DANCE WITH ENDORPHINS - What exercise does for the brain

Why DANCE WITH ENDORPHINS?  Because exercise has a profound effect on our happiness.  It helps ease anxiety and depression, improves sleep, boost energy, increases creativity, sharpens the memory, reduces cognitive decline and more. 

I know this for certain -I ALWAYS FEEL BETTER AFTER I EXERCISE.  The other day I was feeling blue, dealing with the loneliness of working from home.  I need to be around people and yet I work alone. It's easy to spiral downward.   I had a meeting with myself and decided to do the very last thing I wanted to do -  shake, shake it off.  A class of body pump pushes the nasty out of my head, although I need to find a hot tub because my massive muscles get sore!

 

What triggers happiness in our brain when we exercise?

There's a connection to our brain with our mood, and exercising stimulates feeling better. Bufferapp says when you start exercising, your brain recognizes this as a moment of stress. So as your heart pressure increases, the brain thinks you are either fighting the enemy or fleeing from it. To protect you, your brain releases a protein called BDNF  (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). This boosts your memory neurons and acts as a reset switch. 

That's why we often feel so at ease and things seem more clear after exercising.  At the same time, endorphins are released, which block the feeling and pain in exchange for euphoria -- making you feel happy! 

So there you have it.  Get your happy on by shaking your groove thing!

Cyndy, The Whoopie Queen  

Hugs,

Cyndy, The Whoopie Queen 

Take the Daily Grind from Blah to Brilliant!

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall," Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby.    

It's the beginning of a new school year and the perfect time to start fresh.  This time of year begs for creation.  The sky is Michelangelo-blue and we witness nature's art direction as leaves transform into vibrant colors.  The September Equinox is actually a holiday in the whoopiesphere - September 22 is the Autumnal New Year.  However, getting the kids back to school, driving carpools, and weekends with a plethora of obligatory activities can create the blahs.  We are busy with obligations!  Here are some ways to make the daily grind go from blah to brilliant.   

1.  Make time for yourself.  Self care is health care.  Schedule at least one activity a week to pamper yourself.  A recent study found that 87% women would rather have a massage than sex.  Ok, well go out there and get your freaking massage!  

2.  Chores.  Make a list of household jobs and have a family meeting to decide who will take on which jobs.  Who knows, you may just get rid of having to clean the toilets.  

3.  Whoopify the carpool.  Add a locker disco ball to your dashboard with a rockin' play list.  Or, listen to a book on tape.   Provide crazy hats for riders.  Wear your tiara, real or  metaphoric, to be the queen of your life and make whoopie in the world.

The point is that there are always things in life to improve and to transform.  Do you have something you want to change or create? Maybe you'd like to...

* Make a transition in your career 

* Improve your love life 

* Free yourself from self doubt

* Cultivate ways to enjoy a tough situation 

* Get your child(ren) to behave differently

* Or feel more positive about something 

If you want to speed up your success rate, then I'd like to help you do it with a special one-on-one personal "Creating Your Life" coaching session where we'll work together to...create a vision for ultimate success so you know exactly what you want, where you're headed, and what you need to do to make it happen. Uncover hidden challenges that may be sabotaging your ability to make changes that last or that are slowing down your progress.  Leave this session renewed, re-energized, and inspired to finally achieve the change you seek- once and for all.

 ****  "Creating Your Life" Coaching Session   ****

If you'd like to take advantage of this very special, very limited, and totally FREE 30 minute "Creating Your Life" coaching session, email me @cyndy@whoopiequeen.com.  This offer is good through the Autumnal Equinox on September 22, 2014.  Whoop POW! 

Hugs,

Cyndy, The Whoopie Queen 

FLASHDANCE: TAKE YOUR PASSION AND MAKE IT HAPPEN

The best ALS ice bucket video I've seen is by Brad Letson,

What a feeling

Being's believing

I can have it all

Now I'm dancing for my life

Take your passion

And make it happen

Pictures come alive

You can dance right through your life

Why was the movie Flashdance a hit?  The main character, Alex, went from rags to riches-in-rags (her cutoff sweatshirt).  She transformed from a factory-worker-welder into a superstar-breakdancing-ballet dancer.  She was a woman who reached her dreams.  

      

Ok, Flashdancers, try these steps to take your passion and make it happen:      

1.  Write your dreams down in a life list.  Pretend you are a superhero who could choose to do anything and be successful. Pretend there are no other players in the game-nobody to judge or to tell you you're wrong.

  

2. Plan it. Take out a piece of paper. Make two columns. In the left column, write down your dreams. In the right column, next to each dream, write down the one single thing you can do today to achieve that dream.   Then add what else you could do. 

3. Take action.  Do one thing a day that gets you on your path.  Imagine what will happen in 7 years if you accomplished one task every day toward fulfilling your dreams!

WHAT A FEELING!

Hugs,
Cyndy  

HIT THE REFRESH BUTTON DURING THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

We are well into August and hitting the Dog Days of Summer.  Often people are sluggish and inactive during this time of year.  If you find yourself needing a little boost, here are a few ways to hit the refresh button. 

Star gaze to feel connected to the Universe.  The term Dog Days of Summer comes from the Roman belief that the star Sirius was responsible for hot weather.  During July and August, it is the brightest star in the night sky and is located in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog). 

Summer time means sunscreen which means clogged pores.  What is the best way to exfoliate?  Make a lemon mask.  According to Dr. Oz, lemons add a little zest to your life.  Make a lemon mixture for a face mask and kiss those blackheads goodbye.  1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp brandy.  Leave on for 5-10 minutes.  It will tingle.  It's a home made chemical peel.  

In August, we are all putting on our bathing suits and thinking about how we look.  15 million Americans had some kind of cosmetic procedure done in 2013, according to the 2013 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report!  Best way to hit the refresh button on your image is to whiten your teeth.  It is: Inexpensive.  Non-invasive.  Makes you look younger.   When did you ever see a baby with yellow teeth?!

Kids are home during the summer which creates some challenges for parents.  PEP, the Parenting Encouragement Program in Kensington, MD, offers classes and has a great tips.  To set the refresh button on your parenting style, spend “special time” with your child.  15 minutes, every day for toddlers and young children.  It alleviates the nagging, whining, attention-grabbing behavior because the kids know they will have your undivided attention.  For older kids, make a date every week. http://pepparent.org/

The weather in August brews up the time when tempers flare.  People are hot under the collar.  Want to hit the reset button on problem solving?   According to James Brown, the one thing that can solve most problems is dance.  Move the negative energy out of your body and free your mind to think.  GET ON UP with your hot pants.  

FUN THINGS TO DO BEFORE SUMMER ENDS

Fun Things to Do Before Summer Ends 

Go Zorbing - http://zorb.com/world/
Go swimming at night.
Tie-dye something.
Carve your initials in a tree.
Run through sprinklers in your backyard.
Make a chalk mural in your driveway.
Wear pajamas for the whole day, even when you go out.
Have a lemonade stand party.  Adults get a lemon ricky.
Do something you are afraid of.
Cannonball or dive off the diving board.
Have a water gun fight with your friends. 
Get a henna tattoo.
Play hide and seek in a store.
Aimlessly drive around blasting your favorite summer song on repeat.
Have a yard sale and rock the tunes while people shop.
Tie a note to a helium balloon and let it go.
Make a time capsule, bury it and dig it up in 5 years.
Talk with a foreign accent for a day.
Write a letter to a friend.
Get a mani in a crazy color.
Try a new and exotic food.
Kayak.
Make popsickles.
Go to the county fair or nearby Six Flags.
Have a watermelon seed spitting contest.
Wake up early to watch the sunrise...on the beach.
Go to the ice cream shop and try 10 flavors.
Make blueberry pie.
Take a hike.

Hugs, 
Cyndy

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5 WAYS TO KICK YOUR INNER CRITIC'S BOOTY

Thoughts are what make us. Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”  Buddha quote:  We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.  I tell my kids: "Your mind believes what it says."  

The way to feel fun and joyful is by learning how to harness, or as I say, get down with the thoughts in our head.  If you have thoughts of second-guessing, put downs, criticizing, over thinking, you probably have had a sleepless night or two. 

Some thoughts are benign. There is always a ticker tape running.  It is sorta like a roommate in your head.  “Wow, it’s chilly this morning.  I need a jacket.  Crazy temp for July.  Will traffic be bad?  Need to change my hair appointment.  Hope David is having fun at camp."

Or thoughts can be damaging. “Shoot, I can’t remember her name.  What is her name?  Darn, here she comes.  What is it?  Sally, Sue?  She just told me yesterday.  What is the matter with me?!  Damn it!  I am so dumb.”

Here are the 5 ways to give that negative voice the whoop POW.

1.  Counter the thought with the positivity ratio.  

2.  Use humor by giving your inner critic a persona. 

3.  Get rational with three questions. 

4.  Love and Samskara. 

5.  The Judger/Learner Paths.

Years ago I had an accident and broke both my legs.  I spent a few weeks as a sad sack.  My apartment was in a 5^th floor walk-up building.  Now I was on track to be a wheelchair for 5 months.  I  was displaced from my home, my pet, my stuff.  I was on disability leave.  My boyfriend dumped me.  My family was 800 miles away.  Negative thoughts were rolling around my head, “You’re broken, you have no one in your life, you are going to wither away, you have no one in your life.  You have really messed it up now.  No one will want you.”  After a month of being in a haze, I thought, “WAIT THIS IS NOT WHO I AM. Make the best of the situation.  Enjoy the break from work.  Have friends visit you and take you out.”  I ordered delicious meals. I had the Physical Therapist wheel me to the park for our sessions.  I got a great tan minus the scars and cast because I sunned on the sidewalk in my bikini and wheelchair.  I become the unofficial mayor of West 81^st St. and chatted up men, women, and children on their way to and fro.  My friends took me out and carried me through many an awkward door frame to get into a restaurant or bar.  I had more dates than at any other time of my life.  I ended up falling in love with the man I’ve been with for 17 years.

I made a choice to think about my situation differently.  I changed the voice inside my head.  Sometimes those voices tell you to be mad at someone without all the facts.  Sometimes the thoughts make you feel fearful about money.  Would you spend time with a friend who talked to you like that?  What credentials does that voice have?  So here are 5 techniques to whoop it up with your mind chatter.

 

1.   Counter the thought.  Try the positivity ratio, discovered by Barbara Frederickson.  It's 3:1.  Every time you have a negative thought, replace it with 3 positive ones.  Negative:  My arms are fat.  Positive:  My arms have skin that is smooth.  My arms bend and are strong enough to carry groceries. My arms allow me to hold my child.  Wear a rubber band on your wrist and pop it when you're negative.  Snap out of it.

2.   Laugh @ the negative voice – "You’re weak.  You can’t do it.  You are not good enough.  You don’t have a Masters degree.  You aren’t smart enough."  My negative voice is an old hag named Gertrude who never follows her dreams.  She is a sad, scared old woman full of fear.  She drinks and smokes and, wants company in her misery.  When she starts harping on me, I tell her to shut up.  I recognize her and tell her to go away. 

3.   Get rational:  Ask three questions, by Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, who is the founder of the Flourishing Center and the program where I got my positive psychology certification.  http://www.emiliya.com/

1.  Not true because…

2.  Another way of looking at this is….

3.  Most likely outcome is…

For example, I was beating myself up for not having success on a project. The voice, "You're not able to do it.  You can't run your own company properly.  You don't have what it takes."  

That's not true because I have a lot of success in my life.

Another way of looking at this is that I just need to learn some techniques and strategies. 

The most likely outcome is that it will be a learning process and I will be able to do it with some practice.

4.   Open Your Heart

This tip is from The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer talks about Samskara, which is a Sanskrit word meaning “impression.”  Samskara is a blockage, a scar from an old wound, an impression from the past.  It is unfinished business and can end up running your life. 

Open your heart and live in love when these thoughts occur.   Allow the experiences of life to come in and pass through your being.  See page 57 for an example.

http://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406730206&sr=1-1&keywords=untethered+soul+michael+singer&dpPl=1

5.   The Learner & Judger Paths

Why am I such a failure?  Why did they do that?  Who’s fault is it? These thoughts put you in the Judger’s Pit.

         OR

What happened?  What do I want?  What am I responsible for?  What can I do now?  What are my choices?  What can I learn?  Now you're on the Learner Path. 

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marlee Adams, PhD. http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Questions-Life-Paperback/dp/1576756009

There ya have it, 5 ways to give that negative voice the whoop POW!  If you need help one on one with getting to underlying beliefs, how to do work on changing up your mind chatter in the moment, and following your dreams, I AM HERE TO COACH YOU.  Email me at cyndy@whoopiequeen.com or call the whoopie hotline, 917)714-0694.

Hugs to you!

Summer Lovin' - Ways to Turn Up The Heat in Your Love Life

Summer is in full swing and if you looking for ways to turn up the heat in your love life, you’re in the right place.  Whoopie Queen Cyndy Bragg just celebrated her 13th wedding anniversary and she’s here to give tips on how to keep things steamy, even if you're wilting in the heat.   

1.     LIGHT THE FIRES

Start with the drink of the summer - the Moscow Mule.  I add jalapeno to the recipe,  which has aphrodisiac qualities to sizzle things up. 

Moscow Mules for Four:

300 ml Vodka
100 ml Lime Juice (Key West Lime Juice or 3 limes)

750 ml Ginger Beer

2 slices of jalapeno

Research shows that the key to keep FIRES BURNING in a relationship is to be PLAYFUL and ADVENTUROUS.  I call this keeping your own desires lit within.  There is more insight at the current issue of Psychology Today.  Most of the article suggests that shared responsibilities of house and home keeps the relationship simmering.   Men who vacuum, get more action.  It's what long time married gals call Porn for Women.

 

DATE IDEAS FOR A SUMMER GLOW:

•  Visit the DC monuments at night.

•  Go dancing under the lights at Glen Echo's big band bashes every Saturday.

•  Redbook Magazine recommends listening to erotica on a road trip.  Kiss Your Ear.

2.     GET FRESH

Would you want to date yourself?   I have a friend who says, “The best way to be adored is to be adorable.”  Freshen up things with your partner – flirt, write notes on the mirror, text a sexy something-something, send flowers IN AN ICE CUBE.  Edible flowers are available at Whole Foods. 

 FRESH DATE IDEAS: 

·      Go to a museum and count the nudes, i.e. Baltimore Museum of Art, Or book a Find The Nudes Scavenger Hunt in several cities - http://www.watsonadventures.com/public/event/the-naked-at-the-art-museum-scavenger-hunt-4/ 

·      Marathon House of Cards or Scandal and meet at POV, the bar at The W Hotel overlooking the White House.

·  Take iced coffee and bagels for breakfast at the National Zoo.  It opens at 6am, which is when the animals are frisky.  Woo hoo!

3.  SMOLDER IT UP AT HOME
People are so busy these days with work & family that time for connecting gets lost.  The last thing ya want to do if you're exhausted at the end of the day is to get-it-on.  Why wait until the end of the day?

           DATE IDEAS: 

·      Book a “Bedroom Date," i.e., have a nooner.

·      Create Lover’s Lane in your driveway – makeout in your car.

·      Put a blanket down in your backyard, surrounded with Glow Jars, and watch the fireflies attract their mates.  

GLOW JARS HOW-TO:  Glow Jars are like having a beautiful, giant firefly bootie. 

1. Break a glow stick & shake it.  (Don't use glitter, it clumps up the goo.)

2. Cut off top & pour goo into Mason jar and screw on lid. 

3. Shake it but don't break it, took ya mama nine months to make it. Whoop POW!