Thoughts

Photo by Ozyman

Here are a few thoughts for the week related to finding simple balance:

:: “People don't devote enough time to thinking seriously about how they spend their life and how much of it they actually enjoy.” - David Schkade, PhD, from O, The Oprah Magazine March 2008

:: “There’s no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves.” - Frank Herbert

:: “The simplest things are often the truest.” - Richard Bach

Where do you see yourself in these quotes? What can you put into action this week to help you achieve simple balance?

Rules for Healthy Eating

Aundrea Tucker is back today with more great information about finding balance with nutrition. When life is hectic and we are running (sometimes literally!) from place to place, being intentional about what we put into our bodies does not come easily. Here are some simple rules for healthy eating that don't require a lot of time. Applying some of these rules, bit by bit, may have a positive impact on the way you feel and then how well you are able to balance your multiple life roles. For more information contact Aundrea Tucker with Pure Potential Wellness, LLC at http://www.purepotentialwellness.com/.

Photo by La tartine gourmande

1. Eat 90% of your food to nourish your body and 10% just for fun. This is a major improvement over half for fun and half for health and it allows for the occasional chocolate chip cookie, glass of wine, or serving of steak. Your eating doesn’t have to be perfect, just look for progress!

2. The life in foods gives us life. When possible eat local foods in season. They usually have the highest nutrient content and the greatest enzyme activity. Eat foods that will spoil. This insures that the food still has life in it! Food is fuel and food gives us energy. Because we really are what we eat, if we eat foods that have little enzyme activity, they don’t “spark” our body to work correctly. Enzymes are to our body what spark plugs are to the engine of our car. Without those sparks, the car doesn’t run right. Processed foods are devitalized of these “sparks”.

3. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day! Eat at least 5 servings, preferably up to 9 or 12 servings, of fruits and vegetables each day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and important phytonutrients such as carotenoids and bioflavonoids that protect us from cancer, heart disease, and most other chronic degenerative illnesses. Fruits and vegetables also provide us with fiber. Each month we discover more about the marvels of produce.

4. Choose organically grown foods whenever possible. The average American eats a pound of herbicides and pesticides each year. Organically grown foods generally have higher levels of nutrients because organic farmers pay more attention to their animals’ health and to their soils. The mineral levels in organically grown food were twice as high, on average, as commercially grown foods. Animals raised without hormones and antibiotics can’t pass them along to humans. Research is more strongly linking them with breast and prostate cancer each year.

Photo by Niamheen

5. Increase high-fiber foods--if you can tolerate them. Americans eat 12 grams of fiber on average each day. Recommendations from the National Cancer Institute are to consume 20-30 grams of fiber daily--the same amount Americans ate in 1850. Richest sources are whole grains (brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats, and quinoa), legumes, vegetables and fruits. Fiber protects our colon health, and reduces our risk or colon and breast cancer.

6. Eat adequate protein for your body type. We find protein in virtually all food. Protein is the main building block of our body--the matrix of bone, substance of muscle, our immune system, and many of our hormones. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are excellent sources of protein.

7. Eat high quality fats. Fats found in fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines), nuts, seeds, and grains provide nutrients called essential fatty acids. Even though Americans eat a lot of fat, many of us are deficient in these protective oils. Make sure to get some every day.

8. Drink pure water. Find out about your water quality. Use a filtering system of some type to remove chlorine and toxic substances. These rules will work no matter which basic diet works best for you. You can change the way you feel simply by eating better quality foods. Remember to make changes one step at a time.

What healthy eating “rules” do you live by?

Saving Time On-Line: RSS Feeds

Photo by harrietbarber

Several people have asked me recently about what it means to subscribe to a blog, and what exactly an RSS feed or reader is. So, we thought it might be helpful to have a little tutorial here at :simple:balance: to give you more information about the concepts involved and explain how you can subscribe to this blog (or any others you like).

First off, in the name of simplicity and finding balance in life, I promise that using an RSS reader will save you a LOT of time! Afterall, we barely have time to accomplish what we need to in the day… making time for things we want to do (like reading interesting blogs or websites) has to fit easily into our juggle in order to be feasible. Who has time to visit the websites they like everyday to check to see if there is something new posted? I used to maintain a list of bookmarks under my “Favorites” tab and scroll through them when I had time, checking to see what was new on each site. This took a LOT of time and, honestly, became something that I didn’t have time to do and so got dropped off my to-do list. I’m not a believer in spending all of my free time in front of a computer screen. But I do believe in the benefits of technology: staying in touch with other people, having a wealth of information at my fingertips when I need it, and having a tool to research and continue to learn about a variety of interesting topics. So while I don’t have time to surf the net for hours on end, I do want to stay connected. Enter RSS feeds and readers.

What does the terminology mean?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is basically a readable summary of the contents of a website. An RSS feed contains the contents of an individual website and is constantly updated as new things are posted to that site. A reader is the personalized tool you use to aggregate all of the updates, or feeds, from the websites you want - all in one convenient location.

How do I use a reader?

There are various options out there for readers, including Google reader, Blog Lines, NewsGator, and more. I suggest you check out several and choose one that best fits your needs. I personally use Google reader because it is so simple – already having a Google account allowed me to easily set up my reader. You will need to sign up and create a reader with whichever server you choose (usually just a couple of steps and very easy)… and then you are ready to go!

Once you have set up your reader, you can add feeds to it. An orange feed icon is typically used to indicate that feed subscription is available on a website. You may have seen these around the blogosphere and on other websites – clicking on the icon will subscribe you to that site’s RSS feed, and then you will start receiving those posts into your reader. You can also type a web address into your reader and it will automatically be added to your list of feeds. It really is that simple!

YouTube has a great video tutorial (less than 5 minutes long) that shows you how to use Google reader.

Now what?

Now, you are set to stay in touch with your favorite websites without wasting huge amounts of time. No more searching through your favorites only to find that they don’t have anything new posted. You will now be automatically notified when something new is added and have it in your reader, ready for you to read when you have time.

This has been a huge time-saver for me. I have found that I am able to stay in touch with more sites than I ever would have been without my reader. And since the updates aggregate in my reader, I can get to them when I have time. That might be today, or might be next week – either way, the new information will be there waiting for me.

Here at :simple:balance:, we have made it easy for you to subscribe. Look to the right and find the header that says “Subscribe.” You’ll see that little orange icon there, and you can choose to subscribe to posts, all comments, or both. If you click on “Posts,” for example, a list will appear of some of the commonly used readers. Just choose the one that you are signed up with, click on it, and follow a couple of steps to add :simple:balance:’s feed to your reader. Now you are set to stay in touch with us and with other :simple:balance: readers.

Do you use a reader already? If so, how has it impacted your juggle?

If not, are you willing to give it a try?

Balancing On the Go

Photo by voxefx

I am sitting in the airport, gladly anticipating a flight home. Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling for PLEASURE. It is a different feeling when it is for WORK. I have been away from home for four days, and although I am very excited to be returning home, the days on my trip were quite manageable this time. When I first started traveling for work, I was extremely excited. Then, there was a period of growing fatigue and imbalance associated with food on-the-go, hotel rooms, taxis, rental cars, and airports. After some practice, I now consider myself an experienced traveler and I have learned a few tricks that make me feel less restless when on the go. I hope some of them can be useful to you on your adventures:

• Planned packing. Think through your business meetings. You don’t have to wear a different suit every day. A change of shirt and jewelry (tie for guys) can be sufficient. Definitely bring something to change into for the evening, so you get some rest.
• Don’t check your luggage (if you can help it). The last thing you want to do is drive around in search of a suit to wear for the morning meeting because your luggage got lost. Also, when you have your bag with you, it shortens your trip on the way back home.
• Food has a major influence on making us feel good or bad, balanced or imbalanced.
• Yes, airport food is far from being satisfying. So, plan accordingly: eat before traveling to the airport or bring your favorite snacks with you. Also, pay attention to or take notes about the airports. If you travel a lot, you will remember details about the airport and where you may be able to find satisfying food.
• The easiest thing to do is to eat at the hotel restaurant. How boring is this? Unless you are really tired and want to be bored, I would suggest trying something local and unique. Of course, you want to make sure that you are in good shape for your work meetings, so the best way to find out what’s good is to ask. I find that asking your contacts (whoever you are visiting) is better than asking the concierge at the hotel. Although the concierge is great for giving you directions, they often just go off the same list of restaurants and don’t share anything unique. So, ask locals for some unique and delicious places.
• Exercise can reduce the stress of the day and make you feel much more balanced and on schedule. Check the hotel before you travel to find out if they have a gym or pool. If that sounds like too much after your busy day, ask for some areas where you can safely walk around (malls work, especially if the weather is bad) after your dinner.
• Tired of working at the hotel? My favorite is to find a bookstore. Local and chain bookstores typically have a nice area for sitting down (with outlets) and a coffee/tea shop.\
• Take time to explore (if there is something to explore). Even if it is driving/walking around and looking at the differences in nature and landscape, or observing people. Discoveries like these can make the trip very enjoyable (even if it means that you are on a rented bike in San Francisco, still wearing your suit pans and heels because you didn’t have enough time to go and change!).
• Little things matter. I do not like hotels because they do not feel like home. So, I noticed that simple things like bringing your pair of slippers (I have travel slippers that are always in my bag), some comfortable clothes (e.g., PJs), and your favorite incense (e.g., sandalwood) will make you feel much more relaxed. Of course, you may have your own list, just think about it ahead of time.
• Here is the list of cities with suggestions of places to visit from experienced business travelers

These are the tricks that help me feel more balanced. I am always looking for more tips, though. What works for you while traveling?

"Do you ever slow down?"

Photo by Coogan Photo

I have had this question directed at me numerous times and from various people (usually from my husband as I zip by him in the pursuit of some chore I’m trying to accomplish before hitting the pillow at night). The answer has usually been “no,” but I am working hard to change that.

Our bodies need rest. Our minds need rest. The other people in our lives need for us to rest. It is intuitive and understandable that we cannot accomplish all we need to if we are exhausted. Not to mention the fact that we are not fun to be around when we haven’t had adequate rest. (I’m envisioning memories of my parents swearing that I would never again be allowed to attend a slumber party the day after returning home from an all-nighter with my adolescent friends!) So why is it so hard to slow down? Here are some common myths about slowing down and ways to challenge them in your life.

- "I do not have time to do everything I need to."

So if that is true, how have you survived thus far? It is true that when the to-do list seems never-ending and the available hours in the day dwindle quickly, we are easily overwhelmed. But we survive, and in many cases, actually thrive! It sometimes seems like the possibility of slowing down and taking time for ourselves or our loved ones is just comical. “What, sit down with a glass of wine and book for 20 minutes? What about the dishes, laundry, …? ” But the reality is this: the day is what it is. The 24 hours we are allotted is inflexible, so that means that we have to adjust our expectations. There will always be something we have to do, and if we are in a constant sprint, we will never feel satisfied. Making a conscious choice to stop is difficult, but necessary. You may not completely finish that to-do list today, but is that really a disaster? Wouldn’t a few minutes to yourself and a good night’s sleep offer more in terms of your ability to be productive?

- "I don’t know how to slow down."

So practice. If you don’t ever try it, you will never learn how. So here’s a suggestion for a start: give yourself 10 minutes a day for two weeks. Choose to try this at a time of day in which you are more prone to feel relaxed. For some folks, that’s first thing in the morning before things get rolling; for others, it would be in the evening before bed. Pay attention to your natural instincts for relaxation and take advantage of them. Ten minutes is all you need to start with. Enjoy a relaxing beverage (not caffeinated, of course) and an activity that diverts your attention from stressors (e.g., reading, sewing, meditating, sitting on a porch and day dreaming or doing absolutely nothing). During that time, if you are having difficulty relaxing, that’s ok. Stick with it for the 10 minutes and then give yourself permission to stop. I guarantee that after a couple of weeks of trying this, it will become more natural, more a part of your routine, and something you will look forward to.

So, what do you think? Would you be willing to give it a try for two weeks? What do you have to lose? For me, I realized that when the people around me were commenting about my lack of slowing down, it was an issue. I knew that I felt scattered, but didn’t actually realize that it was evident to anyone outside of my head. I took the two-week challenge myself, and am now hooked on my downtime each evening. A book, cup of tea, and time with my husband is something that I work hard to get to each night. Just the thought of it in the midst of a hectic afternoon calms me and helps me remember that the day is what it is. I can only do so much, and I and the people I love are better off with a slowed down me.

Are you willing to try the two-week challenge? If so, let us know here how it goes. What are the challenges? What is your response? What do the people around you say?

:simple:balance: Survey, Part 2

Finding the right balance between work life and personal life takes time, practice, and a lot of trial-and-error. With any challenging situation, I also find that throwing myself into researching a topic helps to give me new ideas and different perspectives on whatever problem I am trying to solve. I don’t consider work-life balance to be a solution to a particular problem, but more of an ever-evolving concept that ebbs and flows, depending on what demands, people, and choices are in play. Nevertheless, the investigation is still extremely valuable. My own work-life balance research, along with that I have studied and continue to explore, have helped to give me new insight into finding balance in my own life. And with ever-changing conditions inherent in life, like any good researcher would, I keep asking questions and keep seeking answers.


Photo by suttonhoo

In the spirit of keeping ourselves informed and gaining new perspectives, here are some more results from the survey we conducted about work-life balance prior to launching this blog. As described in the first summary of results, one thing that particularly stood out to us was that, despite the many challenges balancing roles presents, we keep at it. The benefits apparently outweigh the costs. But how do we do it? Here are some of the things we found:

:: When the juggle of work and life roles seems overwhelming, we tend to rely on support from friends, a spouse/partner, and extended family the most. God/church/religious faith, self-reflection (e.g., meditation, prayer, journaling), exercise, and hobbies/self-care were used less frequently than the individuals noted above, but were mentioned as also being important. And lastly, children, pets, and co-workers were indicated to be the least relied upon resources. What was especially interesting to me was that out of all the survey respondents, only 2% mentioned co-workers as a support resource. Why are we not using work-related resources for support? What else are we potentially missing?

:: A question related to expectations about balancing work and life roles and how those expectations are realized revealed three categories of responses: (1) “It is harder than expected”; (2) “It is better than expected,” and (3) “I had no expectations prior to taking on multiple roles.”
- Those in category 1 identified struggles related to limited time (not a surprise to any of us in the juggle, I’m sure!), fatigue, and guilt about not being able to give 100% to all roles. In addition, several respondents indicated that their expectations about how much support they would receive, especially from a spouse or partner, were not realized. Perhaps asking for help is a difficulty that many of us face.
- Those in category 2 gave a lot of examples of foregoing perfection and maintaining flexibility in order to find balance. Several respondents said that they have had to give up things in order to make their lives work, but they stressed the belief that if they were able to give it up, it must not have been a priority in the first place. Sometimes constraints on our time and resources force us to make choices and re-focus on those things that are most important to us. In addition, many people indicated that they believe they are better at one role or another because of their multiple involvements. Again, the enrichment of the various activities and responsibilities stood out.
- The 3rd category of responses suggested that perhaps the lack of expectations was also related to a lack of planning. For some, that has apparently led to a sense of imbalance. For others, a sense that the flexibility of life and changes inherent in living it means that expectations are of little use. Perhaps a balance (pardon the pun!) between the two views is the most helpful. Maybe some planning and expectations about how to handle life’s responsibilities can provide a sense of control and balance… while on the flip-side, maintaining flexibility within those expectations in order to adapt to changes allows one to feel balanced even when things are not working out as planned. Afterall, changes to our original plan can be a very good thing!

:: When we asked about what readers of :simple:balance: would like to learn more about, it was apparent from many respondents that gathering multiple viewpoints and hearing from individuals with different life situations would be most beneficial. We are attempting to provide that via various guest writers about many different topics. But we realize that it would also be beneficial to you readers to hear from each other. So, take this opportunity to share some of your insights and post some of your own questions. Join us on the journey of seeking answers to finding simple balance.

Photo by Shira Golding

What do you think about the results summarized above?

Which category of responses to the question about expectations would you fall into? Why?

Do you use work-related resources for support? If so, how?

Confused About What To Eat?

Photo by Natalie Maynor
The summer is over, the fall is here. The change of seasons is a good time to think about what can be done differently, especially when it comes to your food choices. Food is our medicine and what you put inside your body will greatly impact your sense of balance and your energy levels. Aundrea Tucker, a certified Holistic Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, is back to help you get started on the right track. Learn more about what Aundrea does by going to her website.

You are not alone! Today, more than ever before, you really need to understand more about food and nutrition. The first rule of good nutrition is to pay attention to your own body and how you feel when you eat certain foods. Just as each of us have a different face and body type, each of us also have unique biochemical needs which are represented by the foods and supplements which make us feel best. This concept is called “bio-individuality”.

For the most part, Americans eat poorly. By government statistics we eat 18% of our calories each day as sugar, 18% as saturated fats, and 17% in processed foods, and adults consume 3-10% of our calories each day in alcoholic beverages. When you add these up, we eat over half of our foods each day as high calorie, low nutrient density foods. So is it any wonder that over time we feel fatigued and become sick?

All the major changes in our food supply have occurred since World War II. We transport foods differently. We grow foods from hybrid seeds. We use more pesticides and fungicides. We have microwave ovens and irradiated foods. We have frozen foods and more and more processed foods. Our food is different, but our bodies are the same, and collectively, they are giving us BIG CLUES that we’re on the wrong track. So, what can we do to eat better?

• First, clear out all the foods you should not eat from your home. Clean out your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer. Toss out any foods that contain hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or vegetable shortening. These re-structured “trans” fats are #1 on the NO! list. Industry uses them because they are cheap, have a long shelf life and give a buttery texture to foods. While this enables manufacturers to produce products, which meet their needs, they don’t meet yours. They’ve also been associated with atherosclerosis, some types of cancer and all inflammatory illnesses, like arthritis, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and more. These fats play at least as large a role in heart disease as do saturated fats. You’ll find them in most crackers, cookies, and packaged foods.


• Next, get rid of the high sugar foods, highly processed foods including white flour products, and food that contain a lot of food additives including artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives. The average American consumes 135 pounds of sugar each and 14 pounds of food additives each year. Sugar tastes good, but is considered an empty calorie because it depletes us of nutrients like chromium and B complex vitamins, which are necessary for its metabolism but missing from sugar itself. It also displaces more nutritious food. White flour has lost about 70% of the nutrients of whole wheat flour. And while food additives have been tested in isolation, food scientists do not know what effects they have on us long term in combination. Think of Mentos in Pepsi.


• Take control of your health. Significantly decrease the junk, and increase your intake of whole foods. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your energy level and your immune system.

What insight, tips, or tricks have helped you make better food choices?

For more information contact Aundrea Tucker with Pure Potential Wellness, LLC

Yes, You Can Say No to Let Go

Photo by Julianne Hide

For years, I have had a difficult time saying “No” to plans that were in the way of me feeling more balanced or relationships that were not very nourishing to my sense of balance. By any means, I do not think I became an expert in saying “No,” but I definitely see some progress in how I relate to the world.

Has anyone experienced a tendency to overload themselves? Do you set up unrealistic goals for yourself at work? Do you plan so many activities for your vacation or weekends that you end up feeling that you need a long break to recover from your time-off? Have you dragged on friendships or relationships just because you didn’t have enough courage or did not want to offend anyone by making a change? All of the previous questions are just small examples of situations known to create a sense of imbalance in our life. In fact, research shows that the more family and work demands we have, the more challenging it is for us to feel balance. Of course, there are some demands (e.g., childcare, deadline for a project at work) that may be difficult to control and we have to just find ways to work with them. But, there are other demands that we can control and by doing so we may create some energy/space to deal with things that are more important, fulfilling, etc.

Here are some pointers that may help you say “No”:

• Be more aware and recognize situations that lead you to making engagements that you may later regret. If you can just pause and think before you make a commitment, you may often recognize a familiar pattern. For example, a friend may be asking you about getting together. Although, it would be fun, deep down inside, you may know that you need to spend some time at home. You may feel torn, but being in touch with your true feelings should help you make the right decision;


• Ask close relations to help you recognize when you are overloading yourself. For instance, I often ask my husband to let me know that I am overdoing or over-planning;


• Delay the answer for a few days. Sometimes, it is easier to make a decision if you separate from the situation. “Sleep on it” before you make a commitment;


• Be realistic about what can be accomplished at work/home/vacation. Notice if you always tend to set up extremely high goals for yourself and get disappointed when you cannot meet them;


• Frequently evaluate the relationships in your life. Are they nourishing? Do they make you feel good? If the answer is “no” for some, think about a possibility of change;


• Strive towards simplicity. This applies to relationships, engagements, goals. The more complicated our life is, the easier it is to feel imbalanced;


• Listen to your body and your internal voice. Often, the internal wisdom will give you signs of a decision that is not very nourishing or fulfilling.

What are you strategies for finding the courage to say “No”? Please share with others!

Join us for a chat

Photo by arty_zen

One of our goals for :simple:balance: is to create a community of people who can share ideas about balancing life and work. We are not the experts, by any means, but rather facilitators who can share helpful information. And we would benefit ourselves from hearing your ideas. The survey we did initially to find out what readers would want from this blog revealed that you, too, want to hear from other folks.

In the spirit of community, please join us for a chat on :simple:balance. Grab a cup of tea, glass of wine, or whatever your tastes desire, and sit down for a few minutes with us. Share your thoughts with others who may benefit from additional insight, and pose questions about issues that you are struggling with. We will start the conversation with a few questions here. Feel free to address these or create your own in the comments below. We look forward to hearing from you.

:: As we've read, social support and asking others for help is a key for balancing multiple roles. Who do you rely on for support in your life, and why them?

:: Imagine your ideal day while balancing your roles... What does it look like? What are you doing differently from what you do on a typical day now? How can you start to implement change?

:: What more would you like to see on :simple:balance:?