to reduce inflammation, and exercises to retrain my brain to convince it that running didn't really hurt anymore (nerves that are pinched for six months or longer usually result in chronic pain that can last after a surgical fix). All well worth it to be able to step into the ring with the best dog ever! Here is video of our run.
What's in bloom: Blue Globe Thistle "Echinops ritro." I love combining blue and orange in the garden and globe thistles provide a nice long lasting midsummer blue. Once established, they are indestructible and nothing eats them. They are also popular with the butterflies.
That's all for now.
Love, Anne
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