Month: July 2020

19
Jul
2020
Tennis Ball Fun!

Tennis Ball Fun!

tennisAfter a month of 100+ temps here in the Old Pueblo which zapped my strength and desire to hit a tennis ball, I finally got out this morning and had some tennis fun!  

After sleeping away most of my Saturday I awoke to some cool and cloudy weather which motivated me to take advantage of this brief respite from the desert heat.

I was reunited with my favorite “tennis wall” down the street from my home and enjoyed about 30 minutes of practice before the humidity and sun made me stop.

I keep an Excel journal of my tennis activities to monitor my workouts and progress.  This morning it was a joy to write the following:

11am   Finally cool enough to play..slept all day yesterday
and still slept last night…wow…woke up and felt some
energy…hit for about 1/2 hour…maybe less…too hot
and humid to keep going…great reflexes…both sides…
short shots, deep high ones…good slices and dices.
felt great to hit…especially on the left…really had some
control…

When I say “both sides” I mean that I practice hitting “forehand” on the left side as well in order to train those muscles in forehand technique…I think I do it for the challenge and the fun…it’s really coming along!

I love  to dive for shots…low ones, high ones, especially the ones just a few inches from the ground…if I can get underneath it and bring it up to hit a good shot…well!  That’s the fun!  I think it’s a rhythm thing…brings out the dancer in me…

funny tennis

 

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Posted by DSaull in Physical Fitness
18
Jul
2020
Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom

I found this somewhere and saved it as the first thing I read when I open my journal.  There is no author attached to it so I can’t give credit to anyone.  If you happen to know its origin, please let me know and I will give proper credit to the writer.

Be not afraid of growing slowly,  Chinese proverb   Be afraid only of standing still.        (Chinese proverb)

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baby steps        I call it “Baby Steps”…

“One step a day towards a goal, no matter how distant, is progress.  It’s not much…but it’s progress.

Want to write a book?   Okay…one word a day.  A sentence if you wish…all right then, a paragraph…if you must…but not more than a chapter.

Want to draw?  A blank piece of paper is a start of sorts…holding the pencil is the next obvious step.  Putting pencil to paper is the breakthrough.  Now stop!  I dare you.  You can’t.  The pencil moves and the muse awakens.

Starting is the hard part, not the moving onwards…moving is easy…moving fast…without error, with confidence…that’ll come later…maybe.

But in the meantime, it’s one foot in front of the other, and the horizon rolls towards you,,,another word and another one, until out of the sentence a character forms and begins speaking…another line on top of a curve to form a suggestion of a shape…until the mountain rises from the paper.”

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I use this process for building new habits, writing articles for this website, or learning a new piece of music on my keyboard.  It helps me focus on the present task and feel accomplishment in each small success.

When I studied piano years ago, my teacher had me play each note at a snail’s pace, gradually picking up speed as I was mentally ready.  Playing slowly built body memory and accuracy…only then could I move a little faster, and a little faster than that.

It taught me to grow at my own pace, and feel a sense of accomplishment in each tiny successful step. Sometimes it was playing one bar at a time correctly without looking at my hands or the keys.  Playing 2 bars and then a whole line with both hands was a cause for celebration!

Try applying this process to something you are trying to learn…it could be self talk that you are trying to change for the better…an attitude…better listening skills…breaking that sugar habit…

Baby Steps!

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Posted by DSaull in Mental Matters
13
Jul
2020
An Affirmation for You

An Affirmation for You

Affirmation   I use affirmations and creative visualization every day as part of my daily work routine.  I’ll have more to say about that in another article.

Affirmations guide our subconscious mind toward beliefs we want to adopt, and dreams we want to come true.  

I’m reading “Ageless Body Timeless Mind” by Deepak Chopra.  On page 183 he shares an affirmation:

“I am perfect as I am.  Everything in my life is working toward my ultimate good.  I am loved and I am love.”

I posted on his Facebook page that this is unrealistic.  Nobody is perfect and trying to program ourselves to believe it is not helpful.  I offered an alternative:

“I love myself unconditionally and feel safe exploring ways to improve and grow.”  It’s simple and powerful…

I’ve added it to my book of affirmations and creative visualizations that I read every day at the beginning of my work routine.

Affirmation

https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/affirmations/affirmations-how-to-define-them/

 

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Posted by DSaull in Mental Matters
07
Jul
2020
Don’t Like Fish?

Don’t Like Fish?

fish brain food   I liked tuna sandwiches as a child…loved them with celery chunks.  As an adult…not so much…in fact I’ve tried to like tuna but don’t like the fattening mayo and the high sodium content…I went through a phase of eating lots of canned salmon…too much hassle separating the bones from the fish…having more luck with canned boneless and skinless sardines in oil.  I put them in salads with lots of french dressing.   Not too bad…

How to get my omegas without eating the fish?  I take a fish oil supplement…that takes care of that, right?  Well, there’s more to the story…

It seems that fish offers more than just omegas…there’s a reason why they call it brain food…

Eating fatty fish a few times a week can ward off diseases like Alzheimer’s, enhance the condition of your brain improving concentration and cognitive function. 

So, what do you do if you don’t like fish?  You hide it inside something else so you don’t taste it as much!

recipe    Turkey Burger with Sardinessardines

*Skinless and Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

*3/4 cup of raw turkey burger

Mix together in a bowl and form a patty…pan fry in medium heat (I use a nonstick pan:  no extra oil).  They’ll be a little from the sardines which will give it a lovely crisp flavor.  “Fry” on both sides for about 10 minutes (turkey cooks fast).

That’s it…really tastes good!  Add a salad and you have a delicious lunch or dinner!

https://www.naturalfoodseries.com/13-benefits-eating-fish/

 

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Posted by DSaull in Nutrition