Besides my yoga practice, which is coming along WONDERFULLY!, I am trying to incorporate other practices to help my mental well being and overall stress level. This past week, even though my yoga was  on track, I was still getting into some high anxiety patters because of external stresses. It would be nice to live in a peaceful bubble, but that is not reality.

While looking around on my current favorite yoga site (I love their magazine), Yoga Journal, I stumbled across an article about cultivating gratitude as part of your yoga practice! It’s easy to overlook all the little things that make our lives pleasurable and beautiful every day. I somewhat incorporated gratitude thoughts into some of my first yoga and de-stressing posts, but I want to make this a regular section. As I have mentioned, mental state as well as what you feed your body are very important. Every post will include not only my food data, but gratitude exercises, and maybe other mental plans too.

My mind can fly away with all sorts of ideas, and I need to learn to keep these ideas healthy, positive, and constructive. QB and I have always joked that I am the kite and he is the rock. Well, I need to learn not to fly my kite into storms! :-p

I also have made a habit of not bringing “baggage” onto the mat with me. No matter how stressful my day, I make sure I only brink LOVE, PEACE, and GRATITUDE to the mat when I do my yoga practice. This reinforces the positive mental benefits of yoga.

As this year winds down to an end, I am actively taking steps to improve my quality and enjoyment of life. The New Year is days away, and I am working on some goals I hope to achieve in the next year. 2010 has taken me by surprise in many ways, so I’ve been regrouping this past week.

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
~John Milton

Gratitude’s:

I slept in a safe, warm bed with my wonderful Husband and two little doggies.
I got enough sleep for day shift today, so I don’t have a lack of sleep hangover.
I took time to appreciate the beauty of the snow speckled ground.
I have a healthy tasty packed lunch box, and enjoyed a fresh juice on the way to work.
I feel like writing for the first time in days after a mental regrouping. I love to love writing!

Teh Eat’n Plan for December 29th:

2 Brazil Nuts (49)
Green Carrot Apple Juice (212)
Balsamic Carrot Salad (245)
*215g Carrots
*50g Spinach
*750g Low Cal Balsamic Dressing
*1T Olive Oil
*3g Nutritional Yeast
*Sprinke of Dried Basil
2 Wegmans’s Lite English Muffins + Lite Smart Balance (281)
Easy Tofu Chipotle Stew + Grape Tomatoes (304)
Berry Hemp Smoothie (344)

I’m really enjoying my salad. The nutritional yeast really adds to the flavor. After using the yeast with my salad for the past week, I can’t eat it without anymore. I forgot it one day, and I was wondering why it seemed like something was missing. And the olive oil I’ve been eating is that super healthy oil I ordered early this year. With my stroke scare, I’ve been making a point to eat my olive oil every day.

Here’s my CRON-o-Meter Approximation for today….but it’s still subject to change.

===========================================
Nutrition Summary for December 29, 2010
Report generated by CRON-o-Meter v0.9.7
===========================================

General (94%)
===========================================
Energy               |  1438.0 kcal   108%
Protein              |    52.4 g       92%
Carbs                |   212.1 g      109%
Fiber              |    53.1 g      213%
Starch             |     9.9 g       66%
Sugars             |    70.6 g      141%
Fat                  |    56.4 g      120%

Vitamins (100%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            |116692.9 IU    2334%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  | 45431.0 µg     909%
Folate               |   796.2 µg     442%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     4.0 mg     365%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |     4.1 mg     316%
B3 (Niacin)          |    28.8 mg     192%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|   253.0 mg    5060%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |     4.4 mg     275%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |     3.5 µg     176%
Vitamin C            |   479.1 mg     799%
Vitamin D            |  5650.0 IU    2825%
Vitamin E            |    22.8 mg     190%
Vitamin K            |  1241.9 µg    1380%

Minerals (100%)
===========================================
Calcium              |  1822.2 mg     182%
Copper               |     2.0 mg      99%
Iron                 |    17.9 mg     119%
Magnesium            |   710.3 mg     222%
Manganese            |     4.8 mg     120%
Phosphorus           |   860.9 mg     123%
Potassium            |  4370.9 mg     125%
Selenium             |   155.1 µg     282%
Sodium               |  2709.9 mg     542%
Zinc                 |    12.6 mg     105%

Amino Acids (100%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     0.8 g      342%
ILE                  |     1.8 g      162%
LEU                  |     2.9 g      128%
LYS                  |     2.2 g      130%
MET                  |     0.6 g      103%
PHE                  |     1.9 g      195%
THR                  |     2.4 g      286%
TRP                  |     0.4 g      191%
TYR                  |     1.3 g      276%
VAL                  |     2.0 g      116%

Lipids (68%)
===========================================
Saturated            |     9.5 g       48%
Monounsaturated      |    19.5 g       78%
Polyunsaturated      |    19.9 g       80%
Omega-3            |     5.2 g      471%
Omega-6            |    12.2 g      111%
Cholesterol          |     0.0 mg       0%