A few more hours!

This is gonna be a really short post!!!!

There's  few more hours left before my challenge to be a 100% vegan starts...

How will I spend them???? 

eating all the cheese I can? 
having all the gummy bears I can eat?
get down 10 milk chocolate bars?

No, NO and NO....

To me this is already over....  I have been careful all week to prepare myself.... to get ready.... 

I meditated....  imagining all that nice vegan food I want to eat....  seeing myself be even healthier...  and more energized... looking at motivational articles and books that discusses why go vegan?  why let go of cheese?  and eggs?

I am ready....

I even have a few friends who will join me with their own challenges over the next 3 months....

We'll do this together!!!  And support one another!

And remember that after 21 days, a new habit is created.... or an old one can be abandoned... so really if we all stick to our resolution for 21 days...  it's a done deal!!!!!

Anyone else interested in joining with their own challenge?  You do not have to specifically say what it is....  just identify yourself if you wish too!!!
Or you can also find me on Facebook or Twitter using the link below if you prefer!

love and peace,
nathalie
xoxwww.thissavvylife.blogspot.com
http://www.nathaliebrisebois.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=734016786
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fans-of-Life-Happens/406049666149834
https://twitter.com/NathalieBriseb1

Is this the first or last day?

                                          Painting done by myself when I was 20.  Long time
                                          ago...  but it started on a white canvas!


I have had a deep reflexion with myself over the last few days.... it came upon me while reading a book my son had to read for his French course.... and he said I would love it!
The book is about a 10 years old boy dying from cancer...  (I know... why have 12 years old read such a book???  I was upset at first but I got it in the end!)  I did indeed love the book! The title is "Oscar et la dame rose" and you can find it here.

I loved it despite the fact that I ended in in tears in the bus on my way to work... but still... I controlled it quite well looking out the window!  I do not think many people realized I was crying! lol

The thinking that came upon me is the following:  at one point in the book, there's a discussion about how you see life... and they say that you should always see everything and everyone as if it was the first time you would see it or them!  Or as if it was your first time doing an activity! Everyday is like if it was your first day on this planet.

Let me explain to you why that surprised me... 

Ever since I was really close to dying when my son was born a little over 12 years ago, I had a new take on how I saw life...  and it helped me "live" more!   Feel alive and not just be going thou life but actually enjoying it!!!  I have looked at everyday as if it was the last one!!! It made me less scare of the future which was good in a way...

I clearly remember the ride on my way back home a week after my son was born and I was strong enough (according to the doctor) to go back home...  I was looking at everything: a tree, a bridge, a house... as if I may have never seen it again... as if it may have been the last time I saw it!  This made me realize that life was finite.  Precious. Short! We all have a expiration date... but we do not know when it is!!!  So I started living as if it was my last day on this planet...  for a while anyway...  I was enjoying it.... then I got sick and I actually believe it COULD be my last day... that was not as much fun!!! And got me in many financial troubles!!  But anyway...

What I really want to say is that in the end, to look at a day as if it was the first one is FAR MORE POSITIVE than to look at it as if it may be the last!!!  In all honesty, you do know that it is NOT your first day... but it may be your  last....  but your day is more surprising, more cheerful, more positive if you look at everything and everyone like if they're all new to you...  It also allows you to reinvent your life everyday for it to be what you REALLY want!!!  It allows you to not be stuck in old patterns... It's like starting to write a brand new book with a blank page everyday!  Or a new painting on a white canvas!  You can create everything you want with the new day!!!

And what I really really want to admit is that all those years I have been trying to enjoy life...  as much as I can.... and sometimes got stuck in old patterns... and now I know why...  I was looking at everything as a continuity to something instead of as a new beginning!!!

I hate to admit it....  but I was wrong.. wrong to look at life with no astonishment!!!  Everyday gives you news chances... new opportunity.... a blank page or a white canvas...  USE IT!!!! Recreate yourself!!!  This is what you are there for!!!

So will it be your first or last day on this planet???

Busy week

Hello friends!

I have a busy week... not insane busy because I do not let that happen anymore.. I pace myself and my activities and social as well as family life...

It is my best friends birthday so I have to say this:  Happy birthday Marie!  May you have the best birthday ever!!! And the most amazing year to come!  You truly deserve it!!!  xox

I also have a lunch planned with people I use to work with to discuss my book "Life Happens" and other stuff... we haven't seen each other in months!!!  I am really looking forward to this!!!

I have to prepare a few vegetarian meals for my son next week... he's going to a country house for spring break with is uncle, aunt and cousin.... they are not vegetarian... so I offered to cook a few meals for them.. other than grill cheese, pasta and eggs!  Also, it will give them a real vacation... not having to cook.... and figure out how to cook vegetarian for a week!

I am preparing my wardrobe for spring... As you may know, I have joined the Project 333 last November... Technically, it is 33 items for 3 months.... I have altered the rules ever so slightly... and followed them with the same clothes for now 4 months instead of 3.... only because with the weather we have here in Montreal, this worked out just fine to keep the same wardrobe for February!  However, with March arriving, I need to change some clothing items...  I will definitely put my velvet skirt to rest...  It has given me good use over the last few months... and I do not really enjoy wearing velvet before November and after February...  no reasons why really...  just me!  I also need bring forward a few items....  March can be surprisingly hot and/or cold here...  last year for example we had 3-4 days with temperature above 20 Celsius... and also some snow falls...  so I have to get ready for many eventualities...  which I usually do with layering!  Mornings are cold... lunch breaks when I go for my walk warmer... and late at night gets cold again!  So taking off and putting back on layer over the course of the day does wonder!  I am not sure of the number if items I will have... it may exceed 33 slightly... only because of seasons overlap...  but Project 333 has taught my to dress well with less and I will no longer be so strict with the number of items per say!  I go the idea behind it and I realize that over the course of the time, the number of items may fluctuate but the idea will be the same!  Extreme weather like winter and summer I have much less clothes....  however, for spring and autumn I may have a little more as the weather fluctuates a lot!!!  And that's OK!!!  It is my life and my rules...  right?  The idea behind experimenting with Project 333 was to live and dress well with less...  and it helped me!!!

Lastly, I have to get ready for my vegan challenge starting March 1st - Friday!!! Even thus I tried it last year and it worked, I gave it up for a reason... and I still did not resolve that issue... and this is why I will try again!  I need to figure out what my addiction to cheese and sugary food is!!!  Why do I always feel the "need" to eat "cheesy" flavored stuff and candies or cookies??? Even if they do not make me feel good afterwards? I am a little freaked out as the deadline approaches and often find myself  listing items I will no longer be able to eat!   This is the wrong approach!  I need to list the benefits of doing this challenge which for me are:

1) figuring out my sugar addiction
2) finding new vegan snacks to have - hence taste new food!
3) feel better about myself
4) complete my wellness cycle - I know these (cheesy and sugary foods) are holding me back!

 I have a few people who contacted me in regards to this... and I understand that being vegan completely for 3 months may be challenging for some people... I would not have tried that over a year ago...  But you can join me in trying to be vegetarian.... or vegan one day a week...  anything that challenges you and your nutrition!!!  The idea is to feel better about  yourself and makes you reflect on your eating habits!!!  One small step at a time!  What ever suits you! 

So what will you give yourself as a nutrition challenge between March 1st and May 31st?
Put it down or contact me directly...

You have 3 more days to figure it out!

love and peace,
nath
xox

Stress management post

Hopefully you guys do not look anything like the woman above... or her male version!!!
In case you do... please keep on reading... it will be time well invested!!!!
In case you don't... well, keep on reading anyway....  stress management techniques are always good to be remembered!!!  (to avoid looking like this poor woman!!!)

The first step to manage stress is to create a well balanced lifestyle!

3 essentials components to us, human being, are:

(no they are not money, huge house an expensive car!!!  Surprised? Well if you've been reading me for a while you shouldn't be... )

Food
Exercise
Sleep

In order to be able to manage stress, live a healthy and meaningful life, those 3 components need to be well managed!!!

Food:

You should eat healthy food...  Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.  In those, you can find all the nutriments your body needs...  vitamins, minerals, fibers, protein, anti-oxidants... without the refine sugars or flour, or the added fat.

Your food should be eaten as closely as possible to it's natural state - not processed or coming from a can or a box!

You should eat when you're hungry!  Not because it is lunch time or every one else is...

Eating should be an activity in itself... not in conjunction with...

You should always stop eating before feeling full or stuffed up!

You should chew your food - digestion process starts in your mouth with your saliva!

You should take 20 min to eat... this is the time it takes for your stomach to tell your brain it full... if you eat large amount of food quickly, the message does not have time to go thru and you overeat!

You should eat smaller meal but more often - your stomach is no bigger then your fist!

Take the time to TASTE your food...  not salt, not sugar, not fat...  the actual food...  there's a bunch of flavor out there but most food is so salted, sugary or fat that they all taste the same!  Give practice to your taste buds  so they can learn to enjoy healthy natural food!!!

This is the basic of eating.... practice it and let me know what happens...

Exercise:

Not talking about getting ready for a triathlon... or the Olympics... just get yourself moving...
You do not NEED an athlete's body...

The recommended amount of exercise to be healthy is 30 minutes per day or 1h 3 times a week...  of any activity you like!!!  Just take your body off the couch, away from TV or computer!!!  Get this heart pumping a little!

P.S. If you haven't exercise in a while, go get some professional opinion before starting - be it an instructor, a doctor...

Anything you do in the course of the week adds up...  You can go up the stairs instead of using the escalator or elevator... you can take a walk at lunch...  go for a walk after supper... play with your kids outside... throw a ball... go for a bike ride... bike to work... or get off the bus one stop earlier and walk...  park your car at the other end of the parking lot... or one street away from your destination... join a gym... a yoga class...  a team sport with other adults...  swim... walk... bike...

The best exercises, done in moderation, that do not harm your body are walking, biking, swimming and yoga... all these with common sense and moderation...

Start moving!!!!  Now is as good a time as ever!!!
You will have a better relation with you spouse and/or kids...  get to meet new people... feel great!!! look good!!!  and add years to your lifespan!!!

Sleep: 

Did you know that the average human being needs 7h18min of sleep per night?  but only gets 6h40min...  over the course of a year this sums up to more than 200h of sleep deprivation!!!!
Sleep deprivation can cause: insomnia ( I know this sounds weird but it is true), fatigue, memory loss, stress, depression, diabetes, obesity, hearth problems and digestive problems.

Your body NEEDS sleep to repair itself!!!  If you do not sleep enough it cannot do it! Over the course of months or years, damages adds up!!! 

Must I say it again.. you need to sleep..  you will not do more in the course of a day if you sleep only 4 hours because you will not be productive!!! 

It may seem counter intuitive, but by sleeping more, you have less hours during the day to do stuff... but you end up doing WAY more!!!  Because you are focus...  concentrated... and can think straight!

If you are sleep deprive, go back to a regular night of sleep by slowly incrementing by 5-10 minutes every other night your sleep time...  Do not go from 4h to 7h in one night!  It will probably not work!!! And you will stress because you will not be able to do all you're suppose to do!!!

In order to go to bed and fall asleep right away... create a ROUTINE... like we do with kids!  Go to bed at the same time each day... take a warm bath or shower right before... listen to some quiet music.. read... whatever works for you but be consistent!!!

Your bedroom is for sleeping purposes only! OK, there might be one exception to that rule - using your lab top, cell phone, iPad or watching TV is NOT one of them! ;-)

Do not eat a few hours before sleep - if your body is busy digesting, it will be hard putting it to sleep

SUMMARY:

In order to be able to manage stress, you need to watch what you eat, exercise and sleep well... this is the bare minimum...  you body cannot deal with stress if it is over used or misused!!! 

Be NICE to yourself...  protect your body - you have only one and it should last for 120 years supposedly!!!

If you need to make some changes SMALL STEPS is the key!!! DO not try to change everything at once! It may drive you nuts and you will go back to your old pattern in no time!

do not hesitate if you have any questions to ask them in the comment section!

have a lovely stress free week end!
love and peace,
nath
xox

My writing process and an announcement

Hello!!!!

Today's post will be a little bit of everything and nothing specific... probably because of the snowstorm we are having here in Montréal...  the wind is scattering my mind and I want to talk about everything and nothing! 

I try to write on this blog Monday, Wednesday and Friday... and on Vegan finder on Tuesdays...
I also wrote a book (Life Happens) and published it recently....
I also have to write for my day job as I am a training program development specialist so I have to come up with courses on a regular basis!

Now this take some organization...  I just recently started as a guest blogger on Vegan Finder (and committed to a post every Tuesday) and committed to myself to write 3 times a week on Savvy Happy Living (this blog)...  Now I have to come up with ideas for all this writing... In order to do so, I need to spend some alone time... preferably walking to organize my thought and come up with ideas.  This works really well for me... then when I get back to where ever I should be, I note those ideas on a "notepad" on my iPhone. When I am ready to write a post, I take the iPhone and pick up an idea if I cannot come with something on the spot!!!

I also want to mention that I do not sensor myself... what comes out is what you guys read...  I do not reread my posts over and over again... I do a spell check and that is it!  No edits...  maybe I should...  to be politically correct... but then I would feel like I am not authentic!!!  I truly take this post as a diary...  so you are really getting to know me!!! 

Over the next 3 Fridays (maybe more we'll see...), I will be discussing stress management.... I wrote a course on it for work and I really want to share my material with my readers... stress management is one of my specialties...  so if you want any specific question to be addressed on one of the 3 posts on stress management please ask now so that I can plan this ahead of time...

As a heads up, topics covered will be:

Food, Exercise and Sleep
Alter/Avoid/Accept technique
Music, Laughing, Personal space
Physical relaxation technique such as breathing, meditation and yoga

Also, I wanted to announce that as of March 1st, I will go vegan (again) for a period of 3 months...  it should not make a big difference from my current diet which already is 90% vegan but the 10% will not be easy to cut down.... I tried it before.... last year... from end of March to end of June... then went back to being vegetarian! I will try again in the hope of remaining vegan afterwards... 

Here's the animal products I already do not consume:

Meat
Poultry
Fish
Seafood
Yogurt
Milk
Leather and suede
Feather
Silk
Wool

Here are the animal products I consume very slightly:

Honey
Cheese
Sour cream
Ice cream
Eggs
Gelatin

Now the challenging part, as per my last year experience was cheese...  so hard to part with... because it tastes so good... is almost everywhere in our north american cuisine... and is addictive!!!  But I did it for 3 months before... I can do it again!

The other challenge is to reads the ingredients of everything I buy... of course I do not buy many package food... but a good example are crackers...  they may have milk substitute, egg powder or whatever is derived from milk and/or eggs... I will have to watch for that!!!  THAT was the most challenging part...

I will keep you guys posted on how it is going... and will be posting more on that challenge I am giving myself for the next 3 months!  I will share with you my tips and tricks to make being vegan  and eat more from home easy and not too time consuming!

If any vegan are reading this, am I forgetting any animal product I should watch out for???

And for the non vegan, would anyone be interested in joining me into this challenge and share their experience?

let me know who you are...  trying it as a team will be easier... and more fun!!!

love and peace,
nath
xox

Why pay full price?

I started a few months ago, as part of being minimalist, to only buy stuff that I really need, really like and will get great use of...  As a result I have not buy much stuff since September 2012...  this is almost 6 months!!!

I did get winter boots in November... but not having a car I really needed warm winter boots!!!!  And I did get a very good use of it!!!!  I wear them for hours every single days!!!

Now I really needed a warm winter jacket... where I live is really cold!!!  And windy!!!  And sometimes I wait for the bus 10-15 minutes!!! And I walk a LOT!!!  So I needed something that could keep me warm in windy and sometimes very cold weather (this winter we had as low as -36 Celsius)!!!  I did not wanted to have something with animal feather... or leather....  or wool....  being almost 100% vegan made me not want to wear "dead animals" to keep warm...  I also did not wanted to pay 400$ for a winter jacket...  so I decided to wait until they would be on sale...  which is about now!!! After all, our winter is coming to an end... but there will be many more!  I will therefore be able to enjoy my winter jacket for years to come!!! 

I am happy to tell you that this weekend I found the PERFECT winter jacket!  It has no dead animals components...  is not black... doesn't look puffy... and his a 3 in 1!!!  The color matches my boots perfectly!!  It was not made in China!  It was 40% off (therefore it did not mess up my budget!)!!!  So for a fraction of the price I got my dream jacket!!! Tried it this morning (at -28 Celsius) and was not cold at all!!!!!  Even thus it was very windy... I had to walk 15 minutes to get to the bus stop... and waited for the bus 18 minutes!!!
I am so happy!!!!

Also, this week end, I found on sale (77% off), a pair of pants I had fell in love with but that I refused to pay full price!!! 

Those pants will get good use because they fit me very well.... the colors goes with most of the stuff in my current winter wardrobe and lots of stuff in my spring wardrobe!   I am hoping to wear them at least once  a week for the next 15 weeks.... then put them away for summer but take them out again next September...  and wear them for at least another 30 weeks right there....  so let's assume that over the course of the next year,  I will get to wear the pants a minimum of 45 times, the pants were 15,95$: this brings us to a cost per wear of 35 cents!!!  And if I keep them for another year (which I will most likely do because they are good enough quality and not to flashy...), the cost per wear is 17 cents!!!!  Is that great deal or not??? What if I get to keep thjem for 3 years???  That would be awesome!

Point to all this is that, especially with clothes, there is not point in paying full price!!!  Unless you need a specific item for a given occasion and you are last minute... but with minimum planning and visiting your favorite stores a few times a year, you can figure out what you like and go back to buy it when the end of season sales are there...  Also by waiting a few weeks before an item goes on sale, it allows you to figure out if you really like it or if it was just an impulse buy!

We usually end up regretting impulse buys anyway...  so why not try and avoid them???

In order to avoid them, me who use to be a shopaholic, came up with rules:

1) never buy anything the first time I see it - allow myself to at least sleep over it!
2) not buying full price clothes - they always end up on sale!
3) every item I buy has to be wearable for at least 3 seasons
4) every item I buy should go with at least 3 others in my wardrobe - in order to avoid orphan piece of clothing that clutter up my wardrobe
5) clothes should be of high enough quality that I can wear them for a minimum of 2 years - preferably more than that
6) item should fit me perfectly!

It turns out that these rules worked out pretty well with me over the last year... I have a small wardrobe of clothes that fit me well... are easy to match with each other and that I can stretch from one season to another...

What about you my minimalist friends?  Do you have rules when you are going shopping???

And what if you read this and are not a minimalist:  do you still have some sort of rules when you go shopping?

love and peace,
nath
xox

 

My yoga routine

My yoga routine has evolved  a lot over the years...
 
It first really started, as explained in  Life Happens, as suggested by my psychologist after a diagnosis with MS (multiple sclerosis).  At first is was mostly stretches... deep conscious breathing done in my living room following some DVD I bought... it was weird at first.... to take the time to slow down...  I had never done that!I was only 31... who slows down at 31?  Slowing down is for old people...  but I needed to do it!  I really trusted that psychologist and wanted to give it a try...  my husband joined me to encourage me... 

A few months after that, I started getting books on yoga... to get to know different options... and I got more DVDs...  and as I got physically in better shape and managed to restore my sleep I went into Hatha Yoga.  This type of yoga is used in America mostly as a physical activity with deep breathing and meditation component and his recognize as a stress reducing discipline -  I needed to manage my stress in order to deal with my MS.  I register at a studio and it was amazing.... I went there for almost 2 years and then the studio moved to Ontario (3 hours away from where I live).  I went back into practicing at home what I had learned.... with some more DVDs... and some books.

Over that period of time, I included into my routine the 5 yamas of Patanjali into my everyday life:  Ahimsa (non-violence), Sataya (truthfulness), Asteya (non stealing), Brahmacharya (spiritual advancement) and Aparigraha (non-appropriation).  Those yamas changed my life... and while I was still doing my breathing, meditation and asanas they started guiding who I was off the mat!  And this is really what yoga is all about... not just a physical exercise...  For Ahimsa, I gave up meat... Sataya, I learned to speak the truth always using the appropriate words not to hurt people (back to Ahimsa)... Aparigraha I became a minimalist (why should I own everything?  do I really need that much stuff?  aren't I taking it away from other people?).  I am also, by increasing my meditation practice and by looking into Buddhism, working on Brahmacharya.  As for Asteya, I never stole anything really but keeping stuff I do not use is actually stealing from someone who could use it so I ended up decluttering my house!

At one point I needed to go back to a studio...  so I started going to a yoga studio own by Yasmin and I got to meet this amazing young yogini... I started practicing Ashtanga yoga... I did that for almost 2 years only to realize that it did not agree with me.  I had even started doing my yoga teacher training in Ashtanga and I had to quit because I was getting overwhelmed and physically to a place I did not wanted to go...  Let's say that MS was very happy I took up Ashtanga!

I went back to my home practice...  which is what I still do for now...  It is a mix of Hatha and Ashtanga... with low intensity...  and lots of deep breathing, stretching and meditation.  Not even sure it has a name...  but it works for me...

It goes like this and I do it at 5 am because this is the best time for me!

Start of with deep breathing and alternate nostril breathing as well as kapalabathi breathing.
Some stretches to awake by body - eyes exercises, shoulder, wrists, hips, legs and twist...  to awaken myself...
Then I go into some sun salutations...  number varies day to day
I then do warrior, triangle, boat, bridge,  foward fold and whatever asanas I feel like doing...
More twists
I end up in savasana all the time

It can take anywhere between 30 min to an hour depending on the time I have...

I also modify this routine according to how I feel, the seasons and my hormonal cycle.

This is what suits me now... but I am starting to feel the need to go to a studio... and there is a Sivananda yoga studio close to my place...  according to what I was told by a yoga teacher and a dear friend of mine, this is the type of yoga that would be perfect for me... so I will give it a try soon...

In teh mean time I am practicing being a true yogine on and off the mat!!!  And it is not always easy... but always very rewarding!!!

namaste,
love and peace,
nath
xox