1.  Set Goals.

2.  Pick a Time of Day. When will you focus on your flexibility?   Make a plan for your stretching routine.  Morning, midday, or evening, prioritize your practice and stick to it!

 3. Invite a Friend to Join You. The more the merrier.  Ask one of your friends, family members, roommates, or co-workers to join you.  Make a date to stretch or attend a yoga class together.

 4. Take Action. The time is now.  Act on your flexibility goals.  It’s not enough to simply think about your flexibility. If your goals are to become pain free, prevent injury, and increase range of motion you must practice to get results.

5.  Reward Yourself.  Celebrate!  Reward yourself with simple celebrations.  Take a bubble bath, blend a delicious smoothie, or give yourself some quiet time to relax.  Find a way to acknowledge your success.

1.  Start the morning with activities that nourish you.

2.  Take stretch breaks.  Stretching does a body good.  Make a habit of getting out of your office chair, out from behind the computer, and onto your feet for regular stretching throughout the day.  Your body (and mind) will thank-you!  Studies show individuals who take regular movement breaks are more productive than those who push through the day without breaks. As well, stretching helps you to increase blood flow, relieve muscular tension, and dissipate stress.

3.  Eat healthy.  Go for the green!  Please your palate and your health with delicious greens.  Make green juices, eat green side dishes, or make green the focus of your entire meal.  Kales, collards, spinach, broccoli, string beans, Brussels sprouts, peas, asparagus… the list goes on.  Make a point of eating at least one green thing a day.

4.  Cultivate patience.  Master the art of energy management.  Stuck in traffic, waiting for an appointment, or running behind schedule?  Before you go into reactive behaviors such as honking your horn or berating yourself to hurry up, take a moment to ease your own stress. Take a deep breath. Encourage yourself to appreciate a slower pace. Patience is a virtue, and it can be cultivated.

5.  Take naps.   I think Robert Fulghum, author of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” was really onto to something when he said, “Take a nap every afternoon.” Naps aren’t just for cats.  They are for you and me.  Give yourself permission to slow down, listen to your body, and replenish your energy.  Catnaps can boost your brain power and improve your mental outlook. Famous catnapper’s include John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Florence Nightingale.

Do you have a favorite way you like to create daily wellness? How do you stay on track with your daily wellbeing? Share your thoughts and tips below.

3 Simple Steps To Make Your Life Easier

1. Make a commitment to simplify. Realize this is a big step. The choice to simplify will require you to do things differently and to make big changes. Are you truly ready for this?

When you make the commitment to simplify your life it will require that you say no, set boundaries, and let go of what complicates your life. It will require that you prioritize, organize, and be okay with disappointing other people.

Simplifying happens one choice at a time. What one choice can you make now to simplify your life?

2. Discover what motivates you to be so busy. What needs might you be trying to get met through your busyness? Approval, recognition, worth, a sense of belonging, a need to survive?

Simplifying involves looking beneath the surface to become aware of why you make the choices you do. Aim to get your needs met in healthy and balanced ways. What do you need to do to honor yourself? Put in place the routines, habits, and boundaries to uphold what honors you.

3. Follow the 80/20 rule. Simplifying means doing less to achieve more. For example, if you have ten clients that pay you $20 to earn $200 could you have one client that pays your $200 and multiply that by ten to earn $2000. Get the idea?

What is one area of your life where you could change your behavior to maximize your time, money, and talent? Take action to do the things that bring you the most joy, reward, and results.

Radically simplifying your life can result in peace, happiness, and joy. Try these three tips to get started.

Here are 7 morning rituals that I suggest:

Hydrate
Drink a fresh glass of water each morning. Your body is 70-80% water. By drinking adequate water your body is provided the means by which nutrients are delivered to your organs. Without water your body is likely to become dehydrated and undernourished. Remaining hydrated will keep you youthful and healthy.

Stretch
Flexibility is fun! No matter what your age being able to touch your toes is a good goal. Start the day with a few simple moves to make you more limber. Stretch your arms to the sky, fold forward, and reach towards your toes. Can’t touch your toes? No problem. Simply start to practice each day and notice how responsive your body is. With consistency and practice your body will become more flexible. Take it one day at a time.

Ahhhhh
Vocal tone the sacred vowel sound: Ahhhhh. Imagine your heart filling with a beautiful emerald green color and sound Ahhhhh as you exhale. Imagine the light and sound filling every cell in your body with healing. Frequency is a sure fire fuel to start the day off on the right foot. Feel the power of your own voice resonating in your chest as you sound.

Walk
Wellness is alive in every moment. Walking is an opportunity to get the heart pumping and blood moving. Make a date with one of your best friends and share what you are grateful for during your walking date. Your walk time is also a great time to re-connect to nature. Notice the sound of the birds chirping, the beauty of the flowers blooming, and the light of the sun rising in the sky. This is a perfect time to bring focus to your day.

Meditate
Take time to silence your mind. Connect to the essence of your soul and “plug-in” for the day. Ask your higher self to show you the best way to focus your time and energy for the day. Each day your higher self may give you a new answer. Some days you may need to slow down and take more time for yourself. Other days you may be encouraged to be bold and get out into the world in a bigger way. Listen for your own unique guidance.

Dive Into Learning
Each day is a new opportunity to discover life. What are you passionate about learning? Keep your mind strong and vital by learning new skills, developing your talents, and training yourself to be the best you can be. Challenge yourself to learn one new thing at the start of each day.

What a Wonderful World
Believe the Universe is benevolent and looking out for your greater good. Start each day by asking and answering this question. What are the top ten things I am grateful for today?

Here is my list:

1. The power of creativity.
2. The feeling of tropical breezes blowing on my face.
3. The love of family.
4. The inspiration of friends.
5. The waves in the ocean.
6. The opportunity of free enterprise.
7. The ability to walk.
8. The air I breathe.
9. The scintillation of nighttime stars.
10. The harmony of children’s voices.

Make your morning rituals an important part of your self-care routine. What are some of your favorite ways to start the day?

You see, power is in perspective. What you focus on will expand. The more you focus on the positive parts of your life the more they will grow.

Build your intentional muscles and make a new habit by starting the day with morning declarations. A declaration is a statement you say out loud to announce your intention. Here are 21 declarations I love and practice on a regular basis:

1. I love my life.
2. My day is filled with wonder.
3. The Earth is an amazing place to be.
4. Each breathe is a blessing.
5. I live on purpose.
6. Passion is my true nature.
7. People adore me and I adore people.
8. I am blessed.
9. The Universe is abundant.
10. Life is a precious gift.
11. I expect miracles.
12. I am a magic maker.
13. Happiness is my natural state.
14. I attract money to me easily and effortlessly.
15. I have the best friends in the world.
16. I make great choices.
17. It is easy to give and receive.
18. Ever day gets better and better.
19. The world is evolving perfectly.
20. I trust the flow of life.
21. My heart knows the way.

Practice your morning declarations each day for 21 days.  Choose which declaration feels the most empowering to you.  What are your favorite ways to start your day?

1. Clean out your closets. Give away, throw away or donate any old clothes, shoes, or items that you haven’t used in the past 6 months.
2. Give up caffeine.  Caffeine clouds the mind and increases stress levels in the body.  Make a new habit to choose caffeine free drinks and foods.
3. Unplug. Information overload causes stress. Take a break from technology. Turn off your computer, cell phone, beeper etc.
4. Walk in nature. Reconnect with the natural rhythms of life. Listen to the heartbeat of trees, flowers, and outdoor life.
5. Say no. Learn to set boundaries that are healthy for you. Educate and empower your friends and family about your needs.
6. Develop your intuition. Give up confusion, indecision and and the feeling of being overwhelmed.  Practice following your inner guidance to be shown where to go, when to go, what to do and with whom to do it.
7. No drive day. Give yourself a break from being behind the wheel.Walk, bicycle, carpool or take public transit.
8. Listen. Stop talking.  Pay attention to what other people are feeling, saying, and doing.  Give your attention freely.
9. Sleep. Prioritize a full night’s rest.  Respect your body’s desires for rest. Go to sleep early and wake up late when as you need to.  Some days you need more sleep than others,.
10. Declutter your office. Throw away old papers, files and materials you no longer need.
11. Realize you are enough. Your existence makes it so.  You are needed, loved and cared for simply for being you.
12. Let go of perfection. Who you are is imperfectly perfect. It’s by design.  After all, you’re human.
13. Play with pets. Connect with the unconditional love that animals offer.  Learn to Love with the same abandon.
14. Go with the flow. Give up resisting ance to what is.  Allow mental imposing to take a backseat to the movement of life.
15. Eat greens.  Choose foods that help you to feel vibrant, alive and healthy.
16. Gaze at stars. Remember you are just a spec in this infinite and gorgeous Universe.  Put your life in perspective.
17. Create art. Sketch, draw or paint your feelings.  Artistic expression is a powerful tool for healing.
18. Collaborate. Work as a team towards what you dream and desire.  Let go of competition and invite collaboration.
19. Practice gratitude. Alchemize any situation with a grateful approach.
20. Go on a media diet.  Be selective about the TV, news and programming you read and watch.  Choose to view media sources that educate, inform and improve your quality of life.
21. Be bold. Try a new sport, make a new friend, visit a new country, speak your mind, quit a job, start a company.  Do what you feel called to do even if your timid self shrieks at the possibility.  Go forth boldly.
22. Take a relationship inventory. Let go of relationships that drain, sabotage or squelch your greatest self. Create friendships that uplift, accept and love you unconditionally.
23. Channel your anger. Get to know your emotions.  Choose new responses to old triggers.  Don’t get mad or even.  Become inventive; channel your anger into pillow fights, expressive music and yoga practice.
24. Follow your heart. Let your mind take a backseat to the wisdom of your heart.  Follow inspirations, feelings and callings.
25. Inspire yourself. Design a life that causes you to feel more alive each day you live it.
26. Discover your own path. Let go of thinking there is a right or wrong way to live your life. Live your life uniquely.
27. Give a helping hand.  Offer support to friends, family or strangers to receive what they in need.
28. Hug. Embrace another human every day.  Heart-to-heart hugs are the best.
29. Laugh daily. Experience the humor of life.  Belly laugh, guffaw and snort.  Tell jokes, watch funny movies, read comics.
30. Eat naturally. Eat fruits, vegetables and foods that grow from the earth.  Eliminate processed foods and the toxins that accompany them from your diet.
31. Learn to meditate.  Develop the ability to focus your mind for peace, clarity and understanding.
32. Take it slow. Free yourself from fast food thinking. Develop patience and respect for time.
33. Run up hills.  Get your heart pumping with cardiovascular exercise. Choose your sport.
34. Breathe! Improve your day-to-day and long term vitality by breathing properly.  Learn to breathe for stress relief.
35. Embrace life’s challenges. Treasure the unknown, trust change and accept adversity. Learn how to see life’s twists and turns as a part of your healthy growth.