Instant Winkle Remover and Facelift
I do not have the patience or the focus to meditate. So I step outside near trees and breathe. According to peer reviewed research this simple act of being near trees is taking away my anxiety, changing my mindset, and making me more creative.
I can see from my blog videos that know my face is more relaxed when I am outside. My voice is even calmer — smoother. Instant wrinkle remover. And I smile more often. Instant facelift.
I Want Posture Like Jennifer Walsh
Once outside, and the tree aerosols have calmed me down, I can think about how I want to look. There is something about the beauty out there, and the trees standing tall, that makes me want to do the same.
And just watching beauty entrepreneur (and our facebook member) Jennifer Walsh in her video series looking so beautiful on her walks in Central Park, New York City is inspiring. She has great posture.
I have poor posture from years of writing reports. And I think loss has made me hunch. The systemic lupus diagnosis two years ago was a heavy hit. I has also been the motivation to transform my life.
Now that I am happier and healthier as a result of going outside more to be close to trees, I can think about beauty – in addition to health.
Something Easy Please
I researched behaviour change. I wanted something easy. I wanted something that would take care of itself — almost without me. Habit formation sounded right.
I ordered The New York Times best seller “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg. In a nutshell here it is. There is a habit loop. It has 3 parts: cue, routine, and reward. Over time this becomes automatic.
Duhigg says ” The cue and the reward become intertwined until a powerful sense of anticipation and craving emerges.” I know that feeling.
Bad behaviours don’t go away, but he says “…..if we learn to create new neurological routines to overpower them, then we can force the bad behaviours into the background and take control of the habit loop.” Makes sense.
My Posture Recipe
Stanford’s behavior scientist BJ Fogg has distilled habits into what he calls “recipes” and “tiny habits”. So the posture recipes I am working on this week are this:
After I …..sit down to the computer
I lift my ribcage off my body, take a deep breath
And say “Awesome”.
And the next one is the same thing but outside.
After I ….step outside
I lift my ribcage off of my body and take a deep breath.
And say “Good for You.”
My sister here with the willows, came up with the phrase “lift your ribcage right off of your body”. Her former ballet, now fitness instructor gave her this. Now we are both using it. She also came up with the celebration “good for you!”
Unexpected Side Effect
I believe I am good and awesome. And you will too. Give it a shot.
If you want to practice with us join my facebook group Ditch Inside For Outside Tribe. Here we practice getting outside and the ripple effect: health and beauty habits.
Sun Sensitive Protection
If you are sun sensitive (and especially it you have lupus) discover the SPF 50 in all their clothing and accessories. Use the best sunscreen. Boost your self esteem. Boost your beauty.
I love this… Such a great reminder…
We can do this! Time to reward ourselves !
I am always most calm when I am sitting somewhere there is a breeze!
I love the idea of thinking of habits as “recipes.” Thanks for the tips!
I love that instead of beauty tips you focus more on how we feel about ourselves and that is what makes us beautiful outside! It is so true that our mood and posture can change our outward appearance more than anything! Now excuse me while I go sit under my grapefruit tree and take some deep breaths 🙂
Posture is so important, not just for how we look but for the health of our bodies, including our internal organs! But it is hard especially when you work on a computer (which is most of us). I have found that those intentional cues work wonders.
I love that you back it with research, although, intuitively, we probably all know it is better for us to get outside 🙂
Wow – those are some great tips! Very informative and a great way to start anything. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the tips! I always love a good hat. 🙂
We love to get outdoors whenever possible. With the heat this week we are enjoying the air conditioning once 10 am rolls around.
I love this! You look radiant.
This makes a lot of sense; if you can really appreciate the outdoors, it takes away that feeling of not having enough to make you happy.
We live on a busy street, so I don’t love walking in our neighborhood, but I do find it really relaxing to just sit in the yard with a good book on a nice day. Fresh air is great for clearing your mind!
I am the same! Being outside calms my soul. Always a great reminder to get out more.
That’s it – I’m moving outside! All jokes aside, you’re 100% right about how our entire attitude changes outside.
Always love your site. Hey Verla what plug in are you using that automatically load my name and Email.
It’s beautiful to see how much joy nature brings you 😍
Very informative blog post filled with great daily/morning rituals almost like affirmations. I like it!
Thanks for these tips! I love that outfit!
I notice that when I go for nature walk, the smell of the trees and wildflower freshen up my mind, I immediately forgot about all work I need to do back home, it is incredible how nature do to us!