LULELEMON LOVE

           Another week gone by - i hope you have all had a wonderful weekend.  I haven't posted this week - i feel like life has been pretty much routine - nothing new to talk about.  I do want to talk about one of my favorite ways to relieve stress - my yoga practice.  I started doing yoga about a year ago - i had heard all of the health benefits - not only physical but also mental.  For me yoga is my time to forget about life's everyday problems - for 1 1/2 hours my mind is clear, not cluttered with everyday worries and concerns.  

The practice of yoga has been around for thousands of years - it is a practice that unites the body, mind and spirit and believes that thru this practice one can find harmony in their environment.  Yoga consists of different postures, meditation and breathing techniques. The reason why i enjoy it so much is that anyone can do it - each move can be modified and individuals are encouraged to listen to their bodies and modify the different poses as they seem fit.  

So what are some of the health benefits of yoga???? Well here is a quick list :

1.  Physical:  decreased blood pressure, better immune system, healthier gastrointestinal system, improved posture and balance, increase in energy levels, improved sleep

2. Mentally:  increase in self-confidence,  increase in concentration and memory, decrease in anxiety and stress levels, increase in self-acceptance (KEY!!!!!).

I particularly like the last point - yoga has been found to cause increase levels of self-acceptance - Yoga causes us to look inward and realize that perfection is not the goal but rather listen to our bodies and our mind and accept ourselves f

or who we truly are.

One of my favorite stores for yoga apparel is "Lululemon"  A great company they not only sell yoga apparel but also yoga mats and other accessories as well as interesting literature about the practice of yoga.  I am lucky enough to hav

e a store close to where I live and on Sundays they have a free yoga class!!!!!!!  What i particularly like is the Lululemon manifesto:

It is so positive and inspiring!!!!!!!!!!  I highly recommend you check out their web-site which has great resources about yoga!!!!   

Well I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing Sunday and consider starting your own yoga practice - i am so happy i did and feel it is key in my quest to become healthy!!!!

                                                          xoxo aimee

You are Beautiful

  A few days ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs: Scott: Recovered and I was so touched that he passed on the "You are Beautiful Award" to me - i have never received one of these awards and i was so surprised!!!! Thank you Scott for making my day!!!!!! It seriously could not have come at a better time!!!

Well here goes!!!!

                      1. What are some physical features that you love about yourself???

I think i would have to answer my eyes.  I have big light brown eyes just like my dad.  I really think that ones eyes are the window to a person's spirit.  

                       

      2. How do you personally take care of yourself???

Well this is one that I think I am working on improving.  Lately I have been trying to really listen to what my body is telling me - if im tired - i need a rest, if im hungry i should eat.   I think that if we really take a moment and stop and try and see what our bodies are telling us and not what Ed is telling us - this is the first step to recovery.

                         3. What is one thing that you are looking forward to??

I am really looking forward to getting myself at a better place so that I can change the scope of my career and focus on what i truly feel I was meant to do - to help others with eating disorders.  Although I love my job as an obstetrician/gynecologist i don't feel that this is what God has wanted me to do with the rest of my life.  My dream is to open a center on Long Island where individuals can come for treatment and include such things as yoga, art therapy and other outlets which i feel are key for recovery.

                          4. Who has aided your recovery the most??????

Well for me my family has always been very supportive and have helped give me that extra push that i need.  However i believe that recently the friends i have made thru blogging has been key in my drive to keep getting better!!!!

                            5. What was the very las thing you ate???

I am eating as we speak:  greek yogurt with fresh pineapple, blood oranges, blueberries 

   6. Name one material object that you would like right now??

I really don't know!!!!!!!!!!

                           7. If you could travel anywhere where would you go???

This was a hard question because there are SO many places i would love to travel:  Europe especially Italy and France, Australia, Hawaii - the possibilities are endless!!!!!

                           8. What is your biggest fear foods and how did you get over it??

Some of my fear foods included pizza, nut butters and other calorie dense foods.  How i was able to overcome these fears was by slowly reintroducing them in my diet slowly and realizing how much i enjoyed them

                            9. What are your dreams post Ed???

Once i am at a better place and i have successfully opened up my treatment center i would love to take time for myself and travel as well as take time to experience new things - take art classes, photography classes and even grow my own field of sunflowers.

                         10. What advice would you give to someone concerning eating disorders?

I think that it is important to realize that recovery is POSSIBLE - being in the medical profession i hear too often other physicians telling others that many people suffering from eating disorders which have some form of their disorder for the rest of their lives - i believe that with support a life free from Ed is truly possible.  I also believe that our bodies are truly a gift from God and that we have to take care of this body - we only get one!!!!  I would also tell family members and friends of those who suffer to be supportive, give encouragement and just be there for the one who is suffering.  

Thank you again Scott for giving me this award!!!!! All of you fellow bloggers deserve this award - we are all beautiful, unique and special individuals!!!!!!!!!!!  I am passing this along to:

Amanda from Honey Bunches of Love, Emma from Love from Emma, Amanda from seekmyself, Maggie from My Breakfast Blog, Alexandra from Gingerbread,  Eleanor from Pieces of Her   and Sarah from This Lunatic Express!!!!!!!!!!    

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and a wonderful start to the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       xoxo aimee

"Out of this World" - Galaxy Granola

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!!!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far.  For all of you who are looking for some inspiring messages toward recovery I suggest checking out Amanda at seekmyself as well as Eleanor at Pieces of Her.  Over the past few days Amanda has shared with her readers her struggles with Ed and her amazing journey to recovery - i was speechless after reading the three days of posts - very inspirational, emotional and heartfelt!!!!

I also recommend Pieces of Her - Eleanor is an amazing writer who each and every day shares her deepest feelings with her readers - i just want to say thank you to both of them - for their honesty and let them know how much their blogs have helped me!!!! I hope their words can inspire you as well!!!!

Now onto some eats - yesterday after a long day at work i was pleasantly surprised to find a package from one of my favorite companies - Galaxy Granola!!!!!!!  I think i have told you in the past how much i love their granola - Galaxy Granola is a company out of California that makes a granola that is baked with fruit - and sweetened with agave nectar.  It comes in 4 different flavors: Not sweet vanilla, Vanilla Almond, Raspberry and Cranberry Orange.  All four flavors are amazing - however i am partial to the Not Sweet Vanilla.  They have the perfect sweetness and crunch and are perfect additions to greek yogurt or even with just almond milk!!! What i particularly like about this company is their use of simple ingredients - all natural as well as use of fruit to bake the granola.  Definately check it out!!!!! You can purchase their granola on line or buy from such stores as 

Whole Foods and Fairway Market.  I just want to say thank you to Tristan at Galaxy Granola - your granola is truly "Out of this World" delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Well I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday filled with inspiring thoughts!!!!!

                                                                   xoxo Aimee

"Wear Sunscreen"

Hello there my lovies and happy Sunday - i cannot even begin to tell you all how beautiful the weather has been here on Long Island - over the past week the sun has been shining and finally it seems that spring has blossomed.  The trees are green and filled with buds getting ready to blossom.  A new season - a rebirth - even the bugs are starting to make their presence on the leaves of the trees.    The view from my house now as compared to three months ago!!!

Im realizng that i haven't posted in quite a while - things have been busy - between work, and my new endeavor of writing a book as well as just keeping up with therapy and my "daily routine" the days have been flying by!!!   I did want to share with you all something i came across - have you ever heard of the speech "Wear Sunscreen" by   Mary Schmich???  It was a seech that she gave a a college graduation back in 1997.  The speech gained great popularity and you probably have seen little books written about it, you-tube videos and the like.  As i stumbled across it i found it to be uplifting, and motivational as i continue on my path to recovery. 

 I find that each and every day just one thought, one saying can just be that little piece that can help get me thru the day.  I hope that you can read this and maybe this be all that you need to get you thru the day!!!

   Some of my favorite parts from the speech:

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

"Enjoy your body: use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you'll ever own."

" Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum."

"Don't read beauty magazines, they will only make  you feel ugly."

I off to put on my "sunscreen" and enjoy this beautiful day.  Remember be kind to yourself, love yourself, you are worth caring for and believing in!!!!!!   xo aimee

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

As i was sitting outside on my porch enjoying the warm sun yesterday I saw the first caterpillar of the season.  As i watched him scurry along the pavement i was reminded of one of my favorite books as a child - "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.  If you haven't read it you definately should.  What i liked most about the book when i was younger was the beautiful illustrations of the food that the caterpillar would eat.  Now as i think back i am reminded of the beautiful message that the story contains.  

The book starts out with the hatching of the caterpillar from a single egg on a leaf and then follows him during the week as he continues to grow and eat a variety of foods until he surrounds himself in a cocoon and then transforms into a beautiful butterfly.  Spring is a time of change, a time of growth, promise and changes.  Thinking of this story makes me realize how important it is to nourish ourselves each and every day.  Without the proper food we can never reach our full potential of a beautiful butterfly.  The caterpillar was able to listen to his body and each day eat a little bit more than the day before.  On Sunday he ate one apple, on Monday two pears and he was still hungry - - why can't i be like the caterpillar and listen to my body - - 

As i sit here writing this post i hope that we all can be like this little creature - feed ourselves what we need , what we desire so that we too can become a beautiful butterfly one day.  I hope you all have a wonderful Easter as well as Passover.  I'll be back tomorrow with a longer post - enjoy your weekend and be like the caterpillar - it is only a matter of time till we become a butterfly!!!!!!!!!!!    

xoxo aimee