DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that exercising outdoors provides physical and mental health benefits? According to an Environmental

Science & Technology study, outdoor physical activity increases energy while decreasing feelings of tension, anger and

depression. Outdoor environments may also offer greater satisfaction in physical activity. Taking physical activity

outdoors can also increase the intensity of your workout with new terrain and added wind resistance. The next time you

plan to workout on a nice day, take it outside and notice how great you feel!

YOUR COMPASS TO SELF-AWARENESS

By Emily Boettcher

Whether the purpose of your yoga practice is to build physical

strength and flexibility or to improve mental wellbeing, you turn to

yoga for self-improvement. Niyamas are guidelines used to build

self-awareness while you practice yoga. Use these mindfulness

strategies on your yoga mat to develop skills to deal with daily

challenges off the mat.

Purity calls you to cleanse your body, thoughts or words. This

can look different in everyone, but could start with just the goal to

lessen the emotional load you are carrying. Being “pure” asks that

you are honestly absorbed in each moment and have no regrets or

fears about emotions you feel.

Contentment means to have gratitude and to stop seeking for

more. This Niyama promotes spending your energy on noticing the

wealth of enjoyment in your life rather than looking to fulfill

another “need”.

Self-discipline is an effort to build your emotional strength

and drive, finding the good in each challenge and allowing a crisis

to build you up instead of tear you down.

Self-study is just as it sounds, looking at your beliefs and

actions from a different viewpoint to better understand others’, and

find a deeper definition of yourself.

Surrender invites you to let go of your ego and open your heart

to have the strength to absorb each moment along with the

flexibility to adapt to changes in life.

Although the Niyamas can be taken in different ways, the

descriptions outlined here offer just one path of how you can build

awareness of each. No one Niyama is more important than the

other. Each can offer a chance to grow as you come up against

challenge during yoga and in every day life.

IN THIS ISSUE

Set your intention in July to focus on your mind, body and breath. Learn how to be in the

present moment with specific mindfulness exercises. Practice self-awareness skills on your

yoga mat to increase your emotional resilience through change, loss and other challenges in

your daily life. You breathe all day long, are you taking your breath for granted? Use the tools

in this issue to better cope with anxiety, stress and other negative emotions.

JULY 2017

WHAT’S INSIDE

QUESTION & ANSWER

Deep Breathing

TARGET TRAINING

Fire Hydrant

LIFE BALANCE

Mindfulness

CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH

31 Day Mindfulness Challenge

FOOD FOR THOUGHT/RECIPE

Serving Gluten-Free

By Elisabeth Friemuth

Both your body and mind can benefit from full and deep breathing. Your exhale is tied to the

relaxation response in your brain. When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, concentrate

on deepening and lengthening your breath out to counteract those feelings. Remember the last

time you received a massage or completed a challenging task? You probably let out a sigh of relief.

When you exhale, toxins are removed from the body. Inhaling deeply into the belly rather than the

chest allows your muscles to receive more oxygen and delivers minerals and vitamins to your immune

system. As the rib cage expands, organs are pushed upward and massage each other, increasing

circulation. This upward motion improves posture and aids in digestion, too.

To practice fuller, deeper breaths, inhale through your nose while counting to five, letting your belly

expand with air. Hold the breath for just a moment before exhaling slowly, counting to five or more.

Pairing slower inhales into the belly rather than the chest with more complete exhales will cue your

brain and body to relax. Try it for a few breath cycles a few times each day!

WHY SHOULD I TAKE FULLER, DEEPER BREATHS?

Targeted Muscles: Gluteals and Abductors

START

Kneel on a mat and place your forearms on the mat. Your knees should

be directly under your hips and your elbows should be directly below

your shoulders.

Keep your core engaged by drawing the navel in toward the spine to

maintain neutral back alignment.

MOVEMENT

1. Keeping your knee flexed, lift your right leg up to the right side.

2. Slowly lower and return to the starting position.

By Elisabeth Friemuth

FIRE HYDRANT

COLOR ME

Try coloring to take a break in the middle of your day, before going to

bed or when you get home from a stressful day. As you color, try to

focus specifically on what you are doing. If other thoughts intrude,

work to continue focusing on your coloring task. Focusing on this one creative task will

leave you feeling refreshed and ready to focus on the rest of your day. Find hundreds of

different layouts to color on apps for both Android and IOS. Look for Color Me – Coloring

Book Free on Android and Colorme – Coloring Book for Adults on IOS to reconnect with

your creativity and reduce stress.

By Emily Boettcher

PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

By Julie Broberg

31 DAY MINFULNESS CHALLENGE

Throughout the month, practice mindfulness every day using these simple mindfulness exercises or create your own. Becoming more

mindful throughout your busy days can help you better manage stress, improve relationships and increase happiness and productivity.

By Julie Broberg

Have you ever driven your car somewhere and arrived at your destination only to

realize you remember nothing about your journey; or started eating a bag of chips

and suddenly notice all you had left in your hands were the crumbs? If you have, you

are not alone. These are some common examples of ‘mindlessness’ – or being on

autopilot. Instead of paying attention to what you are doing now, your mind may be

consumed by reviewing past experiences or anticipating future events. If you are not

being mindful, you may fail to notice the beauty of life, your surroundings and fail

to hear what your body is telling you.

How do you practice mindfulness?

There are different ways to practice mindfulness, like

meditation. Typically, meditation involves sitting still, focusing on something like the your breath,

sensations or on an inspirational word or phrase known as a mantra. In your busy life, finding time to learn to

meditate can be difficult. You can start practicing mindfulness in other ways by consciously connecting with

one or more of your senses. You do not need to close your eyes. You don’t even need to be sitting down. Be

creative about finding time in your day to start practicing mindfulness exercises.

Pay attention on purpose to what is occurring while doing your routine activities. It could be as simple as

focusing on the feeling of the soles of your feet touching the ground while standing. You can practice

mindfulness while eating, walking and exercising or doing daily chores.

After devoting more time to practicing mindfulness regularly, you may find an increase in your focus and

concentration, reduce stress and anxiety or increased memory and retention. Take the 31 day mindfulness

challenge and use the exercises outlined in this issue to get started!

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be described as the

practice of focusing your attention on the

moment, without judgment, observing all

aspects of the world around you as well as your

thoughts, feelings and reactions.

Take a 10-minute walk

and notice all five senses

Do something kind for

yourself and think about

why you enjoy it

Talk with someone about

the highlight of your day

and listen to theirs

Focus on each of your

five of your senses, one

at a time, when you eat a

meal or snack

Spend your evening

unplugged from devices

Write down at least

five things you are

grateful for

Watch the changes in the

sky and horizon as the

sun rises or sets

Listen the lyrics of a

song that you like and

contemplate the meaning

Recognize a coworker

for their strengths

Take three minutes to

do some deep belly

breathing

Commit to waiting to

answer messages or

complete other small

tasks until you complete

a longer project you’re

working on

Take a five-minute break

and do some stretching

exercises and pay

attention only to the

sensations you feel

Set your home screen on

your phone to an image

that will help remind you

to take a mindful break

Take 10 minutes and

color a picture and try to

focus only on the

drawing, dismissing

nagging thoughts as they

come into your head

Take a moment to

relax the muscles in

your face, jaw, neck

and shoulders to relieve

unnecessary tension

Take time to

write down and

prioritize a

personal to do list

Slow down your

mealtimes (set a timer if

you have to) to allow for

time to savor each bite

Step outside and notice

the detailed small lines,

textures and multiple

colors of a plant

Practice deep breathing

every time you’re

stopped at a stop light

for a day

Forgive yourself for a

mistake you made if it is

hanging over your head

TOMATO BASIL

SUNFLOWER SPREAD

You just found out that one of your dinner guests is eating gluten

free, has a gluten sensitivity or has celiac disease. Where do you go

from here? Perhaps you’ve heard about the importance of checking

food labels for gluten or how important a clean kitchen is to avoid

cross-contamination. Knowing the first few steps to eating gluten-free

will help you accommodate your guest’s diet requirements.

Read the label

One of the most important steps of finding gluten-free foods is

reading food labels. Food products with a certified gluten-free logo or

products labeled “gluten-free” are considered safe for gluten-free

consumers. For products not containing a gluten-free stamp, read the

ingredient list. If any of the following are present, the product is not

gluten-free: wheat, rye, barley, oats, malt or brewer’s yeast. Some

products are labeled wheat-free, this does not necessarily mean they

are gluten-free.

Avoid cross-contamination

When preparing food for someone with a gluten sensitivity or

intolerance, a clean kitchen is a must. Cross-contamination with food

products containing gluten is a serious concern. Thinking about

flipping your gluten-free pancakes with the same spatula used for the

wheat pancakes? Cross-contamination can occur when foods are

prepared using the same unclean surface or with the same utensils.

Difficult appliances to clean such as toasters and flour sifters should

not be shared.

Make it naturally gluten-free

Don’t forget about naturally gluten-free foods such as fruits,

vegetables, fresh meat, fish, nuts and dairy products. Limiting gluten-

free processed foods and focusing on naturally gluten-free foods will

also help you prepare a nutritious, well-balanced meal.

GLUTEN-FREE GUESTS

By Kate Bendickson

Healthier Living is your monthly guide to creating a healthy lifestyle through physical activity, nutrition and life balance. Brought to you by HealthSource Solutions, LLC.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups shelled sunflower seeds

10 to 12 sun-dried tomatoes

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp. honey or agave nectar

1 tsp. tamari

Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place sunflower seeds in a bowl and

cover with water. Soak overnight,

drain and rinse.

2. Pour boiling water over sundried

tomatoes and soak for 20 minutes.

Drain, reserving liquid. Chop

tomatoes and set aside.

3. Place all ingredients in a food

processor and blend until desired

consistency is reached. For a creamier

texture, add the tomato soaked liquid

one tablespoon at a time.

4. Enjoy as a sandwich spread or

vegetable dip.

PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES SERVES: 8

Nutritional Info

Calories 97

Fat (g) 6.5

Carbohydrates (g) 8.7

Fiber (g) 2.6

Protein (g) 3.3