Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Beautiful Paltrow, Full Life


Every time I read an article on Paltrow, I'm more and more impressed by her beauty, grace, intelligence and balanced perspective on living a full and happy life.

The Vogue article by Jeffrey Steingarten is a showcase of Paltrow's seeming (real) perfection, her ability to whip up some amazing sounding recipes (that aren't vegan, macrobiotic or on any other sort contortion of what not to eat), how comfortable she is in her own skin, and where she is in life. She's a role model for loving every part of your self, aging gracefully & living joyfully.

In life are there things that are getting in the way of living the life you envision for yourself? Maybe the extra 10 lbs, the uncertainty of transitions in life, etc. Instead of repeating the same cycles of what you're doing, all the while wishing for something else, concrete small steps for a full life:

Commit to one small thing daily that will create a positive change in your life
-wake up 10 minutes earlier to meditate on your day
-sweat & move your body for at least 45 minutes daily
-do yoga
-cook something from mother natures bounty. that means nothing out of a box, package, processed.
-set your alarm to go to sleep at 10 pm. get 9 hours of restorative, brain stimulating, growth hormone producing sleep!
-a friend taught me about an easy way to meditate. send a thought of loving kindness to someone you care about. close your eyes for 5 minutes with just thoughts of loving kindness to the people in your life.
-Listen to Michael Pollan: eat food, mostly plants, not too much.
-Think about Jing: in Chinese medicine, the life essence given to us at birth and that we guard for life with healthy habits for life. Each day, think of every action and thought as something you can do to preserve and even create this energy.
-Nature is restorative, get outside.