The Rocks are movin'!

It's been a while since I've posted. No, I haven't been lazy. I've been movin'!.......Got ya! Not movin' away-movin' in place! That's a good excuse right? We're exercising! The Rocks have always been outdoorsy and active, since even before we were The Rocks. Now we're focussed on making it part of our daily family routine for good health. (BTW, the family is aka "The Rocks" Rodgers.)

Regular exercise seems like an obvious thing to do for good health, but how many of us actually have a regular exercise routine? And follow it?  Here's why I think it's vital. 

1. What's good for the heart is good for the brain. Good heart and brain health has been my motivation for veganism. I've been given the opportunity to change my lifestyle and start preventative measures for good health with every choice I make. I've been consciously thinking about each meal and how I use my time to benefit my new lifestyle. So why not do the same with exercise? I know that by changing my lifestyle, I am changing the entire family's habits. 

Exercise shouldn't be a burden, it should be part of everyday life. A nature walk, walking with friends, a bike ride etc. Research has shown that exercise, especially endurance exercise, has been known to improve cognitive function, such as awareness or memory recall. According to the Alzheimer's association: 

"It is most effective when done regularly, and in combination with a brain-healthy diet, mental activity and social interaction." 

2. What's good for the heart, is also good for blood sugar control, which is in turn, is good for the brain. .....See the connection here! Exercise after eating can also help control your blood sugar. I learned that when I had gestational diabetes with my son. Since part of good brain health is also keeping your blood sugar under control, that is a plus! Here's a recent article on Web MD about it. (I'll be blogging more about Type 3 diabetes or brain related diabetes in future.)

All this makes sense and sounds like where I need to be headed. Nothing about these changes seems like work and it really shouldn't. At least that's what my Newsfeed told me this morning in Dr. Hyman's post. 

So here's a few things The Rocks are doing to make exercise part of our lifestyle. 

Fit bit flex

So I am taking my techy husband's lead and I'm going to wear a fit bit. For those of you who don't know what that is, check it out. www.fitbit.com. I tested his out (now he's getting the force) and it made me aware of my daily routine. I started to compete with myself. I guess we will compete with each other. Justin in an office setting, and me, chasing Arlo. I've devised ways to increase the number of steps I take. I even started to move my feet while I was washing dishes, parking further away from the stores in a parking lot, etc. So our family daily goal will be 10,000 steps. This is equivalent to about 5 miles. Sounds like a lot, but once you track it, and think about meeting your goal, it's easier than you think. 

Bike Riding
I'm hoping to continue this throughout the winter. We got a bike seat for Arlo and we've done some great bike riding this season. Although I'm not much of a challenge for Justin's fitness level, it's an enjoyable family activity. Arlo loves the scenery and the fresh air. He picked leaves and held them the entire ride last time we went. 

I'm also using Map my walk app on the iPhone to track the workouts I'm doing.  I'd like to start using the C25k app soon. 

That's a summary of The Rocks, 10,000 steps a day to good health! 

I'm baring it all for Feng Shui!

Ok, I'm baring it all. Just for everyone to see. This is totally unedited. This is not cleaned, organized or "staged."  I didn't use a food stylist or a special lens on my camera. This is my fridge, baring it all...for feng shui?

I'm beginning to become proud of my fridge. After one of my weekly produce runs to the grocery store, I stood back and saw the variety of colors and textures I just put away. For a brief moment, it took my breathe away. I couldn't believe how dramatically my fridge was changing. There were a lot less bottles and containers, and a lot more life. Life that creates a new energy each time I go food shopping.

Some of you will think this next statement is far fetched, but it's true. The energy has changed in the kitchen. These items are living things. I mentioned before that I enjoy creating meals with color. Color affects our mood, so does the type of food you bring into your home. It hit me at this moment that I was creating a good energy flow in the house, for our meals, in our lives. I decided that there was something to this. Could it be refrigerator feng shui? Is there such a thing? Why yes, there is.


From About.com:


Good nutrition is good feng shui, so add healthy, organic foods to your diet, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Besides the high nutritional value, organic fruits and vegetables carry strong healing vibrations from earth that your body dearly needs. 

Little did I know that I was naturally changing the vibration of the kitchen and our home by changing my lifestyle. What an added benefit. I found this topic intriguing, so I did a little more research. I've always been interested in feng shui and of course interior design so here are some great tips for everyone to consider in their own homes. Some of these we follow, some we need to work on. I hope to inspire you to improve your kitchen energy! Here are 9 easy tips for you. (written on Care2.com.)

1. Make it Bright and Happy

Bring in nature!

Kitchens are one of the more active or yang areas of the home, so bring in brighter colors, active, happy and inspiring artwork and brighter lighting, and bring in nature. Live plants and/or pictures from nature will always inspire out souls!

2. Get Organized
Kitchens are magnets for everything to land, so you want to head it off at the pass and create places for everything to belong. Baskets are great for this. Train yourself to always put keys and mail in your designated container.

3. Clear Refrigerator Door Clutter
Does your refrigerator door look like an overwhelming cacophony of to do lists and a hodgepodge of assorted pictures?

A good rule of thumb it to take everything down, store in a shoe box and rotate the pictures, giving everything and everyone prominence, rotating them every few weeks.

4. Clutter Clear Drawers and Cupboards
Kitchens are great places to do some quick purging of clutter and the junk drawer is a great place to start. If you haven’t used it in six months, deep-six it.

5. Clear Counter Tops (Justin this one is for you.)

• Keep on the counter top only appliances you use every day.
• Discipline yourself to keep objects off the counters that you do not use on a daily basis such as toasters, blenders, mixers and Cuisinarts. Store them in your newly cleared cupboards and replace with a few lovely vases and/or objects that inspire you. 

6. Make it Safe

• Store knives in knife blocks and remove unfriendly hooks overhead if you have installed them to hold pans.
• Hang dish towels away from stove and remove anything close to it that could catch on fire. Many of the home accidents happen in unsafe kitchens!

7. An Empowered Cook is a Happy Cook!

• Stoves and burners should always be clean and in working order and ideally be in the empowered position, where the cook can see the action.
• If they have their back to the door while cooking, put a mirror or a reflective metal piece behind the stove so they can see what is going on behind.

8. Have A Calm Place to Share Meals Without the Television On

• Sitting down to a meal together should be the time we share our day, relax and replenish our bodies.
• You need a good place to eat every day, a place for people to connect and communicate. It is important to have comfortable chairs and an inspiring piece of artwork on the wall.
• Television shows are fine to watch as a family, but are not conducive to good conversation or good digestion during a meal. Discipline yourself to always keep them off while you are eating.
• If you live alone, make a ritual of eating. Turn off the television, light a candle, put on inspiring music and treat yourself as if you are the important person coming to dinner.

9. Bring in the Earth Element

• Good 'earthy' counter top materials
• The earth element brings in a grounding energy and encourages us to be in our bodies, an important feature when dealing with the fire and knives that are inherent in kitchens.
• If you were planning on remodeling your kitchen, a good choice for the counter tops would be earthy granites or tiles in earth tones. If you have black granite, it is always good to have lighter more earthy colors for the cabinets. You can also bring in pottery, mats, dishware, and/or other decorative pieces in yellows, golds and earth tones. Black represents the water element and encourages us to be too “floaty” and un-grounded, which is not a good idea for kitchens.

Creating a nurturing, happy, organized and inspiring kitchen will support the needs of the family while uplifting their souls, making your hearth truly the heart of your home!