Tag: family time

Day 14: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Family, Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

Poor health is not caused by something you don’t have; it’s caused by disturbing something that you already have. Healthy is not something that you need to get, it’s something you have already if you don’t disturb it. ~Dean Ornish

Today was my idea of a perfect recovery day! My son deigned to sleep till 8am!!! Hallelujah!

We hung out in pajamas till nearly 10am -kids played – I organized their closets!

After a late breakfast for them they went off to our playroom – (our living room- converted to playroom) while I sat in the kitchen drinking coffee (décaf with soy creamer and turbinado) and read an entire book!! A short one – granted– but an entire book– all 100 pages. Can you say luxury?

Lunch for me was a protein shake because I was in a cooking frenzy- both to prepare for dinner with my parents as well as to prepare for the week ahead! I cooked Indian style potatoes, cucumber (from our garden) raita, a milk chocolate tart with crème fraiche, black-eyed peas with chicken – Indian style and then also a separate chicken and potatoes as back up for the kids incase that Tandoori chicken I’d marinated the night before didn’t fly! My 6yo devoured two drumsticks of tandoori- my usually more open to Indian food 2yo didn’t care for it too much! I actually think that it was too bland for him. He prefers more spice and we had scaled down the spice on a few drumsticks to make it ‘kid-friendly.’ I made rotis, sliced up raw onions sprinkled with lime juice, salt and pepper and white basmati rice to finish the meal! I had a bit of everything except the rice. Yes– including a roti! It was too hard to pass up!

So after seriously standing and cooking for nearly 5 hours– I was ready to take a load off and hung out in the backyard under an overcast sky with a cool breeze and blew bubbles with the kids!

After the kids were asleep it was me time! Sundays are typically the day when I prepare for the week ahead anyway – however with the new executive management challenge I’ve just signed up for with my company — and I’m committed to my success – which means creating and following a roadmap! I’m less than 5 months away from getting my free white Mercedes Benz from the company! This challenge is going to expedite it! I’M ALL IN!

The discipline of this 30 day health program has helped me discipline my mind more- I feel very ready to do whatever it takes to achieve success! My sharing it here is an added level of accountability!

I believe Napoleon Hill said it best–

What the mind of (wo)man can believe, the mind of (wo)man can conceive and achieve.

GAME ON!

Day 11: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, Inspiration, Nutrition

 

MY CHOCOLATE PROTEIN POWDER CAME IN TODAY!

Arbonne Chocolate Protein Powder

 

I haven’t been this excited about receiving my chocolate protein powder in a long time! It’s been on back order for over a month and since I drink this daily – I run through my bag in 2 months! I’ve learned now to keep one in reserve always!

Today I really really really enjoyed my breakfast shake! Almond/Coconut unsweetened milk, chocolate protein powder, strawberries, blueberries, almond butter, celery, kale, green beans, and a handful of raw almonds for texture, ice and blend!! YUMMM heaven!

I ran around with my kids quite a bit today – forgot to eat lunch on time, so came home ravenous…why is it that moms remember to feed their kids like clockwork but forget themselves? I will remember to sunblock my kids, carry snacks and water for them – but never think about doing the same for myself…have to change that ASAP! As a result of that…I came back to ZERO will power – cheese pizza is what I found in my fridge to eat…UGH – dairy and gluten – two of my no nos! Not good to be that hungry! It prevents your ability to choose wisely. I realized around 4pm that the only liquids I had had was my protein shake and decaf coffee (yep, with my soy creamer and turbinado sugar). I quickly drank 2-3 glasses of water…again, not a good idea. This made me realize that I have to get better organized when I’m running around town with my kids! When I pack snacks/water for them – I must do the same for myself. It’s that airplane oxygen mask philosophy – put yours on first (care for yourself first) before you help your kids (so that you can be a better parent to your kids!).

I want to talk about recipes….not cooking recipes, but  my recipe for success…I have a list of things that I must do, to be my optimal best! To be a good mum, wife, daughter, sister, professional, etc.  I need to take care for myself a certain way. My recipe goes something like this:

  • Meditate daily
  • Run three times a week for a total of at least 10 miles
  • Cook from scratch for my family at least 5 days a week
  • Sleep 7 hours a night
  • Sleep no later than 10 pm
  • Wake no later than 5:30 am during the week (that gives me 1 hour to myself in the morning)
  • Sleep in till 8 am one weekend day
  • Read 10 pages of a good book every night

When I adhere to this – I feel completely invincible! Everything flows exactly the way it should and I have energy that would put the energizer bunny to shame! I am disciplined in a way that is empowering to me in all areas of my life. This is not to say that I am regimented…it just makes me feel in control!

However, when even one thing falls to the wayside – other things start to slip! When I haven’t had a full night sleep, which has been the case for me these past few weeks, except for an occasional here and there day when my toddler does deign to sleep all night long – I can’t get up at 5.30 am, which means, no meditation, no running. No running means too tired to cook and too tired to read at night…when the discipline of  my routine is disrupted, it disrupts my overall discipline in all other areas of my life. I have intentionally experimented with this and then it’s happened organically – and the results or lack of them are the same! I feel unfocused, disorganized and not at my best. I am going through motions – but not taking the reigns. I am letting life happen to me, instead of me making my life happen.

I know that sleep is the falling domino for me – everything else falls down. It’s really good to identify that one hot button thing for you – being aware of it, is a big part of knowing how to deal with it.

So – what is that hot button thing for you? What makes life fall down around your ears? (what does that even mean???) And…what can you do to fix it?

Will you share?

Conscious Rebellion

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Books, Family, Inspiration, Meditation

I was an extremely rebellious teenager. I was one of those kids who would essentially do exactly the opposite of what I was asked to do. What is that phrase? I would cut off my nose to spite my face. That was me. I didn’t know why I was rebelling – I just did. In hindsight I guess it was just self-expression.

Along the way I turned things around and began to realize that I wasn’t doing myself any favors! Since then (2001) I’ve come a long way since my days of rock n roll (that’s a post for another time) and have striven everyday to live the best life I can. Through trial and error I found what optimized my performance (personal and professional) and created a recipe for my life– a go-to check list of things that bring me back to center. These include:
-meditation
-running
-unadulterated time with my family
-7-8 hours of sleep
-healthy and conscious eating
-reading 5-10 pages of a good book
…you get the picture!

I’ve lived this way for years- with varying degrees of focus on these ‘ingredients’ for my best life- never quite mastering the art and science of doing them all at a level I consider optimal! Life happens and something slips- but for the most part I’ve always done few/all these behaviors daily! These behaviors are so engrained in my DNA now that when I stray too far- I start to experience physical withdrawals! I start to ‘feel’ unlike myself, I might have trouble sleeping, or just feel a general sense of malaise and discomfort.

A short while ago I fell off every wagon imaginable in my life! I haven’t meditated, run, slept well, eaten my best (ok not too bad here but not what I’m capable of) nor read anything good in at least a few weeks. And I’m amazed at how it’s affected me. I put on a big fundraiser on May 10 and I know I get into ‘crazy mode’ the fortnight leading up to it– where my life is completely out of balance. Usually however I can take the couple days off after it to recover and get back up on my feet! It wasn’t that big a deal- just about 200 people…and my 4th year planning it- so it wasn’t new; so I can’t attribute it to that.

I thought a lot about this and realized that I was having a conscious rebellious moment/day/week/month. Where instead of rebelling against someone else’s authority I was rebelling against my own– again back to that teenage behavior of cutting off my nose to spite my face! This time though I was fully aware of the consequences – and did it willfully. I have to admit that it felt good to eat gluten (bread, orzo, rice, baguette) and dairy (Brie), to have a martini (pear/pomegranate), to have a soy decaf latté and garlic mashed potatoes (not all in the same meal!)…all things I’ve avoided in my mainly gluten, soy, dairy free lifestyle. I’ve been sleeping late but having to still wake up early which doesn’t work out that well, and I’ve probably increased my alcohol tolerance (2 drinks vs. my standard 1 drink and I’m inebriated)…I don’t drink regularly and so yes I’m a total light weight!

Once I figured out what I was doing, I felt a bit better – initially I thought I’d gone off my deep end! My inner sensor had been screaming for a while and it was getting exhausting ignoring it. When I stopped ignoring it and actually acknowledged, honored and accepted my rebellion it became a lot easier to work through/with.

Now that I’ve allowed my inner teenager to surface, it’s time to grow up again; but let me tell you– it’s not as easy to gain the momentum that you’ve had. I’ve been trying to sleep early and yet here it is 10:30pm and I’m still writing; I’m back to gluten free, but not yet dairy free, so I know I need to make baby steps so I don’t resent the ‘grown up voice’ telling me how to live. So I plan to meditate tonight after nearly a month of not! I’m reading Norman Vincent Peale’s Positive Imaging, and instead of going out with my colleagues from the day’s training – I came back to my hotel room to detox and wind down from the day. All baby steps toward ‘re-disciplining’ myself because I know how I feel when I’m at optimum! I know how amazing it is to be at my best and I want that mind/body/spirit back! I know my family and my friends and most of all myself all benefit from that version of me! The one I love most of all.

Now the tricky part is if you keep giving into the rebellion! Then this becomes the new normal and thus begins the downward spiral. So allow yourself a few days/weeks of going against your own grain but remember to listen to your inner guide…that nagging voice that tells you that you know you shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing but you shut it out and so it anyway! Don’t shut it out too completely. Leave that door ajar so you can see a glimmer of that self that is so good at being your best self! Don’t ‘go over to the dark side completely!’ It’s really hard to return.

I would love go hear stories of how you’ve brought yourself back from whatever your brink was— please use the comments and share with others who’d benefit… I’m sure we can all learn from each other!

May the force be with you!