Walks are not only GREAT for Exercise but also for Healing

Walking is by far my favorite exercise as well as my favorite way to clear my mind. I grew up in New York City so I was used to walking EVERYWHERE. Being outside and feeling the sun on your face somehow makes things seem OK. Walking alone, with a friend or music and headphones can change your mood entirely.

I live in upstate NY now and am fortunate enough to see mountains out my window and have this park pictured 3 blocks away from my home. I am at this park 2-3 times a week no matter what the weather is. I take my kids in the summer time to the playgrounds and in the winter they can sled there. I have taken walks and cross country skied there no matter WHAT the weather. My husband and I have had our "date night" there sitting by the dock and talking. No matter how I make it to this park, what the weather is or if I am with someone or alone -- I always come back refreshed.

If I am walking alone I do my gratitude first for being able to get out and walk outside and for the beauty around me and then let whatever it is come to my mind. If it is a problem I try and figure out possible solutions to the problem. If it is something good I acknowledge the good and feel grateful for it. I let my mind wander but do take notice of the flowers, mountains, animals, and pure beauty that only nature can hold. I've seen the moon rise over the mountains, I have seen deer, rabbits, groundhogs and tons of birds and every time I am thankful.
If I walk with a friend, friends or my husband at the park I am so happy to be out and talk and listen non-stop. The interaction along with the nature feels healing every time. My friend Angela is the person I walk with the most and we always stop and say JUST how beautiful it is. We always have a hug and a "thank you" because we know just how lucky we are to walk in such a beautiful place and to have each other's friendship. If one of us is having a bad day or just needs to talk we'll shoot each other a quick email saying "walk later?" or give a call and we know we will return later healed. In the winter I feel it is MOST important to get out and walk. You can always put on layers and make it a quick one. The air and the sun (or the moon) make you feel alive and can be a very quick cure for the "winter blues". Yes, it can be a pain and take a while to put on the layers of clothes and bundle but the effort is more than worth the result of how you'll feel when you come back.

Walking with music can also be very therapeutic. With MP3 players you can walk around with your whole music collection. You can pick certain songs to cause emotions or just set it to random and surprise yourself with what comes up. Walking with music playing has a meditative effect on me. Feeling the music and being in nature is so calming and beautiful. I usually make sure to play upbeat music for the more strenuous parts of the walk and I don't even realize I am exercising.

When I was ill I still went for walks. No, not as far but just getting out always made me feel more alive then sitting in and not moving. It doesn't have to be an hour and a half walk to make you feel better. Even 5 minutes can do the trick. Fresh air and a change of scenery are healthy and vital to healing.

Walks in nature are so beautiful but I did grow up walking in New York City and walks had the same effect there. The people and store watching, the parks, the energy of the city -- all of it made the action of walking seem non-existent. It doesn't matter where you are -- there are always places to walk and find beauty.

If you are looking to walk for weight loss, About.com offers a great article on how to know how many calories you are burning while walking. Walking improves your health and is about the easiest exercise program you can start since all you need is a good pair or shoes or sneakers. You can take your time, start off with small walks and make them longer as your endurance grows. Call a friend and try to set up a weekly meeting for a walk that way it is on the calendar and it will make you less likely to "skip it". There are tons of ways to take walks and lots of places to explore. Getting out and doing it is key and you will feel renewed, refreshed and healed not only physically but emotionally as well.

Being Grateful Heals

When I was ill the first step I used from the movie "The Secret" to heal myself was gratitude. While sick and in pain it seemed easy to concentrate on what I could not do, what pain I DID have, what events I would have to miss... When I became aware that "energy flows where attention goes" I knew the very first step was changing the way I was looking at my life and expressing gratitude.

I became aware of all the beauty around me. Having grown up in NYC I was not surrounded by mountains and trees as I now am in upstate NY. I became grateful for my family. My daughter and son who are good, smart, beautiful kids who can always make me laugh. My daughter being healthy even though she was born 9 weeks prematurely. My husband sticking with me through all my illnesses that left me in chronic pain. My husband and all the sacrifices he made for me when I was ill and his never-ending strength , support and love. My mom who would do anything and does PLENTY for me and my kids. My dad who taught me so much and is always there for advice. My friends and extended family that mean the world to me. Above is a picture of my girlfriends helping me to celebrate my birthday this year. They are a constant source of laughter, comfort, GREAT conversation and I am very grateful for them.

I started paying attention to the health I did have. I could walk after all. I could still read and loved to do so. I could talk to friends and family. I started being aware of every single goodness and blessing in my life. I could still write poetry and journal. I could still enjoy music. When I started to pay attention to what I had to be grateful for it felt like I was rediscovering life. So many of the years when I was ill was concentrated on doctor visits, reading up on illnesses, feeling the pain, being angry that I needed medication, etc. that I had forgotten about so many of life's treasures.

There were times when I first started that tears (happy ones) would fall as I went over my list. It seemed I could list things for an hour and not be done by a long shot. Why hadn't I done this before? What an amazingly powerful emotion gratitude is! I concentrated on the mountains on my drive and how beautiful it is where I live -- not where I was hurting or if I missed a light. I'd walk longer concentrating on how good the sun felt on my face or how nice it was to be out rather than on my leg hurting or how I MIGHT feel afterward.

I do my morning gratitude list every day while still in bed and again when in the shower. I say my gratitude list at night while I am about to go to sleep. If ever I get upset during the day I will stop and do a gratitude list either written or in my head. It is a GREAT method for getting refocused and for getting in the moment and letting worries and negative thoughts go.

This Thanksgiving we were supposed to be going to spend it with my husband's relatives. I LOVE my father in law, sister-in-laws and brother-in-law and rarely get to see them. Due to Ray getting a full time job recently and not having accrued vacation time -- we could not make the trip. I thought back to last year. Last year because of my health I would not have even been able to contemplate 15 hours in a car. Last year I would have been so upset and beaten myself up about not being able to keep plans. This year was so different because of who I am now. Yes, I missed his family a great deal but I was not beating myself up about us canceling. I know because my health will continue to be great I will have plenty of opportunities to visit and I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful we can book to be with Ray's family right after Christmas and I know I will be healthy enough to make the trip. I am so grateful Ray got offered a good job. Concentrating on what you are grateful for in a situation rather than what is wrong with the situation gives you strength and refocuses you. You can come up with gratitude for almost any part of your life if you stop and really look at the situation from all angles.

Finding gratitude is the number one tool that allowed me to heal all of my pain. I am grateful I have healed for so many reasons. I love that I can share my healing with people. I am so happy I have the simple tool of gratitude to keep me happy, focused and healthy.

To read testimonials about my e-book which outlines all the methods I used to heal myself please visit my e-book information page. Thank you!

Heal Pain by Saying "I AM Sorry"

When I woke up yesterday morning my daughter had green gunk coming out of her nose and my first thought was "How can she be sick again?". She had just gotten over 1 1/2 weeks home from school with bronchitis and had only been at school for 4 days. My second thought was, "Oh no, I am SO behind on my blog, projects I am working on, the house, groceries, etc. ALREADY -- how am I going to face this?"

I felt sorry for my daughter, sorry for myself and I did even call my husband (who was on his way to work) to rant, rave, complain and even get a bit teary. But luckily since discovering The Law of Attraction and becoming more aware -- after about a half hour of this I had had enough. I was able to stop myself and say "Ok, Jen you are upset -- but what can you DO about the situation?"

I have been reading up on Ho'oponopono lately. Aaron Potts of Today is the Day has an excellent post on it. I have put it into practice for the last 2 weeks and will share my results soon. But a key point to it is saying you are sorry. Saying the words "I am sorry" can heal you and heal whoever you say you are sorry to. Because I have been practicing this apologizing was the first thing that came to mind.

I knew saying "I am sorry" would heal me and the others I had affected. Sorry to my daughter -- that I was caught up in what her sickness meant for me and not first and foremost concentrating on how to get her better for good this time (well I'd settle for a month) ; ). I wrote my husband an email to say "sorry for unloading so early in the morning -- I know you have enough on your mind -- I will do my best". And then I wrote emails to the people I was supposed to have done work for and said "I am sorry -- I do not have the time to complete these and I will do my best to have them to you when I can". I then said sorry to myself for being so caught up in what I wanted to accomplish that I pushed all else aside, for setting hard to reach time-lines and for getting so upset to begin with. If you haven't apologized to yourself I HIGHLY recommend it. It is liberating and is much better than the "beating myself up about something" that I used to .

By the end of those apologies I felt so much better and healed of my anguish. "I am sorry" are powerful words. My friend Neil Sattin has an excellent post on "How to Apologize effectively".
By apologizing, you are admitting to yourself WHAT you are sorry about and you are taking responsibility for it. By doing that it allows you to move forward. If I had not apologized I would have felt down on myself and disappointed by what was not going to get done. A year ago (before studying the Law of Attraction) it would have wound up as some sort of physical manifestation as well such as a head or body ache.

There are people that have a very hard time saying "I am sorry". Some think it is a character flaw of some kind to admit they were wrong. I believe it takes strength and awareness to stop, notice your behavior and how it effects others and own up to it. If I snap at one of my kids when I am tired or preoccupied I will say I am sorry. How else will they learn to apologize when they have done something wrong? When you say you are sorry you are letting go of any feelings you may have of disappointment, hurt and pain. When you say "I am sorry" to yourself you can truly move on and get over what has been stewing and exaggerating in your brain.

Look at it from the other side and think of how you feel when you get an apology. Doesn't it feel so good to have someone apologize to you and to admit what they are sorry for? I know when I say "I am sorry" to my kids their eyes light up with joy. If I did not send messages out apologizing for being late with work -- the people I am doing work for might have thought I forgot, was lazy or just didn't care. Instead I got understanding messages back thanking me and telling me it was okay -- to take my time.

The next time you are upset with yourself for something you did or didn't do or say why not stop and take a minute. Think about what you are sorry for and say "I am sorry" to the person it affected as well as yourself and see how that makes you feel instead.