https://healthyforgood.heart.org/be-well/infographics/mindful-eating-infographic
Fruits and Veggie Games for Kids
For on-line food games for children check:
Adult Coloring Benefits
3 Reasons Adult Coloring Can Actually Relax Your Brain
Find out what’s behind the latest craze
It’s the latest craze. Where you might expect to see children, you find adults: They sit with colored pencils in their hands, bent over the swirls and intricate patterns of coloring books. Yes, coloring books. They are losing themselves in patterns of mandalas, curved flowers and runaway stems. This is a world they create and escape into, and it’s become a popular form of relaxation.
But how does it work? What does this pastime do to our brains to elicit such pleasure and calm?
According to clinical psychologist Scott M. Bea, Psy.D., it has everything to do with refocusing our attention. “Adult coloring requires modest attention focused outside of self-awareness. It is a simple activity that takes us outside ourselves. In the same way, cutting the lawn, knitting, or taking a Sunday drive can all be relaxing.”
What does adult coloring do to relax people?
Dr. Bea cites three reasons adult coloring can be calming:
- Attention flows away from ourselves. A simple act, such as coloring, takes your attention away from yourself and onto the present-moment event. “In this way, it is very much like a meditative exercise,” Dr. Bea says.
- It relaxes the brain. When thoughts are focused on a simple activity, your brain tends to relax. “We are not disturbed by our own thoughts and appraisals,” he says. “The difficulties of life evaporate from our awareness, and both our bodies and our brains may find this rewarding.”
- Low stakes make it pleasurable. The fact that the outcome of coloring is predictable also can be relaxing. “It is hard to screw up coloring, and, even if you do, there is no real consequence. As result, adult coloring can be a wonderful lark, rather than an arduous test of our capacities,” he adds.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/11/3-reasons-adult-coloring-can-actually-relax-brain/
5K at Marian University Coming Up
Help in Meal Planning
What’s Your Food Personality?
By going to the website: https://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Eating-Tools/Food-Personality-Quiz you can take a Food Personality Quiz to determine your meal preparation style helping you plan more effectively to save time and give you more pleasure in meal prep.
Winter Blues?
Overview
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, SAD causes depression in the spring or early summer.
Treatment for SAD may include light therapy (phototherapy), medications and psychotherapy.
Don’t brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the “winter blues” or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.
For more information check the link below:
What is the November Project
If you are looking for a free support group for workouts, you may find what you’re looking for in something called “The November Project”. Here in Indianapolis is a group of folks who get together regularly once a week in the early morning on Wednesdays. Complimentary hugs, high-5’s and other forms of encouragement are accompanied by climbs and routines done at the the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza. For more information:
Cervical Cancer Prevention: Screening Guidelines Updated
For the most current cervical cancer screening guidelines made simple visit:
http://www.nccc-online.org/hpvcervical-cancer/cervical-cancer-screening/
New Year – New Schedule – New Workouts!
We thank the Butler University Health and Recreation staff for this contribution to the Healthy Horizons blog posts!
January and the New Year means a fresh new start for many. Have you been thinking about exercising again but feel the variety of workouts and information out there is overwhelming? Well, good news! We’ve created an easy to follow physical activity calendar for the month of January. Making small, manageable changes each day is a great way to get back into your grove. Are you ready to take the January physical activity challenge? If so, download the calendar below.
HRC Spring Group Fitness Schedule: https://www.butler.edu/fitness/group-fitness-classes
Be sure to click on the links provided in the calendar for workouts.
Workout examples and resources:
Cardio: brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, dancing, jump roping
Legs: squats, leg raises, wall sits, kick backs. Find examples here: https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/exercise-library/body-part/legs-thighs
Mindfulness Exercises
See how mindfulness helps you live in the moment.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
If you’ve heard of or read about mindfulness — a form of meditation — you might be curious about how to practice it. Find out how to do mindfulness exercises and how they might benefit you.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment — without interpretation or judgment.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises, on the other hand, can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.
What are the benefits of mindfulness exercises?
Practicing mindfulness exercises can have many possible benefits, including:
- Reduced stress, anxiety and depression
- Less negative thinking and distraction
- Improved mood
There are many ways to practice mindfulness. For example:
- Pay attention. The next time you meet someone, listen closely to his or her words. Think about their meaning and uniqueness. Aim to develop a habit of understanding others and delaying your own judgments and criticisms.
- Make the familiar new again. Find a few small, familiar objects — such as a toothbrush, apple or cellphone — in your home or office. Look at the objects with fresh eyes. Identify one new detail about each object that you didn’t see before. As you become more aware of your world, you might become fonder of the things around you.
- Focus on your breathing. Sit in a quiet place with your back straight, but relaxed. Feel your breath move in and out of your body. Let your awareness of everything else fall away. Pay attention to your nostrils as air passes in and out. Notice the way your abdomen expands and collapses with each breath. When your mind wanders, gently redirect your attention to your breath. Don’t judge yourself. Remember that you’re not trying to become anything — such as a good meditator. You’re simply becoming aware of what’s happening around you, breath by breath.
- Awaken your senses. Get a raisin. Sit in a quiet place with your back straight, but relaxed. Look at the raisin. Smell it, feel it and anticipate eating it. Taste the raisin, and slowly and deliberately chew it. Notice the way the raisin’s taste changes, your impulse to swallow the raisin, your response to that impulse and any thoughts or emotions that arise along the way. Paying close attention to your senses and your body’s reaction to the raisin might reveal insight into your relationship with eating and food.