On the road to a energized life - Getting started

I am going to warn you right now... I have fallen in love with a book.

Based on principles from the Human Performance Institute the authors of this book wants to show everyone that managing energy, not time, is vital to sustained high performance.

What is important is to integrate physical activity to your daily routine, tweaking eating habits, and apply key tactics that the authors teach you throughout the book.

There is absolutely no talk about being on a diet. A no no word for me as I always start cheating on my diets after only a few hours. And as it speak about physical activity, it is not about loosing weight, but about using it as a means to more energy to heighten your performance both in your work life and your personal life.

There is according to them four different types of energy levels.

The "Low Negative Energy" where you feel exhaustion, burned out, sadness, hopelessness, moodiness, irritability, and impatience, usually comes from stress and overwhelming challenges that comes in your way.

The "Low Positive Energy" which is a strategic disengagement where you seek rest and recovery, it is a critical need for sufficient time to renew yourself and enabling your embracing the next challenge that comes your way. It is about feeling carefree, peaceful, relieved, mellow, relaxed and unfocused.

The "High Negative Energy" is positive when there is a physical emergency and your goal is to survive, but long term this is counterproductive as the emotions it carries with it in terms of frustration, anger, anxiety, tenseness, and fear might interfere with how you think and react to things.

The "High Positive Energy" is full of feelings of hopefulness, passion, focus, challenge, connection, alertness, enthusiasm, and optimism that makes you embrace challenges, respond in high quality ways, and always with full engagement and in full performance.

I can definitely say that I am mostly full of High Negative Energy and Low Negative Energy. I need to change this because I can tell that my family is having a hard time with it too.

Are you in for this? Think back to your past few weeks... Have you taken time for some intentional Low positive energy? Are you in constant combat mode of High negative energy?

Please join me in the quest for more energy in our life. If you would like to join I would appreciate it if you would sport my little button too. Please let me know if it doesn't work though. I don't know if it works yet as it is the first time I have ever made one. Any tips are gratefully appreciated.

Grateful Monday 11

I must say that this week has been a roller coaster week. A lot of fast rides down and slow going up again. I know there will be more ups and downs as school starts this week, but I am looking forward to it.

This week I am grateful for:

101. two weeks of a healthy Sofie.

102. time to make a craft and feeling rejuvenated afterwards.

103. a surgery that went as planned.

104. Isabels recovery going pretty fast and well.

105. little girls giving lots of hugs and kisses.

106. a kitchen that is clean in the morning.

107. little girls snuggling against me.

108. freshly baked peach pie.

109. cream of wheat, finally a breakfast that we all like and is easy to make.

110. a day of having only one child at home, getting some rest finally.

I hope you all find something you are grateful for this week and I hope it will come to me easier than it has to find things to be grateful for.

On the road to a energized life

This summer have been very draining on me. At one point I actually went to the doctor to have her check whether or not I was getting sick. She pointed out the obvious:

1. I had one very sick little girl who needed me 24/7.
2. I was not taking any time to myself.
3. I was not exercising.
4. I was not eating very well.
5. I barely slept.

I had drained the last drop of energy out of my body and my doctors prescription was to take time to myself to re-energize again.

"How do I do that?" I asked. She told me to go into myself and think back to what would energize me before, even as long ago as when I was a teen.

It took me a while and when I did discover the answer I did a lot of research too as my body and lifestyle has changed drasticly the past ten years. I didn't want to do something that potentially could make me feel even worse.

My answer was exercise. As a teenager I did gymnastic at least 4 hours a week, I played European handball 3 hours a week and I would run or do cross country skiing at least 4 hours a week. Still with 11 hours of training a week, I never fell behind on my school assignments. Then in college I coached both gymnastics and soccer, while working and going to school. Still training up to 10 hours a week I had a active social life and kept up with school.

Now I hardly exercise, I am tired all the time and just can't keep up with hardly anything. I realize I really need to start exercising, but I have to do it carefully. I am not the same person I was 10 years ago in college. I am 35 lbs heavier, I have had two kids and I have had accidents that have given me cronic pain in my back, shoulders, neck and feet. These are all things that might all go away, well except for my kids, I'd rather keep them.

So I invite you with me on this journey. Not a journey to loose weight essentially, but to gain energy. Energy for my family and my friends and myself.

Share this with your friends and together we will make a difference in our own lifes and inevitably in our families lives.

Linking up to 30 days: Pity party.